A Minor Change of Plan: the 2009 Russian Series Quiz

The bad news is that, due to a Series of Unfortunate, Not Particularly Awful but Fundamentally Rather Irritating Events, the Russian Series is unable to bring you Alexandra Kollontai’s unique perspective on the question of prostitution and labour desertion today.

The good news is that you have a fun Russian and Soviet studies quiz to tide you over.  Answer the questions below and send your answers to kirstyrussia AT gmail.com.  If you get them all right, your name will go into a hat – a very fetching one, with a bow – for a chance to win your very own copy of Chris Ward’s Stalin’s Russia (ordered just for you via an online bookshop).  The draw will be carried out by an unimpeachable authority otherwise known as Koba.

All the answers to the questions below can be found in previous Russian Series articles.  The question is… have you been paying attention? (If you need a little refresher, you can find the Russian Series here.)

1.  Who was Trotsky’s earliest biographer, and what did he do that is so frustrating?

2.  Which story by Tolstoy attracted Kirsty’s ire in Hatchet Job Week?

3.  According to Gorky, what do socialists never do?

4.  What is the most famous thing Alexandra Kollontai never said?

5.  How did Lenin and Trotsky get on?  (Be brief)

6.  How does Simon Sebag Montefiore characterise Stalin’s mother -in-law?

7.  Which word did Trotsky coin in Literature and Revolution to describe Vladimir Mayakovsky?

8.  What is the name of Lermontov’s alleged Scottish ancestor?

9.  What is the perfect accessory for the Soviet historian on the run?

10.  Which famous revolutionary possessed a pair of striking yellow shoes?

The draw closes on Saturday, 31 January at midnight Chile time (GMT -3).  Good luck!

Thanks to Colin for the picture of Koba reading up on his classics.

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