Мидж

Dear Midge!

At December I sent You three lyrics, of those on cassettes. I hope You'd like to get them newly

What are Your successes at studying of Russian?

The lyrics will help You to learn it better - and our soul too

Apropos 1: You must get a big fun listening our satirist Mikhail Zadornov. (If somebody translate, sure; though sometimes it is about impossible). The whole "postsoviet space" knows him; his apartment is opposite to Gorbachyov's, etc. His speeches are translated by Central Russian TV, in recently ~ once a year (earlier it happened a little more often). One of his favouritest themes is "Americans and Russians". He considers so: "Americans separately are extraordinary blunt, but together - a great country. Russians on the contrary: each is a genius, but together - "a Field of Miracles in a Land of Fools" * . And brings hundred examples in acknowledgement, enough funny. Sure, it may make You be offended, but if to miss the sence, You could know a lot of Russian soul, too

* "a Field of Miracles in a Land of Fools" - the words from our popular childish book "Adventures of Buratino" (created by steps of Italian book "Adventures of Pinocchio" by our writer Alexey (not Lev!) Tolstoy)

There is an episode: two swindlers, a Cat Basilio and a she-Fox Alisa promised a wooden boy Buratino that if he will dig his 5 golden coins in at the Field of Miracles, which is situated in a Land of Fools, in morning there will grow a tree with golden coins instead of leaves
The book is far more funny and optimistic than "Pinocchio" and every dweller of the late USSR knows it

Soviet movies were masterpieces each the third (OK, the tenth). Do You know a dosen at least? And one of them is 2-parts childish movie "Adventures of Buratino", shooted by Belorussian regisseur Nechayev

Just personal Disney's films may compare with it, as with all Soviet times cartoons and movies - I tell it without a shadow of bragging, plese believe. Just ask Your pals who are a little richer than me to send You tapes and translations, even if it were on paper, - and You'll agree

Apropos 2: I write this letter, using program-translator "Socrates". Beside us is accepted to write "you" with capital letter ("Socrates" "has translated" it so), but "I" - with small. This fact tells something of our mentalitet, doesn't it?

Apropos 3: We prefer to speak not "mentalitet", but "soul"

Good by!

Lev

P.S. Apropos 4: "Lev" means "a Lion"

=)