Rasskaz Kanonizatsiya: Rasskaz-Kanonizatsiya/Story Canonisation

Here is my third Russian language textbook. For some reason, this book was much more difficult to write than the previous two. The opposite should have been the case as it was written for readers who speak and read Russian at the higher B1–B2 level; thus, I had more freedom to express my ideas and the plot could be more expressive. In 'The Story Canonisation', the number of new words is much larger – around 1,000 lexemes, all from various topics – and the grammar structures are more elaborate. The issue for me was more the context, the life context. 2014 was not an easy year for Russia and Russians, no matter what their political views. It was not an easy year for me either. It is this complexity and the ambiguousness of what happened – constantly referring to history – that I wanted to reflect upon in my book. Yet, I was writing a textbook, the key goal of which is to help learners of the Russian language. Moreover, there is an understanding that a textbook nowadays should be kind, humorous and inviting as there is far too much negativity around us, especially in the media and on social networks. My wonderful friends and colleagues also regularly reminded me of this. Inspired by the talent of Bulgakov, who mastered the skill of talking about complex subjects in an ironic form, I began writing the book which you can now see. As in my previous books, the events unfold on the island of Guadeloupe. Banker George must ‘save the world’ or at the very least help humanity. But, alongside this, the reader will learn about another main character – Professor Voensky – who had to leave Russia after the 1917 Revolution. He settled in Malta and subsequently left us something incredibly interesting and useful. I have tried my best to write the book in several layers: for those who are in a hurry, it is useful for just practising the most important words and grammar structures within the context (special emphasis is given to the verbs of motion); those who have more time can look closer, learn and hopefully start using the quotes from popular Russian songs, poems, movies and books; finally, for the most curious readers and teachers, there are hidden quotes (including the chapter titles) and hints. I hope that alongside the questions at the end of each chapter, such quotes will work as a basis for discussions and essays – interesting, entertaining and useful for perfecting language skills. You will not see any exercises in this book. This was a conscious decision. There are numerous resources which can be used to master grammar and they are available as published books, online materials or as mobile apps. Audio versions of the first two books proved to be very popular so 'The Story Canonisation' is also available as an audiobook. To order it, please email audio-book@russialocal.co.uk. When I was working on this book, I found it incredibly helpful to peruse the feedback I received for The Story Sensation and The Story Provocation. Every week, I have received thank-you letters which motivate and inspire me to write more. Sometimes, I receive valuable recommendations. My sincerest thanks go to all those who find time to share their thoughts with me. I would particularly like to thank those who actively helped me to make this book happen: Russian language teachers Stanislav Chernyshov, Svetlana Sushkova and Tess Testeza, and my friends Elizaveta Belyavskaya, Maria Grigorkina, Gumer Isaev, Alexander Lobanov, James Lumby and Natalya Voronina. I must also express my heartfelt gratitude to Gallus Consulting (www.gallusconsulting.com) and Mr Guy Willner, the publisher of “The Stranger in Saint Petersburg” by Vesla Stranger for their generous financial support of this book. Of course, 'The Story Canonisation' could not have happened without the support of my mother and wife.