No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveNew Association Promotes Russian Language, Culture

New Association Promotes Russian Language, Culture

MANAGUA – The land of legendary Latin American poet Rubén Darío last week celebrated its Russian counterpart, Alexander Pushkin, the 19th century poet who is considered the founder of modern Russian literature.

Pushkin was honored Oct. 10 in an evening of readings and music at the University of Central America (UCA). The event was organized by the Russian Embassy and the newly formed Association for the Promotion of Russian Language and Culture.

The first in a planned series of cultural exchanges, the event brought together poets, musicians and scholars – both Russian and Nicaraguan – to honor Pushkin’s far-reaching literary legacy.

Elena Ramos, a Russian native, gave an impassioned reading of one of Pushkin’s best-known works, the prose novel “Eugene Onegin.”

Ramos has lived in Nicaragua for the past 20 years and is a published poet in Spanish. She recited Pushkin in Spanish as well as her native Russian.

Ramos said she hopes that the new educational series will bring the two countries closer together. There are plans to establish a Russian-language education program and an initiative to place Spanish-language translations of Russian literature in libraries here.

“Pushkin hasn’t been widely read here, mostly because of a lack of access to his poems and prose,” she said. “Though Russia and Nicaragua are very distinct countries, in both literature is fundamental to their identity.”

The sense that there was an underlying connection between the literary traditions of the two countries was echoed by Igor Kondrashev, the Russian Ambassador to Nicaragua, a poet and writer himself.

Kondrashev gave the opening address to the Oct. 10 event celebrating Pushkin.

“Pushkin taught the Russians how to speak Russian,” he said. “Just like Darío taught the world how to speak Spanish.” Darío, known as the Prince of the Spanish letter, is often credited as the father of Modernism, an international literary movement that shattered the conservative constraints of earlier forms.

“Nicaragua has an incredibly rich literary heritage,”Kondrashev said. “That’s why we’re having this event. To create an exchange and to share.”

 

Trending Now

Celso Gamboa Allegedly Ran Drug Ring with Costa Rican Government Ties

Celso Gamboa, once Costa Rica’s Security Minister and a Supreme Court judge, now faces extradition to the U.S. for leading a major cocaine trafficking...

Why Costa Rica Feels Like a Safe Haven for This Longtime Expat

If someone asked me to sum up why I live in Costa Rica in 5 words or less, my answer could well be: “It...

El Salvador Slams Paris Fashion Show Inspired by Cecot Mega-Prison Inmates

The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, joked on Saturday that he could send inmates from his mega-prison to France, after they were represented...

Costa Rica’s Piangua Mollusk Threatened by Pineapple Farm Runoff

Costa Rica’s Térraba-Sierpe National Wetland, a 33,000-hectare haven of mangroves and rivers, is under siege from an unlikely source: pineapple farms. A study by...

Costa Rica’s Eyelash Viper Snake Is One of the Most Beautiful

There are at least 141 different species of snakes in Costa Rica. With that large number of species packed into such a tiny nation,...

Costa Rica Pushes USA to the Brink but Falls in Penalty Heartbreak

If you just caught the end of the USA vs. Costa Rica Gold Cup quarterfinal, you probably feel like you need another cup of...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica