The SCRSS organises a regular programme of lectures,
film shows, exhibitions, seminars and other events at its premises
in London. The Society is also involved in educational and commemorative
events associated with the Soviet War Memorial in London. Events
are open to both SCRSS members and non-members, unless otherwise
stated.
Please note: dogs are not permitted on SCRSS
premises, with the exception of guide dogs.
Venue and Tickets
Most events take place at the SCRSS.
Evening events normally start at 19.00, with tea and coffee served
from 18.30.
Lecture and film tickets cost £3.00 (SCRSS members) and
£5.00 (non-members), unless otherwise stated. For all other
events, please see individual listings below. Please note:
tickets are payable by cash only on the door
(unfortunately, we are unable to accept debit or credit cards).
2019 Events Diary
January 2019
Thursday 17 January -
Thursday 21 March 2019, 17.45 - 19.45
Evening Class: Russian Language for Intermediate Level (Term 2)
The course is led by Christine Barnard, former lecturer in Russian
at the University of Westminster. Maximum 10 students.
Fees: £40 per term (SCRSS members), £60 per term
(non-members). Full fee payable at start of term by cash or cheque
only.
Friday 25 January 2019, 11.00
Event: Holocaust Memorial Day Ceremony at the Soviet War Memorial,
London
The commemoration is organised by the Soviet War Memorial Trust
(SWMT) and Southwark Council. It begins with a wreath-laying ceremony
at the Holocaust Memorial Tree and Soviet War Memorial, which
stand together in the Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park surrounding
the Imperial War Museum (IWM) in London. Guests will then proceed
inside the IWM for the continuation of the event. Guests attending
the indoor element of the event are invited to view the IWM's
Holocaust Exhibition after the ceremony concludes.
10.45: Gather at the entrance to Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park
(in front of the IWM main entrance and near the park cafe), Lambeth
Road, London SE1 6HZ.
10.55: Process to the Soviet War Memorial / Holocaust Memorial
Tree.
11.00: Wreath-laying ceremony begins at the Soviet War Memorial
and Southwark Council's Holocaust Memorial Tree.
12.00: Commemoration continues inside the IWM (Roof Terrace on
4th Floor).
Please note: Wreaths may be laid at the Soviet
War Memorial and / or at the Holocaust Memorial Tree. There is
no seating provided outdoors - this part of the event is expected
to last no more than 25 minutes.
Due to limited seating, if you wish to attend the second part
of the commemoration inside the IWM, please contact the Mayor
of Southwark's office directly on Tel: 020 7525 7303 or Email:
mayors.office@southwark.gov.uk.
If you intend to lay a wreath on behalf of an organisation, or
you will be carrying a standard, please reply directly to the
Honorary Secretary, SWMT on sovietwarmemorialtrust@gmail.com by
noon on Wednesday 23 January.
The Soviet War Memorial
was unveiled in 1999 on the initiative of the SCRSS and the Society
has been supporting the work of the SWMT
since its foundation. The SWMT organises three main ceremonies
at the Memorial each year to mark Holocaust Memorial Day
(January); Victory Day (9 May) and Remembrance Sunday (November).
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February 2019
Saturday 2 February 2019, 11.00
- 16.00
Event: SCRSS Saturday Library Opening for Members
The Loan Library (Literature and History collections) and General
Reference Library (Reading Room) will be open for use by members
without prior appointment. De-acquired books and a selection of
donated Soviet / Russian souvenirs will be on sale. You can deal
with your membership renewal or even join the SCRSS on the spot
to take advantage of access to the SCRSS Loan Library. In addition,
our selection
of mugs priced at £6.50 each, and featuring striking
designs from the SCRSS collections will be on sale (cash / cheques
only). SCRSS members only.
Friday 15 February 2019, 19.00
Talk: Alexandra Smirnova on 'The Last Tsar - Blood and Revolution'
Exhibition
Alexandra Smirnova of the Science Museum discusses their current
exhibition which runs until 24 March 2019.
Set against a turbulent backdrop of social upheaval and war
between 1900 and 1918, the exhibition explores the huge influence
of medicine on the family of the last Tsar of Russia during this
period, from the young Tsarevich Alexei's haemophilia B - a rare
blood condition passed down from Queen Victoria - to the Tsarina’s
mental health, and the influence of doctors and spiritual advisers,
including the infamous mystic Rasputin. The exhibition includes
unique artefacts, documents and photographs never before on public
display in the UK, examines the crime scene and discusses the
advances in medical and forensic science that later transformed
the investigation into their deaths.
The talk is open to both SCRSS members and non-members. Normal
entrance fees apply: SCRSS members £3.00 / non-members £5.00.
Pay cash on entry.
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March 2019
Saturday 2 March 2019, 11.00 -
14.00
Event: SCRSS Saturday Library Opening for Members
The Loan Library (Literature and History collections) and General
Reference Library (Reading Room) will be open for use by members
without prior appointment. De-acquired books and a selection of
donated Soviet / Russian souvenirs will be on sale. You can deal
with your membership renewal or even join the SCRSS on the spot
to take advantage of access to the SCRSS Loan Library. In addition,
our selection
of mugs priced at £6.50 each, and featuring striking
designs from the SCRSS collections will be on sale (cash / cheques
only). SCRSS members only.
Saturday 2 March 2019, 14.00
Talk: Andrew Jameson on The Horrible History of Russian! Part
2
Andrew Jameson follows on from the first part of his talk delivered
in October 2018, looking at what the Russian language can tell
us about Russian history and the Russian character.
Andrew Jameson taught Russian language and culture at Portsmouth
and Lancaster universities, and organised many popular residential
courses for adults at Knuston Hall, Alston Hall, Essex, UEA and
Lancaster. His particular interests are the Russian avant-garde
in its various manifestations and the cultural history of the
Russian language. Since retirement he has often lectured in St
Petersburg, Moscow and Khabarovsk. He now works as a professional
translator.
The talk is open to both SCRSS members and non-members. Normal
entrance fees apply: SCRSS members £3.00 / non-members £5.00.
Pay cash on entry.
Friday 15 March 2019, 19.00
Talk: Christine Lindey on 'Art for All: British Socially Committed
Art from the 1930s to the Cold War'
Christine Lindey, art historian and SCRSS Exhibitions Officer
discusses her new book, published in September 2018 by Artery
Publications (see the Artery
website for further information). The book focuses on British
artists, but many of these were influenced by the Bolshevik Revolution,
some such as Rowe and Binder worked in the USSR as artists in
the 1930s, while Soviet Socialist Realist theory and practice
were the subject of much debate among socially committed artists
and critics during the Second World War.
"Christine Lindey is a doyenne of British art history and
one of its most original, accessible and principled practitioners...
Her thought and writing combine academic rigour with a rare lucidity.
In Art for All she explores a rich vein of British art that in
the 1940s and 1950s kept alive the idea of a socially committed
and widely understandable art in the face of the increasing dominance
of elitist forms of modernism and abstraction that had become
tools of the West on the cultural front of the Cold War. As a
historian of British art myself I found this book a revelation.
An important contribution to the history of British art, this
book, in its focus on a socially and politically aware practice
that seeks a genuinely wide audience, seems particularly timely
in this historical moment of rampant individualism and raging
inequality." Simon Casimir Wilson OBE.
The talk is open to both SCRSS members and non-members. Normal
entrance fees apply: SCRSS members £3.00 / non-members £5.00.
Pay cash on entry.
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April 2019
Saturday 6 April 2019, 11.00 -
16.00
Event: SCRSS Saturday Library Opening for Members
The Loan Library (Literature and History collections) and General
Reference Library (Reading Room) will be open for use by members
without prior appointment. De-acquired books and a selection of
donated Soviet / Russian souvenirs will be on sale. You can deal
with your membership renewal or even join the SCRSS on the spot
to take advantage of access to the SCRSS Loan Library. In addition,
our selection
of mugs priced at £6.50 each, and featuring striking
designs from the SCRSS collections will be on sale (cash / cheques
only). SCRSS members only.
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May 2019
Saturday 4 May 2019, 11.00 - 16.00
Event: SCRSS Saturday Library Opening for Members
The Loan Library (Literature and History collections) and General
Reference Library (Reading Room) will be open for use by members
without prior appointment. De-acquired books and a selection of
donated Soviet / Russian souvenirs will be on sale. You can deal
with your membership renewal or even join the SCRSS on the spot
to take advantage of access to the SCRSS Loan Library. In addition,
our selection
of mugs priced at £6.50 each, and featuring striking
designs from the SCRSS collections will be on sale (cash / cheques
only). SCRSS members only.
Thursday 9 May 2019, 11.00
Event: Victory Day - SWMT Act of Remembrance at the Soviet War
Memorial, London
The Soviet War Memorial was
unveiled in 1999 on the initiative of the SCRSS and the Society
has been supporting the work of the SWMT
since its foundation. The SWMT organises three main ceremonies
at the Memorial each year to mark Holocaust Memorial Day
(January); Victory Day (9 May) and Remembrance Sunday (November).
Saturday 18 May 2019, 11.00 - 13.00
Event: SCRSS AGM
SCRSS members only
Saturday 18 May 2019, 14.00
Talk: Jane Rosen and Kimberley Reynolds on 'Reading and Rebellion:
An Anthology of Radical Writing for Children 1900-1960'
Editors Jane Rosen (former SCRSS Librarian) and Kimberley Reynolds
discuss their new book, co-edited with Michael Rosen, and published
by Oxford University Press in September 2018 (see the OUP website
for more information).
There will also be an opportunity to view the recently re-located
SCRSS Children's Literature collection, which Jane Rosen has sorted
and re-shelved.
The talk is open to both SCRSS members and non-members. Normal
entrance fees apply: SCRSS members £3.00 / non-members £5.00.
Pay cash on entry.
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June 2019
Saturday 1 June 2019, 11.00 - 16.00
Event: SCRSS Saturday Library Opening and 50th Anniversary in
Brixton Summer Party
The Loan Library (Literature and History collections) and General
Reference Library (Reading Room) will be open for use by members
without prior appointment. De-acquired books and a selection of
donated Soviet / Russian souvenirs will be on sale. You can deal
with your membership renewal or even join the SCRSS on the spot
to take advantage of access to the SCRSS Loan Library. In addition,
our selection
of mugs priced at £6.50 each, and featuring striking
designs from the SCRSS collections will be on sale (cash / cheques
only).
50th anniversary in Brixton summer party details TBC.
SCRSS members only.
Friday 14 June 2019, 19.00
Talk: Caroline Walton on My Cossack Family - And Other Remarkable
People in Russia and Ukraine
What is it that attracts so many of us in the West to this part
of the world? Caroline Walton talks about her new book, which
describes her personal experiences, the people she has met and
the Ukrainian-Russian family she married into. She has discovered
in them a spiritual strength that has enabled survival of famine,
war and nuclear disaster. The talk will include discussion.
Caroline Walton is the author of several books on Russia and
the former USSR, including The Besieged (about the siege
of Leningrad). A Russian to English literary translator and editor,
she helps Russian-language authors achieve publication in English
(see Sirinbooks.com). Her new book My Cossack Family - And
Other Remarkable People in Russia and Ukraine is due for
publication in May 2019.
The talk is open to both SCRSS members and non-members. Normal
entrance fees apply: SCRSS members £3.00 / non-members £5.00.
Pay cash on entry.
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July 2019
Saturday 6 July 2019, 11.00 - 16.00
Event: SCRSS Saturday Library Opening for Members
The Loan Library (Literature and History collections) and General
Reference Library (Reading Room) will be open for use by members
without prior appointment. De-acquired books and a selection of
donated Soviet / Russian souvenirs will be on sale. You can deal
with your membership renewal or even join the SCRSS on the spot
to take advantage of access to the SCRSS Loan Library. In addition,
our selection
of mugs priced at £6.50 each, and featuring striking
designs from the SCRSS collections will be on sale (cash / cheques
only). SCRSS members only.
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August 2019
Saturday 3 August 2019, 11.00 - 16.00
Event: SCRSS Saturday Library Opening for Members
The Loan Library (Literature and History collections) and General
Reference Library (Reading Room) will be open for use by members
without prior appointment. De-acquired books and a selection of
donated Soviet / Russian souvenirs will be on sale. You can deal
with your membership renewal or even join the SCRSS on the spot
to take advantage of access to the SCRSS Loan Library. In addition,
our selection
of mugs priced at £6.50 each, and featuring striking
designs from the SCRSS collections will be on sale (cash / cheques
only).
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September 2019
Saturday 7 September, 2019, 11.00 - 16.00
Event: SCRSS Saturday Library Opening and Open House for Lambeth
Heritage Festival
The Loan Library (Literature and History collections) and General
Reference Library (Reading Room) will be open for use by members
without prior appointment. De-acquired books and a selection of
donated Soviet / Russian souvenirs will be on sale. You can deal
with your membership renewal or even join the SCRSS on the spot
to take advantage of access to the SCRSS Loan Library. In addition,
our selection
of mugs priced at £6.50 each, and featuring striking
designs from the SCRSS collections will be on sale (cash / cheques
only).
Open House for Lambeth Heritage Festival details TBC.
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October 2019
Saturday 5 October 2019, 11.00 - 16.00
Event: SCRSS Saturday Library Opening
The Loan Library (Literature and History collections)
and General Reference Library (Reading Room) will be open for
use by members without prior appointment. De-acquired books and
a selection of donated Soviet / Russian souvenirs will be on sale.
You can deal with your membership renewal or even join the SCRSS
on the spot to take advantage of access to the SCRSS Loan Library.
In addition, our selection
of mugs priced at £6.50 each, and featuring striking
designs from the SCRSS collections will be on sale (cash / cheques
only).
Back to top
November 2019
Saturday 2 November 2019, 11.00 - 16.00
Event: SCRSS Saturday Library Opening for Members
The Loan Library (Literature and History collections)
and General Reference Library (Reading Room) will be open for
use by members without prior appointment. De-acquired books and
a selection of donated Soviet / Russian souvenirs will be on sale.
You can deal with your membership renewal or even join the SCRSS
on the spot to take advantage of access to the SCRSS Loan Library.
In addition, our selection
of mugs priced at £6.50 each, and featuring striking
designs from the SCRSS collections will be on sale (cash / cheques
only).
Sunday 10 November 2019, 12.30
Event: Remembrance Sunday - SWMT Act of Remembrance at the Soviet
War Memorial
The Soviet War Memorial was
unveiled in 1999 on the initiative of the SCRSS and the Society
has been supporting the work of the SWMT
since its foundation. The SWMT organises three main ceremonies
at the Memorial each year to mark Holocaust Memorial Day
(January); Victory Day (9 May) and Remembrance Sunday (November).
Wednesday 20 November 2019, 19.00
Talk: Robert Chandler on Vasily Grossman, Lev Ozerov and the
World of Soviet Jewry
Robert Chandler will discuss his two most recent translations
- of Vasily Grossman's novel Stalingrad and Lev Ozerov’s
poetry collection Portraits Without Frames.
Grossman's Life and Fate has been hailed as a 20th-century
War and Peace. However, Grossman did not originally conceive of
Life and Fate as a self-contained novel. It is, rather,
the second of two closely related novels about the Battle of Stalingrad.
The first of these two novels was first published in 1952 under
the original title Stalingrad. The characters in both
novels are largely the same and so is the storyline; Life
and Fate picks up where Stalingrad ends, in late
September 1942. One of the most memorable chapters of Life
and Fate is the last letter written from a Jewish ghetto
by Viktor Shtrum’s mother. The words of this letter do not
appear in Stalingrad, yet the letter makes itself powerfully
felt throughout the novel.
In 1946 Ozerov published a long poem about the massacre of Kiev
Jews at Babi Yar, one of the first works to address the subject
in Russian. He was also one of the contributors to The Black
Book, a documentary account, co-edited by Grossman, of the
Shoah on Soviet and Polish soil. Ozerov's posthumously published
Portraits without Frames includes moving portraits of
the four Soviet Yiddish poets executed on Stalin's orders in August
1952.
Robert Chandler's translations from Russian include many works
by Vasily Grossman and Andrey Platonov. He has also compiled three
anthologies for Penguin Classics: of Russian short stories, of
Russian magic tales and (together with Boris Dralyuk and Irina
Mashinski) of Russian poetry. He is a co-translator of three volumes
of memoirs and stories by Teffi and the author of a short biography
of Alexander Pushkin. His translations have won prizes in both
the UK and the USA. Teaching is increasingly important to him,
and he runs a monthly translation workshop at Pushkin House (London).
Robert is also a Vice President of the SCRSS.
The talk is open to both SCRSS members and non-members. Normal
entrance fees apply: SCRSS members £3.00 / non-members £5.00.
Pay cash on entry.
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December 2019
Saturday 7 December 2019, 11.00 - 16.00
Event: SCRSS Saturday Library Opening
The Loan Library (Literature and History collections) and General
Reference Library (Reading Room) will be open for use by members
without prior appointment. De-acquired books and a selection of
donated Soviet / Russian souvenirs will be on sale. You can deal
with your membership renewal or even join the SCRSS on the spot
to take advantage of access to the SCRSS Loan Library. In addition,
our selection
of mugs priced at £6.50 each, and featuring striking
designs from the SCRSS collections will be on sale (cash / cheques
only).
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