This issue of the magazine features:

• Overview: Anne Frank Is Still Making Her Way to Russian Readers

In the west, almost any child is familiar with Anne Frank, while in Russia, most schoolchildren know nothing about her. This is all the more surprising because Frank’s diary has been published many times in Russian, and there are Russian renderings of her other texts, as well as of memoirs and historical and literary works about her. The article provides a detailed overview of the extant literature, focusing on two recent books—Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation and All About Anne, both translated from English. The first work, a graphic novel adaptation of the diary, has an educational focus that could be especially fruitful for young Russian readers. The second one, a textbook for teenagers, misses its target because it has not been adapted to take into account Russia’s specific cultural milieu. Our reviewer harshly concludes that the mindless translation and publication of western books not only fails to help young Russian readers comprehend the tragic fate of six million Jews during the Second World War, but can also generate a backlash and, thus, alienate them from the topic.

• Point of View: A Jewish Artist at the Russian Museum

A recent solo show at the Russian Museum in Petersburg by Sasha Okun, a Russian-born Jerusalem-based contemporary artist, prompted our reviewer to take a closer look at both Okun’s paintings and his writings. While his outstanding paintings elicit only praise, his literary works provoke a rather more skeptical assessment.

• Looking Through Russian Literary Magazines: Novels and Articles of Jewish Interest

• Jewish Calendar of Significant Dates: January–February 2020

• Bibliography: Seventy-Five New Books