A few questions about Russia in the 1930s/1940s

[yiskah]

Hello little_details, you have been extremely helpful to me in the past, and now I have some (hopefully final!) questions for you about the novel I am writing. It's broadly set in Leningrad between the 1920s and 1940s, though I will be more specific in terms of timing in my individual questions. I have done a lot of research (internet-based and book-based) and

Comments

[likantropos]

1. Belomorkanal (or simply Belomor) is ok. As for alternatives: "Герцеговина Флор" ("Gertsegovina Flor", which might be considered high-class, Stalin smoked them), "Ява" ("Yava") "Казбек" ("Kazbek").
2. Иваново ("Ivanovo", can't get more generic), Хутор Дальний ("Hutor Dalniy", should be far away place), Авдеевка ("Avdeevka"), Любиров ("Lyubirov", more likely for south-eastern regions), Пески ("Peski", means "sands"), Ковалево ("Kovalyovo" also south-eastern), Красный Луч ("Krasniy Luch", very soviet), Первомайск ("Pervomaysk", very generic and very soviet).

[yiskah]

Thank you so, so, SO much for all of this, particularly #2 - enormously helpful!

[anonymous]

1. Depends on where your soldiers come from and what kind of military they were. The smokes were provided to the soldiers by the Army and could be "Belomor ("Belomorkanal"), could be self made sigarettes ("Goat's leg", "Козья ножка" in Russian) from home-grown tobacco- mahorka "Махорка" in Russian (especially, if the person is from Southern regions) Some soldiers smoke trophy cigarettes - obtained from Germans

[yiskah]

You're right, that's what I mean! :)

[yiskah]

Thank you so much for all of this - it is massively helpful.

On your final point: it's absolutely not my intention to portray Russians in the negative way you describe, and I'm sorry it happens so often in literature by non-Russians. I have a great love and respect for Russian history and culture and people, and I hope that comes across in my writing. :)

[anonymous]

http://zabinok.livejournal.com/577604.html try to ask this person, he has got interesting posts about streets in Peterburg.

[yiskah]

Ah, thank you!

[fragesteller]

#5. Comrade Stalin or just Stalin. The first one is more usual.

[yiskah]

Brilliant, thank you! Would referring to him as just 'Stalin' come across as mildly disrespectful? That's what I'd like to get across - nothing outrageous or offensive though.

[fragesteller]

It depends on the situation:
If the group of people talking about Stalin were in a (semi)official situation it would be definitely comrade Stalin.
If it's just kind of smalltalk among friends - simply Stalin. A name itself without any addition is not really disrespectfull then.

[p_ab]

1. Mahorca (Махорка) - home grown tobacco. + answer Anonymous. Mahorca swirled in newspapers or various papers.
4. Dvortsovaya Ploshchad from ~ 1920 (1918?) to 1944 named Ploshchad Uritskogo.
Ulitsa Pravdy (Улица Правды) Kabinetskaya Ulitsa from 1822 to 1921. At now - Ulitsa Pravdy.

Улица Марата:
Gryaznaya Ulitsa (Грязная улица) to 1856.
Nikolaevskaya Ulitsa (Николаевская) from 1856 to 1917
Prospect Febrary 27 (проспе́кт Два́дцать Седьмо́го Февраля́)
Ulitsa Marata from october 1918. And I`m sad, that this street named current name to now days.

5. Tovarisch Stalin (Товарищ Сталин) Comarade/Comrade

Thank you for link to my little homepage with calendar dates famoust events in St.Petersburg.
I think i can answer to your other questions in a few days (may be not at all answers).