From Nyet to Da: Understanding the Russians

by Yale Richmond

Remarkably accurate understanding. Like earlier editions the new From Nyet to Da illuminates the dynamics of traditional Russian culture in the framework of contemporary events. With a new preface, a completely rewritten chapter Whither Russia?, and updates and revisions throughout, From Nyet to Da enlightens readers about virtually every aspect of Russian life. - Increase in contact between Russians and Westerners. As interactions multiply, so does the need to understand what drives Russian behaviour and what skills are needed to communicate effectively. From Nyet to Da covers social and interpersonal skills, as well as the underlying cultural assumptions and values of the Russian people. - Written for anyone engaged in transactions with Russians. business executives, educators, students, governmental or non-governmental officials; anyone with an interest in understanding more about Russians will gain new insights from this sympathetic yet even-handed treatment of the Russian people. The text is enlivened with entertaining anecdotes, colourful proverbs and insightful quotes from other scholars. - Five major sections help to define the Russian Geography and Culture places Russian culture in the framework of the geographic and historical forces that have shaped it;Culture and Character describes the Russian State and Society explains the post-Soviet sociopolitical system; Personal Encounters identifies key behavioUr patterns a visitor will encounter; and Negotiating with Russians provides a guide to negotiating a joint venture or a new contract.

Genres: Nonfiction, Russia, Travel, History, Cultural

203 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Yale Richmond served as a cultural officer in the U.S. Foreign Service with postings in Germany, Laos, Poland.

Reviews

[Dmitry · Rating 1 out of 5]

(The English review is placed beneath the Russian one)

С некоторым описанием русских людей я согласен, но в целом книга бесполезная, ибо автор не понял русских людей.

Сначала я был полностью согласен с автором, но как только автор ввёл понятие Sobornost, которое, по словам автора, свойственно русским, моё мнение резко поменялось. Нет в русских людях никакой соборности (Sobornost)! Это легенда, миф, сказочка для иностранцев. Создание этого мифа было организовано властью. Т.е. Sobornost, это административная конструкция, насильно установленная во время правления царей. А в эпоху советов эта практика превратилась в политический инструмент для контроля населения. В общем, у меня возникло такое ощущение, что автор с русскими людьми никогда по-настоящему не общался. Да, это невозможно с незнакомыми людьми, ибо для понимания русских не поможет путешествие по России на пару месяцев, т.к. русские не принимают иностранцев, относятся к ним как к чужакам. Я имею в виду, что разговор между самими русскими будет не тот же самый, что разговор с иностранцем. И проблема тут не в языке. Я думаю, это многовековая пропаганда, устроенная сначала царским правительством, потом коммунистическим, а теперь и постсоветской властью. Российская и советская власть всегда внедряла идею о том, что люди из Европы и США, потенциальные враги, волк в овечьей шкуре. Однако тут есть исключения. Молодые и прогрессивные люди, которые свободно говорят на английском и которые интегрированы в Западный мир (культуру, политику, экономику) могут говорить с иностранцами как со своими. Тут критическое значение принимает их политические и культурные взгляды, разумеется. Но в целом, они более раскованы в общении с иностранцами. И вот от них автор мог бы узнать, кто же такие русские.

Я повторю, автор описывает искусственных русских, взятых как будто из фильмов или книг. Это не настоящие русские, а что-то типа сувениров, продающиеся специально для иностранцев, которые лишь поверхностно знакомы с этой страной.

Я перестал читать книгу где-то на середине, ибо количество ошибок стало просто невообразимым. Ниже я приведу цитаты из книги, которые с моей точки зрения ложно отображают русских людей. А что касается реального изображения русских, то я бы рекомендовал общение с реальными русскими, а не то, как они представлены в этой книге.

«Sobornost (communal spirit, togetherness) distinguishes Russians from Westerners»

«Accustomed to close physical contact, Russian men, as well as women, touch when talking. Women dance with other women if there are not enough men to go around or if not asked by a man for a dance. Russian men embrace and kiss each other, on the lips as well as cheeks, as I learned once when I had a male kiss planted on my lips, much to my surprise, at the end of a long and festive evening».

«Recreational activities are often arranged in groups, as in the artel. After working together all day, factory and office employees will spend evenings in group excursions to theaters and other cultural events organized by their shop stewards».


I agree with some of the descriptions of Russian people, but overall the book is useless because the author did not understand Russian people.

At first, I was in complete agreement with the author, but as soon as the author introduced the concept of Sobornost, which, according to the author, is peculiar to Russians, my opinion changed dramatically. There is no Sobornost in Russian people! This is a legend, a myth, a fairy tale for foreigners. The creation of this myth was organized by the authorities. That is, Sobornost, is an administrative construct forcibly established during the reign of the tsars. And during the Soviet era, this practice became a political tool for controlling the population. In general, I got the feeling that the author has never really communicated with Russian people. Yes, it is impossible with strangers because to understand Russians, it does not help to travel around Russia for a couple of months because Russians do not accept foreigners, treat them as strangers. I mean, the conversation between Russians themselves will not be the same as the conversation with a foreigner. And the problem here is not the language. I think it is centuries of propaganda, arranged first by the tsarist government, then by the communist government, and now by the post-Soviet government. The Russian and Soviet governments have implanted the idea that people from Europe and the United States are potential enemies, a wolf in sheep's clothing. However, there are exceptions here. Young and progressive people who speak fluent English and who are integrated into the Western world (culture, politics, economy) can speak to foreigners as their own. Their political and cultural views are critical, of course. But in general, they are more relaxed in their communication with foreigners. And it is from them that the author could learn who the Russians are.

I repeat, the author describes artificial Russians, taken as if from movies or books. They are not real Russians, but something like souvenirs sold specifically for foreigners who are only superficially familiar with the country.

I stopped reading the book about halfway through because the number of errors became simply unimaginable. Below I will cite quotes from the book that, from my point of view, falsely portray Russian people. As for the real portrayal of Russians, I would recommend conversations with real Russians, not the way they are presented in this book.

[Virginia Pulver · Rating 4 out of 5]

I spent 2005-2007 with Peace Corps isolated on the easternmost tip of Crimea (Ukraine) where everyone was a Russian speaker and I was clearly from the USA! I read this book during the start of Peace Corps Week (the first week in March) and found myself happily engaging in nostalgia for those wonderful days abroad among the delightful Russian who shared their lives with me. I found the information mirrored many of the lessons served up to me during my training. The quirks of Russian culture and the challenges I faced were consistent with what the author shared in this slim volume. I recommend it. But I also wonder how much life has changed in the years since this book appeared in print. It is a good read. And Peace Corps was a wonderful experience (but learning to speak Russian was a real challenge! - Ginn

[Olena Denysyuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite my Russian origin, sometimes I don’t understand the Russian culture. Even worse, it drives me crazy, as I feel it as being rude, wild, dull, and severe – by gigantomania measures.
From another side, I do actually bear a little bit of pride that my mam is Russian (and I am happy for her own pride of being Russian). Being Russian means being great, spiritual, and sensitive- also by gigantomania measures.
The author succeeded in changing my own perception of my own culture. Now it doesn’t drive me crazy any more, as I got in depth interpretation of it…from an American point of view.

Very deep, interesting and funny reading. Would really recommend it to everyone.

[Bob Newman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Faded advice from 35 years ago

There was a series quite a few years ago that purported to provide guides to “dealing with” and understanding other nationalities for Americans. Some of those nationalities were Japanese, Arabs, Mexicans, and Thais. Then there was also this volume on Russians. As an anthropologist I can’t really say that such books are useful as they deal in so many generalities, but if you’re looking for such a tome, this one might be OK. The only thing is that it was written in 1990-91 when the USSR was breaking up and a new Russia was emerging. Many people, including the author, believed that this heralded a new age, that Russia would change (for the better?). The conditions described here have certainly changed, but looking at Putin and his brutal campaign to dominate Ukraine with close to a million Russian casualties, I would not say for the better. Look around you, if you’re American. What do you see that’s made in Russia? Just about zero, right? Though you can meet plenty of Russian tourists in Europe and Asia, and Russians can buy almost everything at home now, conditions are not optimum. And they are relying on export of commodities, like a Middle Eastern petro-state.
If you’re North American or European, are you planning a trip to Russia very soon? Are you likely to be negotiating with Russian business people very soon? If not, this book will only provide some interesting insights into general Russian behavior. I taught English in the Soviet refugee community around Boston for 28 years and I can conclusively say that the students I had were as mentally or personally diverse as Americans. Though a few things seemed to be common, there were always exceptions. I did not do business with them of course, but the diversity I found makes me wonder what books like this are worth. They are interesting for sure. That’s probably it. And in this case, the picture is out of date.

[Ryan Costa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yale Richmond wrote this around 1995. The term "Russian Oligarch" had not become common yet. Thousands of newly rich Russians had not yet moved to Miami Florida.

So, the Soviet Union had collapsed. Many Americans were not sure what to do with themselves with out a giant communist nation to get angry or paranoid about. Mr.Richmond tries to increase our understanding of Russia in this book. Russia had no history of democracy. The Russian revolution was not against Capitalism. It was a systematic collapse of feudal Russia and the Tsarist regime. newly urbanized peasants were revolting against feudalism, the Tsar, the enormous losses and privations of World War 1. Later, the Leninist-Communists were the best at pretending to be in charge, so they succeeded in assuming control. With most revolutions, the new regime goes through a form of Atavism, simply assuming and expanding the worst of the regime it is replacing. For example, after the American Revolution, the United States greatly expanded slavery.

Anyways, Richmond explains facets of the Russian culture or psychology that transcend the Feudal years and the Soviet years. Russia has massively underdeveloped industry and resources and markets. So Americans of all ideological backgrounds are going to go there to make some money developing them. They had better gain a greater understanding of the field before they try!

This book is 25 years old as of now. Many readers may conclude that without Putin, Russia would have collapsed enough for a bunch of hydrogen bombs to end up on the black market. Many other things have changed. Today, America's Democrats are more aggressive toward Russia and the Republicans make more of a show of getting voters angry at China.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very pleasant and thorough look on Russian culture. The author made many compairson with American culture, which was pretty helpful as I am American who is trying to understand the Russian outlook.

For the most part, the author was unbiased in explaining Russian culture: he showed the best (Russian patience/strong-willed & spirited "soul") as well as the bad (bribs, alcoholism) sides of Russia.

That being said, the author used ancedotes and his own experiences in Russia to aid in the making of this book, which some people might not like because they would have wanted statistics or the like. I personaly loves that the author shared his own experiences in dealing with the Russians and sharing his outlook with his own connections and friendship with his Russian peers. I appreciate the deeper look into a Russian's life, or as deep as we can for a foreigner :)

I also appreciate the funny stories the author shared and the quotes sprinkled inside the novel were also interesting. Would totally reccommend to people interested in Russia :D

[Julie Brock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is easily one of my top three or four favorite books on Russia. I was fortunate to get my hands on the most recent (2009) edition, although at 11 years old it would benefit from a 5th edition. The author was a US Foreign Service Officer, so it was written from that vantage point. He explained cultural differences in communication, finances, the passage of time, and so much more. His nuanced treatment of urban vs. rural Russia and the different perspectives of generations of Soviets/Russians was poignant. I much appreciated the level of detail in a relatively short book. I will probably reread it at some point - hopefully that 5th edition. :)

[Bilal Ma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most things match with what I've observed, experienced and know about Russia and Russians. Some chapters may not be interesting depending on what you're looking for in this book. Overall a good read.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice booklet and very informative. It could be greatly improved by reducing quotations from other works.

[Anke Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book very educational when I first read it in 2005.

I just had my twin boys read it (April 2020) who were adopted from Russia and they both said they wouLd give this book 4 stars as well.

[Leila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this an interesting read, though certainly biased by the author's personal experiences and opinions. My only beef with the book was that he presented his personal experiences with Russians as the Truth about Russian behavior. His observations are not without value, but would have been easier to swallow had he made more of an effort to emphasize that they are his observations and not factual truth. All that being said, I thought many of his perceptions were accurate and I found a lot of what he wrote about informative.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Serious and neutral exploration of Russo-American relations at a intercultural communication level that touches on Russia's history and social underpinnings in an easy to understand manner. Not an in-depth or scientific look into the issues facing Russo-American communication but instead more anecdotal. Good for travel and business but if a more long-term stay or study is in mind, other sources for information should be considered.

[Naomi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected a lot more irony in this book and perhaps not the authoritative point by point how to guide. However, I did enjoy some of his historical backgrounds and even learnt a thing or two about origins of customs or particular phrases.

[Jeania · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book before my first trip to former Russian states in in 1994 and got a lot out of it. It brought me much closer to understanding Russian cultural communities I was involved in. I think it has stood the test of time since then and is still a very worthwhile book.

[Rina ivarksd · Rating 4 out of 5]

good mix information about Russia especially about their custom n daily life

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Useful.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whether culturally or individually, the impression of ourselves is so different from how others see us.

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are planning a trip to Russia, this is a good read. It will help you understand Russian people.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This edition, written in 2003, may be a few years out-of-date, but I found it very informative regarding the Russian culture, people, and worldview.

[McArthur Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone contemplating a trip to Russia, or wanting to understand Russian acquaintances, this book is a valuable tool. This is an updated version of the old diplomatic stand-by.