Culture of Odessa

Culture of Odessa

The Culture of Odessa is a unique blend of Russian, Yiddish, and Ukrainian cultures, and Odessa itself has played a notable role in Russian and Yiddish folklore.[1]

Contents

Odessa language

The Russian language as spoken in Odessa is influenced by Yiddish and Ukrainian in grammar, vocabulary, and phraseology. As a result, many phrases sound inherently and uniquely humorous to Russian speakers and constitute a staple of Odessa humour. Also, the Odessa dialect of Yiddish has plenty of Russianisms.[1]

Cultural image of Odessa

To a significant extent the image of Odessa in Russophone culture is influenced by The Odessa Tales of Isaak Babel. Odessa is often referred to by the collocation "Odessa Mama", a term that originated in Russian criminal (blatnoy) subculture.[1] The reputation of the city as a criminal center originated in Imperial Russian times and the early Soviet era, and is similar to the reputation of Al Capone era Chicago.[2]

Odessa humor

The Odessa humor is a notable part of both Jewish humor and Russian humor.

Since 1972 Odessa has been hosting the annual festival of humor, Humorina. For this and other reasons Odessa was known as the "capital of humor" in the Soviet Union.[3]

"Odessa Mama"

Many places in Odessa are memorable not only for their intrinsic cultural value, but also for their place in Odessa folklore.

Odessa Jews

The History of Russian Jews in Odessa may be traced to the days of the founding of the city.[4]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c Robert A. Rothstein, "How It Was Sung in Odessa: At the Intersection of Russian and Yiddish Folk Culture", Slavic Review, vol. 60, no. 4 (2001), pp. 781-801 doi:10.2307/2697495
  2. ^ Roshanna P. Sylvester, " Tales of Old Odessa: Crime and Civility in a City of Thieves" (2005) ISBN 0875803466
  3. ^ [1]
  4. ^ Steven Zipperstein, "The Jews of Odessa: A Cultural History, 1794-1881" (1991) ISBN 0804719624 ()

References

  • Maurice Friedberg, "How Things Were Done in Odessa: Cultural and Intellectual Pursuits in a Soviet City" (1991) ISBN 0813379873 (The book is about the life and culture of Odessa of the Soviet era. Its title is an allusion to a Babel's short story "How Things Were Done in Odessa" from The Odessa Tales)
  • Anatoli Barbakaru, "Odessa-Mama: Kataly, Kidaly, Shulera" (1999) ISBN 5040028563 (Russian)
  • Rebecca Stanton, "Identity Crisis: The Literary Cult and Culture of Odessa in the Early Twentieth Century", Symposium: A Quarterly Journal in Modern Foreign Literatures 57, No. 3 (2003) pp. 117-126

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • ODESSA — Fondée en 1795, Odessa eut son heure de gloire dans la seconde moitié du XIXe siècle: n’était elle pas en 1897 la première des villes ukrainiennes et la troisième de l’Empire? Victime ensuite de l’avènement dans le pays d’une économie de type… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Odessa — For other uses, see Odessa (disambiguation). Odesa (Одеса) Odessa (Одесса) Potemkin Stairs …   Wikipedia

  • Odessa Numismatics Museum — The Odessa Numismatics Museum Established 1999 Location 33 Grecheskaya St. Odessa, Ukraine Director Peter Loboda …   Wikipedia

  • ODESSA — ODESSA, capital of Odessa district, Ukraine. In the 19th century it became the industrial and commercial center for southern Russia. In 1865 a university was founded. Odessa was an important center of the Russian revolutionary movement. Under the …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Odessa Oblast — Одеська область Odes’ka oblast’   Oblast   …   Wikipedia

  • Odessa International Film Festival — Location Odessa, Ukraine Founded 2010 …   Wikipedia

  • Odessa University — Odessa National University Одеський національний університет імені І. І. Мечникова Established 1865 Type Public Rector …   Wikipedia

  • Odessa Film Studio — Type Closed Joint stock company Industry Film Founded 2005 (originally in 1919) Headquarters Frantsuzky bulvar 33, Odessa, Ukraine Key people …   Wikipedia

  • Odessa National Polytechnic University — Одеський національний політехнічний університет Established 1918 Type Public Rector Oborskiy Gennady Admin. staff 4000 …   Wikipedia

  • Odessa, Texas — City of Odessa   City   Clockwise from top: The Globe Theatre; Stonehenge replica at UTPB; Skyline of Odessa; Water tower in the city; Pump jack in the city s outskirts; One of the city s famous, painte …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”