About this blog

This cultural blog born in the heart of Europe – in Switzerland, my adopted country, the country that distinguishes itself through its multiculturalism and multilingualism – is trilingual (Russian, English, French). Why this choice? Russian is my native language, I live in the French-speaking part of Switzerland and, according to a recent survey, 44% of this country’s inhabitants regularly use English in their daily lives. Whatever the article in question, it is not be a simple translation but an adaptation of the text for a targeted linguistic audience. I sincerely believe that with this blog I will be able to considerably expand my readership and further contribute to promoting the Swiss cultural scene well beyond its borders and help familiarize this national scene with interesting projects from elsewhere.

Weekly (at least) "substantial" publications sent to subscribers in the language of their choice are reposted on dedicated pages on Facebook and Instagram as well as on LinkedIn.

From an "ideological" standpoint, I do not present myself as a "Russian voice," but as the voice of a European of Russian origin (more than thirty-five years in Europe of which twenty-five in Switzerland) with the benefit of more than thirty years of professional experience in the cultural sphere at an international level. I position myself as a cultural mediator between Russian and European traditions; the blog's title, “Russian Accent” captures, in my opinion, this essence – the accent constituting neither a linguistic barrier nor a political positioning but a distinctive cultural imprint in the European context.

About the author

Nadia Sikorsky

Nadia Sikorsky was born and raised in Moscow. She graduated from the Faculty of Journalism at Moscow State University and went on to complete her postgraduate studies there, earning a PhD in History. She spent 13 years at UNESCO, first in Paris and then in Geneva. After serving as Director of Communications at Green Cross International, founded by Mikhail Gorbachev, she launched NashaGazeta.ch in 2007, Switzerland’s first Russian-language online daily newspaper.

In 2022, Nadia Sikorsky was named to Le Temps’ Forum des 100, which brings together individuals who, in the newspaper’s view, have “significantly contributed to the success of French-speaking Switzerland”, from across public life, business, politics, science and culture.

After 18 years at the helm of NashaGazeta.ch, Nadia Sikorsky decided to devote herself to what had always held a special place in her work as a journalist: culture in all its diversity. This led to the creation of Russian Accent, a trilingual cultural blog in Russian, French and English, born in the heart of Europe, in Switzerland, which has become her second home and whose multiculturalism and multilingualism have helped shape the character of this new project.

At the heart of the project is the perspective of a European of Russian origin, drawing on more than 35 years of professional experience and a deep knowledge of both cultural traditions. Nadia Sikorsky sees her role as that of a cultural mediator between the two. The title of the blog, Russian Accent, reflects this idea: the accent is neither a linguistic barrier nor a political position, but a distinctive cultural imprint within a European context.

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Most read
Daniil Harms: Between Reason and Zaum

A new book by the Geneva-based Slavist Jean-Philippe Jaccard and his Russian colleague Andrei Ustinov, now living in San Francisco, has been published by the European University at St Petersburg: Vzir Zaumi. Daniil Harms and the Literary Avant-Garde of the 1920s. In the authors' own words, the volume offers a kind of X-ray of Leningrad's "left-wing " circles and their evolution during the period between Harms's poetic debut and the creation of OBERIU, as well as the dynamics that shaped those circles.

The Frail Iron Genius

A few days ago, the Lausanne-based publisher Éditions Noir sur Blanc brought out Guzel Yakhina’s novel about the celebrated Soviet film director Sergei Eisenstein. French readers will be able to read it in Maud Mabillard’s translation and, importantly, in full, including the ninth chapter omitted from the Russian edition.