Dermo!: The Real Russian Tolstoy Never Used

by Edward Topol, Kim Wilson Brandt (Illustrator), Laura E. Wolfson (Translator)

Not even Tolstoy would dare use the eyebrow-raising Russian you'll find in this wickedly humorous language guide by one of Russia's bestselling novelists today. Whether you're traveling to Russia for the first time or you are a student of the language, this indispensable book is your entree to the real and new Russian that has never been taught. You'll be armored with triple-decker curses and insults, endearments and expressions for situations ranging from high-level business meetings to cocktail parties to sexual encounters. Filled with words, idioms, and vulgarisms you won't learn in a classroom, plus twenty hilarious line drawings and a complete index to vital expletives, Dermo! will provide you with the uncensored answers to the questions you always wanted to know... but no translator would ever tell you!

Genres: Nonfiction, Language, Reference, Russia, Humor

160 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1997

About the author

Edward Vladimirovich Topol (Russian: Эдуард Владимирович Тополь; real name Topelberg (Russian: Топельберг; born 8 October 1938) is a Russian novelist.

Born in Baku, Topol spent his teenage years finishing local school in Baku and graduated from Azerbaijan State Economic University.[1] He also did his military service in Estonia. He worked as journalist for newspapers such as Bakinskiy Rabochiy and Komsomolskaya Pravda and wrote the screenplays for seven movies, of which two were banned due to censorship under the Soviet government.

In 1978 he emigrated to USA, New York, and lived for short periods in Boston, Toronto and Miami.

Reviews

[Walt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow - excellent collection of foul language in Russian. They have an exceptional way of including your family and ancestry into their expressions.
Thanks to my fun-loving daughter for gifting it to me.

[Pete Dematteo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Topol is my former next door neighbor in New York City and this is a tremendous book. It made me want to go over to Brighton Beach, Brooklyn immediately thereafter.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book inspired me and changed my view of Russian culture. It also amused the hell out of my Russian host sister and she almost peed her pants laughing. True insight into the dirtier side of the Russian soul. One of the highlights of my Russian education at the Illinois Math and Science Academy.

[Natalie K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a hilarious, albeit foul, book overall. Those learning Russian as a second language will be somewhat appalled at all the very rude things one can say in Russian (it's a very sweary language!). I love learning new things about the Russian language, so I enjoyed this. But don't kid yourself, anyone, actual Russians do not go around talking like this! Don't attempt to use the vast majority of the slang in this book unless you want to be beaten up. If you want a book with slang that you can actually use, Dirty Russian: Everyday Slang from "What's Up?" to "F*%# Off!" is a better choice. There's rude slang in there, too, but also normal slang that you can actually use with Russian friends.

[José Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book! I recommend, specially the chapter on “Lovemaking Russian style”... very instructive!

[Marta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful if you're into profanity. Still, the author makes some questionable comments and some expressions are sexist and homophobic 😒

[Eveline Chao · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a REALLY good book that simultaneously teaches you fun and/or dirty russian words (not that i know any russian) while giving you insight into russian culture (not that i know anything about russian culture). sadly, you would never know how good the book is from looking at it - whoever the book designer was needs to be shot, and the illustrations are terrible. the overall way it's packaged makes it look like a crappy, insubstantial joke book when it's actually really substantive.

[Dave Haskins]

Language,Russian

[Trevor Durham · Rating 5 out of 5]

UPDATE: After a reread, I feel even better about this trash. Goddamn did this book get me in a lot of trouble in Russia- Drunkenly screaming 'Get fucked in the mouth with crutches!' from a comfortable champagne-filled boat through the St. Petersburg's canals may be one of the best memories I made in Russia. Certainly, the thrown bottles and stones raining at our boat from the laughing natives made it a fun night, none of which would have been possible without Topol's dangerous sharing of these concepts, which I still use in texts to my Muscovite friends for fun laughs. After you learn basic discussion in the language, you may as well pick this up.