SOVIET HISTORY LESSONS

Alissa Ordabai studied history of the Russian avant-garde at the Courtauld Institute of Art before graduating with a law degree from the University of London. She began her career at USAID assisting Mission Director for Central Asia Craig G. Buck during his negotiations with local governments to facilitate post-soviet transition and traveled to war zones to expedite humanitarian relief. She later coordinated programs at ARD / Checchi Law Reform Project in Central Asia sponsored by the U.S. government and the United Nations, and supported WHO and Centers for Disease Control to drive healthcare reform in the region. In the 2000s she administered operations of the London office of a high-tech multinational and after moving to New York in 2015 set up Soviet History Lessons research center for study of post-WWII social movements in Eastern Europe.  Providing legal work and research for Vladimir Bukovsky's 2019 book Judgement in Moscow became one of the most memorable highlights of her career. Contact: alissa@soviethistorylessons.com.

Dr. Zahra Tavassoli Zea is an art historian and the author of Balzac Reframed: The Classical and Modern Faces of Éric Rohmer and Jacques Rivette (Palgrave, 2019). She obtained her Ph.D. in History and Philosophy of Art from the University of Kent, with specialisation in film adaptations of 19th-century literary sources. In parallel with her experience as a researcher and university teacher, Zahra trained as a professional translator in 2017 and collaborated with a wide range of sectors, clients and companies:  scholars, publishing houses, educational organisations, NGOs, private businesses and government agencies. Currently, she works as Editor-in-Chief of Tide magazine, an independent French journal focusing on contemporary art and fashion. She is also a regular guest on the fortnightly podcast "Spot on, Doc", which offers free lectures and conversations on film, media and art history to the general public. To commission Zahra, contact zahratavassolizea@gmail.com.

Jack Brady is a first-class graduate of Cambridge University, where he specialised in modern German thought. During his studies, Jack received four prizes for academic excellence, and was named Corpus Christi Scholar and Boorman Scholar. He has been translating from German into English for five years and enjoys working with a broad range of texts. Currently, Jack is researching 'revolution' in nineteenth-century German literature. His favourite book is Ungeduld des Herzens by Stefan Zweig. To commission Jack, contact jbrady.translates@gmail.com.