The Authors

Tamara Blum graduated from the Russian department of the philological faculty of the Saratov State University in 1975. She has gained wide experience in teaching Russian as a foreign language since 1978. She was a lecturer at Vladimir State University, and later at the Slavic Department of the West Hungary University. Since 1998 she has taught Russian at various educational institutions and organisations in Vienna, including the United Nations, the Vienna International School, The Austrian National Bank, and The Vienna University of Economics and Business. Since 2008 she has served as Head of the Russian Department at the University of Applied Sciences BFI Vienna. She has written a number of successful and recognized course books and articles on Russian as a foreign language.

Elena Gorelova graduated from the department of Romance and Germanic languages of the Moscow State Pedagogical University in 1998. Since 1998 she has taught German and Russian as a foreign language, first in Moscow (the School of young entrepreneurs, the Goethe Institute) and later at various educational institutions in Vienna, including the Language Centre of the University of Vienna, The Vienna University of Economics and Business, the University of Applied Sciences BFI Vienna, and Lauder Business School. In 2015 she earned a Masters Degree in European economy and business management.