Books · Observations

Pushkin’s poem “The Cart of Life” on the ages of man and the passage of time

The Cart of Life. So it turns out Pushkin is writing about us, lads. Though at times its burden is heavy, The cart is light as it goes; The reckless driver, grey-haired Time, Drives on, and will not climb down from the box. In the morning we get into

NB! · Art · Museums · Paris

A magnificent bronze statue of an Ephebe, created between 50 and 30 BC

A magnificent bronze statue of an Ephebe, created between 50 and 30 BC. Note the details: the locks of hair and the swollen veins on the wrist. This is a quiet masterpiece. On display at the Petit Palais

NB! · Books · Observations

Success may fall to a plebeian or a dullard; but to tame the terrors of mortal life and to master misfortune is the lot of a great man. Seneca

Archive · Books · Monarchies

When I receive the monthly reports on the state of my armies and my navy, which fill twenty fat volumes, reading them gives me more pleasure than a young lady derives from reading novels

Napoleon, 1806

Listings · Moscow · Coming Up · Art · Museums

November exhibitions at the Tretyakov Gallery, the Historical Museum and the Zotov Centre

A new selection of Moscow's main exhibition events in our regular feature. 📌 19 November: opening of the exhibition “From Beijing to Moscow: A Dialogue of Cultures” at the Tretyakov Gallery, until 23 February 📌 22 November: opening of the exhibition “Tatlin. The Construction of the World” at the Zotov

NB! · Faith

A Service in a Russian Orthodox Church in Hong Kong

NB! · Observations · Society

What do you think: is it fake news or not that Barack Obama was in fact born in Kenya, and so was an illegitimate President of the United States, elected by means of a fraud

Faith · Cinema · Mores · Rome

The late myth of executions involving gorillas and chimpanzees in Ancient Rome

Stills from the 1932 American historical film "The Sign of the Cross", on ancient Rome and Nero's persecution of the Christians. The execution scene involving a gorilla or chimpanzee belongs to a very late myth about Roman mores. There is no confirmation that such a practice

Faith · Science · Society · People

Nikola Tesla in Serbia: veneration of the scientist in churches without canonisation

A Portrait of Nikola Tesla in an Orthodox Church in Serbia. Tesla has not been canonised, but as a great scientist he is regarded by the people as a saint of a cultural order. Hence his portraits, and even icons bearing his likeness, may be found in churches, though this

Cinema · Observations · Humour

Review of the film “Frankenstein” as a story of two solitudes

From the new del Toro film one gets the sense that he has been waiting a good while for the chance to show off his new horrors to the lads and say: look what a monster I've got, and what a character! The critics leave the auditorium deep

Black-and-white photograph of a six-armed snowflake with intricate branching patterns against a dark background.

The East · Books · Observations

Ryunosuke Akutagawa on the swift passage of time and the year gone by

Time and tide wait for no man. A year has flown by like a snowflake falling into a river: white for a moment, and then gone for ever. Ryunosuke Akutagawa

NB! · Cinema · Observations

Alexandr Radayev