Archive · The East · Books · Society · People
A few days ago, in her hundredth year, Adile Abbas-ogly, a victim of Stalin's repressions, historian and memoirist, passed away. In 1938 Adile Shahbasovna was declared an "enemy of the people" on account of her family ties to Nestor Lakoba, Chairman of the Central Executive
London · Society · People · Nature
On 10 November 2015 the British House of Commons heard, in my view, one of the loveliest political speeches in history. The clever and intellectual Rory Stewart rose in Parliament to speak in defence of hedgehogs. I invite you to watch this brilliant ten-minute address by a product of
The East · Art · Paris · People
The grave of Rudolf Nureyev (1938-1993) at the Russian cemetery of Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois near Paris. The idea of making the tombstone in the form of an oriental carpet covering the slab belongs to Nureyev's friend Enzo Frigerio, one of the leading designers of the Paris
NB! · Art · Monarchies · Observations · Humour
Behold the tiny feet of Henri IV ☺️ Only bear in mind that here he is a corpse. Hardly the most flattering angle for a portrait, and a posthumous one at that. The king reclines on a bed beneath a canopy, in full dress and regalia, with candlesticks set all around
NB! · Archive · Mores · Humour
Where to put one's hat during the performance? As you see, an ingenious American furniture company has found a solution for gentlemen, allowing them to go to the theatre without disturbing the comfort of those around them.
NB! · Art · Books · People
Archaeology · Museums · Observations
A bronze mask of Oceanus from a 2nd-century AD Roman fountain, from a villa rustica in the tiny German town of Treuchtlingen-Schambach. It is kept in the Archaeological State Collection in Munich. When I see such charming things from out-of-the-way places, I feel a little
Archaeology · Museums · Nature
Excavations at Vindolanda, a Roman fort of the 1st to 5th centuries AD in Northumberland, south of Hadrian's Wall, have yielded a great many remarkable finds, such as the first known wooden toilet seat, or this witch's bonnet with its scraggly little beard. The photographs show
Archive · Books · Mores · People
It is amusing that as early as the 1860s Chernyshevsky was in the thrall of a tale told about Herzen. Herzen married for great love and on the whole lived a happy family life. But the first years of his marriage to the girl he had loved since childhood, and
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NB! · Art · Museums · New York
Auguste Rodin, The Hand of God, 1907. Metropolitan Museum of Art
Moscow · Mores · People
Faina Ranevskaya recalled meeting Stanislavsky near his house as she was crossing Leontyevsky Lane. Stanislavsky was riding in a cab, and on seeing him Ranevskaya began to jump up and down, crying “my boy! my boy!” Faina Georgievna and Konstantin Sergeyevich were 33 years apart in age, yet to her