Dostoevsky in “A Writer’s Diary” on modern Khlestakovs who lie without fear

Khlestakov, at least, lied and lied, yet still had a tiny fear, even as he lied, that he might be seized and thrown out on his ear. The Khlestakovs of today have no such fear and lie with perfect composure.

All are composed, all are immeasurably vain, and surely that alone ought to torment them with perpetual unease. On the contrary, the self-lover of our day does not tremble for himself: how he came in, how he stands, whether he has spoken well.

Fyodor Dostoevsky. A Writer's Diary

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September digest: archaeological finds, exhibitions, museums, theatre and the Church

In the finale of the Strugatskys' Roadside Picnic, the Golden Ball is told: "Happiness for everybody, free, and let nobody go away unsatisfied!" I do not promise to offend nobody, but the digest really does come free of charge. So, here is the main business of the

Frederic Leighton

Frederic Leighton. “Daedalus and Icarus”, 1869 Daedalus warns his son not to climb too high: the heat of the sun may melt the wax, but Icarus is already gazing into the distance, and the lamentations of a foolish old man interest him not in the least

Dostoevsky in “A Writer’s Diary” on modern Khlestakovs who lie without fear

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September digest: archaeological finds, exhibitions, museums, theatre and the Church

Frederic Leighton

Attempts to resolve the problems of many years of uncontrolled mass migration

Characters from Gogol's "Petersburg Tales" on the pedestal of the monument to Nikolai Gogol on Nikitsky Boulevard, photograph of the 1960s