Cinema · Observations · People

By the way, I know Armand Assante, who was so brilliant as Odysseus in Andrei Konchalovsky's greatest film; he used to be a frequent visitor to our parts, and one could simply walk up to him in a bar and chat in broken English

By the way, I know Armand Assante, who was so brilliant as Odysseus in Andrei Konchalovsky's greatest film; he used to be a frequent visitor to our parts, and one could simply walk up to him in a bar and chat in broken English. These days, though, this

Archaeology · Faith · Geography

Sanctuary of Odysseus with votive offerings from across the Greek world found on Ithaca

A sanctuary of Odysseus has been discovered on the island of Ithaca, containing a multitude of votive offerings to the legendary Homeric hero from every corner of the Greek world, reports ArkeoNews. It was, in fact, the accumulation of ritual figurines of Odysseus and other votive objects that led scholars

In the Press · Interviews · Cinema · People · Pop Culture

Fragments of Oleg Anofriev's interview from late 2014 published for his 95th anniversary

The Singing Actor. Oleg Andreyevich Anofriyev was an artist whose work is familiar to every one of us. A graduate of the Moscow Art Theatre School-Studio, he worked at the Mayakovsky Theatre and the Mossovet Theatre and appeared in a great many films, though seldom in leading roles. But

Society · People · Pop Culture

Valery Gergiev's Concert Cancelled in Italy

On 27 July, as part of the "Summer of the King" festival, Gergiev was due to perform with the Verdi Philharmonic Orchestra of Salerno, joined by soloists of the Mariinsky Theatre. The announced programme included works by Giuseppe Verdi, Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Maurice Ravel. Earlier, Pina Picierno, Vice-

NB! · Books · Mores · Humour

Vegetarian Coffee

Vegetarian coffee. From the book “Kitchen on a Primus Stove”, 1927

The East · Books · Society

Chinese vessels are badly built, and although the Chinese cannot conceal their astonishment at the ships in which we come to them, their shipwrights are nonetheless amazed when invited to take our ships as a pattern

Chinese vessels are badly built, and although the Chinese cannot conceal their astonishment at the ships in which we come to them, their shipwrights are nonetheless amazed when invited to take our ships as a pattern. They say that in China it has been the custom from time immemorial to

Observations · Society

Belgian farmer suffers mustard gas burn from First World War shells he found

A Belgian farmer came across shells dating from the First World War and suffered burns from the mustard gas they contained. He was fortunate not to have breathed in the gas, and the substance merely soaked slightly into his clothing. Experts say it may take decades before all the shells

NB! · Archive · Art · People · Humour

Alexander the Great in a Submarine

Archive · Moscow · Society · People

In 1920 Alexandra Tolstaya, daughter of Leo Tolstoy, was arrested on a charge of involvement in a counter-revolutionary organisation and sentenced to three years' confinement in a concentration camp at the Novospassky Monastery in Moscow

She wrote: “My father, whose views I share, openly denounced the tsarist government and yet remained free even then. <...> I do not conceal that I am not a supporter of Bolshevism; I stated my view openly and plainly at the trial, but I have never spoken out, and

Archive · Books · Mores · Society

Germain de Lagny on the Condition of Russian Serfs and the Knout in His 1853 Book

The law protects only the life and property of the boyars. The serf, regarded as a ploughing machine, has no need of laws; a plough may spend the night in the street, in the snow, in the rain. What else is a serf in Russia but a wandering plough? For

A hand with gold bracelets and rings holds a handbag shaped like the Trevi Fountain, against light quilted patchwork fabric.

Observations · Pop Culture · Rome · Humour

Miniature replica of the Trevi Fountain made as a handbag

A Ladies' Handbag in the Form of the Trevi Fountain, by Dolce & Gabbana. The only odd thing is that there is no crowd of tourists around it, trying to photograph the fountain

A page of an old printed book with verses, two lines about the western lands and war highlighted in yellow.

Books · Monarchies · Observations

Old verses in which Europe looks east in amazement and awaits its fate

I liked this politically topical line in Lomonosov's ode on the accession of Peter II to the throne:. Ликуют западны пределы, Предвидя щастие войны. Literal translation The western borders rejoice, Foreseeing the happiness of war. And what follows is good too: Европа ныне восхищенна Внимая смотрит на восток,

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