Books · Observations
Tradition is a beauty that we preserve, not a set of shackles that bind us
Ezra Pound
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Books
Books · Observations · Humour
How many books have those who name a favourite on a topic really read
So amusing, when people say "one of my favourite books on the subject", as though implying that they have read a great multitude of books on the subject. But they have not. We all know perfectly well that they have not
Cinema · Books · Society
Gaumont releases first trailer for "The Wizard of the Kremlin", French director Olivier Assayas's film based on the book by the Swiss-Italian writer Giuliano da Empoli about the political strategist Vadim Baranov, who began…
Vladimir Putin is played by Jude Law, Baranov by Paul Dano. The world premiere is scheduled for 21 January 2026. The Russian Ministry of Culture has stated that it "has received no applications for a distribution licence for 'The Wizard of the Kremlin'".
NB! · Books · People
Rainer Maria Rilke
The East · Books · Society · Humour
Benjamin Netanyahu Was Asked: "What Are You Reading at the Moment?"
- "Jews vs Rome" by Barry Strauss - Why did you choose this book? - Last time we lost, and I think we ought to win next time From the lives of reading people
Books · Observations · Science
Do you think Plato would have befriended Nietzsche?
If Nietzsche holds that To create a new heaven and a new earth, one first had to destroy … the former highest values then for Plato true values are eternal and immutable ideas, such as goodness, beauty and justice. They are not the creations of man but patterns to which the
The East · Books · Observations · Mores · Humour
Theories on the origin of the word kolbyag, used for foreigners in Ancient Rus'
There is an old, forgotten Russian word, kolbyag, used in Ancient Rus' to denote foreigners. Which foreigners exactly is not entirely clear: according to one version, the kolbyagi were predominantly of eastern origin. Such too are the foreigners named in the Russkaya Pravda "Varangians" (Western Europeans) and
Books · Humour
People could put up with the bite of a wolf, but it was the bite of a sheep that truly outraged them
James Joyce
Cinema · Books · Observations
Frodo Baggins Was 33 When He Received the Ring of Power
He set out from Rivendell for Mount Doom only 17 years later. All that time Gandalf was gathering information about the Ring. Thus the Ring was destroyed when Frodo was already past 50. In the film adaptation, all of this took no more than a couple of weeks, three at
In the Press · Books · Heritage
The channel has already published a piece on how, in recent years, European libraries have suffered badly from thefts of rare editions of Russian classics: in the Baltic states, Berlin, Warsaw, The Hague, Geneva, Lyon, Munich, Paris, Prague and Helsinki,
The channel has already published a piece on how, in recent years, European libraries have suffered badly from thefts of rare editions of Russian classics: in the Baltic states, Berlin, Warsaw, The Hague, Geneva, Lyon, Munich, Paris, Prague and Helsinki, book thieves substituted copies for the originals. The most popular
Books · Science · Society
Ludwig Klages on the manipulation of public opinion by newspapers
Vast masses of people, who have never in the history of mankind been so susceptible to hypnotic suggestion as they are now, have become puppets of "public opinion", manipulated by newspapers that serve, of course, whatever actual power prevails. What is printed in the morning editions of the
Archive · Books · Mores
Physical signs of men and women in an old book, with a note on exceptions
The Marks of a Manly Body: a Large Head, a Red or Swarthy Face, Somewhat Sunken Eyes, Shoulders and Body Quite Broad, a Protruding Chest, a Wide Belly. The signs of the female form: a small head, a white face somewhat flushed or pale, black eyes, a steady gaze, a