1980 should have been a good year for the Soviet Union. Black Inc. has been publishing books in their Shortest History series since 2012. The Shortest History of the Soviet Union by Shelia Fitzpatrick is the sixth book to be published. My studies (at school and university) focused on Russian history leading up to and … Continue reading The Shortest History of the Soviet Union | Sheila Fitzpatrick | AWWhistory
I am a novelist, and I suppose I have made up this story. I write ‘suppose’, though I know for a fact that I have made it up. The Heavenly Christmas Tree was initially published as The Beggar Boy at Christ’s Christmas in 1876 in A Writer’s Diary. It's fair to say that it reflects the religious conversion … Continue reading The Heavenly Christmas Tree | Fyodor Dostoevsky #RUSshortstory
The other day I saw a wedding ... but no, I had better tell you about the Christmas tree. To continue my Literary Christmas reading challenge, I have left behind Mary Gaunt and Australian shores to head off to pre-revolutionary Russia. A Christmas Tree and a Wedding is a short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky. It … Continue reading White Nights and other stories | Fyodor Dostoevsky #RUSshortstories
It will be nigh on impossible to write anything new or insightful about Tolstoy's War and Peace that has not be said before, so this will be a collection of loose impressions and thoughts that occurred to me throughout 2020 as I read a chapter-a-day (or more accurately seven chapters a week) with Nick. The … Continue reading War and Peace | Leo Tolstoy #RUSclassic
As part of our year long readalong of War and Peace (it's not too late to join!), Nick has selected a number of Tolstoy's short stories and essays to make our 361 chapter book stretch to 366 days.At the end of Volume 1, we have the first such extension read. Perfectly timed, too, I have to … Continue reading The Three Questions | Leo Tolstoy #ShortStory
A Gentleman in Moscow has been on my radar ever since it first came out in 2016 simply because I thoroughly enjoyed Amor Towles first book, Rules of Civility. It took my book club assigning it as our October read though, to finally force me to fit it into my reading schedule. And I'm so glad … Continue reading A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
I found the The Vanishing Futurist to be a rather peculiar read.I'm always fascinated by the Russian Revolution and this was a curious and different angle from which to view it. But it was rather weird reading a book that I wasn't completely sure if I was enjoying it or not. The cover by LaBoca, on the … Continue reading The Vanishing Futurist by Charlotte Hobson
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky was my pick for the Classic Club Spin #4 .I knew that reading 985 pages by the 1st Jan would be a big ask, especially with Christmas, New Year's Eve and an interstate holiday to keep me otherwise occupied. So I don't feel guilty about admitting that, tonight, I'm only … Continue reading The Brothers Karamazov | Fyodor Dostoyevsky #ccspin
My Classics Club spin #4 is The Brothers Karamazov. I have the Constance Garnett translation on my epad and a Penguin Classic book with David McDuff's translation. The matter of translation seems to have stalled my start. The Brothers K is such a chunkster, I don't want to read the 'wrong' translation after all! When … Continue reading Lost in Translations
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