My first novel The Song of the Sirin imagines a strange scenario: what if the early Russians were the chosen people of God? What …
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Nicholas II, the Armenian Genocide, and Donald Trump
Refugees have been on a lot of people's minds lately. First it was the waves upon waves of refugees escaping the horrors of …
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What might have happened if there had been no revolution in 1917?
What might have happened if there had been no revolution in 1917? The Russian Revolution of 1917 was an event that …
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Medieval mystery: who really killed Boris and Gleb?
It seems everyone in the US is (justifiably) getting riled up over the impending demise of the National Endowment for the …
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The Battle of the Ugra: How Rus Threw Off the Tatar Yoke
It was late autumn, 1480 AD. Russian warriors, under the command of Grand Prince Ivan III, stood on the banks of the River Ugra. …
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The problem of Church and state: Russia in 1917
A major theme in my first novel, A Lamentation of Sirin, is the difficult relationship between Church and state. It seems clear to …
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Why do Russians insist on the name “Holy Russia”?
A reader of my first attempt at writing a novel noticed that I seemed to be obsessed with the idea of American …
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What is Art? Part II of an Essay by Ivan Ilyin
Earlier this week, I translated an excerpt from a wonderful essay by Ivan Ilyin. Although sometimes his language verges on the …
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What is Art? Part I of an Essay by Ivan Ilyin
What do you think is the most common essay title in the history of literature? I don't know. But if I were to guess, I'd say it …
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Some interesting facts about the Ostromir Gospels
(Translated from the July 2016 issue of Foma. Here’s the link to the original Russian article) The Ostromir Gospels is the …
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5 Amazing Facts about Medieval Moscow
Earlier this week, I shared a blog post about the amazing things Russians Tsars did on Christmas day. It struck me as an …
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How the Tsars celebrated Christmas in Medieval Moscow
I've always loved good, old-fashioned pageantry. In my novels, I try to include moments of it, since it's not something authors …
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Oleg: the Prince Who Was Killed by His Favorite Horse
The boundary between history and legend used to be malleable. People were not always so in love with facts. And, frankly, that …
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8 Things You’ve Never Heard about Dostoyevsky’s Childhood
You know that moment when you walk into a Barnes and Noble or a library and see that one book you’ve wanted for the longest time, …
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Martha the Mayoress of Novgorod, Part II
Last week, I translated the first part of the story of Martha the Mayoress of Novgorod by Nikolai Karamzin. A few of you requested …
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How a Russian Historian Imagined Democracy to Look in 14th century Russia
As much as you probably want to forget this fact, the election is tomorrow. I've been at a loss how to deal with it, so I …
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5 Unusual Remnants of old Rus
Last week, you may have seen my review of Miles Cameron’s The Dread Wyrm. Mr. Cameron, in preparation for the release of his new …
This was a war you won’t read about in history books
I’m getting to the end of my second novel, and the climax is going to be a real heart-breaker. I’m not going to spoil anything for …
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