This post originally appeared on September 29, 2020, on A Light So Lovely. I recently received a wonderful question from one of …
Continue Reading about Forming the Moral Imagination with Fairy Tales
This post originally appeared on September 29, 2020, on A Light So Lovely. I recently received a wonderful question from one of …
Continue Reading about Forming the Moral Imagination with Fairy Tales
You know that scene in Godfather II where young Vito is given the last name “Corleone” by the American border guard, only because …
Continue Reading about The strange tale of how Napoleon’s soldiers became Cossacks
The Wretched of Muirwood by Jeff Wheeler My rating: 3 of 5 stars I recently found Jeff Wheeler completely by accident when …
Continue Reading about The Wretched of Muirwood by Jeff Wheeler
So, it's official. Beauty and the Beast is continuing Disney's astonishing streak of successful live-action adaptations of their …
Continue Reading about 5 Books to read after watching “Beauty and the Beast”
Russians generally have a bad rap as being dour and grumpy. Some Russians will even agree with this characterization, making a …
Continue Reading about Maslenitsa: the meaning, history, and traditions of “Russian Mardi Gras”
It was late autumn, 1480 AD. Russian warriors, under the command of Grand Prince Ivan III, stood on the banks of the River Ugra. …
Continue Reading about The Battle of the Ugra: How Rus Threw Off the Tatar Yoke
Did you know that Groundhog Day is also a Russian holiday? Ok, not exactly, but February 2 (which is celebrated today on the …
Continue Reading about The Meeting of the Lord: Old Russia’s Groundhog Day
One of the more fascinating articles I've read recently is one about "untranslatable emotions" in different languages. I was …
Continue Reading about How old Russian words hilariously change their meanings
Earlier this week, I translated an excerpt from a wonderful essay by Ivan Ilyin. Although sometimes his language verges on the …
Continue Reading about What is Art? Part II 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 …
Continue Reading about What is Art? Part I of an Essay by Ivan Ilyin
Earlier this week, I shared a blog post about the amazing things Russians Tsars did on Christmas day. It struck me as an …
Continue Reading about 5 Amazing Facts about 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 …
Continue Reading about How the Tsars celebrated Christmas in Medieval Moscow
Last year, while spending a very illuminating six months in Belarus, my wife and I were invited to a local television program to …
Continue Reading about Christmas Traditions in the Ancient Rus
If you're anything like me, you usually don't bother making New Years' resolutions, because you never keep them. But for me, this …
Continue Reading about Actual Publishing News (sort of), and How You Can Help
I'm sure you've heard about "hygge." Variously pronounced as "“hyue-gar,” “hoog-jar” but most commonly “hoo-gah," it's a …
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 …
Continue Reading about This was a war you won’t read about in history books
Recently, a friend and I had a long overdue lunch. The food was good (Burmese), the company lively, and the conversation fruitful. …
Yesterday, I had a remarkably fruitful writing session at the pool. No, I didn’t swim, but my kids' squeals of delight …
Continue Reading about Five Interesting Facts about Russian Ritual Lamentation