I'm sure you've heard about "hygge." Variously pronounced as "“hyue-gar,” “hoog-jar” but most commonly “hoo-gah," it's a …
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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The Spiritual Meaning of Stories: Slavic Mythology Edition
More and more people are willing to accept the fact that fairy tales are not merely for children. However, there's still often a …
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How Iconographers Paint Angels
Last Monday, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrated the day of Archangel Michael. It was doubly interesting that the day fell on a …
Need Relief after Your Thanksgiving Feast? Try Ivan-Chai
Happy Thanksgiving from Belarus, where we actually scrounged up some turkey and butternut squash (to my surprise). Naturally, …
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The Plague of Swords by Miles Cameron
So. The end of the world is coming any day now. Everyone you know is dying of an incurable plague. There's a new enemy out there …
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Arrival: the Best Movie of the Year So Far
I don't know about you, but I've almost stopped going to the movies. The only decent stuff is superhero movies, and most of them …
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Four Bizarre Ways Tales from Slavic Mythology Begin
You probably know some of the best first lines in literature. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” (A Tale of …
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5 Rules to Reestablish Civility in Internet Conversations
What a week! I used to think social media brought out the bad in people. But I was wrong--it brings out the worst in people. …
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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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Asian Tribes of the Russian Empire
Another short post today, courtesy of my French friends, who translated my earlier short post about a French traveler watching a …
Election woes? Become a saint!
And so ends the most vicious election cycle in my lifetime. Thank God it's over. Now, fear not, gentle reader. I'm not going …
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 Epic Fantasy Fiction Series to Read after The Lord of the Rings
Have you ever finished a book (or a series) that leaves you craving for more of the same? And have you then looked for more of the …
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Everything You Need to Know about Men’s Hats in Old Russia
Last week, I wrote about women’s head-dresses. Today, as promised, I’ll add the male version of that post. Basically, it’s …
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A Short Post about Weddings from Belarus
Right now, it's 1:30 AM in Vitebsk, Belarus. I want to go to sleep. But I can't. My body thinks it's 3:30 in the afternoon. And …
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A Book That Will Change the Way You See the World
Landmarks by Robert MacFarlane My rating: 5 of 5 stars Have any of you gotten into that Marie Kondo book about tidying up? My …
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5 Kinds of Folk Hats Russian Women Wore
Do you ever wish that hats would come back in fashion? I do. I still sometimes wish I could pull off the Maltese Falcon look, …
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