(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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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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Actual Publishing News (sort of), and How You Can Help
If you're anything like me, you usually don't bother making New Years' resolutions, because you never keep them. But for me, this …
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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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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 …
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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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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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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Seven Typical Russian Gestures
Recently, a friend and I had a long overdue lunch. The food was good (Burmese), the company lively, and the conversation fruitful. …
5 Unusual Codes of Behavior in Old Russia
I’ve had a wonderful few weeks, both in terms of work and rest. My kids are growing up fast and beautiful, my work is rewarding, …
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7 Things You’ve Never Heard about Russian Weddings
Recently, my darling wife and I celebrated our third anniversary. In the midst of writing long swathes of my second novel about …
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How to Train a War Elephant
Right now, I’m basking in the productive atmosphere of the Oregon Coast Writers’ Retreat, and I’m getting close to a place in my …
Five Myths about Russian Cuisine
Yesterday, I got back from an amazing trip to Saratov, Russia, where I was one of 41 men recording sacred music for a men’s choir …
How to Name Your Future Prince
In the novel I'm working on now, the generation of characters that was young in the first novel now has children. And …
Things You May Not Know about “Kievan Rus”
These days, Tolkien isn’t particularly popular among certain readers and publishers of fantasy. To be called “Tolkien-esque” can …
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Slavic “fake-lore”: was Slavic mythology made up?
In the 18th century, Russia entered the grand stage of European history. It threw aside its "primitive Easternness", and did …
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How Iconographers Draw the Soul
In my second novel (tentatively titled The Garden in the Heart of the World), one of the characters is given a …
Seven Ways Russians Used to Celebrate the Coming of Spring
As I’ve begun to delve deeply into my second novel, I’m considering using the time of the year as a contrast to the characters’ …
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