Stories of the family members of “great artists” can be more interesting than the artists’ biographies themselves. It is hard to top the story of Lev Tolstoy’s long-suffering, dutiful wife and editor Sophia Tolstaya (1844-1919) who bore him 13 children, tediously recopied and made literary … Read more
Learning, as a child, involves assembling vocabulary and a body of information sufficient to build a structure of understanding. Learning as a teen requires a conscious, often arduous effort to strengthen this structure in order to weave a more solid tapestry of understanding. Learning as … Read more
The celebration of Russian Christmas has been shaped by forces both astronomical and historical. Let’s look first at the calendar. Most of Europe shifted to the Gregorian Calendar starting in 1582, but Russia retained the Julian Calendar. Peter the Great modernized the Julian calendar in … Read more
Our course on Imperial Russia continues with the Romanov Dynasty through Peter the Great. The webinar for Oct. 3 has been recorded because of my schedule with the Smithsonian “Old World Europe” tour. Those enrolled in the course can access the recorded webinar from the … Read more
Smithsonian Journeys: Waterways of Russia Resources for Further Study I. Principal Terms: 1. Русский Дух – Russkii dukh – Russian Spirit/Soul 2. The word “rod” and some significant words that result: род rod kind/type родить rodit’ to give birth (to) родина rodina native land народ narod the … Read more
Smithsonian Journeys: Waterways of Russia Resources for Further Study The Russian literary tradition is rich in folk art and fairy tales. 1. Лубок Lubok Lubok or Lubki (plural) arose in folk art primarily in the early 18th century as savvy and often cutting-edge commentaries on politics … Read more
Smithsonian Journeys: Russian Waterways Materials Resources for Further Study LIFE AND PRINCIPAL WORKS Born: May 26, 1799 in Moscow Education: Lyceum at Tsarskoe selo (The Tsars’ Village) Exile to the South (Kishinev, Odessa, Mikhailovskoe): 1820-26 Influence during Exile: The Nanny–Arina Rodionovna (1758-1828) Marriage: Natalia Goncharova … Read more
Circle of Scholars Dr. Carol Reynolds Start date: September 5, 2013, 7:00 p.m. Central Time All class sessions will be archived and available for your convenience. Welcome to our new course Imperial Russia. Here is some information to get you started. Text Recommended Text: Susanne … Read more
