Culture of Russia

Set 1 (magic tales): From Afanas’ev, Russian Fairy Tales (required book): “The Frog Princess” p. 119 “Go I Know Not Whither, Bring Back I Know Not What” p. 504 “The Feather of Finist the Bright Falcon” p. 580 “Prince Ivan, The Firebird, and The Gray Wolf.” p. 612   Set 2 (the other tales): “The [… Read More]

Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin – 1799-1837 He fought in 29 duels He lost against the French officer Georges-Charles de Heercheren d’Anthès who was trying to seduce Pushkin’s wife, Natalia née Goncharova. Pushkin had 4 children. The lines of 2 of them still continue. Pushkin himself was of great aristocratic lineage. He could trace his ancestors back [… Read More]

Corresponds to the Western European Romantic poetry age, but classical in style and spirit. Pushkin has been compared to Mozart in the scope and influence of his work. Emphasis is put on the perfection of the form. The movement calls itself “romanticism” from the 1820s. It was strongly inspired by Shakespeare (his psychological insight) and [… Read More]