Articles
A Short Biographical Notice of Alexander Pushkin
Alexander Sergevitch Pushkin was born in 1799 at Pskoff, and was a scion of an ancient Russian family. In one of his letters it is recorded that no less than six Pushkins signed the Charta declaratory of the election of the Romanoff family to the throne of Russia, and that two more affixed their marks from inability to write. In 1811 he entered the…
Lectures on Russian Literature: Gogol
With the departure of the eighteenth century there also disappeared from Russia that dazzling glitter which for well-nigh half a century had blinded the eyes of Europe. Catherine was now dead, Potyomkin was dead, Suvorof was living an exile in a village, and Panin was idle on his estates. And now stripped of its coat of whitewash, autocracy stood bare in all its blackness.…Pushkin: His Works
Bielinsky’s weighty articles, written between 1843 and 1846, remain to this day the sole exhaustive review of Poushkin’s poems, and continue to form the basis of all close analysis of his work. But even these criticisms are lacking in the complete insight which comes of biographical research. For many years after Poushkin’s death the suspicion which still attached to his name, and the close…
Essays on Russian Novelists: Gogol
NIKOLAI VASSILIEVICH GOGOL was born at Sorotchinetz, in Little Russia, in March, 1809. The year in which he appeared on the planet proved to be the literary annus mirabilis of the century; for in that same twelvemonth were born Charles Darwin, Alfred Tennyson, Abraham Lincoln, Poe, Gladstone, and Holmes. His father was a lover of literature, who wrote dramatic pieces for his own amusement,…Seer. Master of words. Ivan Turgenev.
What happens when two people with completely opposite personalities meet in this life? She’s madly in love, also smart, rich, yet… very unattractive. He’s a rake who’s already managed to charm dozens of women. No wonder. After all, he’s so handsome that he’s considered the most handsome man of his time. A well-born but impoverished officer, a brilliant commander, a veteran of the Napoleonic…
How to Write So the Reader Believes You
Sometimes you read a book or a story and believe the author. It’s written so clearly, it touches your soul, you understand—it really happened that way, and the characters are so real before your eyes. Why does this work for some authors and not for others? You might say: I need to write in the realism genre, maybe then everything I describe will feel…How Authors Can Get Their Books in Front of More Readers — Without Spending a Dime
Publishing a book used to be simple in concept and brutal in practice. You wrote it, you found an agent, the agent found a publisher, the publisher decided your fate. If that chain broke anywhere — and it usually did — your book went nowhere. The manuscript sat in a drawer, or worse, in a box in a garage. That world hasn’t disappeared. Traditional…
Gogol’s Innovation
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol’s innovation in literature lies in his ability to create multilayered works that combined elements of realism, romanticism, satire, and mysticism. Before Gogol, many of the movements and artistic techniques he introduced or perfected were absent from Russian literature. Key aspects of his innovation include: Grotesque as a means of depicting reality Gogol was the first Russian writer to embrace the grotesque…
On The Reading of Old Books
There is a strange idea abroad that in every subject the ancient books should be read only by the professionals, and that the amateur should content himself with the modern books. Thus I have found as a tutor in English Literature that if the average student wants to find out something about Platonism, the very last thing he thinks of doing is to take…Ukrainian Authors: Marko Vovchok
The stifling bureaucratic regime of Nicholas I offered a poor opportunity for the development of a new generation. The collapse of the Society of Saints Cyril and Methodius was a heavy blow to the older school of Ukrainian authors and it weighed still more heavily upon the next generation which would have been attracted to it. At the same time throughout Russia the old…When all else fails, give the gift of books
My mother used to tell me, When all else fails, give the gift of books. When I was growing up, a book was a big deal. By todays standards, less than half of Americans consider a book a big deal. The truth is, that many people dont think much about books throughout their life. Between working, the kids soccer games, taking care of home,…Enticing Children To Read More Books
Kids have the perfect mindset to get lost in the joy of a good book. Books for kids are ultimately the inspiration for healthy imaginative play, long term reading skills, and even the springboard for theoretical conversation at the dinner table. While kids are often on the go and dont take the time to slow down for a good read, introducing your kids to…
