How American classic writer Mark Twain ended up in Russia & what surprised him?
In December 1866, a lively journalist named Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain’s real name) saw an advertisement in a newspaper for a “pleasure cruise... Read more.
Osip Mandelstam: а Voice Silenced by the Age
Scholars, being scholars, have crunched some numbers. They have calculated that the words “time” and “century” appear in Osip Mandelstam’s lyrics almost... Read more.
Why did American classic writer Theodore Dreiser go to the USSR?
It turns out, a better observer of the communist experiment could hardly have been found. The young Soviet state also needed an outside perspective – recognition... Read more.
The Word and Deed of Musa Jalil
For his exceptional fortitude and courage, Musa Jalil (born Musa Mustafovich Zalilov) was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. A poet’s... Read more.
How a British aristocrat fell in love with Russia & taught the entire kingdom to love it
Maurice Baring was one of the few who went to Russia not on a wave of hype, but driven by his own vague, yet compelling urges and impulses. Maurice Baring... Read more.