The ‘Lost’ Books of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
When Aleksandr Solzhenistyn died aged 89 in August 2008 his reputation had been in flux for a long time. Even so, most obituaries acknowledged the power and significance of The Gul
The Truth About Fort Hood
“Every thing is what it is, and not another thing.” Bishop Joseph Butler (1692-1752) Like everybody else, when I first heard about the shootings at Fort Hood I immediately rush
Requiem for a Russian Mobster
Is it just me, or has 2009 been exceptionally rich in the deaths of legendary figures? In August, Ted Kennedy was finally reunited in heaven with Mary Jo Kopechne. In July a
The End of the World is Here Again (The Spectator)
Last weekend Roland Emmerich’s wrathful CGI God was at it again, killing billions in the name of the Holy Box Office in the film 2012. Having already caused carnage with aliens,
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Was My Father
“The name cuts both ways. It’s an inalienable fact of life in my performing career. I don’t think about it a great deal but I am often reminded that others naturally thin
Turkmenistan’s Tragicomic Publishing Revolution
When the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic was invented in 1925, the literacy rate among its mostly nomadic population was somewhere between 2-3%. By 1970 not only had universal li
A Short History of Turkmen Literature
Turkmen literature began in the 18th century, thanks to Makhtumkuli (1733–1813) who composed mournful, painful poems about injustice, the decline of morals and the general harshn
Nas asas do tédio
Especial Para a Folha Berlim hoje é celebrada por sua posição de vanguarda na cultura e na música, pelo design e pela arte vibrantes, e também como um ponto de encontro brusco
Paradise, Texas
In Paradise: A Pilgrimage in Seven Stages I How to reach Paradise? This question has plagued mankind for millennia. In fact, the ancients largely despaired of entering heaven, whic
A Government Commission
AUSTIN (Texas), June 16 (Daniel Kalder for RIA Novosti) – In the early 1990s Russia was awash with mystics, fortune tellers and messiahs as the collapse of the Soviet Union had o