I have ADORED Boris Akunin for years. I mean, at least 10 years; maybe more. I was heart-broken when American publishers stopped “importing” him. Last summer, I went to London and stopped in at Daunt Books in Chelsea. I bought every Akunin / Fandorin book they had. When I explained to the wonderful staff that…
REVIEW: THE QUEEN OF SPADES (1949)
A somewhat forgotten film, The Queen of Spades seems to be making a quiet return. Made on a small budget, the film was nominated for a BAFTA (British equivalent of the Oscars) and was screened at Cannes, before dropping off into obscurity. Based on a novella by Alexander Pushkin, the film follows one man’s obsession…
A Russian Pas De Deux: TWO REVIEWS
Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay This historical fiction is the debut novel by an award-winning short story writer. Her true strength lies in creating vignettes; small snowglobe-like places that her characters inhabit. The tale switches between present day and 1950s Soviet Russia, following the memories of a prima ballerina of the Bolshoi. Daphne Kalotay…
REVIEW: Russia Against Napoleon
I don’t pretend to be an expert historian – on Russia or any other topic, but I thoroughly enjoy a good yarn. And there are plenty of true, lesser-known tales to cull from centuries of human complications. Writer and professor Dominic Lieven tackles the mountainous topic of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia from 1812-14. This impressive…