You may have gathered by now that I recently made the pilgrimage to Russia. After a decade of studying Russian literature and history, I hopped on a plane to experience the place firsthand. The two week trek started in Saint Petersburg and ended in Moscow. As you can imagine, I have a lot of feelings,…Read More
Russian History
What I’m Reading: The Empress of Art
“The Empress of Art” by Susan Jaques is an art-focused biography of Catherine the Great, Russia’s most famous female ruler. Turns out, Catherine was a boss. Originally a German princess, she was married off to the crappy future Russian Tzar Peter III. When Peter rapidly began running Russia into the ground (he was wildly unpopular…Read More
What I’m Reading: The Romanov Sisters
My fascination with Russia and Russian literature has been well established, so it’s no surprise that my latest book is a biography of the last imperial family, in particular the often-shafted Romanov sisters. The Romanov Sisters by Helen Rappaport gets five stars on my scale of nonfiction historical works. There’s a lot of lore and…Read More