The many rooms of Eldar Riazanov
Stuck inside your own four walls during lockdown, you might have found solace from imagining the domestic interiors of past civilizations. The wooden houses of Meiji Japan! The villas of … Continue reading
July 23, 2020
John le Carré, Russianist?
Russia runs like a red thread through the novels of John le Carré. Often it’s there as a proxy — the secret police chief, the guards outside the embassy, or … Continue reading
December 25, 2016 · Leave a comment
The iron curtain first lady
Laughed at, unable to answer back, constrained in private life but derided for political involvement: the modern political spouse can’t do right for doing wrong. Was it the same behind … Continue reading
May 17, 2016 · Leave a comment
