The Soviet Space Programme & London Book Fair

My post of today is on a lighter note than of late, but it cannot defy gravity. The fiftieth anniversary of Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's orbit of the earth is commemorated in a play commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company. His achievement is also recognised in a Russian Market Focus at the 2011 London Book Fair, currently underway. However, contemporary Russian authors interviewed on the BBC Radio 4 Front Row programme yesterday suggested that the positive spin on Russian culture might not be all that it seems.

MORE TROUBLE WITH TOLSTOY - DARK DAYS AND NIGHTS OF THE SOUL

The final episode of BBC 1's account of Tolstoy's life was, perhaps inevitably, not so enjoyable as the first. Indeed, the author's final days were compared with the tragedy of King Lear. Although Tolstoy famously disliked Shakespeare, preferring the English Victorian writer Mrs Henry Wood, of whose novel "The Maze" he wrote favourably to his brother. However, whilst this detail was omitted by Alan Yentob, Tolstoy's own novels of Anna Karenina and Resurrection were explored, together with the spirit of Christian anarchy which the author came to embody. Tolstoy's political interests where also developed, including his correspondence with the future Indian leader Gandhi, as well as fears amongst the Russian authorities of a Tolstoyan revolution. Nevertheless, whilst not exactly uplifting, the conclusion of Yentob's reflections on the life of Tolstoy struck a thoughtful note, certainly something to be welcomed in the present time.

In Search of Russian Soil: The Geology of Russia in Europe and the Ural Mountains

Sadly, one book that will not be found on Boris's shelves - nor that of our local library in England - is a copy of "The Geology of Russia in Europe and the Ural Mountains" by Roderick Impey Murchison (main author), Edouard de Verneuil and Count Alexander von Keyserling, published in London and Paris, 1845. For although Murschison presented a copy to the Worcestershire Natural History Society, this was recently sold by the County Council ; along with a first edition of Malthus's Essay on Population, which fetched £52 000. A memorial stone to Murchison in the Russian city of Perm is shown above.

The themes of soil and population in the present day contexts of Russia and England do, however, make for some interesting reflection. For whilst it is questionable whether England's present population is sustainable, that of Russia has declined significantly in recent years. Could a modern Rouble - or perhaps Euro - equivalent of the "Ten Pound Pom" therefore be a possibility in the light of projected increases in the English population. I'm sure our nineteenth century intellectual ancestors would have something more sensible to say on this subject, having both a spiritual and practical outlook, than the supposed cultural and environmental custodions of the present age.

IN SEARCH OF THE RUSSIAN SOUL - THE TOLSTOY TRAVELOGUE OF ALAN YENTOB

I very much enjoyed the first episode of "The Trouble With Tolstoy" on the BBC last Sunday. The portly Alan Yentob made an excellent guide for a literary travelogue by rail which followed Tolstoy's life - starting with his death at a railway station - from birth to middle age. Beginning at his ancestral home (shown here), an earlier version of which the young man Tolstoy gambled away, the journey took in the city of Kazan where he was a student, the Crimea where he was a soldier, St Petersburg where he was a socialite, and back to Yasnaya Polyana where Tolstoy settled down to married life and wrote the epic "War and Peace".  Episode one ended with a regular re-enactment of the Battle of Borodino outside Moscow, which the Russians successfully defended against Napoleon. For the viewer, as for Yentob, the scenes of dare devil horsemanship seem to symbolise the brinkmanship of the Russian soul which Tolstoy's life also embodied. Episode two is next Sunday.

OLD PETER'S RUSSIAN TALES BY ARTHUR RANSOME

A few years ago BBC Radio 4 broadcast an excellent adaptation of this collection of stories over the Christmas holiday period. The Corporation also made a very interesting television programme about the life of author Arthur Ransome.

RUSSIAN FAIRY STORIES

Boris's Bookshelf recommends http://www.oldrussia.net/ 

"RUSSIA 2018" & A PERSONAL RECOLLECTION ON LEO TOLSTOY

Russia's successful bid to host the Football World Cup in 2018 has stirred me to write a post that's been on my mind for a couple of weeks, that is since the centenary of Tolstoy's death on 20 November. This event has not been officially celebrated in Russia to the same degree as the 150th anniversary of Chekhov's birth (see below) for some reason. However, the trajectory of Tolstoy's life bears comparison with that of Chekhov because of its contrary path. Tolstoy was born an aristocrat, but ultimately rejected his inheritance and died in a humble railway station master's house, whilst Chekhov had humble origins but enjoyed the ultimate celebrity death. Perhaps the message of this is that we may all have to eat humble pie* at some point, and the world of British football might like to reflect on this. Meanwhile, I hope for a Russian cultural renaissance in thr run up to 2018, along with all the sports stuff.

The wonderful colour photograph of Tolstoy is also taken from the Wikipedia Media Commons.

* I strongly recommend getting someone else to pay for this, and/or an accompanying rich sauce. Perhaps Boris's Bookshelf will visit the Cafe Pushkin for the next post.