Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna (1850)Christina Robertson (1796–1854) As I prepare for the publication and launch of my second novel, Fortune’s Price, I have taken some time out to read a book I came across recently about the life of the Grand Duchess, Elena Pavlovna (1807 – 1873)(pictured above). Born Princess Charlotte of Württemberg, she was […]
Author: Jennifer Antill
The Great Flood of 1824
In this very strange year for weather unseasonable floods have been reported in some parts of the world. I was reminded of this recently when giving my talk ‘The Bronze Horseman, A tale of Peterburg’ to a group of hospitable WI Members in Long Melford. The talk focusses on Peter the Great and the founding […]
Funding the Moscow Foundling Home, early savings and loans banks in Russia
Recently I have been researching the background to the Moscow Foundling Home, a place which is destined to play a major role in my current work in progress, ‘In the Shadow of the Flames’ (working title). The action of the novel will be set against the background of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812, and […]
‘Keep my words forever’ a film about Osip Mandelstam
In May members of the GB-Russia Society enjoyed the opportunity to watch the extraordinary film by filmmaker, music producer and director, Roma Liberov: Сохрани мою речь навсегда. The film, the title of which can be translated as ‘Keep my words forever,’ was created in memory of the life and work of the Russian poet Osip […]
Horse Diplomacy
Given her enthusiasm for all things English, it is not surprising that it was Catherine the Great who introduced Horse Racing in the English Style to Russia in the 1780’s, and it was only a matter of time before the sport became a vehicle for diplomatic exchange. On at least two occasions in the 19th […]
Controlling the corpse: the autocratic reaction to death
Berlin, demonstration after the murder of Alexey Navalny. 18th February 2024. Photograph: A Savin, Wikipedia Following the murder of the opposition leader, Alexey NavaIny, the Russian security services have, until yesterday, been attempting not only to retain control of his body but also to dictate the nature of his funeral. Such evidence of official paranoia […]
Ice on the Neva
Ice on the Neva According to the Neva Delta Company website this winter the river Neva in St Petersburg is likely to be frozen for longer than average. This is in marked contrast to recent years in which warmer temperatures have meant that sometimes the river remained ice free, and tourist boats have continued to […]
Book Review: A Ransomed Dissident by Igor Golomstock
When I studied 20th century Russian literature some years ago the name of the Russian art historian Igor Golomstock (1929 -2017 ) came up from time to time, but I confess my recollection of him was rather hazy. So I was pleased when his autobiographical work, A Ransomed Dissident, translated by Sara Jolly and Boris […]
The Ghost in the Carriage
I have been trying to tidy up the manuscript of my work in progress, Fortune’s Price, a novel which can be read alone, but which follows on from Small Acts of Kindness, a tale of the first Russian revolution that was published in November last year. Towards the end of the first part of the […]
Two people in one
Alexander Mikhailovich Murav’ev (1802-1853) Lithograph. (1822) Piotr Feodorovich Sokolov (1791- 1848) There can be problems when a writer tries to combine an engaging plot with historical truth. This can be particularly true when it comes to depicting characters who are ‘real’ people. Historical novels vary widely in their historical accuracy, ranging from books that are […]