Messages

1

Films and TV shows about the Romanovs and Imperial Russia / Re: Film about Ballet Russe

« on: June 12, 2006, 06:07:05 AM »

Hello Glebb,

Thank you very much for your reply and your compliments about Australia.  Sydney is probably the most beautiful city in this country so you went to the right place!  Tasmania is a lovely state and I'd like to visit it again.

I enjoyed your story about Dame Alicia Markova very much!  After seeing the film it is easy to imagine her saying that!  The film was very enjoyable and when it comes out on DVD here I am going to buy a copy to keep.  This is a little shallow but I became sad when I saw how beautiful all of the members of the Ballets Russe were when they were young and how different they look now.  Certainly they had aged gracefully, however!

Anna Pavlova toured Australia with her company in 1926 and 1929.  According to legend, our 'national dessert', the pavlova
is named after her!  My favourite dessert, it tastes wonderful and is apparently like the 'Angel Pie' available in New York.  It's based on light, fluffy meringue, with strawberries usually.  Sometimes other fruits can be used, like passionfruit, or raspberries.

I found a good website on Anna Pavlova's tours: http://www.australiadancing.org/subjects/51.html  My book by Algeranoff describes them but I wouldn't recommend it because it is written in a fairly boring manner, unfortunately!

Best Regards,

Lisa

www.webwritereditor.com
www.bookaddiction.blogspot.com

2

Books about the Romanovs and Imperial Russia / Re: A people's tragedy

« on: June 03, 2006, 11:19:01 PM »

You're right, Belochka.  It's just that I have books everywhere - more since I joined bookcrossing (www.bookcrossing.com) and I haven't read a lot of them!  It's hard to choose which books to read.

Thank you for your advice Kitty.  That's very kind of you.  I will start with the Pipes book when I've finished Mistress of the Arts, about Georgina, Duchess of Beford.

Best Regards,

Lisa

3

Books about the Romanovs and Imperial Russia / Re: A people's tragedy

« on: June 03, 2006, 02:22:41 AM »

Hello everyone,

I've been wondering whether to get this book from the library or not.  These big, incredibly detailed tomes do put me off a bit, I'm afraid.  I had a look at the Pipes one and that's huge too!

It does sound interesting and well-written, however, and, as I'm not at all inclined towards socialism hopefully I can find any left-wing bias.  I should read the Pipes one as well - maybe next year!

I have Nina Berberova's autobiography.  What shocked me in that was the response of Western intellectuals, such as George Bernard Shaw, to the terrible persecution of artists in the Soviet Union.  Apparently, they either didn't believe it, or ignored it - they did absolutely nothing.  

I was a bit surprised, though, that people on the list don't think that the horrors of the Soviet Union are very well publicised.  I thought that they were, but I do have a special interest in Russian History so perhaps I have sought information that's not well known.  Also we actually studied Solzhenitysn at school so that made us more aware.

Best Regards,

Lisa

www.webwritereditor.com
www.bookaddiction.blogspot.com

4

The Russian Revolution / Re: The Hanging of Alexander Ulyanov

« on: June 01, 2006, 06:44:47 AM »

Hello everyone,

I haven't read all of the posts here, but I've read many and they've been very interesting.  I was inclined to think that Lenin had a personal vendetta too, but now I feel that the evidence points to his being a cold and tough revolutionary, determined not to let anything stand in his way.  I've forgotten much of the Marxism that was fed to me at a certain university that shall remain nameless so I can't remember the exact quote, but I think that he wrote that the only way in which the revolution could be achieved was by the shedding of blood.  

Putting the Tzar on trial would be a great danger for Lenin, as Figes notes, because it could make many question the whole concept.

I have no time for revolutions or even socialism, although democratic socialism is better than communism!

Best Regards,

Lisa

www.webwritereditor.com
www.bookaddiction.blogspot.com

5

Films and TV shows about the Romanovs and Imperial Russia / Re: Film about Ballets Russes

« on: May 31, 2006, 05:22:19 PM »

Hello Glebb,

I am hoping to go and see the film today.  As I'm Australian, I am especially interested in seeing more information about the Ballets Russes' tours of Australia.  In the book I have about Anna Pavlova's tours I got the impression that her company found Australia quite primitive in those days and didn't enjoy staying here very much at all!  They found Brisbane very hot and stifling, which I could well understand!

It must have been wonderful to dine with Dame Alicia Markova.  I'd love to know more about that.

Best Regards,

Lisa

www.webwritereditor.com
www.bookaddiction.blogspot.com

6

Films and TV shows about the Romanovs and Imperial Russia / Film about Ballet Russe

« on: May 28, 2006, 02:44:21 AM »

Hello everyone,

Has anyone seen this?  It has received very good reviews and looks lovely.

Regards,

Lisa

www.webwritereditor.com
www.bookaddiction.blogspot.com

7

The Russian Revolution / Re: British engineers

« on: May 28, 2006, 02:39:37 AM »

Thank you very much, Phil.  That was very interesting and I'd like to read the autobiography that you mentioned.  I will see if I can obtain it.

When I tried to obtain more information from the Internet myself I kept coming across Stalin's show trial of British engineers who worked for the Metro-Vickers Corporation.  In the Metro-Vickers trial (in 1933) a large group of Soviet and British engineers was convicted of deliberately sabotaging Soviet electrical generating facilities. The British engineers were deported; the Soviet engineers were sent to a labour camp.  

This was also interesting and a book has been written about it recently.  It wasn't what I wanted to know, however.

Best Regards,

Lisa

www.webwritereditor.com
www.bookaddiction.blogspot.com

8

Forum Announcements / Re: Prayers and Thoughts for Sophie Delezio

« on: May 28, 2006, 02:31:12 AM »

Hello everyone,

I was so sorry to hear about poor little Sophie.  I am not sure how she is now, because I felt that I couldn't cope with it.  I am thinking of her and praying for her - she is such an incredibly brave little girl.

Best Regards,

Lisa

www.webwritereditor.com
www.bookaddiction.blogspot.com

9

The Russian Revolution / Re: British engineers

« on: May 21, 2006, 03:24:53 AM »

Hi Margarita,

I think that I read this somewhere on the Internet.  Of course, I know that not everything on the Web is reliable but I am interested in knowing more about what happened to the engineers.

Best Regards,

Lisa

10

Books about the Romanovs and Imperial Russia / Re: Anna Pavlova

« on: May 20, 2006, 01:16:15 AM »

Hello Elisabeth, Glebb and Ferngully,

Thank you very much for your help and the lovely photo of Anna Pavlova.  I have seen film clips of Pavlova - the one in which she dances her famous dying swan is especially beautiful and it is easy to see why she was considered such a great ballerina.  

I bought a book recently called 'My Years with Pavlova' by H. Algeranoff.  He was an English ballet dancer who danced in her company.  

It is an interesting book, describing the many places that Pavlova toured, and it gives a fascinating insight into Australia at that time.  I couldn't part with it but it doesn't say very much about Pavlova herself and I didn't think that it was very well-written, considering that the subject matter is so interesting.

I am buying 'Imperial Dancer' soon and looking forward to reading that.  Also I am going to read Margot Fonteyn's biography some time soon.

Best Regards,

Lisa

11

The Russian Revolution / British engineers

« on: May 20, 2006, 12:48:20 AM »

I read that there were many British engineers working in Russia when the Revolution occurred.  Some were executed and some escaped.  I would like to know more about this topic.

Best Regards,

Lisa

12

Imperial Russian History / Re: The Russian Soul

« on: May 14, 2006, 03:43:26 AM »

Hello everyone,

I am finding this discussion about the Russian soul extremely interesting too.  I don't have any Russian blood but I have read a fair number of Russian classics and I think that Virginia Woolf's description is a pretty good one.  The words which sometimes strike me when I think of the Russian temperament generally are 'passionate' or even 'volatile'. I don't mean that derogatively, but as a general description. Australians are the opposite - noted for being apathetic.

I am an Australian and I think that we probably share a lot of the characteristics that Elisabeth mentioned that the Americans have.  It was interesting to hear that they tend to keep things close to their chests, unlike many of us.  Do you think that that is a natural trait or related to their historical lack of freedom?

Best Regards,

Lisa

www.webwritereditor.com
www.bookaddiction.blogspot.com

13

Books about the Romanovs and Imperial Russia / Re: Anna Pavlova

« on: May 13, 2006, 04:38:41 AM »

Hello S.V.,

Thank you so much for providing a list of books for me.  I have bought 'Imperial Dancer' and when I have some more room I will buy one of the books about Anna Pavlova.  Now if only I could go to the Bolshoi or the Kirov...

Best Regards,

Lisa

www.webwritereditor.com
www.bookaddiction.blogspot.com

14

The Russian Revolution / Re: The Russian Revolution - Causes and/or Prevention?

« on: May 07, 2006, 01:25:21 AM »

I haven't really made up my mind either but I am inclined to take the optimistic view.  Reforms were beginning to be made and the process of constitutional change had started.  On the other hand, the Tsar was very much in favour of autocratic rule and didn't like giving up any powers.

Best,

Lisa

15

The Russian Revolution / Re: Psychological Studies

« on: May 07, 2006, 01:20:50 AM »

Hi Elisabeth,

I can't really agree with you that being brought up to think that you are prouder, stronger and more intelligent than everyone else is good.  Of course, it's no good to be raised to be ashamed either.  However, it must be possible to find a balance between the two?

Best,

Lisa

www.webwritereditor.com
www.bookaddiction.blogspot.com