27 Comments
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Chen Rafaeli's avatar

great post. thank you

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Konstantin Asimonov's avatar

Thanks!

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Eckhard Umann's avatar

Я - викинг с 2х-кратным контролем ДНК и восточноевропейскими корнями. Могу ли я мудро улыбнуться?

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Konstantin Asimonov's avatar

I think it mostly depends on whether you want to, or not.

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Eckhard Umann's avatar

You still didn't see the French movie

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Konstantin Asimonov's avatar

No, i haven't, sorry. Work week, long movie queue...

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Eckhard Umann's avatar

Отличный повод

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Eckhard Umann's avatar

это еще сушествует: ув/неув причины?

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Konstantin Asimonov's avatar

Yes, of course.

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Eckhard Umann's avatar

still firing the fantasies of Russian people...

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Eckhard Umann's avatar

B.Boyd: On the Origin of Stories

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Konstantin Asimonov's avatar

I haven't read this one, but I am a big fan of the "Historical Roots of the Wonder Tale" by Propp.

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Ana Bosch's avatar

You spiked my curiosity. The oldest Spanish text can be found in the Leon cathedral, is dated from 959 aD and is a list of cheeses. I guess the clergy also liked good food back then 🤣.

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Ana Bosch's avatar

To be precise, it’s proto-Castilian.

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Konstantin Asimonov's avatar

This is very interesting, and also very Spanish :) The cheeses are indeed divine.

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Eckhard Umann's avatar

но занят, так занят

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David Friedman's avatar

Is it possible that the poet's "The world is a city in which the church" refers not to the Orthodox Christian church that he was a priest of but "the world's church," meaning the way in which the world treats people?

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Konstantin Asimonov's avatar

It is possible, of course. I don't have enough understanding of the historical realities of that age to judge either way. AFAIK Eastern Orthodox Church was fairly restrictive and dogmatic (and its descendant still is), but this particular case might have been a metaphor. Good metaphor, though.

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Alice Haisman's avatar

Though I’m an avid reader of substack and have gone even deeper into it for a place to hide, perhaps, since the most recent election, I ran across your post by accident while doing some research on ‘oldest Russian books’ - great post. The poem is indeed heart breaking considered in the context of both the span of Russian history and the particular fate of Navalniy and soon others…

Thank you- I’m glad I ran across your substack.

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Konstantin Asimonov's avatar

Thank you, Alice! That's very kind of you.

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