Book Description
Weaving linguistic, cultural, and historical themes together, Alexander M. Schenker has created a complete and accessible account of the development of the Slavic languages. In this unique book, he traces the history of the tribes of the Slavic regions from the Late Roman period through the end of the Middle Ages and discusses how their individual languages and writing evolved. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A fine companion to any Old Church Slavonic primer and more
Alexander M. Schenker's THE DAWN OF SLAVIC: An Introduction to Slavic Philology is a comprehensive historical background to the first Slavic writings. For anyone learning Old Church Slavonic from a primer like Nandiris & Auty's HANDBOOK OF OLD CHURCH SLAVONIC or Schmalstieg's INTRODUCTION TO OLD CHURCH SLAVIC Schenker's book is a vital overview of archaeology, comparative Indo-European linguistics, and manuscript studies to serve as accompaniment.

THE DAWN OF SLAVIC opens with the historical setting: a hitherto unknown tribe makes it existence known by sweeping into central Europe. Schenker lists the various theories for the Slavic homeland, along with the possibility that peoples reported earlier by ancient historians may be identified with the Slavs. The Slavic expansion is carefully tracked, as well as the intercultural contact of the Slavs in the Balkans. Schenker's history goes up through the Moravian mission--which also tackles the problem of the exact location of Rastislav's kingdom--and the arrival of Slavs in the northwest, and finally ends with Kyiv Rus. This portion of the book contains a rich bibliography, and has spurred this reader onto countless interesting sources.

The section portion of the book is is a brief (100-page) diachronic grammar of Proto-Slavonic, expanded from the author's prior presentation in Routledge's THE SLAVONIC LANGUAGES, ed. Bernard Comrie (1993). While it doesn't compare at all to a real primer, it has some interesting perspectives on several matters, most notably phonology. And the grammar goes all the way back to the beginning: Proto-Indo-European, introducing the reader to concepts like laryngeal theory through a Slavic lense. The final portion of the book deals with Slavic philology in its most limited sense: writing. The two alphabets Glagolitic and Cyrillic, their functioning, and their evolution, along with all the debate over their order of invention is described. Major literary figures like Clement of Ochrid are sketched. The most fascinating part for me, however, was Schenker's description of each of the major manuscripts from the OCS period and their contents. Most OCS primers just give a single selection from any given manuscript, it is nice to know what else is out there.

If you are interested in any topic having to with early Slavs, from comparative Indo-European linguistics to the history of the modern Slavic states, THE DAWN OF SLAVIC is highly recommended. Very rarely do I encounter such an entertaining book.

Interesting but lacking
The part about the history of the Early Slavs is very interesting and gives very useful data which I didn't know before. About the samples of early Slavic writing, I was simply delighted with the idea of having such valuable historical monuments before my eyes.

The part about language is also very interesting, but there are some negative points which I feel obliged to comment:

As usual in studies about general Slavic philology made by western scholars, some major languages (first Russian and then Polish and Czech, followed by Bulgarian) seem to receive more attention than others (with western South-Slavic usually in the last place). I believe this is due to the mere fact that most western scholars, for diverse reasons, simply know more about Russian, Polish and Czech than about Serbian/Croatian and Slovene. Of course it seems impossible to master all major Slavic languages, but at least some scholars could be more humble and not pretend that they know everything about them all.

For instance, in the chapter "Early writing", part "3.10 The origin of the terms Glagolitic and Cyrillic", note 201, Schenker says that "The stem glagol- does not occur in South Slavic outside of (Old) Church Slavonic". Well, this is completely wrong! As any Serbian, Montenegrin, Bosnian or Croatian kid knows, when they learn grammar at school they have to cope with terms such as "glagolski pridjev" (verbal adjective, ie participle), "glagolski prilog" (gerund), "glagolski vid" (verbal aspect), etc., because, in fact, the word for 'verb' in Serbian/Croatian is just "glagol".

One has to wonder what would have happened if the eventful circumstances of history had not led the easternmost Slavic dialects (Russian) but, for instance, the westernmost (Polabian) to the position of the most spoken and 'famous' Slavic language. Probably, Slavic philology and even the reconstructed Proto-Slavic forms would look quite different of how they look today.

For example, in the reconstructed verbal conjugation of Proto-Slavic, the 1st person plural ("we") takes the ending -m plus the "hard" jer, which is such a straightforward way of making a "step back" from Russian. Of course, Russian forms end in -m. The posited reconstructed ending could be also suitable (though less clearly) for Polish, whose forms end in -my. But Slovene and Serbian/Croatian end in -mo, while Czech, Slovak and Bulgarian end in -me, and therefore none of them agree with the posited proto-form. Schenker 'resolves' the problem with one simple and short note: "[...]The ending -mo, which appears in some Slavic languages is probably derived from -mos, which is the more common variant of this ending in Proto-Indo-European[...]".

To me, this "some Slavic languages" doesn't look accurate at all, because it seems as if the endings -mo/-me were the exception, while in fact they are more common than the specifically Eastern Slavic -m.

Another point is the posited form *edin (+ "hard" jer) for the numeral 'one'. Only East Slavic and Bulgarian have a form ending in -in (plus Upper Sorbian, ending in -yn). All the other languages (that is, the majority of them) show forms ending in a mobile 'schwa' (jeden or jedan), thus suggesting a Proto-Slavic form like *ed+soft jer+n+hard jer. This would be the most logical and easy conclusion, explaining the -in forms as a (mostly Eastern Slav) "anomaly" caused by the assimilation of the adjective meaning 'only'. But again, the mighty influence of Russian seems to be overwhelming.

In my oppinion, several other Russian influences can be detected in Schenker's (and others) posited reconstruction of the Slavic proto-language. But, quite ironically, there is another big mistake in this book which could have been avoided just by listening to colloquial Russian speech. When talking about the pronoun "c^to" (what), Schenker says that the genitive form "c^'so" replaced the nominative and accusative in West Slavic. Perhaps he didn't find another reason for Polish and Czech "co" (and he forgot Slovak "c^o"), but in fact the explanation is much simpler. The original form "c^to" was metathesized to "tc^o" > "c^o", for easier pronounciation and by analogy to oblique forms, as it often happens in Russian informal conversation. The fact that "c^o" yielded "co" in Czech and Polish involves just a small phonetic change and it shows analogy with other cases in which East/South Slavic "c^" > West Slavic "c". Amazing that Schenker didn't see all that.

Moreover, in the survey of Slavic languages, when talking about the Croatian and Serbian diasystem, Schenker says that "Croatian and Serbian were standardized in the first half of the nineteenth century, chiefly through the efforts of the Hercegovinian Vuk Karadzic and the Croat Ljudevit Gaj". Well, it's true that Vuk Karadzic was born in eastern Hercegovina, which at that time was under the Ottoman rule. But everybody knows that Vuk Karadzic was Serbian, that he was the great reformer of the Serbian literary language and the Serbian Cyrillic alphabet, so I don't understand the use of the term "Hercegovinian" in that context... Ljudevit Gaj, for instance, is correctly called Croat, and not "Zagorjan", even he was born in the Zagorje region. It smells like some kind of intrussion of politics into linguistic and historical topics, and personally I found the aforementioned paragraph quite unfortunate.

Vuk Karadzic, despite his enormous importance in the development of modern day Serbian literary language, is only mentioned (and now correctly as Serb) on a footnote (308) in the section "Linguistic investigations", which mentions several of the most remarkable scholars and investigators of Slavic languages and philology. Karadzic's mentor, the Slovene Jernej Kopitar, is thoroughly commented, and so he receives the good treatment that his figure deserves. But again, I can't understand why Karadzic's figure is treated in such different (I would dare to say nearly offensive) way.

I don't intend to be harsh; the book gives valuable data, but it clearly has some important gaps. ... Read more

Book Description
Including Bosnian, Russian, Polish and Slovak, the Slavic group of languages is the fourth largest Indo-European sub-group. Spoken by 297 million people, it is one of the major language families of the modern world. This book presents a survey of all aspects of the linguistic structure of the Slavic languages.Roland Sussex and Paul Cubberley cover Slavic dialects and sociolinguistic issues, and the socio-historical evolution of the Slavic languages, in addition to general linguistic topics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Eastern Europeean Myth
This book does a superb job of providing enjoyable as well as a pleasurable amount of varied Slavic myths.I have found this book to be interesting as well as intriging and just enjoyable to read. Although many people may comment on the title "Forests of The Vampire" I must warn you that this book is only brief on Vampires, but should not be downgraded because of this; The book still provides many other interesting myths and folktales that many would find interesting throughout the Slavic cultures.

Just like all other "Myth And Mankind" books this one does a great job of providing cultural and religious connections throughout World Cultures. As well the book works contains a good amount of historical refference and as well includes little facts that emphasize the importance as well as meaning that these myths had to their cultures.The book as well does a magnificent job of providing amazing pictures of actual historical items as well as pictures and paintings that lend to the historical as well as cultural aspects of the myths.

A very good book that can be read again and again;I highly recommend this book as well as the others books in the "Myth and Mankind" series.

Kupalo, Volos, Mokosh . . .
This is the corrected title for my review, below.

kupala, volos, mokosh . . .
This book is intended for those interested in old Slavic beliefs, and it is well illustrated with photos and artwork. The book begins with information on history and culture, then delves into gods and goddesses, nature spirits, demons, folktales, and sorcery. Most of these nature spirits are described as dangerous, which can be disappointing. This book is NOT about vampires, as these get just 2 pages. The book is generally more fun than academic. If it is your kind of thing, you should get it. You will be happy with the many illustrations.

It's not about vampires at all..
First of all, the title is very misleading to provide wider appeal especially with the vampire lore trend bs. The book has very little dealings with vampire myth, but it focuses well on some areas of paganism and other things throughout eastern europe. A decent book and very much worth the price. If it will ever be re-printed, they should deffinately change the title and remove Vlad photo from the cover, a non-slav by the way, it shouldn't be there. ... Read more

Book Description
The world of Slavic myths is now accessible to English-language readers. These myths, now supplanted by Christian belief, are important to understanding the development of Slavic civilization and character. Slavic Myths is an incomparable general introduction to the topic. The book also features Professor Ondreicka's outstanding artwork, showcasing the high artistic culture of the Slovak Republic.

Slavic Myths presents careful re-tellings of essential Slavic mythology. No other title offers an introduction to Slavic mythology in such an accessible and charming form. The tales and the importance of comparative mythology in the study of history and culture are placed in context in an epilog supplied by Dr. Dusan Caplovic, Vice-President of the Slovak Academy of Sciences and a noted anthropologist. The book also includes a pantheon of Slavic gods and deities, bibliography, index, and a map of prehistoric Slavic sites. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

yes, sir, that's my baby
Well, it isn't actually my baby, really, but I thought that sounded really spiffy and was likely to catch the reader's eye. This book is gorgeous; I was positively floored by it. For those detractors who complain about the huge typeface and the scant content, may I point out that [a] the typeface isn't quite that huge--certainly not big enough to warrant the comparison to a children's book--and [b] the copious (not to mention, extremely helpful) marginal notes add the equivalent of, perhaps, another fifty pages. The material is extremely well organized and--insofar as I was thitherto wholly ignorant of Slavic mythic archetypes--utterly absorbing. One wonders why the table of contents succeeds (rather than precedes) the first page of the first chapter, but I divagate. The professors who collaborated on this opus did a slam-bang job of opening a secret world unto the ignorant Western European (or his American kith) and for that I heartily thank them.

Beautiful Artwork
When I first received the book, I was a little disappointed. For an expensive book, it's very thin and has large print, which makes it look like a children's book.
However, the artwork is absolutely beautiful! Most of the myths in it are ones that I haven't read anywhere else. It also divides the myths into seperate eras - ex The Stone Age, The Iron Age, etc.

Move over Edith Hamilton
"Cultural worship of Gods was an inextricable part of everyday life for the ancient Slavs.The ancient Slavic mind was open to nature and the material manifestations of weather..."With these introductory remarks from Tales from Slavic Myths, welcome to the world of ancient mythology---Slavic style.Edith Hamilton may not have touched on most of the Slavic gods featured in this book but, nonetheless, these Slavic myths deserve a rightful place in the canon of ancient mythology.These tales, penned by Ivan Hudec, former Minister of Culture, are presented along with 97 original color illustrations by Dr. Karol Ondreicka.This beautiful hardbound book may be a bit pricey (and is thus understandably published in a limited edition) but worth every cent of its price tag.These ancient tales are retold in a larger-print, easy-to-read style;however, it would behoove the reader unfamiliar with mythology to read the latter section of the book first where some introductory info can be found.The book unfortunately lacks a formal introduction, but does have an extensive afterword by Dusan Caplovic (of the Slovak Academy of Sciences) who provides a lot of detail about the cradleland origins and evolution of Christianity in the Slavic lands.There are also maps and legends of ancient Slavic pagan sites;a detailed bibliography and a very helpful and interesting "Slavic pantheon of mythological divinities."Throughout the text, side bars of background information help fill in the gaps, too.Indeed, "...the spiritual world and imagery of the Early Slavs was fabulously rich" and anyone interested in early Slavic history needs to know these tales.Even contemporary readers of Slavic literature will run across an occasional mention to one of these mythological figures (Czech author Jachym Topol mentions "Baba Yaga" in his recent novel, CitySisterSilver). So curl up one chilly evening, turn off the TV and lose yourself in the wild/magical world of Slavic mythology! ... Read more

Book Description
The people of Eastern Europe have a long and rich cultural history. Central to that history are the folktales, traditions, and customs of the region. Some elements of Slavic folklore, such as vampire legends and Easter eggs, are well known, while others are more obscure. And when the Slavs came to America, they brought much of their folklore to the new world, where it continues to flourish today. This book is a short but thorough introduction to Slavic folklore. Written expressly for students and general readers, it systematically overviews Slavic folklore. It discusses the many different types of folklore and summarizes scholarship and research on the subject. It provides a wide range of texts and examples from the Slavic folk tradition and explores the role of Slavic folklore in literature and popular culture. The volume cites numerous print and electronic sources and closes with a glossary and selected, general bibliography. Literature students will enjoy learning about Slavic tales and customs, while students in social studies classes will learn more about the culture of Eastern Europe. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A glossary, bibliography, and index round out this welcome addition to folklore and mythology studies shelves
Written by Natalie Kononenko (Kule Chair of Ukranian Ethnography, University of Alberta), Slavic Folklore: A Handbook is a meticulous study of its subject matter rather than a fairy-tale book of stories. Accessible to general readers, Slavic Folklore discusses the definitions and classifications of Slavic mythography, various scholarly approaches and contexts for understanding these enduring works, and a handful of sample texts. Slavic Folklore requires no prior knowledge of Slavic history, folklore, or linguistics, and all transliterations of Slavic names, places, and other words have been carried out with an eye toward practicality and ease of use. A glossary, bibliography, and index round out this welcome addition to folklore and mythology studies shelves, as well as college library reference shelves. ... Read more

Book Description
The Slavic Immigrant Woman A SLAVIC IMMIGRANT WOMAN The Slavic Immigrant Woman BY BESSIE OLGA PEHOTSKY CINCINNATI, OHIO POWELL WHITE TO MY MOTHER PBEFACE There is no lonelier person in American life than the Slavic immigrant woman. Separated from the old home, bewildered in the new, she lives her life in a confusion of strange problems in which she needs the help of Christian women. But unless we know her and her cares we cannot help. This little book draws aside the curtain of the Slavic home and reveals the inmost life of the Slavic woman. It tries not only to state her problems but to help solve them in a practical way. It is our wish that as Christian women read these pages they will forget the differences of language and nationality and see the Slavic Immigrant Woman only as a Woman. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE Preface 7 I. Whence Come They 13 II. The Russian Immigrant Woman 17 III. From the Old World to the New 39 IV. Organization Work Among Foreign Women 64 V. The Home Department of the Church. ... 90 VI. The Challenge 106 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS A SLAVIC IMMIGRANT WOMAN Frontispiece FACING PAGE A GROUP OP AMERICANS AND SLAVIC AMERICANS HIKING, WHOS WHO A SLAV IN NATIVE COSTUME. 30 A POLISH HOME, CLEVELAND, OHIO 50 POLISH GIRLS CLUB 70 BROADWAY CHRISTIAN CHURCH, CLEVELAND, OHIO 100 ... Read more

Book Description
The acceptance of Christianity in the tenth century is the most significant cultural event in the history of modern Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. A vast reservoir of cultural concepts, expressions, and iconographic images has developed within the Eastern Orthodox tradition, and now Slavic specialists, theologians, historians, and literary scholars can turn to a collection which examines the majestic sweep of a thousand years of Slavic Christianity.
This three-volume collection brings together essays from two international conferences. The present volume explores the history and influence of Christianization from the tenth to the seventeenth century. Volume II will examine cultural history from the eighteenth to the twentieth century, and Volume III will examine literature of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. ... Read more

Amazon.com
Kenneth Johnson's nearly seamless integration of history with story, and his ability to shifteffortlessly from concise factual reporting to Byzantine descriptions of his adventures in and around SaintPetersburg make Slavic Sorcery read like a novel. Explore the history and folklore of EasternEurope and European Russia as Johnson delves into the superstitions and wives' tales that helpedearth-magic beliefs, such as dowsing, survive the religious and political turmoil of the region. At thesame time,add secrets of the Slavic magical tradition to your own repertoire through Johnson's experiences with Slavicspells, sacred places of power, tree magic, and spirits of the otherworld. You'll also find a delightfulrecounting of Johnson's learning experiences under the tutelage of Vladimir Antonov, a colorful andwell-known practitioner of this ancient earth magic. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

I wish I could give this book less than 1 star!
I was really excited to come across acopy of this book after searching at length for information on this subject. Unfortunately it was a great disappointment! It is a glorified travelog masquerading as in depth scholarship. One gets the sense that Johnson simply didn't spend enough time in the field to acquire adequate information to speak authoritatively on the subject. Perhaps a more accurate title would be " My New-Age Russian Vacation" because it has little to do with any Slavic country besides Russia and even less to do with ancient practices.I realize that this book was published by Llewellyn and so I didn't expect it to be strictly anthropological but I did hope to find SOME substance within it's pages (or atleast a decent bibliography). I've honestly found more information on ancient Slavic spiritual practices in books about folk art like pysanky or embroidery.Goddess Embroideries of Eastern Europe by Mary B. Kelly is a good place to start. Where is a reader-friendly book about our ancestors religion, gods, and lifeways?!? Unfortunately I think I may have to write it myself.

Slavic Sorcery
I have recieved this book from kwartstudios, through Amazon.com.
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I recieved this book faster then expected, and praise the media mail system and kwartstudios for such prompt service.
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The book in itself is informative and easy to read, especially for someone just discovering the shamanic path.

loved the exercises in this book
As my heritage is Russian and I am also a Pagan, I enjoyed reading this book. Many of the excercises given in the book were enjoyable as well. I liked Johnson's story-telling style of his personal journey throughout. Those readers who do energy work will relate to some of the healing methods explored.

One Man's Journey
This book was indeed, excellent. However, it wasn't exactly what I had been hoping for. I had been hoping for a book detailing Slavic Sorcery, itsuses and practices. Instead, this book chronicles the author's efforts tobe accepted into the vestigal groups of slavic shamans; and his experiencesamong them.

I had been hoping more for a history followed by some recipesand practical applications of Slavic paganism. While this wasn't exactlywhat I had hoped for it was still an excellent book.

Slavic Sorcery:Shamanic Journey of Initiation
This was the first book I have seen about Slavic shamanism. I was surprised to discover how much of the pagan culture had hidden under the guise of christianity. It also went on to disuss some of the practises of the modern day shamans in Russia.Definately well worth the read. ... Read more

Book Description
This spiral-bound index card size book collects recipes from Slovenian, Slovak, Czech, Polish, Ukrainian, Hungarian and Russian traditions. Dotted with proverbs from these cultures. Rediscover your Slavic roots! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Hearty Food with Healthy Ingredients
NEW in our series of Stocking Stuffer cookbooks, in the popular recipe-card file size format, Slavic Specialtiescollects recipes from Polish, Slovak, Slovenian, Czech, Croatian, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Bohemian, Bosnian, Russian, Polish, Serbian and Ukrainian Americans. The cultures of these groups have a complex history of intertwining language, national identity, social customs and beliefs.And, while cuisines and recipes differ from culture to culture, and even, as we know, from person to person within a family, the similarities between them merit their commingling in this little book.

Slavic food is hearty food with healthy ingredients, featuring noodles, cooked vegetables, potatoes, meat, sauerkraut, and fruit.Slavic "specialties" include kolaches, or fruit-filled sweet buns; blini , pancakes, and zucchini blini; pierogi, meat-and-vegetable-filled dough pockets; borscht, beet soup; and paprikash,beef stew.

These recipes were contributed by Slavic organizations including the Slovenian Women's Union of America, the Ladies' Pennsylvania Slovak Catholic Union, and the American Mutual Life Association, as well as individuals wishing to preserve the recipes of their parents and grandparents.

The cookbook include proverbs and quotations from Penfield's Polish Proverbsand Czech Proverbs, and from other sources. ... Read more

Book Description
Reality gives way to enchantment in the mountains of Bohemia one blustery January night when a little girl is ordered to find snowdrops by her cruel stepmother. The child knows that these delicate spring flowers do not grow in the middle of the winter, but what else can she do but obey? In the frozen woods she comes upon twelve magical brothers who make the impossible happen.

This charming story about a little girl who sees all the twelve months of the year at once is a retelling of a traditional Czechoslovakian folktale by Samuel Marshak, one of Russia's greatest folklorists. The lyricism of Marshak's language is retained in this sensitive rendering by the distinguished translator Thomas P. Whitney.

Customer Reviews (2)

Delightful retelling of an old folktale
The Month Brothers, A Slavic Tale by Samuel Marshak

Everyone knows that the twelve months of the year never meet but in this charming folk tale a little girl saw all twelve months at one time. Deep in the forest around a blazing fire the Months meet together as brothers in the depths of the Winter.

On a freezing January night, a wicked woman ordered her stepdaughter to go into the forest to find flowers. The poor child, bundled in her ragged clothes, sets out on her impossible quest. She is without hope knowing that she cannot return without flowers and that flowers won't bloom until March. The young girl weeps as she walks on until she comes upon a glade where twelve men stand warming themselves by a huge fire. They listen to her story, and you must read this book if you want to find out how they help her.

This children's book is based on a Soviet-era Russian play The Twelve Months by Samuel (or Samuil) Marshak. With delightful color illustrations by Diane Stanley, this book isa delight to read. A longer version of Marshak's story was released in English in 1967 by Dorothy Nathan.

Wonderful retelling of a Russian Cinderella story.
This is a delightful tale for children in early grade school. Youngerchildren will enjoy the realistic and warm illustrations by Diane Stanley.This story tells the tale of a young girl who isforced to go out in aJanuary storm by her stepmother to look for flowers for her stepsister.While stumbling around in the snow, she meets all twelve Month Brothers,representing all the months of the year. My 8 year old has checked thisbook out of the school library so many times that we are finally purchasingthe book for our personal library. That is the highest recommendation anyauthor can get, the repeated reading by a child. ... Read more

Book Description
"The most authoritative, detailed and nuanced study to date of the vexed question of the novel's holism, or the relation between its historical "essays" and the fictional text.Love analyzes the complex philosophical provenance of Tolstoy's ideas with utmost care and clarity and shows their simultaneous commitment to both skepticism and affirmation, the finite and the infinite.Love also demonstrates convincingly how Tolstoy's ideas inform the novel's narrative structure, major scenes and life trajectories of the main characters.Love's book is a brilliant corrective to the critical oversimplifications that have long surrounded War and Peace and is a major contribution to Tolstoy scholarship in general." Vladimir E. Alexandrov B. E. Bensinger Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures, Yale University"Hedgehog versus Fox, Tolstoy the unifier versus Tolstoy the skeptic, intellect versus senses, thinker versus artist:as Tolstoy himself knew well, to dislodge canonized binaries on any topic often requires long, reasoned narrative argument.We have just such a fine-grained, sustained philosophical argument here.Jeffrey Love takes on those familiar binaries and demonstrates that Tolstoyan truth is dynamic, integrated, durative-and that the two great lessons about human consciousness presented in War and Peace, cognitive humility and finitude, are in fact exhilarating virtues, not human failures or unbridgeable contradictions.A tour-de-force." Caryl Emerson Princeton University"Intense, analytical, philosophical, G. Jeffrey Love's "The Overcoming of History in War and Peace," like Isaiah Berlin's study "The Hedgehog and the Fox," offers rewarding insights into the difficult but central historical-philosophical themes of War and Peace-issues organic to an understanding of Tolstoy's epic work. Here is an important book on Tolstoy." Robert Louis Jackson B.E. Bensinger Professor (Emeritus) Slavic Languages and Literatures, Yale University ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A very innovative treatment...
of the comparative historical grammar of the Slavic languages. The complicated phonological changes are presented in taut and concise fashion. The morphology, as often happens, is more resistant to a satisfactory,integrated presentation. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Book Description
Distinguished writers' comments on the national poet of Poland in a tribute to the anniversary of the poet's birth in 1798. ... Read more

Book Description
For poets throughout the world Rome was the world. This is particularly true for Russian poets, owing to the anagrammatical relation of the words Rome and mir (Rome and world). The legacy of ancient Rome has always constituted an important component of the Russian cultural consciousness. The revitalization of classical scholarship in nineteenth-century Russia and new approaches to antiquity prompted many of the Russian Symbolists to seek their inspiration in ancient Rome. Vladimir Solovyov, Dmitry Merezhkovsky, Valery Bryusov, Vyacheslav Ivanov, Maksimilian Voloshin, Vasily Komarovsky, and Mikhail Kuzmin all made significant contributions to what is often referred to as the "Roman text."The Legacy of Ancient Rome in the Russian Silver Age analyzes the forms involved in creating the Roman image and explores its functionality within the given poetic system. In addition to the formal analysis, the background and the stimulus leading up to the composition of a particular poem are explored, as well as allusions to legends, myths and Rome's geography and architecture. Moreover, this study considers the function of the Roman text in Russian Symbolist poetics and the works of the individual poets. Finally, the relation between the Roman and Petersburg texts of Russian literature is explored, since many of the Russian Symbolist poets found in Rome a perfect metaphor for their studies of the city and "urban" poetry. ... Read more

Book Description
This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An easy and interesting read
Written by a professor of history at Eastern Michigan State University, this book is chiefly concerned with the social, cultural and economic history of modern Russia. Military history is touched upon briefly andalways with an eye on the social impact upon Russian society.World War Iis discussed in only a few pages.World War II has its own chapter, but itis only 13 pages long.Education, religion, literature and the artsreceive more attention than all military conflicts combined.This book isfor readers looking for an overall picture of Russian life.Thoseindividuals will be rewarded with briskly paced chapters that paint a richpicture of Russia.Even at 500+ pages I was never bored or tempted to skipthrough any sections.Since reading this book, current events in Russiaseem perfectly comprehensible (almost inevitable).Each chapter ends withan extensive list of suggested readings and the general bibliographycontains 12 pages of additional sources. ... Read more