The Vulgar Eclectic
Vulgar: of the usual, typical, or ordinary kind
definitions courtesy of Merriam-Webster
Eclectic: composed of elements drawn from various sources
recent blog posts
- Boris Godunov by Alexander Pushkin
Here is a book jot from 2022 (I’m getting close, I think, to being caught up with posting these older book jots)…
I just finished reading Boris Godunov (1831) by Alexander Pushkin, translated by James E. Falen. This has been described as a “tragicomedy of history,” and is a play of more than twenty scenes chronicling the interregnum period between the fall of the Rurik dynasty and the establishment of the Romanov dynasty.
This was a wonderful read, and the language and rhythm of Pushkin’s writing feel just right. The story is told in a brisk but restrained and beautiful manner. There is history, battle, intrigue, love, politics, character…all without bogging down the story or becoming banal. It’s also a memorable way to learn about the 15-year “Time of Troubles” in Russian history.
“No matter prince: I need all sorts of tales, To weigh them in my mind; for otherwise— We’ll never learn the truth.”
woodcut of Russian boyars by Vladimir Favorsky (1886-1964) for Pushkin’s Boris Godunov - Bass
First time I’ve ever caught a fish visiting family for the holidays here in the South. Ended up catching three more, with one of them being caught by my brother. The other three were sunfish varieties…two sun crackers and a bluegill (I think!).
- Brumation finis (for now)
Look who has emerged from several weeks of brumation! And he woke up hungry. I think he ate about 30 crickets and a few mealworms the first day we had live insects.
- Little guy
Eleodes, a genus of darkling beetles…a common name for the Tenebrionidae family of beetles (from the Latin tenebrio…”lover of darkness”) - A walk this morning
