Latest Episodes
18
Episode 18: Russia's Last Troubadour. The Tale of Kirsha Danilov
The 1804/1818 song collection of Kirsha Danilov introduced the Russian reading public, in many ways for the first time, to the people's immensely rich...
17
Episode 17: Sex, Murder, and Orthodoxy. The Tale of Zinaida Troitskaia
On 1 December 1911, the priest's wife Zinaida Troitskaia was found murdered in the backwoods village of Alajõe in eastern Estland province. This episode...
16
Episode 16: Insulting the Tsar. The Tale of Vasilii Zverev
In this episode, we examine the history of lèse-majesté (insulting the honour of the tsar, his family, and his image) in imperial Russia through...
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Episode 15: The Afterlife of a Tsar. The Tale of Fedor Kuzmich
In this episode, we look at the story of the oddly refined peasant wanderer Fedor Kuzmich, who was claimed by many to be the...
14
Episode 14: Of Scots, Steam, and Gold. The Tale of Joseph Major
On Easter morning 1831, Joseph Major was murdered in his Urals home. A Scottish engineer, he had lived for 26 years in the gateway...
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Episode 13: The Apostle of Vegetarianism. The Tale of Jenny Schulz
From the 1890s, the Russian Empire saw an outburst of interest in vegetarianism, especially since it was being propounded by famous figures like the...