The Vulgar Eclectic

Tag: classics

  • Chatsky (or The Misery of Having a Mind) by Alexander Griboyedov

    I finished reading Chatsky (or The Misery of Having a Mind), a play in verse written in 1823 by Alexander Griboyedov (translated by Joshua Cooper). It’s also known as Woe from Wit in some English translations. It is a satirical look at Russian society, especially the prejudices and preoccupations of the aristocracy. Although humorous, there…

  • Holy of Holies

    When I recently retrieved a number of books from storage, I was pleasantly surprised to find an unread copy of Anton Chekhov: A Life in Letters. I had forgotten that I’d bought this book before it got tucked away in a cardboard box. In the past, I’ve read with pleasure a number of letters written…

  • Arthur

    My mom gave me one of her childhood books when I was a kid. It’s one of my favorite books I had while growing up. And I love that it has her name written on the first page in her handwriting! I can remember marveling at the strangeness of some of it, and the beauty…

  • The Birds by Aristophanes

    I just finished reading The Birds (414 BC) by Aristophanes, translated by Alan Sommerstein. I have read many of the surviving Greek tragedies, but this comedy is the first play by Aristophanes I’ve read. It is a fantastical, absurd work. I was surprised at just how different it is from the dramas written by Aeschylus,…

  • Journey of the Magi

    Here are a few lines from a wonderful poem by T. S. Eliot: At the end we preferred to travel all night,Sleeping in snatches,With the voices singing in our ears, sayingThat this was all folly. Read the full poem here: poets.org

  • Autobiography of Joseph Scaliger

    I just finished reading the Autobiography of Joseph Scaliger, translated by George W. Robinson and published in English in 1927. The subtitle gives a good idea of what makes up the book in addition to the opening autobiography: with Autobiographical Selections from his Letters, His Testament, and the Funeral Orations by Daniel Heinsius and Dominicus…

  • The Infant by Denís Fonvízin

    I finished reading The Infant by Denís Fonvízin (1782; Nèdorosl’), a play in five acts. It is translated by Joshua Cooper and is the earliest play included in a collection of Russian theater titled Four Russian Plays. This was a lot of fun to read. There was quite a bit of witty humor, social critique,…

  • Boyhood by Leo Tolstoy

    Here is an old book jot from August, 2021…still getting caught up with posting these! I just finished reading Boyhood (1854) by Leo Tolstoy, translated by Judson Rosengrant. It’s the second novel in his autobiographical trilogy. The first book, Childhood, was the first work Tolstoy published. The prose is beautiful, natural, and simple. It was…

  • Thunder by Alexander Ostrovsky

    I finished reading Thunder (also translated as The Storm; 1859), a play written by Alexander Ostrovsky. I had never read anything by Ostrovsky before, and coming across this play was like finding a hidden jewel! There is a well-developed cast of characters surrounding two young Russians: Catherine, an unhappy married woman, and Boris, the son…

  • Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson

    I finished reading Kidnapped (1886) by Robert Louis Stevenson. This was a fantastically fun read! It’s an adventure novel that takes place in the mid 1700s in Scotland and follows the trials and tribulations of young David Balfour. Friendship is a major theme, as is integrity and honor. There were many words new to me,…