Snails. Gossip. Playwrights. Annoying actor types. The greatness and terriblness of power. Class anxiety and cheap wine. Or, in other words, a personal take on the famous (and, some would say, famously obnoxious) cafe that became the site of a police crackdown during Vladimir Putin’s inauguration on May 7 of this year. Remember that oldContinue reading “Moscow. Jean-Jacques on Nikitsky”
Author Archives: Natalia Antonova
Perhaps the gods will punish me for this column
But I really don’t see why Vladimir Medinsky is apparently The Most Horrible Person Of All Time. I was genuinely afraid that a genuinely polarizing figure such as Nikita Mikhalkov or Stanislav Govorukhin or whoever was about to be appointed Culture Minister – so when I heard it was this guy, I was busy beingContinue reading “Perhaps the gods will punish me for this column”
Also – Ukrainian beer is cheap and good
Just sayin. Reading the comments, I have to reflect on how much British readers don’t understand the way Ukrainian government works. When I say that “racism in Ukraine is no longer being swept under the rug,” they say, “Aha! But your Foreign Ministry is denying it even exists!” That’s because Ukrainian government doesn’t really *do*Continue reading “Also – Ukrainian beer is cheap and good”
Remember: I read tarot
For cheap. I don’t think that the tarot has anything to do with predicting the future – but it is useful when you’re trying to figure out the present. I think of it as a form of therapy, not as a form of fortune-telling. Different spreads usually suit different people, and I do all ofContinue reading “Remember: I read tarot”
I’m in Crete
My husband is obsessed with this country and I may have to stop making fun of him for that – for reasons that are suddenly obvious. The nights are starry in an insane, Van Gogh-sort of way. The sea is a dense oil painting. Waiters say that all of the jobs are here – andContinue reading “I’m in Crete”
Natalia A. 