August 19, 2020 In my first searches for “War and Peace” on YouTube -- the day after I’d shown my kids some summaries of Moby-Dick, The Odyssey, and Frankenstein -- I learned that there had been a play in 2012-17, “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812” . It played in New York (and … Continue reading Natasha, Pierre, and that comet again
August 18, 2020 When I was in my 20s I took no interest in the “novel” parts of Tolstoy’s novel and read only the historical-essay passages. I’m not sure what interest I would have taken in the many deathbed scenes, but this summer they resonated. Tolstoy can write about the young, and he can write … Continue reading The old countess
August 18, 2020 Comet Neowise had already faded by the time I started watching the BBC’s mini-series of “War and Peace” on July 25, up here in Egremont. I watched the whole series in just two days. Another week, and I had the book in hand – the Anthony Briggs translation from 2005. I’d never … Continue reading A small comet and a very Big Book
