Tag Archives: history
The Ambassador, the Grand Duke, his Wife and her Lover, a Talk by Sir Tony Brenton, OBE
This talk explores a little-known episode in 18th-century diplomacy: the secret correspondence between the future Catherine the Great and the British ambassador to Russia, Sir Charles Hanbury Williams. At a time of political instability and personal danger, Catherine navigated the … Continue reading
In Search of True Beauty and Genuine Knowledge: The Life and Work of Nicholas Roerich by Dr Natalia Budanova (in Russian)
General public knows Nicholas Roerich (1874-1947) primarily as the author of numerous mountain landscapes, whose paintings are kept in the Russian Museum (St Petersburg), the Tretyakov Gallery and the Museum of Oriental Art (both Moscow), Nicolas Roerich Museum (New York), … Continue reading
A Cultural History of the Russian Language – talk by Prof Simon Franklin marking the 25th anniversary of CamRuSS
This talk is about a book that is near to completion, on a subject which, rather surprisingly, seems not to exist. There are lots of histories of Russian culture (culture in Russian), but there is no general history of the … Continue reading
Irina Kirillova MBE in conversation with Rachel Polonsky, followed by Q&A and Drinks Reception
Join us for the latest instalment of our ‘Russia in my Life’ series. Irina Kirillova MBE is a Fellow Emerita of Newnham College, Dostoevsky scholar and translator to the royal family. She is also a member of the Board of … Continue reading
From Furs to Fabergé: Gifts, Diplomacy and British-Russian Artistic Relations by Dr Louise Hardiman
Since the escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian war in 2022, artistic and cultural relations between Russia and Britain have entered a difficult phase. However, when the longer historical picture is considered, there are countless examples of visual culture that can illustrate … Continue reading
Geographies of Russia: Lecture 2 by Olga Petri “Places of Tenderness and Heat: The Queer Milieu of Fin-de-Siècle St. Petersburg”
We continue our series of lectures on Geographies of Russia that showcases various aspects of geography, covering environmental issues, socio-economic and cultural geography, the geography of the Arctic and the culture of the indigenous peoples of Siberia. This time we will … Continue reading
“Inconvenient Truths” talk by Jennifer Antill – author of Small Acts of Kindness, a tale of the first Russian Revolution
Small Acts of Kindness, is a novel set against the background of a revolt that took place in Saint Petersburg in December 1825. Imperial Russia still basks in the glory of victory over Napoleon, but, in the army and elsewhere, … Continue reading
Professor Dame Caroline Humphrey: “On the Edge: Life Along the Russia-China Border”
Presentation of the book “On the Edge: Life Along the Russia-China Border” Continue reading
Happy Anniversary, Egyptology! Hieroglyphs, Tutankhamun, and Thoughts for the Future: A talk by Dr Alex Loktionov
2022 marks an important double anniversary for Egyptology. Exactly 200 years ago, the decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs by Jean-François Champollion heralded the dawn of academic Egyptology, while exactly 100 years ago, the discipline captured the popular imagination like never before … Continue reading
Guided Tours of “Gold of the Great Steppe” at the Fitzwilliam Museum
We’re very excited to be planning two guided tours of the “Gold of the Great Steppe” exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum in January 2022. Don’t miss out – the exhibition will close on 30 January. Exhibition curator Dr Rebecca Roberts … Continue reading
