Bookshelf

John E. Bowlt: Moscow & St. Petersburg 1900-1920. Art, Life & Culture of the Russian Silver Age. the Vendome Press, 2008

Known in Russia as the Silver Age, this cultural renaissance is captured in all of its dazzling originality in this impeccably written, sumptuously illustrated volume.

Advancing in roughly chronological sequence, Moscow & St. Petersburg 1900-1920 develops themes and propositions that relate closely - but not exclusively - to key social and political development in Russian history, which were both refracted and affected by paiting, poetry, music, and dance. With some 650 illustrations, the book carries a rich repertoire of srtistic images and vintage documentary photographs, many of which have not been previously published. With a clear, authoritative text, helpful glossary, and extensive bibliography, this book appeals both to the specialist and to anyone captivated by Russian history and culture.

John E. Bowlt is a specialist in Russian art history of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and has published widely on Symbolism, the avant-garde, and Socialist Realism. His previous books include Russian Art of the Avant-Garde: Theory and Criticism 1902-34, The Silver Age:Russian Art of the Early Twentieth Century and the "World of Art" Group, and Amazons of the Avant-Garde: Alexandra Exter, Natalia Goncharova, Liubov Popova, Olga Rozanova, Varvara Stepanova, and Nadezhda Udaltsova. Bowlt has curated and co-curated numerous exhibitions. He is currently a professor in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. 

About the author

Nadia Sikorsky

Nadia Sikorsky grew up in Moscow where she obtained a master's degree in journalism and a doctorate in history from Moscow State University. After 13 years at UNESCO, in Paris and then in Geneva, and having served as director of communications at Green Cross International founded by Mikhail Gorbachev, she developed NashaGazeta.ch, the first online Russian-language daily newspaper, launched in 2007.

In 2022, she found herself among those who, according to Le Temps editorial board, "significantly contributed to the success of French-speaking Switzerland," thus appearing among opinion makers and economic, political, scientific and cultural leaders: the Forum of 100.

After 18 years leading NashaGazeta.ch, Nadia Sikorsky decided to return to her roots and focus on what truly fascinates her: culture in all its diversity. This decision took the form of this trilingual cultural blog (Russian, English, French) born in the heart of Europe – in Switzerland, her adopted country, the country distinguished by its multiculturalism and multilingualism.

Nadia Sikorsky does not present herself as a "Russian voice," but as the voice of a European of Russian origin (more than 35 years in Europe, 25 years spent in Switzerland) with the benefit of more than 30 years of professional experience in the cultural world at the international level. She positions herself as a cultural mediator between Russian and European traditions; the title of the blog, "The Russian Accent," captures this essence – the accent being not a linguistic barrier, not a political position but a distinctive cultural imprint in the European context.

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