In this issue…

“You feel the space of a theatre inside you”

You can change the aesthetics, experiment with form, develop and modify psychological theatre, but the main thing is that the palette of the characters’ inner experiences remains.

…8

The Gold Standard of the Russian Merchant Class

The Yeliseyevs offered the finest goods from Russia and abroad and were in a position to “make a strict selection among a commodity, to reject extensively and to demand the best vintages from foreign vintners.”

…16

“The last brownie in St Petersburg”

“… he knows by heart every protruding brick, every twist of the pavement, every pothole, knows them by heart like Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Derzhavin’s odes and his own verses.”

…30

The Brilliance and Tenderness of the Fishy Aristocracy

In the morning these fish are splashing in tubs in French markets; that same evening they adorn the plates of Taleon Club guests.

…42

The intoxicating aroma of warm seas

…44

“Russia and Australia have much in common”

The formal reception devoted to the Australians’ national holiday took place in the luxurious setting of the Residence Taleon Sheremetev Palace.

…46

A masculine view of time

Panerai watches are easy to identify by their appearance – they exude strength and toughness. Elegant ruggedness and consistent quality are the hallmarks of the company.

…48

The “Robin Hood” from El Dorado

In order to provide the Governor with proof of Murieta’s death, Love gave orders that his head and Three-Fingered Jack’s hand be cut off and sent men to the nearest township for alcohol to preserve them.

…50

An American province for Russians’ use

Baranov is still today a legendary personality in Alaska. The island of Sitka was renamed in his honour and a lake and river have been called after him. A Baranov House-Museum operates on Kodiak Island.

…60

A lot of “good sense”

Joseph drew the lot of dying last. When all the others had killed each other, he persuaded the last man who posed a threat to him to surrender to the Romans.

…74

“Not a city, but a roasted nut”

Throughout their history the Armenian people have repeatedly been forced to take up arms to defend their liberty.

…84

A surfeit of glory

Lucullus’s biography reads like some ancient comedy – first affairs of state and military feats, finally drinking bouts and feasts…

…94

I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts…

There are hardly any places left in the world untouched by civilization or people living according to ancient traditions. Panama’s San Blas archipelago is one of the few spots where the locals adhere stubbornly to their distinctive identity

…104

Paying a Call

For a member of high society a visit was considered an unavoidable duty. Precise observation of the rules relating to a visit was an unfailing indicator of belonging to the right circle.

…112

Retro Variants Haute Couture

It is the play of colour that characterizes the main tendencies of the spring-summer season 2008 and that links this fashion with Suprematism, Impressionism and other styles of painting in which interactions of colour have a primary significance. Couturiers have borrowed the techniques of Malevich, Kandinsky and Rodchenko.

…122