More of my tribute to you.
Wednesday, 13 August 2008
Tuesday, 12 August 2008
Saturday, 9 August 2008
the W()RD: Does this mean war?
I realise that "war" is an unpopular word. Also, being far from my home in the Republic of Georgia at the moment, all I can do - like most of the world - is watch or read the news about fierce current clashes between Georgia and Russia over South Ossetia. I'm not even going to try to write my feelings about the whole thing here and now, except to say that I'll be returning to Georgia as planned later in August, regardless. It's home.
Thursday, 7 August 2008
the W()RD: Not quite 90
"For years I have with reluctant heart withheld from publication this already completed book: my obligation to the living outweighed that to the dead. But now that State Security has seized the manuscript, I have no alternative but to publish it immediately." - the Author
That's as accurate a recollection I can make of the quote on the back cover of my paperback copy of The Gulag Archipelago I by Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn - the book is far from me as I write this. He died of heart failure in his native Russia on Monday, August 4, several months before he was to turn 90. His funeral was yesterday.
I was introduced to the Gulag trilogy at age 14 by my Social studies teacher in Grade 9 in a Canadian school; he died young of cancer several years after that. I started reading it at 17, and though it's heavy going indeed, a through investigation of the history of the USSR's "Corrective Labour Camps" system in the 20th century, I finished it as well, and have read it through several times over the years. It shocked me into awareness that there are places in the world so different from where I live that they might as well be other planets, such might be one's struggle to understand their ways. I determined to visit this place where such a culture of unspoken terror had reigned for so long, to see what its survivors were like. As I was preparing for this, I found and read more of Solzhenitsyn's work - indeed, began collecting all of it, in English and then in Russian. Cancer Ward, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, The First Circle, From Under the Rubble, The Red Wheel decalogy, The Oak and the Calf and the rest, they all found their way to me. I did manage to visit the USSR once, as it was collapsing, literally, in August 1991. My photographs of the coup against Gorbachev are to be found on this blog under "USSR". And I moved to Russia for 7 years in September 1992 before carrying on to Azerbaijan and then Georgia.
Visiting Moscow from my St Petersburg home base, I heard that the great Solzhenitsyn was due to arrive in the capital the next day, sometime in late 1993. He had returned to the country which had exiled him after his Nobel Prize win in the 1970s, having said that he would do so once his work, formerly forbidden and distributed only in illegal photocopied samizdat versions, was published openly. A long, slow train journey was to take him home from Russia's east coast some 10 time zones away, with frequent stops along the way to meet people and begin the slow process of reacquainting himself with his motherland. I longed to see him even from a distance in the crowd, but work called me back to Petersburg and I missed his arrival, one of my great regrets in life.
Later, a biography of the great man reduced him to human proportions and allowed me to see him in a more balanced light without diminishing any of his literary greatness. His works continue to stand the test of time, as both art and revelation of the society in which they are set. It does seem to me, however, that he never really found his place in the Russia which welcomed him back - a very different place from the one which had deported and stripped him of Soviet citizenship some decades earlier. He seems to have been quite a supporter of Vladimir Putin in his last years, but the "prophet" and his home had diverged much in their separation.
Solzhenitsyn remains a literary hero to me, the person whose writings sent me to the USSR, in whose countries I have now lived for 16 years. I am ruined for life in the West, though I visit it periodically, as I am currently doing. The largest country in the world continues to change from what it was without ceasing to be as enigmatic as ever. Aleksandr Isayevich, you were the means used to change my life's course.
That's as accurate a recollection I can make of the quote on the back cover of my paperback copy of The Gulag Archipelago I by Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn - the book is far from me as I write this. He died of heart failure in his native Russia on Monday, August 4, several months before he was to turn 90. His funeral was yesterday.
I was introduced to the Gulag trilogy at age 14 by my Social studies teacher in Grade 9 in a Canadian school; he died young of cancer several years after that. I started reading it at 17, and though it's heavy going indeed, a through investigation of the history of the USSR's "Corrective Labour Camps" system in the 20th century, I finished it as well, and have read it through several times over the years. It shocked me into awareness that there are places in the world so different from where I live that they might as well be other planets, such might be one's struggle to understand their ways. I determined to visit this place where such a culture of unspoken terror had reigned for so long, to see what its survivors were like. As I was preparing for this, I found and read more of Solzhenitsyn's work - indeed, began collecting all of it, in English and then in Russian. Cancer Ward, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, The First Circle, From Under the Rubble, The Red Wheel decalogy, The Oak and the Calf and the rest, they all found their way to me. I did manage to visit the USSR once, as it was collapsing, literally, in August 1991. My photographs of the coup against Gorbachev are to be found on this blog under "USSR". And I moved to Russia for 7 years in September 1992 before carrying on to Azerbaijan and then Georgia.
Visiting Moscow from my St Petersburg home base, I heard that the great Solzhenitsyn was due to arrive in the capital the next day, sometime in late 1993. He had returned to the country which had exiled him after his Nobel Prize win in the 1970s, having said that he would do so once his work, formerly forbidden and distributed only in illegal photocopied samizdat versions, was published openly. A long, slow train journey was to take him home from Russia's east coast some 10 time zones away, with frequent stops along the way to meet people and begin the slow process of reacquainting himself with his motherland. I longed to see him even from a distance in the crowd, but work called me back to Petersburg and I missed his arrival, one of my great regrets in life.
Later, a biography of the great man reduced him to human proportions and allowed me to see him in a more balanced light without diminishing any of his literary greatness. His works continue to stand the test of time, as both art and revelation of the society in which they are set. It does seem to me, however, that he never really found his place in the Russia which welcomed him back - a very different place from the one which had deported and stripped him of Soviet citizenship some decades earlier. He seems to have been quite a supporter of Vladimir Putin in his last years, but the "prophet" and his home had diverged much in their separation.
Solzhenitsyn remains a literary hero to me, the person whose writings sent me to the USSR, in whose countries I have now lived for 16 years. I am ruined for life in the West, though I visit it periodically, as I am currently doing. The largest country in the world continues to change from what it was without ceasing to be as enigmatic as ever. Aleksandr Isayevich, you were the means used to change my life's course.
Wednesday, 6 August 2008
Wednesday, 30 July 2008
BIG MONEYYou might be forgiven for thinking that this $5 billion "special agro-cheque" from Zimbabwe is the largest denomination banknote ever issued. (It's valid from 15/5/2008 until 31/12/2008, worth roughly UK 7p as of 27/7/2008 I'm told, and available on EBay for considerably more in Uncirculated condition.) Far from it: the same country currently has a $50 billion note. Surely that must be the largest, then? No, though things may be heading in that direction, and "agro" may be the biggest thing that these banknotes generate. (Latest news as of 30/7/2008: Zimbabwe is about to slash 10 zeroes from its money...)
The largest denomination banknote WITH zeroes to date was issued in Yugoslavia in 1993, 500 billion dinar (5x10^11):
http://www.3833.com/largest_denomination_wbn_with_zero
The largest without zeroes (they had to leave some space on the paper for description and illustration, I suppose) was issued in Hungary in 1946, a 100-quintillion pengo (10^20) monster:
http://www.3833.com/node/1125
However, things are certainly bad enough in Zimbabwe now. For updates, see:
www.zimbabwesituation.com
where, among other things, you can learn of the latest exchange rate -US$1 Fri 25 July 2008 = Z$700 billion. This is "A 3400% increase in 5 weeks or 139900% since 23 May (2 months)".
Tuesday, 29 July 2008
Carson Lake, Alberta, Canada, September 2005Back to "home base" in the UK for now, where I have lots more past images to draw on for the blog. Here are some from a magical weekend with family camping a few years ago, with more to follow. Early morning mist, reflections, loon calling hauntingly - I couldn't ask for more. Part of my post-scanning work with these included experimenting with the colours, which I allowed to stray from a purely natural look for interest, though not into the realm of the impossible.
Special congratulations to the visitor from country number 80 to the blog a few days ago: Taiwan.
Thursday, 24 July 2008
Liverpool, UK, mid-July 2008Top: reflection in the shop window, Catholic Cathedral
Next 2: a pair of the marvelous metal sculptures inside the Catholic Cathedral, which contains many works of art in various media. Both it and the nearby Anglican Cathedral are magnificent structures, well worth exploring
Bottom: 2 couples at the Tate Liverpool - one kissing (by Rodin), the other not so interested
Monday, 21 July 2008
Nr. Liverpool, mid-July 2008A rarity on the blog: pictures OF me, and not taken BY me either. Here I am in my flag shirt and Svan felt cap, presenting Georgia to a large group of late-teenage sudents in a town school where a friend of mine teaches Russian. (I'm even wearing the same shoes which carried me 111 km through Svaneti in June 2007... still going strong.) They seemed to be quite interested, had some good questions, and some of them even expressed a strong desire to visit the place. Come on in, I'll see you there! Just give me plenty of warning...
Saturday, 19 July 2008
Liverpool and Erddig, UK, July 2007Silly me, I forgot to take more past blog images with me when I went on more travels from Somerset to near Liverpool! But, borrowing friends' digital camera, I still found new images. So, goodbye to Indonesia for the moment and hello to some UK scenes.
Top: the entrance to Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, a magnificent structure, huge and classical but made in the 2nd half of the 20th century
Next: Shop window, Liverpool Chinatown (oldest Chinatown in the UK)
Next: Liverpool Docks detail
Bottom: Mother and son, near the entrance to Erddig (pronounced Erthig, with the "th" as in "this"), an 18th century stately home in N Wales
Monday, 7 July 2008
Thursday, 3 July 2008
Indonesia, December 1993Top: What on earth could THIS be?! Looks like some sort of strange landscape, except the focus (depth of field) is so shallow, it must be a closeup of something. Right - it's a detail of a palm tree, showing the texture of the bark.
Next down: Water lily, no points for this one.
Next down: Bamboo closeup - again, fairly obvious.
Bottom: Just the beach with a wave about to expire, looking at the different textures of water and sand.
By the way, greetings to the 2 newest countries' viewers to stop by the blog, China and Kazakstan!
Monday, 30 June 2008
Indonesia, December 1993It really was a feast for the eyes.
Top to bottom:
Parrot plant
Aloe plant
Palm climber
Seascape (never mind the vignetting)
The active volcano whose name I couldn't remember earlier was Mt. Bromo, as I rediscovered from a recent issue of National Geographic. The reason why the locals were experiencing the coldest temperatures of their lives in its vicinity (i.e. 20 C instead of 25 or 30+) was simply because of walking up higher than they'd ever been before.
Friday, 27 June 2008
Luara Aprasidze, 1963-2008
This was one funeral I had to miss, being away in the UK now.Luara Aprasidze was the youngest of 4 children, never married, and a good friend of mine. She grew up in this house, in Ladreri, Svaneti, and often hosted me there - it's become a home to me in the village. She hated having her photograph taken, and rarely consented. But here she is: in the top photo, far right, with other immediate family members, in 2001. Her surviving brothers and sister are the 3 at left. Her father and brother-in-law, also both deceased, are to the right of them, and the rest are nieces and nephews. In the bottom photo, seated front left, in 2002. I don't think I have any other photographs of her.
Luara got cancer some time ago, spent a while in Tbilisi, and died there a few days ago. Her funeral was yesterday, in Etseri. I last saw her about a month ago, soon before I left Tbilisi - she was still on her feet, and I had hoped to see her again in August. Not to be.
A beautiful woman, brave soul, far too critical of herself, hiding many gifts. Rest in peace, dear sister, and see you in heaven, I believe.
Indonesia picures will be back soon.
Wednesday, 25 June 2008
Indonesia, December 1993The top three from an active volcano on south-east Java which my family and I saw (I don't remember what it was called). We were revelling in the slightly cooler air (being almost exactly on the equator), while some of the locals were buying balaclavas to put on for the coldest weather they'd ever experienced! It's all relative.
Bottom - a hibiscus and local Javanese landscape.
Tuesday, 24 June 2008
the w()rd: New Zimbabwe Link
http://zimbabwesituation.com/
If you don't know why I'm posting this link at this time, get yer head out of the sand and look into the world a bit. Start at the above link.
If you don't know why I'm posting this link at this time, get yer head out of the sand and look into the world a bit. Start at the above link.
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