Boris Pasternak's magnum opus, Doctor Zhivago, came out in Italy in 1957 but was banned in his home country of Russia until the 80s! In the meantime, it caused quite the stir with characters you just might have heard of, like Stalin and the CIA. Who knew the CIA had an interest in book publishing?! To learn more about Pasternak, his multiple Olga mistresses, ... Show More
Feb 2025
What is Artificial Intelligence? | Introducing SystemShift
Do you love We Didn't Start The Fire? Then you'll love this new podcast. Perfect for question-askers and curious minds, welcome to SystemShift! Have a listen, and if you love it, hit one of the links below to see and hear more. Enjoy! https://podfollow.com/1683278976 https://www. ... Show More
8m 13s
Dec 2023
Kadare, Gospodinov, Kafka and Dickens
The Palace of Dreams is a novel from 1981 that is ostensibly set in the 19th century Ottoman empire, but the Albanian writer Ismail Kadare cleverly smuggles in thinly veiled criticism of the totalitarian state presided over by Enver Hoxha. The book was duly banned shortly after p ... Show More
45m 7s
Apr 2024
604 How Russian Literature Became Great (with Rolf Hellebust) | My Last Book with Valeria Sobol
Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov... the familiar Russian names are at the pinnacle of world literature. How did this happen? Was it merely a happy accident? Did events conspire to bring it about? In this episode, Jacke talks to Rolf Hellebust, author of How Russian Literature Became ... Show More
1h 1m
Feb 2022
CLASSIC: X-Rays, Songs and Soviets: The Stilyagi Story
<p>Caught between the conflicting ideologies of the Cold War, Soviet teens were banned from collecting Western music -- smuggled records could be both rare and expensive. The solution? Discarded X-rays, also known as 'bone recordings'. Join the guys as they explore the strange st ... Show More
35m 28s