:
Well-known adventure novel (1844) by the French author Alexandre Dumas (1802–70).
3.
gulps milk all through Lent:
Dairy products are forbidden during the forty-day fast (the Great Lent) preceding Easter.
4.
The Wandering Jew
:
A multivolume novel (1844–45) by French author Eugène Sue (1804–57), which became an international best seller.
THE COOK GETS MARRIED
1.
Chernomor:
The name of the wizard who steals Lyudmila on her wedding night, in the poem
Ruslan and Lyudmila
(1820), by Alexander Pushkin (1799–1837).
IN A FOREIGN LAND
1.
say tray jolee:
crude mispronunciation of the French
c’est très jolie
(“it’s very pretty”).
THE EXCLAMATION POINT
1.
collegiate secretary:
The tenth grade in the table of ranks.
2.
his Stanislas medaclass="underline"
Decoration of the Order of St. Stanislas (see note 3 to “Fat and Skinny”).
AN EDUCATED BLOCKHEAD
1.
Sixwingsky:
The seraphim, as described in Isaiah 6:2, are angels with six wings. They belong to the highest rank in the Judeo-Christian angelic hierarchy.
A SLIP-UP
1.
Nekrasov:
Nikolai Alexeevich Nekrasov (1821–78), poet, essayist, editor, and social critic with strong liberal views, was a major figure in mid-nineteenth-century Russian literature.
2.
be fruitful…multiply:
God’s words to Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:28.
3.
Lazhechnikov:
Ivan Ivanovich Lazhechnikov (1792–1869) was a novelist and playwright, credited with introducing the historical novel into Russian literature.
ANGUISH
1.
To whom will I impart my sorrow?:
The beginning of an anonymous fifteenth- or sixteenth-century Russian poem known as “Joseph’s Lament.”
2.
On the stove…:
The traditional Russian stove was an elaborate structure which included “shelves” for sleeping on.
A COMMOTION
1.
Princess Tarakanova:
A woman (ca. 1745–75) who claimed to be the daughter of the Russian empress Elizabeth (1709–62). She adopted several names, but her real name is not known. “Tarakanova,” which comes from the Russian word for “cockroach,” was attached to her after her death in prison. Her story has been the subject of several films and paintings.
2.
Esturgeon à la Russe
:
“Russian-style sturgeon.”
3.
Tout comprendre, tout pardonner
:
An abbreviated version of a French saying, meaning “To understand all is to forgive all.”
THE WITCH
1.
the prophet Daniel and the three holy youths:
The story of Daniel and his three fellow princes is told in the first chapter of the Old Testament Book of Daniel. In the Orthodox Church they are commemorated on December 17.
2.
St. Alexei the man of God:
Alexeios, or Alexis, a saint of the early Church, was born in Rome in 380 and, after many adventures, died there in 411. His feast day is March 17.
3.
the Dormition fast:
A two-week fast, August 1–14, preceding the Feast of the Dormition, the “falling asleep” of the Mother of God, celebrated on August 15.
4.
the Ten Martyrs of Crete:
Ten Christian men who suffered martyrdom under the emperor Decius in the third century AD.
5.
Saint Nicholas:
St. Nicholas of Myra (270–342) is commemorated twice in the Orthodox Church, on May 9 and December 6.
6.
Forgiveness Sunday:
The last Sunday before the Great Lent preceding Easter, during which weddings are not celebrated.
A LITTLE JOKE
1.
the nobility trusteeship:
A system of placing the estates of orphans in the hands of trustees until their coming of age; also used in cases of impoverishment or mental instability.
A NIGHTMARE
1.
marshal of the nobility:
Each administrative subdivision of the Russian Empire had an assembly of the nobility, presided over by an elected marshal.
2.
male souclass="underline"
A way of referring to male peasants belonging to an estate.
3.
the Royal Doors:
In an Orthodox church, the altar is separated from the nave of the church by a partition, called the iconostasis, which has two smaller side doors and one pair of central doors known as the Royal Doors.
GRISHA
1.
bath besoms:
branches of birch, eucalyptus, or other trees and bushes, used during a steam bath for a stimulating beating of the bather’s skin.
LADIES
1.
Chatsky:
Alexander Andreevich Chatsky is the young, idealistic protagonist of the play
Woe from Wit
, by the poet and statesman Alexander Griboedov (1795–1829).
ROMANCE WITH A DOUBLE BASS
1.
dacha:
A country house, often a second home; its residents, known as
dachniki
, are somewhat separated from the local people.
THE FIRST-CLASS PASSENGER
1.
Pushkin:
Alexander Pushkin (1799–1837) was and remains Russia’s greatest poet. The reference is to his poem “A Conversation Between a Bookseller and a Poet.”
2.
the capitals:
Moscow and St. Petersburg were commonly referred to as the “two capitals” of Russia.
ON THE ROAD
1.
A golden cloudlet:
The opening lines of “The Cliff” (1841), a short lyric poem by the poet Mikhail Lermontov (1814–41).
2.
St. Seraphim…Shah Nasr-Eddin:
St. Seraphim of Sarov (1754–1833), one of the most venerated Russian Orthodox saints, lived for twenty-five years as a hermit in the forest outside the monastery of Sarov. Shah Nasr-Eddin (Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, 1831–96) was shah of Persia from 1848 until his assassination in 1896. He visited Europe a number of times.
3.
a sin…liturgy:
The Orthodox Church ordains a strict fast before partaking of the eucharist (consecrated bread and wine) at the liturgy.
4.
marshal of the nobility:
See note 1 to “The Nightmare.”
5.
Joshua…Elijah:
In the Book of Joshua 10:12–13, Joshua commanded the sun to stand still during his war with the Amorites. In 2 Kings 1:10–12, Elijah twice calls down lightning (“fire from heaven”) upon the enemies of Israel.
6.
nihilism:
Russian nihilism began in the 1860s as an intellectual/political movement that rejected all authority of state and church. The term, which comes from the Latin word
nihil,