Jane Marlow's Blog, page 2

HAVE YOU SAID THANKS?

Even though this post appeared on my Goodreads' blog a couple of years ago, I feel its message is worth repeating during this season of Thanksgiving.

I give thanks that

- I’m not an peasant in 1800s Russia
- I don’t detangle my hair with my fingers because I lack a comb
- I have to plant, harvest, pickle, butcher, store over winter everything I eat
- I raise, spin, weave everything I wear
- I have to haul manure to the fields
- I must marry the person my parents select
- I don't give birth without any medical assistance
- I don't get lost when I count above 10
- I don't look at a page of words and see mumbo-jumbo

LADY WITH THE LAMP

When all the medical officers have retired for the night, and silence and darkness have settled  down upon those miles of prostrate sick, she may be observed alone, with a little lamp in her hand, making her solitary rounds.          
-London’s The Times                      
November 1854

Ask people what they know about the Crimean War and you’ll undoubtedly get a blank look.  Mention Florence Nightingale and you’ll at least get a nod.


In November 1854, 35 British female nurses reported for duty in the Crimean War and encountered a nightmare of human suffering. Spearheading the medical effort was Florence Nightingale. Here’s what the nurses found.

Typhus - Dysentery - Cholera - Malnutrition Filth - Lice - Fleas -Inadequate clothing - Wretched ventilation - Crushed morale - Overflowing latrines - Rodents - Inch-thick feces on hospital’s floor - Cesspool leaching into the drinking water

The genesis of the nursing profession lies on the Crimean peninsula with the Russian Sisters of Mercy, the French Sisters of Charity, and Florence Nightingale’s British nurses. Headway continued to be made by Clara Barton in U.S. Civil War.

CRIMEAN WAR PODCAST

Many readers told me that their interest in the Crimean War was piqued by reading How Did I Get Here?

The Russian Rulers History Podcast contains 13 podcasts that cover the gamut of the Crimean War, everything from the role of Leo Tolstoy in the conflict to how the war altered the dynamics of power in Europe. 

If you have speakers and an Internet connection, you should have no trouble accessing the podcasts.

1. Visit Russian Rulers History Podcast website. 
2. Scroll to the bottom of the page.
3. In the Keyword Search box, type Crimean War.  Click Search Now.

TIMELESS RUSSIAN WIT & WISDOM

"Happiness always looks small while you hold it in your hands, but let it go and you learn at once how big and precious it is."

~ Maxim Gorky

1900 photograph of Gorky (right) with Leo Tolstoy

A SYNCHRONIZATION NIGHTMARE

Russia is unique in many ways, one of which is how it measures time.

For eons, most of Europe used a calendar that dated back to the time of Julius Caesar.  However, the Julian (aka Old Style) calendar had a slight problem - it was off by one day every 128 years.  Not one to be content with sloppy timekeeping, Pope Gregory instituted the Gregorian (aka New Style) calendar in 1582, which eventually became the world’s standard. 

Russia, on the other hand, clung to the Old Style calendar until 1918. So for centuries, the date in Russia lagged behind the Western European calendar. During the 19th century, the difference was 12 days.  During the 20th century, the difference was 13 days.

Here's an example of the confusion. The Emancipation Manifesto that freed the serfs was signed by Tsar Alexander II on Sunday, February 19, 1861 (Old Style).  The following day, Monday, March 4 (New Style), Abraham Lincoln was sworn in as president of the United States

In 1918, the Bolsheviks decided to get in line with the rest of Europe and switched to the Gregorian calendar.  Thus, Russia’s October Revolution occurred on the Old Style date of October 25, 1918, but the event is now remembered on November 7 (New Style).

Imagine doing research on the 1850's Crimean War in preparation for writing How Did I Get Here, in which one of the military forces used Old Style while its opponents used New Style.  In addition, there's inconsistent use of the two calendars in books, articles, and online references.  Then try to coordinate the actual events (some New Style, some Old Style, and some not designated as either) into a fictional story in which timing is crucial. 

 My forehead is still black-and-blue from beating it against my desktop!

DEFINITELY A GOOD READ

While I was conducting research for Who Is to Blame, my first novel in the Petrovo series, I kept bumping into this thing called the Crimean War (1853-1856) which pitted Russia against England and France. It became the setting for my second novel, How Did I Get Here.

One of the reasons the Crimean War grabbed my attention and wouldn't let go was the staggering carnage on the battlefield, with an even greater number of fatalities due to disease, malnutrition, and winter exposure. Not until World War I would more people die as victims of war.

In his book, The Legacy of the Crimean War, anthropologist Robert Edgerton sums up the War with this statement: "Perhaps the most fundamental lesson to be learned from a look back at the Crimean War is how easy it is for nations to blunder into wars that serve no purpose or cannot be won."

I definitely give The Legacy of the Crimean War two thumbs up - not as a book about war, but for its insights into the human reaction to war.

PROVERBS LOST (SOMEWHAT) IN TRANSLATION

Russian: 
           A sparrow in the hand is better than a cock on the roof
 
 English equivalent:  
           A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
 
You'll find more Russian proverbs that run amuck in translation in my free 4 times a years newsletter.

Petrovo Potpourri isn’t information quicksand.  It isn’t about me & it isn’t about things you can buy.  It’s about insights you can gain.  Submit to some well-earned smiles.

No spam.  No sales gimmicks.  Not ever.
 
Check out the latest edition of Petrovo Potpourri
https://mailchi.mp/dd72a8cfec3c/petro...

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, CATHERINE

Catherine the Great ascended to the thrown on July 9, 1762 and remained there until her death 34 years later. She was one of Russia's most influential rulers.

"I praise loudly. 
I blame softly."

SLAVIC SLAPSTICK

Where did the Romanovs get their coffee?

Tsarbucks



Tsar Nicholas Alexandrovich Romanov
the last tsar

My 4-times-a-year, free e-newsletter Petrovo Potpourri
- Slavik Slapstick
- Little known historical tidbits
- Russian proverbs that run amuck in translation
- Jaw-dropping objets d'arts
- Featured books about Russia’s bygone years
- No spam. No sales gimmicks. Not ever.

To view the current issue
https://mailchi.mp/dd72a8cfec3c/petro...

GOODREADS GIVEAWAY

I'm giving away 100 Kindle copies of How Did I Get Here? July 5 is the last day to enter.