Solzhenitzyn Cracks Me Up

I've been a bit busy and haven't been able to post for a few days.  I am in Moscow, after all, and there's so much to do here.  I'm also trying to improve my Russian.  Not easy for someone who isn't particularly talkative.  But I try.

I've also been doing some reading.  I just finished Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bugalkov.  Damn, what a good book--so interesting, and funny too.  I find a lot of humor in Russian literature.  But when I talk to other people about Russian books, like Crime and Punishment, they can't imagine what I found humorous.  Maybe I'm simple.  I think I'll read Gogol's Dead Souls next.  That should be a riot.  I recently bought it for my kindle.

Speaking of kindles, I love mine.  I had put off getting one due to the price and the fact that it's not back-lit.  But I've come to appreciate its soft gray format.  My only complaint is that not many non-fiction books are available yet.  I tend to read mostly non-fiction histories and social commentary type books but have trouble finding the ones I most want to read. 

Right now I'm reading A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, The Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent by Robert W. Merry. -- A tad tedious, though certainly informative.  I've learned a whole bunch about the Mexican-American war than I ever knew.  I'd always kind of assumed it was a total rout on our part, but, according to Merry, Americans actually went up against great odds both militarily and politically.

It's interesting to note that the anti-war faction of the time criticized the war but still voted to support it monetarily.  Who wanted to be left out of the great land grab that gave our country two ocean-side views?  And one argument for our conquest of the northern part of Mexico is sound.  Mexico couldn't govern its northern provinces for various reasons like too few colonialists in the area and a corrupt government.  Other countries were sniffing around also looking for opportunities to snag some choice land.  Sparsely occupied, poorly governed, and eyeballed by foreign powers inimical to the United States, Americans took up residence.  A lesson I read again and again, land that can't be defended will become someone else's.

Comments

[Online Degrees]

Its a great post, i like your way of explanation,

[MTheads]

Thanks Online Degrees. That means a lot coming from you! Tell your friends WorkFromHome, RussianGirlfriends, and NoMoreMortages about my site!

MTh