Month: November 2019

Andrey Valentinov “The Grey Kite”

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It’s no secret that H.L. Oldie wrote their Achaean cycle in parallel with Andrey Valentinov’s Mycenaean cycle, which is why some characters migrate from one book to another. Of course, all of them come from real mythology, but in the books, they appear specifically in the interpretations of Oldie/Valentinov. Diomedes, Son of Tydeus is considered the second novel of the cycle, and it generally tells of events parallel to the book Odysseus, Son of Laertes by H.L. Oldie, sometimes offering an alternative perspective on the same events. However, the novel The Grey Kite stands apart, telling the story of Mycenae long before the events of the Trojan War.

And while I read the second novel about Diomedes many years ago, I somehow avoided The Grey Kite. Now, having plunged once again into the history of Ancient Greece, I decided to complete the marathon in full.

This is the story of a mercenary from Babylon who, by a twist of fate, becomes the ruler of Mycenae. The locals aren’t particularly fond of having an outsider on the throne, but things are not that simple. Even the protagonist himself starts to wonder — is he really an impostor?

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Motherhood Age

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Recently, I stumbled upon discussions about the “right” age for motherhood, with some people arguing that once you’re past a certain age, it’s too late to have kids. It’s a very relevant and controversial topic. Some people defend a woman’s right to choose, while others use a celebrity’s health issues as fuel for the debate. Personally, I believe there are both advantages and disadvantages in any scenario.

Several factors influence the question of “at what age should you have children?” I am convinced that social norms play a significant role. In post-Soviet countries, for instance, the age of marriage and first childbirth tends to be relatively young. I suspect that this is largely shaped by factors such as average income, the proportion of this income that goes towards child-related benefits, and the length of maternity leave.

In many other countries, maternity leave is much shorter than in Belarus, and the cost of childcare (nannies, daycares) is very high. As a result, many women prioritize their careers, choosing to have children only after they feel financially stable. They also marry later in life. One of my German friends once said, “When I had my baby at 26, I felt like I dropped out of my social circle. Hardly anyone successful has kids that early. My friends are living very different lives.”

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Winter in Cyprus

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Типичный конец ноября на Кипре
A Typical Late November in Cyprus

It’s been a while since we talked about Cyprus—it’s all been about books lately. Since the warm summer is coming to an end, let me tell you about winter in Cyprus.

Many people who don’t live in warm countries often think that it’s always warm here, though not necessarily hot. In part, they’re right: for instance, today is November 6th, and during the day, the temperature outside is +29°C (84°F), while at night, it drops to +16°C (61°F). That’s pretty decent August weather for places like Minsk.

Moreover, even in the winter months, the weather is much warmer than what residents of Minsk, Moscow, or Saint Petersburg are used to. Based on my observations, the average daytime temperature during winter months is between 13-20°C (55-68°F), while at night, it’s around 5-7°C (41-45°F). Sometimes it drops to 0°C (32°F) or even below, but this is quite rare.

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Fred Van Lente, Ryan Dunlavey “The Comic Book History of Comics”

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I can’t say I’m a huge fan of comics, but there are some superheroes I quite like (in their more modern interpretations), and I have read a few comics. I don’t consider it a lowbrow genre—many comics, in terms of emotional intensity, are just as good as highly respected books. Still, my familiarity with the genre is fairly superficial. That’s why it was all the more surprising that I became interested in a book about the history of comics. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that the book itself is made in the form of a comic.

Both authors, Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey, are comic creators themselves (not just this book), so they know the industry from the inside. In their book The Comic Book History of Comics, they set out to show where the essence of modern comics comes from, how they developed, became international, faced persecution, and evolved according to local traditions.

Initially, the book seemed light and purely entertaining, but it quickly proved that the authors were taking the subject very seriously. They draw constant parallels between comics and the animation industry, as these two art forms were closely connected in the early stages. Disney’s Mickey Mouse first appeared in a cartoon but quickly transitioned to comic book pages. The style of Disney’s animated films had a huge influence not only on American comics but also on the development of their Japanese counterpart, manga.

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