Month: February 2021

Book Adaptations (Akunin and Beyond)

No comments

Today, I would like not just to make a post but to invite a discussion on the topic of book adaptations. However, I will focus only on the adaptations of one specific series: The Adventures of Erast Fandorin by Boris Akunin.

Boris Akunin is one of my favorite authors. I have not read all of his works, nor do I enjoy all of them equally. However, the Erast Fandorin series is, in my humble opinion, the best he has written. Today, I will not discuss which novels I like more or less. Instead, I will share my thoughts on the three existing adaptations.

It all began with the film (and later mini-series) Azazel, an adaptation of the very first novel in the series. In fact, I watched the film before I started reading Akunin’s books. At the time, everyone around me was talking about this new and trendy writer, Boris Akunin, and I dislike following trends just because they are popular. But I really enjoyed the film, and almost immediately after watching it, I read the book and became completely immersed in the series, devouring one novel after another.

The series currently consists of 15 books, plus an additional one about Masa, a Japanese servant and partner of Erast Fandorin. Adaptations have been made of the first novel (Azazel, or The Winter Queen in English translation), the second (Turkish Gambit), and, somewhat surprisingly, the sixth (The State Counsellor).

Read more

Song: “Zombie”

No comments

In 1994, I graduated from school and entered university. That same year, the Irish band The Cranberries released their album No Need To Argue, with the standout track, in my opinion, being Zombie. At the time, I had a poor grasp of English (thanks to the Soviet education system), but this song resonated with many of us. It was played almost everywhere, and I loved it for its energy and the unique voice of the lead singer. The band’s subsequent albums didn’t leave as strong an impression on me, but Zombie became a timeless legend.

On January 15, 2018, Dolores O’Riordan, the lead singer of The Cranberries, was scheduled to record a cover of Zombie with the band Bad Wolves. However, on that very day, she tragically passed away, drowning in a bathtub while intoxicated.

Despite this, Bad Wolves went on to record the cover on their own and released a music video as a tribute to both Dolores and the original Zombie video. The visuals create a sort of dialogue between the two.

I usually don’t like covers of songs I love, but Bad Wolves’ version is stunning. Its intensity and energy are on par with the original:

Here is the official music video for the original song:

Book: Constantine Koptelov “Order in Chaos”

No comments

Sometimes even I fall for advertising, especially when it’s promoted in a reputable community. A few weeks ago, I came across an invitation to a free webinar on strategic sessions in a remote setting. It’s clear that the topic of remote work is being exploited by just about everyone these days, but I’m genuinely interested in the subject of strategic planning in general (and this is a good moment to remind everyone of the excellent book Good Strategy, Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt). At the same time, I’ve spent many years building workflows with remote teams. So, this webinar touched on two areas of interest for me.

The webinar was hosted by Constantine Koptelov, someone I hadn’t heard of before. However, the hour-long presentation flew by almost unnoticed. I took several notes during the session and became so intrigued by the topic that I immediately purchased Constantine’s book, Order in Chaos: Objective and Key Results (OKR), which I’ll tell you about today.

Read more

Song: Sergey Kosmos & Sergey Tikhanovsky “Rasbury turmy mury”

No comments

Once, the song Warriors of Light by the Belarusian band Lyapis Trubetskoy unexpectedly became something of an anthem for Ukraine’s Maidan. During the current protests in Belarus, it’s hard to say that any particular song has become the anthem. However, the events themselves have inspired the creation of many beautiful songs, some of which I’ve already shared on my blog. But there’s one song that has unexpectedly been heard in many places and from many voices. It’s called Razbury Turmy Mury (often shortened to Mury), which translates from Belarusian as Tear Down the Prison Walls (or simply The Walls).

The history of the song is also remarkable. It’s recounted on Wikipedia, but I’ll summarize it briefly. The song was originally written by the Catalan author Lluís Llach as a protest against Franco’s dictatorship in Spain.

In 1978, the Polish bard Jacek Kaczmarski took the original melody but wrote his own lyrics, which were different from the Spanish version. However, this song became the anthem of Solidarity, the leading opposition trade union in Poland at the time.

It was this version, with Kaczmarski’s lyrics, that became known in the post-Soviet space, and it was translated into both Russian and Belarusian. Notably, it was the Polish text, not the original Catalan one, that was translated.

When the protests began in Belarus in 2020, the Belarusian version of the song was performed by various artists. However, the version I find most powerful and moving was recorded by Sergey Kosmos and Sergey Tikhanovsky, the latter being the individual who initially planned to run for president but was imprisoned, after which his wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, stepped in as the candidate. For their rendition, both Sergeys added two verses to the original translation.

Below the music video for the song, you can find the lyrics in both Belarusian and English (the latter has been translated literally from Belarusian).

Read more