A bit of background first...
Lord Tony mentioned Kropotkin's memoirs, to which I replied:
Now, while we're on the subject of biographies and memoirs, do tell me more about Kropotkin's memoirs. You are speaking of the anarchist prince? I must confess to having been taken slightly aback when I saw the comparison between EFB's memoirs and Kropotkin's ("the most charming, modest and generous book of memoirs since Kropotkin"). As you know, 19th century Russian history is rather a "thing" with me, so I can't resist pursuing this. Please enlighten me, caro, before I begin making harebrained connections between the Archbishop's son, Kropotkin, Bakunin, Emma Goldman, Proudhon and others.To which Tony responded:
Oh, that could be rather fun...
Why not share your own harebrained connections [between EFB and Kropotkin]? We're eagerly awaiting them.
Really, dear, you do know how to get me going. Playing "Seven Degrees of Separation" with EFB and improbable others is my idea of fun. Here goes:
Connection 1: EFB - wrote biography of Queen Victoria - who was Kaiser Wilhelm II's grandmother - the Kaiser met Alexander III - assassination attempt on Alexander III inspired by violent anarchist Bakunin - anarchists - KROPOTKIN
Connection 2: EFB - met Henry James - Henry James met Turgenev, who was in exile in Paris - Turgenev's novels much admired and written about by - KROPOTKIN
Connection 3: EFB - Tillingites consume caviar sandwiches - Beluga caviar from Russia - consumed by Russian aristocrats - among them, KROPOTKIN
Connection 4: EFB - fond of ice skating - took skating holidays in Switzerland - Switzerland was the country that KROPOTKIN fled to after escaping from the Peter & Paul fortress
Connection 5: EFB - met Radcyffe Hall - who was buried in Highgate Cemetery - as was Karl Marx - whose social theories influenced KROPOTKIN
Connection 6: EFB - wrote a biography of Edward VII - Edward VII was the uncle of the Czarina Alexandra - who married into the Romanov dynasty - and KROPOTKIN initially pledged fealty to the Romanovs, under Alexander II.
Connection 7: EFB - created Princess Popoffski - who is pretending to be a Russian mystic - Tolstoy influenced by Russian mysticism - as well as by anarchists such as KROPOTKIN
Whee! Somebody stop me!
Pug
"If you're not confused, you're not paying attention."
© 1999 gwshark@erols.com
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