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Eugene Vodolazkin - Laurus, a Glimpse Into the Medieval Mind

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Jonathan Pageau   Jun 24th, 2021

Description

I talk with Russian scholar and author, Eugene Vodolazkin. Eugene wrote the amazing and highly recommended novel, Laurus. Laurus won the National Big Book Award and the Yasnaya Polyana Award and was shortlisted for the National Bestseller Prize, the Russian Booker Prize and the New Literature Award. It has been translated into eighteen languages. Set in the fifteenth century, it's remarkable at transporting the reader to medieval thinking and an enchanted vision of Christianity, paving the way for good Christian storytelling.


In this interview Eugene and I discuss how the perceptions of time and transcendence differed for ancient people compared to today, we talk about how history was viewed in the Middle Ages and the natural connections with the pagan traditions that historically preceded Christianity. We also discuss modern storytelling like that of J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling, the magnitude of Scripture and avoiding creating propaganda.