Professor David Peimer
Leo Tolstoy: War and Peace
Summary
The lecure focuses on Tolstoy and his monumental work, War and Peace (1867). Despite the book’s intimidating size and historical context, Tolstoy’s life and the era he lived through provide crucial insights into the themes of his work. Born into privilege, Tolstoy’s early experiences profoundly influenced his worldview and he became increasingly critical of state power and imperialist interventions, advocating for pacifism and non-violent resistance. His life and beliefs transcend the pages of War and Peace, offering timeless lessons on morality, activism, and the pursuit of a more just world.
Professor David Peimer
David Peimer is a Professor of Literature, Film and Theatre in the UK. He has worked for the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, New York University (Global Division) and was a Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University. Born in South Africa, David has won numerous awards for playwriting and directing in New York, UK, Berlin, EU Parliament (Brussels), Athens, Budapest, Zululand and more. He has most recently directed Dame Janet Suzman in his own play, Joanna’s Story, at London Jewish Book Week. He has published widely with books including: Armed Response: Plays from South Africa, the digital book, Theatre in the Camps. He is on the board of the Pinter Centre (London), and has been involved with the Mandela Foundation, Vaclav Havel Foundation and directed a range of plays at Mr Havel’s Prague theatre.
Putin is tapping into Russian nationalism and the empire, he’s more about pre-communism and going way back to Tsarist Russia. Obviously, what he has created is a total mafia-state and a total dictatorship.
It was the extended family, aristocrats, nannies, nurse maids and so on.
As far as I know, yes. But, of course, there’s all the stuff with his wife as well.