Previous presentations

A summary of some of our earlier presentations. For the latest event news, refer to our main News page.

20th April 2017 - "Lara"

‘Lara’, the untold love story that inspired ‘Doctor Zhivago’

an illustrated talk to be presented by Nadia Ainsworth.

A new time, and a new place:
2:00 pm, Thursday 20th April
Oak Room, Downley Community Centre. (Map, and how to find us)

18th May 2017 - Russian Art and the state

It is 100 years since the 1917 October Revolution and this illustrated talk will explore a "revolution" in Russian Art, 1917 to 1932 - one of the most significant periods in modern world history. The talk will be given by Barbara von der Heyde.

2:00 pm, Thursday. 18th May.
Oak Room, Downley Community Centre. (Map, and how to find us)

15th June - Dickens's Russia and Russia's Dickens.

Charles Dickens's published works were known in Russia from the early stages of his career: he was excerpted and then soon afterwards translated into Russian from the late 1830s onward and has retained a popularity from that time forward. Dostoyevsky acknowledged his influence and Tolstoy particularly praised his writing in David Copperfield.

In this talk, Dr Tony Williams will explore these and other connections between Dickens and Russia. Dr Williams is a frequent speaker on Dickens, both in this country and overseas, and is currently President of the International Dickens Fellowship.

2:00 pm, Thursday. 15th June.
Oak Room, Downley Community Centre. (Map, and how to find us)

21st September - Sochi then and now

The history of the city and the area, and where it is today.

Sochi is situated on the shores of the Black Sea near the Caucasus Mountains, hosted the XXII Olympic Winter Games in 2014 as well as the Formula 1 Grand Prix. It will also be one of the host cities for 2018 FIFA World Cup.

By Sandra Hurst

2:00 pm, Thursday. 21st September
Oak Room, Downley Community Centre. (Map, and how to find us)

19th October - V. Lenin, Petrograd, 1917

V. Lenin, Petrograd, 1917
In 1917 the climate of dissatisfaction in Petrograd — its name was changed from Saint Petersburg in 1914 — became too much for its people to bear. Disputes and conflicts between the city’s civilians, its police and its military culminated in the October Revolution bringing the Bolsheviks to power with V. Lenin as their leader.

An illustrated talk by Nadia Ainsworth

2:00 pm, Thursday. 19th October.
Oak Room, Downley Community Centre. (Map, and how to find us)

16th November - Three Remarkable Women

The account continues -

Three more remarkable Russian women

An illustrated talk by Dr Ruth Sobel

2:00 pm, Thursday. 16th November
Oak Room, Downley Community Centre. (Map, and how to find us)

18th January 2018 - Memories of Berlin during the Cold War

Espionage, intelligence, the night the Wall collapsed, and more…

Ian presents his own personal memories of living in Berlin - the divided city.

An illustrated talk by Ian Gronbach

2:00 pm, Thursday. 18th January
Oak Room, Downley Community Centre. (Map, and how to find us)

15th February - Stone Carvers of the Ural Mountains

The practice of creating coloured ornaments by carving and fixing together pieces of coloured rocks and minerals, has been carried out in the Urals, since the 18th century, when the mining of a large range of minerals first began.

This talk will cover the practice of Stone Carving from the early years to the present day. Samples of some of the various rocks and minerals will be on display. You will learn of one famous Stone Carver, and find out about museums where such ornaments can be seen.

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An illustrated talk by Geoff Youd

2:00 pm, Thursday 15th February
Oak Room, Downley Community Centre. (Map, and how to find us)

15th March - Siberia and the Russian Far East

Russia's land beyond the Urals is a land of superlatives - immensely large, unimaginably cold, full of natural resources and "eastern promise".

An illustrated talk by Barbara von der Heyde

2:00 pm, Thursday 15th March
Oak Room, Downley Community Centre. (Map, and how to find us)

19th April - Russian Churches

a talk on Russian churches, including their architecture and historical background, as observed on a river journey from St Petersburg to Moscow.

An illustrated talk by Jessica Houdret.

2:00 pm, Thursday 19th April
Oak Room, Downley Community Centre. (Map, and how to find us)

17th May - Uzbekistan and the Silk Road

Uzbekistan is known for its mosques, mausoleums and other sites linked to the Silk Road, the ancient trade route between China and the Mediterranean.

This presentation looks briefly at the country, its geography and history, the importance of various cities along the Silk Road and the people who live there today.

An illustrated talk by Sandra Hurst.

2:00 pm, Thursday 17th May
Oak Room, Downley Community Centre. (Map, and how to find us)

21st June - Hello Dnipro... life today in Ukraine

https://sites.google.com/site/gorussianclub/home/alanDSC01075b.jpg

Situated between Russia and the west, Ukraine is today one of the most important countries in Europe but it's also one with the most problems. It is a country torn apart by two opposing ideologies, by corruption, poverty, political uncertainty and extremism. It has little foreign investment, a government that is almost bankrupt and it fights a never-ending war against forces backed by the largest country in the world.

This talk will give a brief outline of the history of Ukraine and in particular about the people's revolution of 2013/14 and the changes since then and the country's relationship with Russia.
During the last 18 months the speaker has lived and worked in Ukraine for more than 6 months as an English teacher and charity volunteer. He will discuss his own experiences of travelling around the country and meeting people, and will discuss what life is really like for ordinary Ukrainian people.

An illustrated talk by Alan Taylor
2:00 pm, Thursday 21st June

Oak Room, Downley Community Centre. (Map, and how to find us)

19th July - When Tolstoy came to London in 1861 - and what he didn't hear

As part of his European tour the 32-year-old Russian aristocrat Count Leo Tolstoy visited London in March 1861.
In this illustrated talk, Dr Tony Williams will explore Tolstoy’s reactions to and impressions of the metropolis in the nineteenth century.

Dr Tony Williams
Past President of The Dickens Fellowship, 2015-2017
Associate Editor of The Dickensian
Honorary Academic Advisor to the Charles Dickens Museum, London
Honorary Senior Research Fellow in Humanities at the University of Buckingham
Honorary Life Member and Former Joint General Secretary of The Dickens Fellowship

2:00 pm, Thursday 19th July

Oak Room, Downley Community Centre. (Map, and how to find us)

20th September 2018 - Who Lost Russia?

Based on the book by Peter Conradi - the foreign editor of the Sunday Times: during his seven years as a foreign correspondent in Moscow, he witnessed the USSR’s collapse first hand. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 was hailed as the beginning of a new era of peace and cooperation between east and west, so what went wrong?

an illustrated talk by Nadia Ainsworth.

2:00 pm, Thursday 20th September
Oak Room, Downley Community Centre. (Map, and how to find us)

18th October - Three Remarkable Russian Women

Anna Dostoevskaya, Marie Bashkirtseff and Elizaveta Kuzmina-Karavaeva ...

an illustrated talk by Ruth Sobel.

Also, Autumn Book Swap - Bring your unwanted books - Russian, German, English etc, and pick up a few gems for yourself.

2:00 pm, Thursday 18th October
Oak Room, Downley Community Centre. (Map, and how to find us)

15th November 2018 - Impressions of Russia Today

an illustrated talk by Sandra Hurst.

Also, Autumn Book Swap - Bring your unwanted books - Russian, German, English etc, and pick up a few gems for yourself.

2:00 pm, Thursday 15th November
Oak Room, Downley Community Centre. (Map, and how to find us)

17th January 2019 - Russian cinema and Andrei Tarkovsky

The early history of Russian Cinema and its famous film director Andrei Tarkovsky (1932-1986) whose work is characterised by striking and poetic imagery.

an illustrated talk by Mike Taylor.

2:00 pm, Thursday 17th January
Oak Room, Downley Community Centre. (Map, and how to find us)

21st February 2019 - Part 2 - Russian cinema and Andrei Tarkovsky

Back by popular demand - Mike will conclude his talk on the history of Russian Cinema and its famous film director Andrei Tarkovsky (1932-1986) whose work is characterised by striking and poetic imagery.

an illustrated talk by Mike Taylor.

2:00 pm, Thursday 21st February
Oak Room, Downley Community Centre. (Map, and how to find us)

21st March 2019 - News from Russia

Some unusual aspects of Russian life. From Ukraine to Siberia, and from women in taxis to women in spacecraft. These are items of news that you probably won't have seen in the mainstream media.

2:00 pm, Thursday 21st March
Oak Room, Downley Community Centre. (Map, and how to find us)

16th May 2019 - Summer Palaces of the Tsars

The Summer Palaces of the Tsars : opulence and extravagance in the House of Romanov.

an illustrated talk by Sandra Hurst.

2:00 pm, Thursday 16th May 2019
Oak Room, Downley Community Centre. (Map, and how to find us)

20th June - The Lykovs: lost to the modern world

A family of "Old Believers" was secluded in the taiga from 1938 to 1978.

Old Believers are members of a conservative and rebellious group within the Russian Orthodox church. They trace their origins back to a revolt over religious reforms made by Patriarch Nikon in the mid 1600s.

A talk by Matthew Cawthorne, a member of the Watford-Novgorod Friendship Society

2:00 pm, Thursday 20th June 2019
Oak Room, Downley Community Centre. (Map, and how to find us)