By Nora Hoppe for The Saker Blog The culture and arts of a society, of a civilisation can be seen as a barometer of its development and the quality of its statehood. Confucius, who saw music as the noblest of all the arts, said: “If one should desire to know whether a kingdom is well governed, if its morals are good or bad, the quality of its music will furnish
by Nora Hoppe for the Saker blog In Celebration of the End of the Siege of Leningrad… 27th January 1944 Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony was written in 1941, primarily during the Siege of Leningrad by the Nazi forces. When it had its premiere in the war-torn city on 9th August 1942 – performed by the emaciated, surviving musicians of the Leningrad Radio Orchestra that was supplemented with military performers, before a
Notes and reflections by Nora Hoppe for the Saker blog To retreat or not to retreat… Preface: I have no idea about war… I have never experienced one. I understand nothing of military campaigns, strategies, manoeuvres, weapons, etc. I’ve only seen several war films, read novels featuring war and followed the news on various wars… * * * I have heard that each war is different, and that comparisons
by Nora Hoppe for the Saker blog “Poets and philosophers are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.” – from “A Philosophical View of Reform” (1819-1820), a series of essays by Percy Bysshe Shelley In our times, there are many in the West who speak of the imminent extinction of our planet due to “man-made climate change”. But the potential extinction of our civilisation, of our humanity, does not seem to
Notes and reflections by Nora Hoppe with contributions by Tariq Marzbaan for the Saker blog DENAZIFICATION – ACT I… The Great Patriotic War as Seen Through Soviet Cinema – for Today’s Battle against Amnesia As the western world descends ever deeper into a morass of ignorance, stupidity, obliviousness and inanity, accelerated by wilful amnesia and the cancellation of history and Russian culture, we feel it is indispensable to rekindle, commemorate
by Nora Hoppe and Tariq Marzbaan for the Saker blog Notes and reflections by Nora Hoppe and Tariq Marzbaan Foreword: This contribution does not intend to provide a profound analysis or exhaustive essay on the complex and rich history of Song Dynasty painting. It intends to offer a modest, cursory glimpse into classical Chinese thought… which can offer us valuable lessons for our views of the world and the cosmos
by Nora Hoppe for the Saker blog Various notes and reflections by Nora Hoppe Judging by the many reactions of various journalists, analysts and lay persons around the world (chiefly in the West), many people expected the Chinese government to respond with immediate lethal force when Nancy Pelosi’s plane landed in Taipei. Many were even disappointed or… incensed – whether they are for or against the People’s Republic of China
