Uralsky, M. (2019). Mark Aldanov. A writer, a public figure and a gentleman of Russian emigration. Prefaced by S. Pesterev and S. Garciano. St. Petersburg: Aleteya. (In Russ.)

This first biographical account of M. Aldanov was authored by M. Uralsky, a writer of documentary prose. While not a strict academic publication, the book shows a thorough approach to selection of the material and verification of facts and introduces hitherto unknown documents, thus qualifying as a compelling piece of scholarly research. The book’s three parts are dedicated to key periods of Aldanov’s life: ‘A young Aldanov — happy years’ (1886–1917), ‘A historical novelist of Russian emigration’ (1919–1940), and ‘The twilight of life and work’ (1947–1957). Uralsky uncovered a number of new materials relating to Aldanov’s childhood and adolescence and his work in emigration, completing a reconstruction of the writer’s life. The biographer examines Aldanov’s personality as an artist, a literary critic, a journalist and a scholar. The book’s leitmotif is to actualise Aldanov’s idea of writers dedicating themselves to kalokagathia — the ‘moral beauty.’

Gavin Bone and his Old English Translations

This article examines the verse translations of various shorter Old English poems and of Beowulf by the Oxford scholar Gavin Bone (1907–1942), mainly published posthumously. It provides a biographical account of him, before going on assess his introductions to Anglo-Saxon Poetry (1943) and Beowulf (1945). It further describes the various techniques Bone used in his translations, the lexical and metrical forms he employed, and their relative degrees of success. The article also considers the illustrations Bone created to accompany his Beowulf translation. It concludes with an examination of the afterlife and subsequent neglect of Bone's translations.

Le sentiment ethnique coréen, han恨, et sa fonction de guérison psychosociale dans le contexte historique de l’Asie de l’Est du XVIIe siècle

"Ethnic sentiment sheds light on a peculiarity of the Korean soul as a collective imagination, which is often explained through the word han (恨). To understand one of its historical elements, the biographical account of the Korean military Kim Yŏngchŏl interests us: the suffering of the character is linked to the historical context of East Asia of the 17th century and his feelings about the meaning of the word han are different from those of Emperor Nurhachi."

The Representation of Women in Kenneth Bhengu’s Novel Ukadebona: Iqhawe leNkosi

This article analyses the representation of women in the novel Ukadebona: Iqhawe leNkosi (Kadebona: The King’s Hero) by Kenneth Bhengu. The novel was written in 1958 at the height of apartheid and is set in an African society in the post-Impi yaseSandlwana era (post-Battle of Isandlwana era). The story is a biographical account by the protagonist, Kadebona, of his heroics and how fate thrust him into situations of both danger and opportunity. In analysing the novel both discourse analysis and thematic analysis are used. This article argues that women’s representation in the novel is ambivalent in that the author highlights both positive and negative characteristics of women. On the one hand, the author holds stereotypes about women such as those of other African writers, for example that they are weak, too sensitive, vulnerable and helpless. On the other hand, the author also represents women as deserving of love, as steadfast and as beings who must be protected from violence. The implication of these findings is that in Ukadebona: Iqhawe leNkosi women are not represented as equal to men. This differs from the current discourse of rights which advocates the equality of women and men. Also, the analysis is important because it highlights the literary work of Kenneth Bhengu whose literary contributions are largely unrecognised in South African literature.

The magnificent territory: Pausing to reflect on a lifetime of working with people and music

In this biographical account of a musical lifecourse, I highlight the psychosocial, vocational, functional and affective meaning of music. Using my own musical journey as an illustrative example, I draw attention to the ways in which music can be a catalyst for understanding of the self, for meaning-making in the world and for developing understandings of one’s role in that world. My overarching message is that a musical lifecourse can frame our deepest relationships and most significant moments of profound joy.

A ‘conversation’ between Frank Land (FL) and Antony Bryant (AB): PART I

The ‘conversation’ offers an important contribution to the archaeology of information systems, both in practice as an academic domain or discipline, and a focus on the genealogy of the field, including some of the accidents and deviations that marked later developments. It is derived from a series of conversations and later exchanges that I arranged with Frank Land. The substantive aspects date from the late 2017 and were then developed in a series of exchanges in 2018; although in effect he and I have been developing this conversation over many years, during which he has been continually challenging, expansive and forthcoming. Comments forthcoming from readers of earlier drafts indicated some perplexity regarding the genre and the objectives of our contribution, so it is important to note that the term ‘conversation’ is something of a conceit. It is not an interview per se, nor is it a biographical account. The core of what follows developed from our verbatim exchanges both face-to-face, and later via email. Some sections, however, have been reworked and enhanced to clarify and augment the issues raised. In addition, we have sought to provide a good deal of background and narrative to guide readers through the text, offering pointers to further resources. The overall contribution is intended to provide an informed and, we hope, informative contribution to people’s understanding of key social and technical issues of our time.

The Mysterious Mr Le Queux

This article presents what is widely considered to be the best biographical account of the life of the controversial popular author, journalist and amateur spy, William Le Queux. The article originally appeared in Soldiers of the Queen, the journal of the Victorian Military Society, and is reproduced here with their kind permission in order to bring it before a new audience. It documents Le Queux’s life, from the little that is known about his early career through to his high-profile involvement in defence scaremongering before and during the First World War to his subsequent lapse into postwar obscurity.