Trafika Europe 13 - Russian Ballet

Judeophile

“So what do you think, will there be a war?” he suddenly asked. “What war?” I was genuinely surprised. “What do you mean what war? In the Near East. The Egyptians have blocked off the straits.” I was once again on guard – no, with this character, one has to keep one’s ear cocked – and I shrugged my shoulders. As indifferently as possible and in a tone proposing we close the subject, I let it drop: “I don’t know.” “M-yes,” the general suddenly became saddened. “Of course, I am sorry. I forgot that we are not in Hyde Park...” “Grampa!” Lena scolded him. “Yes-yes,” Pyotr Naumovich said, his face darkening. “You know, there was this anecdote,” I said, not knowing any other way of diffusing the tension, and perhaps because “the tonic” had begun to kick in. “An Englishman and a Russian get into an argument about which country has more freedom. The Englishman says: of course, we are more free. For example, I can go out on a lawn in Hyde Park and publicly proclaim that our queen is an idiot! So what, says the Russian, I can go out on Red Square and publicly proclaim that your queen is an idiot too.” The anecdote, it would seem, turned out to be “fresh”

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