This is Randi Hacker with another Postcard from Abroad from the KU Centers for East Asian Studies and Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies.

You know that famous saying, “The pen is mightier than the sword?” Well, nowhere is it truer than here in Russia where opinions about philosophy and literature can be lethal. Not long ago in a grocery store in southern Russia, an argument over the theories of 18th-century German philosopher Immanuel Kant ended in a fatal shooting. And more recently a former schoolteacher killed his friend after a drunken argument over which is superior: poetry or prose. While some blame alcohol for these events, others suggest that serious consequences for philosophical or literary opinions is part of Russian history — just ask those who were sent to the Gulag… Either way, with so many Russian literary disputes ending in death, we recommend the following public service announcement: In Russia, friends don't let friends read drunk.

With thanks to Adrienne Landry for this text, from the KU Center for East Asian Studies, this is Randi Hacker. Wish you were here.