It is perhaps a little superfluous for one of my years to write an introduction for one so well known and so much esteemed and admired as Madame Novikoff. And yet it may seem just, if it does not seem vain, that a full-hearted tribute should come to her from this generation which profits by the result of her life and her work—the great new friendship between England and Russia. She is one of the most interesting women in European diplomatic circles. She is a picturesque personality, but more than that she is one who has really done a great deal in her life. You cannot say of her, as of so many brilliant women, "She was born, she was admired, she passed!" Destiny used her to accomplish great ends. For many in our society life, she stood for Russia, was Russia. For the poor people of England Russia was represented by the filth of the Ghetto and the crimes of the so-called "political" refugees; for the middle classes who read Seton Merriman, Russia was a fantastic country of revolutionaries and bloodthirsty police; but fortunately the ruling and upper classes always have had some better vision, they have had the means of travel, they have seen real representative Russians in their midst. {2} "They are barbarians, these Russians!" says someone to his friend. But the friend turns a deaf ear. "I happen to know one of them," says he. A beautiful and clever woman always charms, whatever her nationality may be, and it is possible for her to make conquests that predicate nothing of the nation to which she belongs. That is true, and therein lay the true grace and genius of Madame Novikoff. She was not merely a clever and charming woman, she was Russia herself. Russia lent her charm. Thus her friends were drawn from serious and vital England. Gladstone learned from her what Russia was.
Russian Mosaic is the true story of a young girl from a Russian mining town above the Arctic Circle, whose coming of age is marked by tragedy and hardship, but ultimately survival. She spent her childhood and college years under the structured control of the state. With always a bit of rebellion for the lack of freedom and self-expression, she learned to "play along" to get by. As a young adult, she witnessed the fall of communism and the Soviet Union, and with it, the change of lifestyle for all Russians. The daughter of a miner father and an accountant mother, Olga endures a number of ordeals that would have broken others less resilient. From the untimely passing of her father, and through a variety of early life experiences, she learns from her mother not to rely on others, but to be self-sufficient and to make her own way in the world. She not only survives but succeeds and writes with the hope of inspiring other women who face adversity in life.
Novikoff (1840-1925) was a Russian political writer who worked tirelessly to promote good relations between Russia and England forming a close friendship with W E Gladstone. In addition to her many newspaper articles and magazine essays, usually signed "OK," she wrote a number of books including 'Is Russia Wrong?' and 'Friends or Foes?' (both 1878), and 'Russia and England' (1880). She continued writing articles in the British press during WWI and also published several pamphlets. This book of memoirs, illustrated with photographs, was first published in 1916.
The diaries reveal details of a remarkable life of a woman born in Imperial Russia who refused to complain about the luxurious life she left behind. CTV National News Its a miraculous tale that takes the readers through revolutions and world wars and chronicles Hendrikoffs transformation from a wealthy privileged lady in-waiting for the Russian empresses to desperate survivor scavenging for coal in a Nazi-occupied France. Calgary Herald Countess Olga Lala Hendrikoff was born into the Russian aristocracy, serving as lady-in-waiting to the empresses and enjoying a life of great privilege. But on the eve of her wedding in 1914 came the first rumors of an impending wara war that would change her life forever and force her to flee her country as a stateless person with no country to call home. In A Countess in Limbo, Countess Hendrikoff tells her remarkable true story that includes the loss of her brother in the Russian gulag, her sister-in-law murdered with the Russian Imperial family, and herself being robbed at gunpoint and accused of being a spy by the Nazis. She also speaks of the daily life that continues during wartime: ration cards and food restrictions, the black market, and the struggle just to get by another day. Her gripping story and thoughtful analysis provide a valuable look at life and humanity in the face of war. Spanning two of the most turbulent times in modern historyWorld War I in Russia and World War II in ParisCountess Hendrikoffs journals demonstrate the uncertainty, horror, and hope of daily life in the midst of turmoil. Her razor-sharp insight, wit, and sense of humor create a fascinating eyewitness account of the Russian Revolution and the occupation and liberation of Paris.
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