Journey to Kars

Astonishing passion for experience and for articulating experience, coupled with surpassing intelligence in perspective. Reading this gave me lasting shivers. Even the throwaway lines pry the reader’s mind open, for example, “What a pity that Griboedov did not leave us his memoirs! Writing his biography should be a task for his friends; but among us remarkable people disappear without leaving a trace behind. We are lazy and incurious. . . .”