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KA: How does any writer maintain balance? Scene by scene and moment by moment. I brought my own modern biases and understandings to this historical period that I was trying to write about, but also allowed my ideas and beliefs to be shaped by my best guesses about the attitudes of the time. There was a constant friction between what I wanted my main character to do and what I believed she would be able to do, given the era, and I hope some of the tension made its way into the storytelling. But for the young, wild Vasya these are far more than just stories. She alone can see the house spirits that guard her home, and sense the growing forces of dark magic in the woods. . .
Her father remarries and while the new woman has the second sight, she interprets the gentle protective spirits as "demons." In an effort to "protect" the now-teenage Vasya, her father (egged on and persuaded by her step mother) is trying to marry her off. Narrated in lyrical prose and third-person past tense, Arden weaves a tale no less compelling for its slow, gradual development. Like all the best fairy tales, the author draws on the setting - a village in the northern woods of Rus' - to create an atmosphere that promises magic and suggests many horrors. Medved: the one-eyed man that is seen chained to a tree when Vasya was a little girl. He is also the brother of Morozko and the beast that is trying to destroy the world. Vasya always possessed the second sight, which made for some interesting conversations with the various creatures living in and around her home. All the spirits that live in and around her house were quite peculiar,such as the origins of the domovoi: I am here because the house is here. If the house weren't here, I wouldn't be either Soon, Vasya's gentle childhood - spent conversing with the domovoi and the vazila (who guards the stables) - is put to an abrupt end. Being a fan of Game of Kings—of any Dunnett novel—is a strange experience. The fandom is passionate, but of plenty of folks, understandably, don’t get what the fuss is about. Dunnett makes no concessions to readers. You have to think about what you are reading. With Dunnett, it’s important to consider the possibilities and implications of each interaction—which can take you out of the story.
KA: Yes, there are marked differences between Western European and Russian fairy tales. To me the most interesting difference is between the recurring main characters of these two fairy-tale traditions. For example, the classic hero of Russian fairy tales is Ivan the Fool. He is not a muscular and martial figure like the heroic kings, princes, and woodcutters that feature in Western European fairy tales. Rather, he is usually of ordinary birth, lazy and good-natured, and he gets by on his wits and native innocence. In college I didn’t do any creative writing at all. I studied foreign languages, wrote earnest essays and wanted to be a diplomat. But after I got my degree, I realized I was burnt out and I didn’t want to race into a career right away. So I moved to Hawaii to work on a farm. It was supposed to be for just a few months while I gathered steam and figured my life out. But I got bored on the farm, and as a remedy against boredom I decided to write a book.
Q: It seems that there were some romantic feelings developing between Vasya and Morozko. Would that be possible given he is immortal? Then one day faith brings the frost-demon and Vasilisa together and their crossed paths push them into their devoted, destined journey when bear and a beautiful nightingale involve in their story. Vasilisa’ finally finds out what she’s destined for and what her life purpose is. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Domovoy Slavic religion". Encyclopaedia Britannica. {{ cite web}}: |last1= has generic name ( help)Then Vasya’s widowed father brings home a new wife from Moscow. Fiercely devout, Vasya’s stepmother forbids her family from honoring their household spirits, but Vasya fears what this may bring. And indeed, misfortune begins to stalk the village. She is not afraid, Konstantin thought dourly. She does not fear God; she fears nothing. He saw it in her silences, her fey glance, the long hours she spent in the forest. In any case, no good Christian maid ever had eyes like that, or walked with such grace in the dark.”
I would walk into the jaws of hell itself, if it were a path of my own choosing. I would rather die tomorrow in the forest than live a hundred years of the life appointed me.” Katherine Arden: I started drafting The Bear and the Nightingale in the summer of 2011. I had a draft by the summer of 2012 and published it this January 2017. In that time, the book went through a ton of different drafts. BP: The Russian wilderness—and the Russian winters in particular—are vividly described in your novel. Can you talk a bit about that and how it affects your characters? El-Mohtar, Amal (January 22, 2017). " 'The Bear And The Nightingale' Is A Rich Winter's Tale". NPR. Katherine Arden: I read nonstop as a child, as most writers probably did, and my favorite part of the day was bedtime, because I would lie awake in the dark and make up stories. When I was in high school I wrote a fantasy novel with shapeshifting dragons and a sort-of-like-Iceland world of snow and volcanoes.Meanwhile, there is a frost-demon that does everything to ensure him and Vasilisa’s paths cross. And Vasilisa couldn’t resist the urge to go to him even if she tried. Then a beautiful story unfolds about a girl, a nightingale, and a bear, who are destined to have a story told. And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa's stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent. Dixon-Kennedy, Mike (1998). Encyclopedia of Russian & Slavic myth and legend. Oxford: ABC-CLIO. p.78. ISBN 978-1576070635. The Bear and the Nightingale is Arden's debut novel and was published in January 2017 by Del Rey Books. Arden completed her diploma in French and Russian literature before moving to Hawaii for 6 months while writing her novel. Her fascination with Russian literature and history prompted her to write a novel that was set in medieval Russia. According to Arden, her appeal with this subject stems from a young age. In an interview with CNET she revealed that she had read Russian fairytales as a child. [4] Arden’s debut novel has the cadence of a beautiful fairy tale but is darker and more lyrical.” — The Washington Post
One particular priest (Konstantin) rises up above the others in Moscow. Aleksei decides to send this priest away so he doesn’t become more popular than him. He commissions Konstantin to go to Pyotr’s land to work in the small church there.Arden’s lush, lyrical writing cultivates an intoxicating, visceral atmosphere, and her marvelous sense of pacing carries the novel along at a propulsive clip. A masterfully told story of folklore, history, and magic with a spellbinding heroine at the heart of it all.”—Booklist (starred review) Tufnell, Nicholas (January 24, 2018). "Katherine Arden: It's a great time for female fantasy writers". CNET. Pyotr decides that Vasya must marry to keep the Winter King away because he only comes for wild maidens. He sends for the best candidate, an only child around 30 who has inherited his father’s fortune. The man comes, and everyone likes him. But Vasya has her doubts. She can tell his smile doesn’t go to his eyes, and his horses fear him. She desperately does not want to get married to him. Pyotr thanks Vasya for saving his grandson but also beats her for her unruly behavior. He’s so worried that she’s still a wild maiden. He’s afraid the Winter King will come for her soon. Anna suggests that she go to live in a convent. Pyotr considers this idea and decides it’s another place that can keep her safe. He plans to send Vasya there, although Vasya knows nothing about it. Every time you take one path, you must live with the memory of the other: of a life left unchosen. Decide as seems best, one course or the other; each way will have its bitter with its sweet.”
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