"At first, I wasn't actually interested in Russia, but later I accidentally came across a novel in an old bookstore, which told the story of a Russian noble named Khoroshevsky.
This 17th-century nobleman was reported to the government for not following the Eastern Orthodox way, hoarding Latin books, privately calling the Tsar a tyrant, and he even complained that Moscow was full of ignorant people with no one to talk to. He requested to live in Lithuania, but was denied, and ultimately exiled to a remote northern monastery for the rest of his life.
It was from here that I began to develop an interest in Russian culture. I discovered that before the 18th century, this country hardly had any decent novels or plays. But starting from the 18th century, their literary works suddenly sprouted up like moss after the rain. This phenomenon caught my attention, and after poring over historical records, I finally understood the reason."
"Oh?" asked the Earl of Dalhousie: "Why is that?"
