Ascetism and Incontinence and Dostoevsky's Gift of Tears

Specialist in Russian literature, Russian and Japanese translation, and language pedagogy; have worked as a conference-level interpreter for the U.S. Government in nuclear weapons negotiations and other talks. My most recent books are Simply Chekhov (2020); translations of Alisa Ganieva's novels Offended Sensibilities (2022) Bride and Groom (2018), and The Mountain and the Wall (2015); and Chekhov's Letters, co-edited with Radislav Lapushin (2018). Most of my recent articles are about translation of Russian literary classics. In the fall of 2019, I took a slow trip across Siberia, following in the footsteps of Russian writers from Moscow to Sakhalin Island, and reporting about it in the blog "Chekhov's Footprints" (https://sites.duke.edu/chekhovsfootprints/). For rants, see my Duke Chronicle columns, "Rants from the Podium" (https://www.dukechronicle.com/staff/carol-apollonio). Until fall 2023 I served as President of the International Dostoevsky Society (https://dostoevsky.org/); I continue on the IDS Board and as Honorary President. In the fall of 2022, as a response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I turned down a Dostoevsky Bicentennial Medal from the Russian Ministry of Culture (https://dukeuniversity.medium.com/a-letter-to-the-russian-ministry-of-culture-18ae8b0b4f0c). In times of trouble, take a break and read a little Chekhov or a lot of Tolstoy.