<p>A decade ago, Vladimir Alexandrov published an excellent biography, <em>The Black Russian</em>, about an unknown historical figure–Fredrick Bruce Thomas. Thomas was a Black Mississippian who moved to Imperial Russia and became a successful Moscow nightclub owner until Revolution forced him to flee. Thomas’ life is a window into post-emancipation Black American aspiration, struggle and cosmopolitanism. Alexandrov found Thomas such an intriguing character, he couldn’t let him go. So now, Thomas is the principle in a suspense novel set in Russia’s Silver Age. The Eurasian Knot spoke to Alexandrov about Thomas’ new adventure, the challenges of writing a novel, and where can we expect Fredrick Bruce Thomas to go from here.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><br><p><strong>Guest:</strong></p><br><p>Vladimir Alexandrov, B. E. Bensinger Professor Emeritus in the Slavic Department at Yale, is the author most recently of <em>The Black Russian</em>, and <em>To Break Russia's Chains: Boris Savinkov and His Wars against the Tsar and the Bolsheviks</em>. He is currently completing a history of Russian involvement in the American Civil War, and the second novel in The Black Russian series. His first novel is <em>The Black Russian and the Serpents Sting</em> published by NIMCA Press.</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>