Biographical
I’m Angus. Mostly About Stories is where I write about things I have read or thought. You can find all my posts here.
After a childhood in Scotland and in England I graduated from Cambridge University, where I studied Russian and German.
I have lived in Saint Petersburg and Moscow and travelled widely around the former Soviet Union. After finishing my studies, I worked in Russia for a Western company until the beginning of March, 2022.
After I left Russia, I did a Master’s in London. I also ran a small charitable initiative with my girlfriend and a few other volunteers to help Ukrainian refugees with their English.
I live in Germany.
I am twenty-seven years old.
I am a writer of fiction and aim, eventually, to be a good one.
Mostly About Stories
I read a lot and this blog is a record of some of the things I’ve read, though not all of them, nor necessarily the best of them. I read both to learn how to write and how to live.
On this site there are book reviews and thoughts, my own translations, analyses of literary works and fumblings around more philosophical ones, some essays of my own, and even a little travel writing. I hope you find something for you.
Some authors I like and have written about here: Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Nikolai Gogol, Marilynne Robinson, John Williams, Joseph Conrad, Theodor Fontane, Hugo von Hofmannsthal.
My favourite thinkers are Simone Weil, Friedrich Nietzsche, Ludwig Wittgenstein and Arthur Schopenhauer.
My reading preferences and practices reflect a traditional, very privileged and conservative upbringing in my homeland.
With that said, I am here to learn and grow while I can. Any recommendation that takes me beyond my comfort zone and teaches me something will be greatly appreciated. Use the “contact me” form or leave a comment under a relevant post!
Update Schedule and Contact Details
I aim at posting once or twice a month, typically on Mondays.
You can get in touch with me via this page. Criticism and advice are welcome.
If you are a writer interested in a writing exchange, please get in touch.
If you want me to review your work publicly, however, you must be dead first or at least have won some prizes. Sorry!
War note
While war and violence often make for great literature, in case it is not immediately obvious to readers I wish to note explicitly here that I condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and its actions in that land since 2014 too.
Having lived in Russia and read enough books in my life, however, I have enough spirit and care within me to find every single loss of life caused by this contemptable war worthy to be mourned and regretted.