Vitaly Sumin Archive

One of the most intriguing ideas of Western Literature is that of the doppelganger: the double, the evil twin, the mischievous imposter who steals away our identity or corrupts our reputation, whether in broad daylight or under cover of...
For all the amazing screenwriters that have graced audiences with their written words come to life on screen, some of the most amazing stories are the real ones that seem too unreal to be true. Stranger than fiction documentaries...
While not considered an existentialist himself, Fyodor Dostoevsky is widely regarded as a founder of the movement. His notable existential works and writings inspired a new way of thinking and style of storytelling that changed the literary world and...
Despite oftentimes being sticky, whiny, and chaotic beings, children, and even adults, are all connected and should be treated as such. Missing people is a serious matter, but let’s take a lighter approach since the world is starker than...
Every example of storytelling, at its root, stems from themes and ideas presented by classic literature. While every show and movie may not be modern adaptations from classic literature, the literature inspires them. Fyodor Dostoevsky is no stranger to...
Last month, Capone garnered mixed reviews upon its VOD release. Many viewers felt disappointed with the outcome. Despite these opinions, there is no doubt that mob films are still as prevalent as they always have. Organized crime infatuates filmmakers,...
An incredible amount of films are book-to-movie adaptations. Some of the highest grossing films, like Avengers: Endgame and Gone with the Wind, are sourced from other material. Apocalypse Now is a twisted book-to-movie adaptation based on Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart...
Spite – noun: 1. a desire to hurt, annoy, or offend someone.   Sympathy and empathy often draw a reader to the main character of a novel. Understandably, authors commonly cast their main characters in sympathetic lights. A main...
Is there such a creature as ‘Russian steampunk literature’? No rule exists barring someone from combining traditional Russian classics literary themes with steampunk sci-fi conventions. Maybe a creative “mashup” is in the works somewhere. If not, it should be....
Friedrich Nietzsche, one of the most esteemed (albeit easily misinterpreted) thinkers of all time, once referred to Fyodor Dostoyevsky as “the only psychologist from whom I’ve anything to learn.” This was, to be sure, long before Freud, whose first...