Nanny from Moscow

Ivan Sergeyevich Shmelev (1873–1950) was a Russian writer and publicist, twice nominated for the Nobel Prize, nicknamed the "Orthodox writer" for his numerous texts on the spirituality of the Russian people. While in emigration, "he never stops thinking about Russia and agonizing over its misfortunes for a moment in his spiritual fervor." The novel "The Nanny from Moscow," written from the perspective of an elderly Russian woman, tells the story of the anxious pre-revolutionary times. The main character, Darya Stepanovna, accompanies her ward Ekaterina during their escape from Bolshevik rule to Crimea, and then through numerous relocations from country to country, to India, the USA, and Europe. Only her unwavering faith gives the deeply religious woman the strength to overcome all the hardships of life in emigration and not stray from the path of virtue.