I like Russian history, I love the way the language sounds and I consequently go out of my way to date guys who are beardy and have a history of drinking a lot of vodka (or in Dmitri’s case, carrying it with him in his jacket pocket with him whenever we’re out.)

So, imagine my excitement when I saw this as I was doing my routine creepin’ (facestalking. whatever.)

Avery Hart:
Today I learned that there is a word in Russian for an emotion which can only be described as “homesickness for a place that you’ve never been” or “the sensation of missing heaven”. Amazing.

The word?

‎1. Toska

Russian – Vladmir Nabokov describes it best: “No single word in English renders all the shades of toska. At its deepest and most painful, it is a sensation of great spiritual anguish, often without any specific cause. At less morbid levels it is a dull ache of the soul, a longing with nothing to long for, a sick pining, a vague restlessness, mental throes, yearning. In particular cases it may be the desire for somebody of something specific, nostalgia, love-sickness.”