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November 1, 2022
Olesya Salnikova Gilmore's Playlist for Her Novel "The Witch and the Tsar"
In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book.
Previous contributors include Jesmyn Ward, Lauren Groff, Bret Easton Ellis, Celeste Ng, T.C. Boyle, Dana Spiotta, Amy Bloom, Aimee Bender, Roxane Gay, and many others.
Olesya Salnikova Gilmore's debut novel The Witch and the Tsar is a glorious melding of history and folklore, in this case Russian history and the Baba Yaga myth.
Publishers Weekly wrote of the book:
"This epic tale brings both history and folklore to vivid life. It's a fresh, exciting take sure to capture fans of Madeline Miller's Circe and Jennifer Saint's Ariadne."
In her own words, here is Olesya Salnikova Gilmore's Book Notes music playlist for her debut novel The Witch and the Tsar:
The Witch and the Tsar is my debut and, as such, is in many ways a book of my heart and soul. The novel is a reimagining of the maligned and immortal Slavic witch of legend Baba Yaga, as she risks all to save her country and her people from Tsar Ivan the Terrible in 16th century Russia. This story incorporates some of my favorite Slavic folklore and mythology from when I was a little girl growing up in Moscow, Russia, before my parents and I moved to the United States. Music, for me, was and continues to be a constant presence in my life and writing. Unless I need to reason through a particularly difficult snag in character development or plot, I only write and revise with music. Music inspires me, gives a soundtrack to my words, is the sound of the creative process at work. The following songs and pieces represent my novel in a haunting way. I hope you enjoy this playlist, maybe as you read The Witch and the Tsar.
1. “Season of the Witch” – Lana Del Ray (original – Donovan)
This song is not only perfect because it is the season of the witch with my Baba Yaga retelling, but it is also about strange happenings. “When I look out my window/Many sights to see/And when I look in my window/So many different people to be/They’re strange, so strange/It’s very strange to me.” The lyrics go to how there are people and things outside of Yaga’s doorstep, outside the woods, in the larger world, but that they are strange to her. Even she is strange to her, different with time, with the centuries of isolation. Yaga goes on a journey of self-discovery: who is she? Is she the Baba Yaga hag? A god? Or simply a woman trying to do right by herself and the people in her life?
2. The Coronation Scene from Modest Musorgsky’s opera “Boris Godunov”
This piece magnificently encapsulates my antagonist, Ivan IV. The sweeping, monumental orchestral music shows his rise to power; the soft and hopeful notes, the trust the Russian people placed in him at the beginning of his rule; the dark confusion and ultimate drama and power of the music, Ivan’s descent into paranoia and madness as he transforms from a leader of hope to Ivan the Terrible, a leader who turns against and persecutes his own people. This sad and tragic history sets the tone, as well as the background and structure, of this piece—and The Witch and the Tsar.
3. The Swan Theme to the Swan Lake ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
It is hard to imagine music that represents the Russian soul better than Swan Lake, especially the Swan Theme. It is filled with such beauty and romance, such heart and sentimentality, and on the other hand, such sadness and tragedy and an almost brutal wildness, that it is in many ways Russia to me. The Witch and the Tsar is certainly a book about Russia, about her tsars and tsaritsas, her tragedies and heartbreak and failings, her land and her stories, and, above all, her people. It is about how, even through tragedy, a ray of hope remains—to fight back, to survive, to live.
4. “Strange Magic” – Electric Light Orchestra
This is my song for Yaga’s magic, which is whimsical and fun, but also very strange. My girl uses vodka for cleansing rituals, sparrow fat to keep away the frost, and bones and bat wings and egg yolks for all else, along with a dash of blood sacrifice. There are also elements of shamanism and old Slavic ritualistic practices to it. “You’re walking meadows in my mind/making waves across my time/…sweet dream, sweet dream.” Yaga performs her magic with smoke and herbs and a dream-like quality to her spellcasting. The music perfectly shows this, in its by turns upbeat and slow rhythm, as well as it’s playful yet dreamy, almost contemplative feel.
5. “Burn the Witch” – Radiohead
It is natural that, as a witch and a woman living in medieval times, Yaga eventually gets burned for her strange magic. I love how this song first starts out very peacefully, with the twitter and preen of birds. Then the instrumentals rise to culminate in the lyrics, which are a total gut-punch to any witch. “Stay in the shadows/Cheer at the gallows/This is a round up/…Burn the witch.” Yeah, Yaga probably should have stayed in the shadows, in her wooded abode, instead of venturing to Tsar Ivan’s court. At one point, the tsar’s advisor says of Yaga, “There are some that avail themselves of the belief that witches do not burn easily.” Ivan answers, “Then I shall kill her with my bare hands.”
6. “We are Never Getting Back Together” – Taylor Swift
At the royal court in Moscow, there is not only Tsar Ivan to contend with, but someone from Yaga’s past trying to make things quite difficult in her efforts to save her friend, the Tsaritsa of Russia, and to get at the bottom of what other immortal forces are at work. Koshey Bessmertny, an antihero and villain from the Slavic folktales, is in my novel Yaga’s former lover. But he is also the tsar’s closest advisor. And he is trying to use his charms on Yaga to stop her from asking questions and maybe to get back together with her. After all, immortals are lonely beings, easily falling into old patterns. This song is Yaga’s response to Koshey: “We are never, ever, ever getting back together (like ever).”
7. “Paint it Black” – The Rolling Stones
This song represents Ivan’s transformation into Ivan the Terrible, with his paranoia, his darkness, and his incredible hatred, as well as the influence on him of immortal forces. From the pages of The Witch and the Tsar, in Ivan’s point of view, “He will destroy everyone in his way…he will be the greatest ruler that Russia has ever seen. Or he will tear her apart.” Ivan not only turns against his most trusted advisors, but his own people. These powerful lyrics speak for themselves: “I see a red door/And I want it painted black/No colors anymore/I want them to turn black/…I look inside myself/And see my heart is black/…I have to turn my head/Until my darkness goes/I wanna see it painted/Painted black/Black as night/Black as coal/I wanna see the sun/Blotted out from the sky.” The urgency and violence of the music is just *chef’s kiss*.
8. “I’m Still Standing” – Elton John
With her country and her people threatened, Yaga risks all to save them, even if it means losing herself and the people she has come to love. Battle after battle is difficult on the mind and body, even an immortal one like hers, yet this song represents Yaga’s determination to succeed no matter the cost. I can just hear her saying, “You know I’m still standing better than I ever did/Looking like a true survivor.” The upbeat tempo, Elton’s powerful voice, and the relentlessness of the rhythm make this such a I will conquer anything in the world kind of song, even a maddened tsar with an army of murderous soldiers and immortals behind him.
9. “Something” – The Beatles
Spoiler territory, but at the beginning of the novel, Yaga is certain she wants to be alone for the rest of time. But romance may yet find her. This classic, absolutely flawless song is what it’s like to fall for someone truly interesting, with a little “something” to them. “Something in the way she moves/Attracts me like no other lover/Something in the way she woos me/I don’t want to leave her now/You know I believe and how.”
10. “Killer Queen” – Queen
More spoiler territory here, but this Queen song teases at one of the antagonists really well: “’Let them eat cake,’ she says/Just like Marie Antoinette/…Guaranteed to blow your mind/Anytime/…Insatiable an appetite/…Fastidious and precise/…To absolutely drive you wild, wild/She’s out to get you/She’s a Killer Queen.” It’s slow and measured, just like my antagonist, yet with a brilliant and colorful flair for drama—and blood.
11. “Bury a Friend” – Billie Eilish
There are instances in the novel when the characters, especially Yaga, think they’ve reached the end. They feel hopelessness, despair, indeed, darkness and death itself. The feel of this song, the uncertainty that pervades its every note and lyric, are perfect for those moments when any success over Ivan the Terrible seems impossible.
12. “Higher Ground” – Red Hot Chili Peppers
I love this song so, so much—it represents fighting back, keeping on, surviving. And kicking ass. It’s perfect for Yaga and her friends as they fight Ivan’s oppression, his systematic murder of his own people, his destruction of Russia’s old cities, and his autocratic style of ruling the country. I think this song is all about perseverance, that despite all the horrors, life can and does goes on. “World/Keep on turnin’,” the lyrics go. “[M]y last time on earth I lived a whole world of sin/I’m so glad that I know more than I knew then/Gonna keep on tryin’ till I reach the highest ground.”
13. “Superstition” – Stevie Wonder
The Witch and the Tsar isn’t just about Yaga’s fight against Ivan the Terrible, it is also her journey of self-discovery. In the beginning, Yaga says, “If I could live among mortals, healing and advising them, I would. But the legend that clung to me—the legend of Baba Yaga, built on lies and ill will—prevented it.” Yaga uses the legend as an excuse to hide from the life she so clearly wants. The story is about her finding her power and magic, about accepting the witch within her, and the woman. This song is just a lot of fun and is great at showing this empowerment. It also goes to how our minds can distort our perception of reality. And that there’s a little bit of superstition, and magic, in all of us. Ultimately, Yaga needs to make peace with Baba Yaga, all the gossip and rumors, maybe even to embrace them…and her.
14. “Nuvole Bianche” – Ludovico Einaudi
If I could think up a soundtrack for the feel of The Witch and the Tsar, it would be this piece. I listened to it through my entire writing, revising, and publishing process because it captures the heart and soul of the book—and my vision as a writer. From the soft and hesitant beginning (Yaga returning to humanity); to the beautiful—almost glittering—start (her arrival at a royal court); to the build in intensity, feeling, and drama (Yaga’s discovery of the world at large…and herself); to the magical, adventurous, almost wondrous feel to the music (the adventure Yaga goes on with the people she meets and learns to love). This piece is filled with romance and sadness and tragedy, but above all, it is filled with beauty and hope. As Yaga’s faithful owl tells her, “Hope dies last, Ya.”
Olesya Salnikova Gilmore was born in Moscow, Russia, raised in the U.S., and graduated from Pepperdine University with a BA in English/political science, and from Northwestern School of Law with a JD. She practiced litigation at a large law firm for several years before pursuing her dream of becoming an author. She is most happy writing historical fiction and fantasy inspired by Eastern European folklore. She lives in a wooded, lakeside suburb of Chicago with her husband and daughter. The Witch and the Tsar is her debut novel. Learn more online at olesyagilmore.com.
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