Barbara was her stage name - she had been born Monique Serf in Paris in 1930.

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At eight he was writing formal French verse as well as memorising the intricate Russian fairytales which his devoted serf nanny told him.

ECONOMIST: Russian writers

"The ruling bodies of the gilds wielded an actual jurisdiction over their members, punishing them with the same punishments that a feudal lord imposed upon his serf, " writes historian Tom Girtin.

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There were serf-like doormen, invisible porters who hauled out the trash, a squad of Polish maids who came Wednesday and Friday mornings to pick up after Kendall and scrub the toilet in the Moorish bathroom and tidy up the sunny kitchen where he ate his lunch.

NEWYORKER: Great Experiment