Author Olga Hughes

Olga Hughes

Olga Hughes has a BFA from the Victorian College of the Arts and a BA majoring in History and Literary Studies from Deakin University. She has also contributed to websites such as History Behind Game of Thrones. Her research interests include medieval and early modern history, folklore and fairy tales.

A Christmas Feast In The Court of Richard III

Olga Hughes

December 23, 2016

History, History of Food

On the eleventh day of Christmas we discuss what would have been served at a Christmas feast during the reign of Richard III An oft-repeated excerpt from The Crowland Chronicle Continuations claims that the... Read More...

The English Christmas Panto from the Regency to Its Roots by Kyra Kramer

Olga Hughes

December 21, 2016

History

On the ninth day of Christmas Kyra Kramer joins us to discuss the English pantomime. The Christmas panto is a very British tradition, one still embraced in some former colonial states and eschewed altogether... Read More...

Greensleeves by Adrienne Dillard

Olga Hughes

December 20, 2016

History

On the eighth day of Christmas Adrienne Dillard joins us to discuss the iconic Greensleeves. Greensleeves by Adrienne Dillard Let’s face it, whether you recognize it as Greensleeves or What Chil... Read More...

How Sara Crewe Saved The Little Match Girl

Olga Hughes

December 19, 2016

History of Folk & Fairy Tales

This week we have been discussing the festive season in Tudor England, and largely the nobility's version of Christmas, with celebrations and games and lavish banquets marking the end of a fasting period - whic... Read More...

Christmas With Queen Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII by Sandra Vasoli

Olga Hughes

December 17, 2016

History

On the fifth day of Christmas Sandra Vasoli shares a tale of Christmas with Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII from her novel 'Truth Endures' Christmas With Queen Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII by Sandra Vasoli The... Read More...

Festive Marchpane by Claire Ridgway

Olga Hughes

December 16, 2016

History, History of Food

On the fourth day of Christmas Claire Ridgway joins us to discussthe festive tradition of marchpane and marzipan. Marchpane by Claire Ridgway Marzipan, along with turrón, is one of the sweets sold traditional... Read More...

The Light in the Labyrinth – Christmas at Greenwich

Olga Hughes

December 15, 2016

History

On the third day of Christmas Wendy J. Dunn shares a tale of Christmas at Greenwich from her novel 'The Light in the Labyrinth'. My two Anne Boleyn novels, Dear Heart, How Like You This? and The Light in the... Read More...

A Tudor Christmas by Sarah Bryson

Olga Hughes

December 13, 2016

Historical Miscellany, History

On the first day of Christmas Sarah Bryson introduces us to Christmas with the Tudors! Tudor Christmas by Sarah Bryson Christmas during the Tudor period, especially during the reign of Henry VIII, was very di... Read More...

The Trial of Elizabeth Poldark

Olga Hughes

December 12, 2016

Books, Film & TV

The following contains spoilers for Poldark Season 2. Elizabeth Chynoweth has never been in an advantageous position with readers. In the first instance, when the protagonist Ross Poldark returns to his home i... Read More...

In the Footsteps of the Six Wives of Henry VIII with Natalie Grueninger and Sarah Morris

Olga Hughes

November 23, 2016

History, Interviews

In 2014 Natalie Grueninger and Sarah Morris took us on a unique journey through the life of Queen Anne Boleyn, exploring the historical places associated with Anne and sharing their experiences so Tudor ent... Read More...

Five Reasons Fantastic Beasts Will Be Better Than The Harry Potter Films

Olga Hughes

November 16, 2016

Harry Potter

David Yates It is an unfortunate fact that the first four Harry Potter films were a disappointment. I had actually forgotten just how dreadful the first two films were until this week when Harry Potter and the... Read More...

Christopher Tolkien Awarded the Bodley Medal

Olga Hughes

November 1, 2016

Books

Christopher Tolkien is to receive the Bodley Medal, awarded by the Bodleian Libraries of the University of Oxford for outstanding contributions to the worlds of literature, culture, science, and communication. ... Read More...

Elizabeth Norton’s ‘The Lives of Tudor Women’ Book Tour – The Seven Ages of Women

Olga Hughes

October 12, 2016

Books, History

Elizabeth Norton has brought us intriguing and compelling historical studies and biographies, looking at both the famous and infamous Queens of England, the consorts of King Henry VIII, his mistress and the mot... Read More...

Banned Books Week 2016: Enid and Noddy Defeat the Despots

Olga Hughes

September 29, 2016

Books

Over the last few decades the word "racist" has become almost synonymous with Enid Blyton's name. Accusations of sexism and classism have also persisted, along with the BBC's recent desperate campaign to expose... Read More...

Penguin Comes to the Hundred Acre Wood for Winnie-the-Pooh’s 90th Anniversary

Olga Hughes

September 23, 2016

Books

Winnie-the-Pooh's 90th anniversary will be celebrated with an official sequel The Best Bear in all the World, and a new friend coming to the Hundred-Acre-Wood. Author Brian Sibley, who has written one of the... Read More...

The Maligned Lady Rochford – An Interview and Cover Reveal with Adrienne Dillard

Olga Hughes

September 19, 2016

History, Interviews

Nothing remains of Jane Boleyn. We do not know what she looked like, where she is buried, and we have rarely seen a word that she ever spoke recorded by anyone. Jane was an unimportant woman, yet she once walke... Read More...

Scandalous Liaisons : Charles II and His Court with R.E. Pritchard

Olga Hughes

September 14, 2016

History, Interviews

When faced with the legend of Charles II, and his decadent court, it is tempting to think that, like so many histories, much has been exaggerated. Yet Scandalous Liaisons : Charles II and His Court reveals ... Read More...