Grigory Ryzhakov – Russian Writer

bonding art + science

Death

A Rediscovered Life of Sabina Spielrein: Sex vs Survival

Sometimes, history corrects itself, and we re-discover a forgotten gem or a genius. In the latter case, it is a matter of historical justice to finally acknowledge a contribution of such a genius to the progress of our civilization.

It is a great pleasure for me to introduce you to one of the most original thinkers of the XXth century, an almost forgotten Russian psychologist Sabina Spielrein, whose recently published first full biography in English called Sex vs Survival I review in this blog.… Read the rest

Grigory Ryzhakov 2 Jan 2015 Books, Death, psychology, Russia, Science 3 Comments

The Pillowman cast photo by pjgeller (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

On the Halloween night I went to see a new adaptation of Martin McDonagh’s play The Pillowman at Oxford Playhouse Theatre, a black comedy that swept me off with its masterful accomplishment.… Read the rest

Grigory Ryzhakov 1 Nov 2014 Death, humour, psychology, Writing No Comments

‘The Sublimes’ by Yuri Mamleev, a Russian edition cover, click to get the book in Russian

Almost half a century ago, in 1966, a book was published unofficially via samizdat in the Soviet Russia. A book that both terrified and dazzled the literary establishment.… Read the rest

Grigory Ryzhakov 24 Mar 2014 Books, Death, Russia 1 Comment

Forget the Death. (the central motto in the new Russian scifi novel “Future” by Dmitry Glukhovsky).

Dystopian and post-apocalyptic science fiction has been popular from the very birth day of the genre. Many recent novels of this kind focus on intricate plots, yet an occasional gem goes a notch above and explores some deep themes and ideas and things that may actually happen in the near future.… Read the rest

Grigory Ryzhakov 27 Feb 2014 Books, Death, Russia, Science No Comments

Hans Thoma, Loneliness, 1880

This is a bit of a ‘free flow of thought’ post about a common fear of being lonely.

Homo sapiens is a social animal: the mankind has evolved in tribes and the solitary lifestyle is not natural for us.… Read the rest

Grigory Ryzhakov 27 Sep 2013 Death, psychology, Self-help, Writing No Comments

Usher Syndrome: an Idea and a Drug

There are many people around us we tend to avoid: loud, dangerous and especially sick. There are also many people who suffer from genetic diseases we’ve never even heard about. Unless, we ourselves or our friends or relatives are the ones who are affected.… Read the rest

Grigory Ryzhakov 20 Feb 2013 Books, Death, Science 2 Comments

The Spy's Funeral, by Hablot Knight Browne, Phiz (an illustration to Charles Dickens's "A Tale of Two Cities", London, Wordsworth Classics, 1999, scanned by Robert Ferrieux)

The Spy’s Funeral, by Hablot Knight Browne, Phiz (an illustration to Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities”, London, Wordsworth Classics, 1999, scanned by Robert Ferrieux)

Do you think real literature is becoming obsolete? Here’s what I think about it.… Read the rest

Grigory Ryzhakov 11 Jan 2013 Death, humour, Writing No Comments