Grigory Ryzhakov – Russian Writer

Russia

Literature as a medicine for our stagnation

Books on the power-line by Katja Ullrich (Own work) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

One may ask why reading as a past-time is still essential now.

As a society, we don’t question the importance of reading as a tool of personal development, of building a view of the world and understanding of science, culture and ethics.… Read the rest

A Rediscovered Life of Sabina Spielrein: Sex vs Survival

Sex vs S

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

Pelevin’s Russia: Buddhism, Schizophrenia, Politics, History and Postmodernism

Eighteen years after its publication, the novel Buddha’s Little Finger (Чапаев и Пустота) written by Victor Pelevin remains important and fresh.

Graffiti in Kharkiv (Ukraine), illustrating Pelevin’s novel Buddha’s Little Finger by V. Vizu (own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) undefined GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)]

There is a reason why Russia is such a mysterious country for the rest of the world.… Read the rest