Contents
And what books do our regular experts recommend? Literary review from Jungian analyst Stanislav Raevsky.
«The Tale of Khoja Nasreddin» Leonid Solovyov
I was reminded of Hodja by my new acquaintance, who looks like the hero of the book. He teaches talented teenagers not to lose, but to develop their talent for the benefit of people. Leonid Solovyov, having written two stories about Khoja Nasreddin, probably became a real teacher of life for both him and me. His lessons of ingenuity, inspiration, and most importantly, love for life and people cannot be forgotten. Written half a century ago about things long past, and behind Bukhara and Kokand you see modern Russia with its greed, thirst for power, irresponsibility and oppression.
Alphabet, 400 p.
The Tibetan Book of Life and Death by Sogyal Rinpoche
Re-read after a long break by Sogyal Rinpoche. A real gift, a book that allows not only to reduce the fear of death, but also to be present in every moment of life. It is impossible not to wonder how modern psychology, both at the level of philosophy and at the level of methods, rediscovers the accumulated knowledge of Buddhism. Sogyal Rinpoche offers a very clear and grounded meditation practice of the Dzogchen tradition. That rare case when an understandable presentation does not lose the depth of wisdom.
Translation from English by Alexandra Yermoshina. Ganga, 688 p.
«Book of Interviews» Joseph Brodsky
I don’t read Brodsky’s interview, but I drink it like morning coffee in the fog of Venice, like the starry sky of the Mediterranean. An interlocutor with whom you cannot talk, and at the same time you are talking to him all the time. Dense texts, nouns and verbs. A sincere conversation between man and God, called individuation by Carl Jung.
Zakharov, 712 p.
«Immortality» Milan Kundera
This is, in my opinion, Kundera’s best book. It is no coincidence that he considers one of the most subtly reflective writers of Europe, Robert Musil, to be his main teacher. But if «A Man Without Qualities» or «Emotional Troubles of a Pupil of Terlis» by Musil (Eksmo, 2008; Azbuka, 2000) is a reading for an intellectual trained and armed with patience, then «Immortality» will be mastered by any reader with good taste. For me, this is a beautiful description of the destruction of the hero’s narcissistic defenses, breaking through the haze of sexual mirrors to the mystery of lost love.
Translation from Czech by Nina Shulgina. Alphabet, 384 p.
«Woman and Monkey» Peter Heg
Everything here is the way I like it. Many ideological problems and psychology, and practical. In addition, all this is wrapped in a fascinating story and conveyed in good language. Roman Hega is the Danish “to be or not to be”, but through the prism of ecology, love and optimism. Moreover, not naive optimism, but optimism with life experience. Coming to the zoo for the opening, in an almost empty pavilion, I look at the gorillas and cannot help but think about this amazing book.
Translated from Danish by Elena Krasnova. Symposium, 288 p.