The Library of Russian Philosophy and Culture “The Losev House”

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In the Losev museum are displayed Losev’s books, personal effects, photographs and documents. A memorial to Losev was prepared for the Library garden in 2006. Losev’s sculpted portrait on large marble base is the first monument to Russian philosopher in our country.

“The Losev House” is a genuine culture centre because it provides people with a large choice of culture programs. These include the seminar “Russian philosophy (tradition and modern times)”, the seminar “Moscow library’s philosophical evenings”, the historical club “Green Lamp of the Arbat”, lectures on culture, meetings with famous researchers and modern philosophers, books presentations, musical concerts and exhibitions. Special evenings were dedicated to the memory of the Slavophiles, Gustav Shpet, Mikhail Bakhtin, Nikolai Berdiaev, Sergii Bulgakov, Vasilii Rozanov, Viacheslav Ivanov. For example in December 2006 on the occasion of the 140th anniversary of Viach. Ivanov “The Losev House” participated in organizing the international conference “Viacheslav Ivanov: the poet– the thinker– the scientist”.

The cultural programs and regularly-held international conferences “Losev readings” have contributed to “The Losev House” popularity. The last “Losev Readings” were dedicated to Vl. Solovyov and Russian Silver century culture and to the cultural traditions of the famous volume “Vekhi”, in which such thinkers as Berdiaev, Bulgakov, Struve, and Frank wrote the truth about first Russian revolution of 1905.

These international conferences were initiated by the cultural society “The Losev Colloquia”. This culture society appeared soon after Losev’s death as an association of Losev’s friends, pupils and admirers. “The Losev Colloquia” not only initiated the conferences of “Losev Readings”, but also advised Moscow Mayor Luzhkov to organize a cultural centre dedicated to Losev’s memory. This idea was approved by Mr. Luzhkov and as result of this decision The Library of Russian philosophy and culture “The Losev House” had appeared.

The last international conference about the volume Vekhi in October 2005 was the eleventh. The materials of the “Losev Readings” are edited by publishing house “Nauka”, under the auspices of the Russian Academy of Science. Recent publications include the 2002 volume “Viacheslav Ivanov: His Art and Destiny” and the 2005 collection “Vladimir Solovyov and the Culture of the Silver Age”. The international editorial board comprises Robert Bird (The University of Chicago), Edith Clowes (Kansas University), Vladimir Marchenkov (Ohio University), Evert van der Zweerde (Nejmegen, Netherlands), Mihael Elchaninov (Paris University), Leonid Stolovich (Tartu University) and from the Moscow state University prof. Aleksandr Dobrohotov, Aza and Elena Takho-Godi. Many scholars from the USA, Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Poland, and Japan take part in biannual conferences. The next Losev conference will be held in October 2007 under the title “Antiquity and Russian Culture of the Silver Age.”

The Library’s cultural programs devote much attention to meetings with lineal descendant and inheritors of famous Russian families. Among our distinguished guests we can name descendents of Florensky, Pasternak, Gershenzon, Spet, Glinka-Volzhskij, Viacheslav Ivanov. The Library holds lectures by scholars from institutes of the Russian Academy of Science, such as Moscow universities and museums such as the Tretyakov Gallery or the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts. You can learn more about all the cultural events in “The Losev House” from the Library’s journal “Losev’s House Bulletin” and from the Library’s internet site.

As you see, as many different books in different subjects there are in “The Losev House”, there are as many different programs and meetings with researchers of the most various interests and positions. However we realize that these are only the different branches of the same tree of culture, only the different parts of everyday cultural life, only different points of view in the everyday cultural dialogue. In particular philosophy and culture are important to our understanding of the world. They help people find their way in the changing world. The Library of Russian Philosophy and Culture “The Losev House” strives to play its own active role in this important process.

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