Bücher von Vladimir Sergeyevich Solovyov

This book by the Russian novelist Vsevolod Sergeyevich Solovyov (1849-1903), translated and abridged by Walter Leaf (1852-1927) and published in 1895, reflects on the life of Madame Helena Blavatsky (1831-1891), co-founder of the theosophy movement in the United States. Originally published over eight months in literary magazine Russy Vyestnik ('Russian Messenger'), the book considers the controversy that engulfed Blavatsky in her final years over displays of her 'phenomena'. Solovyov was living in Paris in 1884 and researching spiritualist literature when he met Blavatsky (whose work was known in Russia), but he became disillusioned with both her and her movement. Leaf, a classical scholar and fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, undertook the translation for the Council of the Society for Psychical Research, which had investigated Blavatsky's work. This account now provides a window on to the life of one of Europe's most controversial nineteenth-century spiritual leaders.

In this, perhaps his most important work, Solovyov explores notions of God, goodness, and spirituality, and how he saw the modern world was changing them. What does it mean to be "good"? What, if any, virtues are inherent in humanity? How can we reflect goodness in the practical realms of politics and society on the whole?Solovyov's thoughts on some of the most basic questions we have ever asked are provocative and intriguing; they had a profound influence on the writings of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, as well as the thinkers of the Soviet era.Russian philosopher and literary critic VLADIMIR SERGEYEVICH SOLOVYOV (1853-1900) lived at a vital moment in history, in which the burgeoning modernity of the Industrial Revolution was forever changing how humans live and what we believe. Solovyov spent his lifetime seeking truth-he experimented with and then discarded numerous religious philosophies, including atheism. Eventually, Solovyov settled on Christianity as the best path to goodness and rightness in the world.