Fame or oblivion? Russian creativity in the arts and sciences Loren Graham

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Graham, Loren R., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Creation (Literary, artistic, etc.)--Social aspects.

Creation (Literary, artistic, etc.).

Creation (Literary, artistic, etc.)--Philosophy.

Russia--Intellectual life--History.

Russia.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Newton, MA Cherry Orchard Books 2025

Summary:

"Why do some creations flourish while others fade into obscurity? In Fame or Oblivion? the author makes a provocative thesis: that Russian society has historically nurtured literary and artistic genius while stifling technological innovation. Based on the tools of cultural and historical analysis, the book examines how social patterns, economic systems, and institutional support--or lack thereof--influence the outcomes of creative achievements. From the enduring heritage of Tolstoy and Tchaikovsky to the forgotten names of the inventors of early computers and lasers, this work put into contrast Russia's world's known contributions to literature, music, and mathematics with its underrecognized pioneers in science and technology. It argues that invention does not exist per se, but requires a huge environment of support, investment, and societal readiness. Though rooted in Russian history, the book offers a universal lens -- inviting readers to reflect on the correlation between genius and recognition, and to consider how societies can better harness the full spectrum of human ingenuity"-- De Gruyter Brill

Contents:

Preface : Discussions of creativity and politics

Alexander Pushkin : How repression helped a great poet create

Nikolai Lobachevsky : Anonymity promoted geometry

Nikolai Gogol : Winning fame by being an enigma

Pavel Shilling : How the environment thwarted technical creativity

Ivan Turgenev : Moderation in creativity is misunderstood

Fyodor Dostoevsky : Prison time provokes literary creativity

Pavel Yablochkov : Success abroad doesn’t help creativity at home

Nikolai Leskov : Praising technology for the wrong reason

Alexander Lodygin : Why a Russian lightbulb before Edison’s didn’t succeed

Modest Mussorgsky : Attempts at unique Russian music

Sofia Kovalevskaia : A woman’s tortured path to success

Dmitry Mendeleev : The advantages of backwardness

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov : An amateur becomes a professional

Borodin and Morse : Chemistry, music, art, and technology

Lev Tolstoy : Guilt boosts creativity

Petr Tchaikovsky : Great music in anguish

Anna Akhmatova : Fame and oblivion

Russian mathematics reaches for glory, and helps literature

Isaac Babel : Seduction and violence win fame

Maxim Gorky : The frustrated transformist

Nadezhda Mandelstam : Oppression nurtures fame

Rozing and Zvorykin : Forgotten inventors of television

Vladimir Mayakovsky : Revolution promotes then demotes creativity

Sergei Eisenstein : Fame and oblivion again

Sergei Prokofiev : Pleasing Soviet ideologues wasn’t always bad

Sergei Lebedev : Pioneering creativity followed by routine imitation

Dmitrii Lopatkin : Frustrated engineers object

Mikhail Sholokhov : From creativity to orthodoxy

A hidden side of technological achievements

Boris Pasternak : Preservation of intelligentsia values

Lev Landau : Enfant terrible and giant

Alexander Solzhenitsyn : The conventional rebel

Creativity in a prison

Sinyavsky and Daniel : Benefitting from persecution

Andrei Sakharov : Rationality, morality, and irrationality

How much has changed? Art and technology try to escape

Zhores Alferov : New transistors do not help

Grigori Perelman : The genius as caricature

Svetlana Aleksievich : The undesired witness

Computer programming and hacking

Putin as arbiter of all things

Concluding analysis

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references

Online resource; title from PDF title page (De Gruyter Brill, viewed January 12, 2026)

Other Format:

Print version Graham, Loren R. Fame or oblivion?

ISBN:

9798887198262

9798887198255

OCLC:

1539060407

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license