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Book reviews for "Bakaric,_Vladimir" sorted by average review score:

Turning Point: Revitalizing the Soviet Economy
Published in Hardcover by Doubleday (October, 1989)
Authors: Nikolai Shmelev and Vladimir Popov
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Death of Central Economic Planning
The authors, two Leninist economists from the (then) Soviet Union, drive the last nail into the coffin of central economic planning, also known as the command economy. While still favoring Socialism (collective ownership of the means of production; as in Lenin's New Economic Policy of the middle 1920's), they point out in great detail why individual enterprises and individual workers must be free to make their own decisions in the marketplace. Countless examples illustrate the folly of one-size-fits-all regulation. The book shows how the Soviet economy, then one of the world's largest, was essentially reduced to operating on a barter basis for wholesale (what are now called Business-to-Business) transactions.

It will greatly temper expectations of what can be accomplished by, and the price to be paid for, government intervention into the economy, whether done from Moscow or (for example) Washington, D.C.


Unified Field Theories in the First Third of the 20th Century
Published in Hardcover by Birkhauser (February, 1994)
Author: Vladimir Pavlovich Vizgin
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A book that'll force you to think in new ways.
An absolutely amazing book. The theories presented are beyond interesting. A must read for anyone interested in physics, mathematics and time.


The Vision of God
Published in Paperback by St Vladimirs Seminary Pr (August, 2001)
Author: Vladimir Lossky
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better vision
If you want a deeper vision of God read it. Draws his sources from the Church Fathers of the east. This book will stir the fire in your heart to want to know God in a deeper way. He shares the church fathers love and vision of God. He brings to life the essence of eastern mysticism which is to enter into the heavenly realm.


Waiting for Dessert
Published in Hardcover by Viking Press (April, 1982)
Author: Vladimir Estragon
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Wish there were second helpings!
In the mid-80's, this guy's biweekly food/family/life columns were the best part of the Village Voice. This book is a compliation (and expansion) of some of his finest. John Lennon's assassination, Phyllis Shlafly, Reagonomics, and other 80's phenomena make occasional foray into his reflections, but his main subject is his growing, changing family. I loved this book and wish there was a second volume.


Will the Bolsheviks Maintain Power
Published in Hardcover by Sutton Publishing (November, 1997)
Authors: Vladimir Ilich Lenin and Vladimir Il'ich Lenin
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Amazingly in-depth
Although this book is short (also, contrary to the description, it is paperback), it gives the reader an unusual perspective on what Lenin was thinking less than a month before the Bolshevik Revolution. Reading such primary sources is not a common occurence.


Wind Effects on Civil Engineering Structures (Studies in Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, Vol 2)
Published in Hardcover by Elsevier Science Ltd (March, 1984)
Authors: M. Pirner, O. Fischer, J. Naprstek, and Vladimir Kolousek
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Wind effects
This book is very good for students engaging in wind engineering.


With Popski's private army
Published in Unknown Binding by Janus Pub. Co ()
Author: Ben Owen
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An exhilarating ride with Popski's Private Army
If you have read Vladimir Peniakoff's memoir, then you will undoubtedly have an appetite for "With Popski's Private Army" by Ben Owen. It is the essential complement to Peniakoff's book, relating the perspective of his men. Ben Owen's book is a more intimate account of life - and death - in the ranks of the British Army's smallest independent unit, and leaves one missing the company of the men he so fondly recalls. The author gives a vivid portrayel of the warmth of comraderie set against the attrition and suffering of conflict,and breaths life into the discreet cameos of Peniakoff's book. Along with humour and pathos this book is richly adorned with accounts of breath-taking daring, skill and guile. This is a superb account of a vanishing breed, and I urge you to acquaint yourself with these remarkable men. Copies of this book are available from the author.


The World of Art of the Centenary of the Exhibition: Russian and Finnish Artists 1898
Published in Hardcover by Gosudarstvennyj Russkij Muzej (January, 1998)
Authors: Solli Sinisalo and Vladimir Lenyashin
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"The World of Art" revisited
The World of Art (Mir Iskusstva) is the stuff of legends. The World of Art refers to both an artistic journal and an art movement that held sway in Russia at almost the same time. The movement was a break from the traditions of the fabulous "Wandering Artists (Peredvizniki). That group of artists was absolutely the most dominant in Russian art for more than thirty years. In order to understand the impact of the artistic movement "World of Art" we must go back some thirty years before to divulge some information about the existing order that was the Wandering Artistic Group.

The Wanderers were the first Russian artists to move out from under the umbrella of the Russian Imperial Academy of Arts so that they could paint what they saw as opposed to classical art that forced them to paint subject matters in the style of ancient Greek and Roman art. These painters became a part of the movement by the Russian intelligentsia that wanted to expose the injustices of the prevailing social order. They insisted on painting Russian life as it was. They became marvelous plein air painters depicting for the first time Russian nature in all of aspects. They took portraiture art to new heights and incorporated drawings as a pure art form for the first time in Russian art history. Before this drawings were used only as preparation for the main painting which was to follow.

The Wanderers boasted some of the most famous artists in all of Russian art history. Names such as Repin, Savitski, Savrasov, Surikov, Levitan, Makovsky, Yaroshenko, Shishken, Kunji, Ghe, and Kramskoi among many others. They painted the paintings that most Russian art critics would consider to be the very best of what Russian oil painting has to offer. For over thirty years and numerous exhibitions the work of these artists were all that mattered to the people of Russia. After some years of open conflict with the government and the Imperial Academy, it was the government that submitted to the artists. You must understand this before you can realize how important the World of Art was. It was incredibly important, if only for the reason that it supplemented the Peredvizniki. In reality it was far more that. Whereas names such as the art critic Stasov, and the great collect Tretyakov are indelibly linked to the Wanderers, equally important names such as Sergei Diaghilev and Leon Bakst are just as cemented to the movement known as the World of Art.

The World of Art appealed to a new and younger group of artists. They wanted even more freedom of expression and to paint something new and fresh. The icons of their movement were Serov, Kustodiev, Vrubel, Benois, Somov, Ryabushkin, Korovin, and Petrov Vodkin, and again many others. The World of Art brought a new focus on art that ranged from the sublime to the fantastic. In addition the World of Art incorporated the Russes Ballet and a new emphasis on Russian theater art. The world of art went to Paris and London and demonstrated to Europe that Russian artists ranked among the best in the world. It is safe to speculate that the reign of dominance of the members of the World of Art would have had a grater life span if it had not been for the Russian revolution and the subsequent turn to social painting that followed.

This book is rich in its art and its information. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in either art or Russia. The plates of the paintings are spectacular and should make anyone hungry for a trip to Russia and the Russian State Museum of Art.


Zashchita Luzhina
Published in Paperback by Ardis Publishers (June, 1979)
Author: Vladimir Nabokov
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The Defense
The Defense by Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov is absolutely superb. It is all at once humorous, morosely serious, and fascinating. Of course, any book about an insane grandmaster has to be good. As a matter of fact, this book was so good that it was made into a movie, which was equally impressive. The best line out of the book, which I often shout out loud in public, is, "Your son is a cheat, just as you're a cheat. I'm surrounded by cheats!" My recommendation: read the book. It's a fantastic emotional roller coaster ride that leaves you out of breath! Oh, yes, and DON'T read the last line until you get there! It leaves your mouth agape and makes you go want to cry in your room for a few weeks.


Lolita
Published in Paperback by Grijalbo Mondadori, S.A (May, 1996)
Author: Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov
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A marvel of modern prose...
...although if you want to argue that it's poetry, I can't stop you. It's hard to believe that English is Nabokov's third language. It's also probably impossible to read the first paragraph without having your curiosity piqued. Try it, if you haven't read it already. I'd go so far as to say it's maybe the best opening I've ever read in a book, besides the one from which I took my name.

People unfamiliar with the work will probably approach it with a certain amount of apprehension. It's really about as far from pornography as you can get, though. The author provides a witty and fairly enlightening essay addressing charges of obscenity as an epilogue. The only real problem I can find with this book is that the writing is a bit too floral in places. Even the keenest of literary minds will most likely falter a bit here.

For readability, Lolita loses one star. This, however, is part of what makes it beautiful: it is no way an ordinary book, one that you can read and be done with in a week. For those desiring a challenge, or a refreshingly original style, Nabokov comes highly recommended.

An Original Love Story And More
A brilliant book by what appears to be a brilliant author (this is the first book of Nabokov's I've read). The first thing you have to do is disregard everything you have heard about this being a vulgar, exploiting book. It is not. There is no pornography to be found here - unlike Dostoyevsky who describes the deeds of his villain in detail, Nabokov avoids the cleverly set trap that would surely have made this a much less appealing novel. What it is, and much more so than for example "Romeo and Juliet", is a love story. Granted, it is a story about forbidden love; a middle-aged man desperately in love with a young girl, but it is still a love story.

Let me return once more to Dostoyevsky. I found myself comparing Humbert Humbert to Dostoyevsky's Raskolnikov in "Crime and Punishment" - a person torn apart by his own conscience, trying to hang on to his sanity by telling himself that he is doing the right thing. And just like Dostoyevsky, Nabokov takes us inside the mind of a criminal, as if he is trying to makle us understand him. And the greatness of Nabokov lies in the fact that he pulls it off. Even though you don't like Humbert - and you most certainly will not - you can begin to understand the reasons behind his behavior. Perhaps this - and the beautiful prose, of course - is the true greatness of Vladimir Nabokov.

brilliant prose
Nabokov's genius is even more bewildering when you consider that English is not his first (nor even his second, I think), language and that he moved to America well into his adulthood. This is the only thing by Nabokov I have ever read (but will not be the last unless I die suddenly in the next few days) and his prose is extraordinary. It's direct, biting, and yet as lyrical as poetry. This is a book that can be read many times without loss of richness.

The content of this book is notorious. It is also very touching. It's a perfect tragedy. Now then. Lolita is far from being a sugary sweet angel. She has had sex before, she is manipulative, self-contained, seductive, crass...but so clearly through the voice of Humbert (the older man) you can see how young she is, how horribly abused, and how he is slowly destroying her.

Why would anybody ever want to read such a thing? For two reasons (in my opinion). Firstly, as I mentioned above, because Nabokov is a great artist. Very few books I have read come close to his craftsmanship in terms of stringing words together.

Secondly because abuse happens. People will gain control over others and then not act in their best interests. It happens, it can be horrible, and so it makes sense to examine it as part of the human condition. On the cover of this paperback edition, Vanity Fair claims it is "the greatest love story of all time", which seems a little weird, given that this "love" is completely one-sided and involves assaulting, trapping, manipulating and destroying a young girl.

But don't get the wrong impression. The content is dark, but the mood of the book is surprisingly light; and there are distinct passages and descriptions that are downright beautiful.

There are a lot of books around, but very few of this quality. Really. Read it.


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