Ivan Efremov Livres

Thais, the best-selling novel by Ivan Yefremov, a prominent Russian scientist and writer, was first published in Russia nearly forty years ago. It has sold millions of copies and to some extent has shaped the national cultural outlook on femininity and true humanity.Set in the era of Alexander the Great, the book tells a story of an Athenian hetaera Thais, whose fascinating image captures readers' hearts and minds from the very first chapter and makes you fall in love with the heroine, or more precisely the image created by Yefremov - the image of a Muse, a word that has gone out of use, as well as the concept itself. The novel embraces the authentic historical overview and, with more relevance to our time, offers a unifying distinction of the ancient philosophies and religions through the prism of the universal humane values of all times. The pivoting point of the novel is the female aspect of divinity, the disregard, and diminution of which led to the domination of machismo reflected in spiritual and social trends, culture and ultimately human progress. The time has come for the rest of the world to discover Thais in order to remind us all of what true feminine beauty is - a combination of beautiful body, mind, and spirit; the very ideal of a woman.

The romance Oecumene, a tale of Greece and Egypt, originally appeared in 1949; it is a story of the art and culture of these ancient worlds, and of the people who inhabited it; the varying landscape of Africa is shown in all its awe-inspiring grandeur.A young Hellene, Pandion, is enslaved by the Egyptians, escapes and on his way back home has many thrilling adventures. With his friends, the African Kidogo, and Etruscan Cavius, he crosses the African continent and on reaching the sea carves a wonderful cameo, a symbol of friendship and loyalty.A short story, The Hellenic Secret, is included in this volume. This tells the story of a young artist, drawn inexplicitly towards wanting to create a sculpture of his beloved out of ivory, but is haunted by visions after suffering injury during the war. Can a professor help him unravel his hallucinations?

«Лезвие бритвы» — знаковое произведение писателя, отличающееся невероятной многоплановостью. Это и захватывающий приключенческий роман с несколькими сюжетными линиями, объединенными тайной легендарной черной короны Александра Македонского, и научная фантастика, наполненная фактическим материалом, теоретическими положениями и гипотезами и, главным образом, тонкий, как лезвие бритвы, философский трактат о духовном могуществе человека, торжестве разума, поисках красоты и любви.