El icono y el hacha....The Icon and the axe

Magnifica historia interpretativa de la cultura y el pensamiento ruso modernos. El libro me ha gustado, porque se lee con sencillez y a la vez cada pagina tiene una densidad de datos y nombres enorme. Facil de asimilar, porque no tiene la ilusión ni la pretensión de ofrecer a quien lo lee un inventario economico, politico o social del patrimonio cultural ruso, sino una clave sencilla para comprenderlo poco a poco a medida que se va conociendo mas por otras fuentes..Es ante todo un relato sencillo, que busca abrir, mas que cubrir este amplisimo tema y no simplemente codificar un consenso ya establecido.

El periodo objeto de consideración en el libro son los tres ultimos 600 años, durante los cuales, Rusia surge como civilización poderosa, distinta y crativa, de la mano de inquietos disidentes y de oligarcas dominantes , de sacedotes y profetas, y tambien de poetas y politicos, se analizan los logros, las angustias y las aspiraciones de la cultura rusa. El propio titulo tiene ya un significado especial para los rusos, "el icono y el hacha", pues ambos elementos tradicionales de la cultura rusa, se colgaban juntos en las paredes en la Rusia forestal, del norte, que sirven ambos para evocar el aspecto terrenal como el imaginario de esta. Creo que es una completa, erudita y brillante exposición de la cultura rusa.

Magnificent interpretive history of the culture and the Russian thought modern. I have liked the book, because it is read by simplicity and simultaneously every page has an enormous thickness of information and names. Easy to assimilate, because it has neither the illusion nor the pretension to offer the one who reads his an economic, political or social inventory of the Russian cultural heritage, but a simple key to understand it little by little as one knows more for other sources. It is first of all a simple history, which he thinks about how to open, more that to cover this widest topic and not simply to codify an already established consensus.

The period objected of consideration in the book last three are 600 years, during which, Russia arises like powerful, different civilization and crativa, of the hand of anxious dissidents and of domineering oligarchs, of sacedotes and prophets, and also of poets and politicians, there are analyzed the achievements, the anxiety and the aspirations of the Russian culture. The proper title already has a special meaning for the Russians, "the icon and the axe", since both traditional elements of the Russian culture, they were hung together on the walls in the forest Russia, of the north, which serve both to evoke the earthly aspect as the imaginary one of this one. I believe that it is a finished, erudite and brilliant exhibition of the Russian culture.