My personal library

This page features the most essential and valuable writings to me personally. Hence this page doesn't constitute my entire library but rather serves as an introduction to it, as well as doing the job of simultaneously introducing myself. Direct links to all of the writings are provided for reference - like a real library - with my own short introductions.

Please be aware that this page is international and contains links to literature in many different languages, all languages I speak and in translations I prefer - for one reason or another.

Orthodoxy

View in higher resolution, Link to full resolution (wiki)

My preferred translation of the Bible is the Russian Synodal translation of the Bible (Синодальный перевод Библии).¹

Absolutely timeless reflections have been written by Isaak Sirin (Isaac of Nineveh) (преподобный Исаак Сирин Ниневийский), which serve as a breathtaking introduction into the mysticism of Eastern Christianity. In his writings he teaches us to look at the world as a school and learn to have admiration even for the tiniest details of our everyday lives.²

Taoism

View painting in High resolution

Introducing Taosim, 道教 (Dàojiào) is an almost impossible task (just read the first chapter of Tao te Ching and you will see why). These texts greatly shaped my own philosophy and approach to life, like for example my way of teaching music ("teaching without talking"). Here I am recommending the translation of the most famous Taoist Writing, 道德经 (dàodé jīng) by 老子 (lǎozi), by Thomas Cleary.³

Zhuangzi, 南华真经 (nánhuā zhēnjīng) (German: Das wahre Buch vom südlichen Blütenland) is next to the aforementioned Tao te Ching one of the most important texts of the Taoist philosophy. It features a collection of tales and stories that help us to get a closer grip on the Taoist' way of thinking, my favourite translation being by far the one by Richard Wilhelm.⁴

易經 (Yì jīng), the Book of Changes, may very well be described as the most important Chinese book ever.⁵ It the basis for all later Chinese philosophies, and one might even go as far as to describe all Chinese philosophies just approaches to explain and formalize this book.

One of the most popular books on 内丹 (nèi dān) Inner Alchemy is the secret of the golden flower, which centers around the concept of "turning light around" i.e. becoming aware of one's thoughts. ⁶ This book is a nice bridge between Taoism and Buddhism, showing that the symbolism of both philosophies is very similar.

Buddhism

View painting in High resolution

A concise summary of everything that Buddhism embodies can be found in Stopping and seeing by Chih-i, here also translated by Thomas Cleary.⁷ The cliché of meditation often associated with Buddhism has thereby transcended into a wider philosophical context, having surprising parallels with teachings of Holy Fathers such as the aforementioned Isaac of Nineveh. That said, Minding Mind is another great book that includes practical examples of Buddhist meditation techniques.⁸

Non-fiction

View painting in High resolution

The following book by Leonid Sabaneev (Reminiscences of Scriabin) directly sparked my interest towards the composer Alexander Scriabin.⁹ A speciality of this book is that it is not a tedious biography but rather is a very entertaining read. This book was even one of the reasons I founded the Scriabin Club, a place for conversations about Art and Life.

For any person interested in Art I can highly recommend Sculpting in Time by the famous movie director Andrey Tarkovsky, here included both in Russian as well as in English.¹⁰ His views on art, its connection to spirituality and religion, its role in society and some of the dangerous tendencies of modernism are an important eye opener for all people even remotely interested in Arts. I might as well add in the same breath that my favourite movie of all time is his 1979 movie Stalker (Сталкер).

Fiction

View painting in High resolution

If asked what my favourite books of the fiction genre is, I would answer it is The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky.¹¹ To introduce it in a short paragraph isn't possible, but in short: This book has everything. Even characterizing it as fiction wouldn't do it fully justice, because in its own way it exposes the reality of human behaviour and humans' tormented souls that desperately require meaning, simultaneously with surgical precision and unmatched elegance, especially in its original language. For me personally it has been of very great influence in my own journey towards a more meaningful existence. Believe it or not, Dostoevsky even references Isaak Sirin¹².

One of my favourite German writers from the period of the Sturm und Drang is Friedrich Schiller. In my eyes he has a deeper intuition for human psychology, masterfully incorporated in a subliminal way and transcending the cultural clichés of his time. His works have an Shakespearean element, and in their dramaturgy sometimes feel very "Russian": Unsurprisingly in his Brothers Karamazov Dostoevsky often hints to Schiller's The robbers (Die Räuber).¹³

View painting in High resolution

A less philosophically demanding, but definitely no less captivating read, are most of HP Lovercraft's works. After the inclusion of all the above literature, their place on this list might seem surprising. However, next to understanding life, books sometimes can also be used for entertainment, and this definitely entertainment of highest quality, while also highlighting the beauties of the English language. The picture from up above is by Nicholas Roerich, whose paintings Lovecraft also references in my favourite novel of his - At the Mountains of Madness¹⁴.

Book links