Jurij Moskvitin
Encyclopedia
Jurij Moskvitin was a classical pianist
, composer
, philosopher, mathematician
and boheme.
Jurij Moskvitin grew up in Denmark; his mother a Russian aristocrat and his father was a Danish civil engineer. After World War II
he studied at The Royal Danish Academy of Music
in Copenhagen
. He then obtained a master's degree
in Philosophy
at the University of Copenhagen
.
He was a friend of Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen
), Simon Spies
, Tao Nørager
and Henrik Stangerup.
His works include:
He was one of the main characters in the documentary "En aften i november" the other being Ilja Bergh. He was also interviewed in the documentary "At skrive eller dø & At forråde virkeligheden" about his relationship with Henrik Stangerup. He regularly appeared in the Danish TV-program "Smagsdommerne" until his death. He also appears in the radio documentary "Eliten fra Minefeltet" where he talks about his relationship to the pianist Klaus Heerfordt.
forms." Moskvitin came to believe that the hypnagogic patterns he was observing were the actual `material' out of which the conscious mind `builds' its representation of the external world. Our inner world of dreams and visions comes before the outer one of sensory stimuli (Closed-eye hallucination
).
and logic
and features illustrations by Jakob Hoffmeyer. It was published by Sommer og Sørensen.
under a pen name
. The aim was to create debate and interest in the book, but Moskvitin's plan backfired and the result was a low sale.
era of Simon Spies's life during the late 60's in which Moskvitin and Spies were close friends. Years later Moskivitin decided to edit out some of the more obscene details while making the book more readable. This "final version" called "Historien om et venskab" was published in 1999 by Lindhardt og Ringhof.
Moskvitin wrote this self-portrait as the first of two books, the second of which was never published. It contains the story of Moskvitin's childhood and youth. Moskvitin notably describes how he became friends with Karen Blixen
, how he had his first sexual intercourse in Paris
, his first great concert in Cairo
, and his mother's aristocratic friends. The book follows Moskvitin in his never ending search for women, drugs and spiritual insight. The book was published in 2001 by Lindhardt og Ringhof.
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, philosopher, mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
and boheme.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he studied at The Royal Danish Academy of Music
The Royal Danish Academy of Music
The Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen was founded in 1867 by the composer Niels Wilhelm Gade. It is the oldest professional institution of musical education in Denmark as well as the largest with approximately 400 students...
in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
. He then obtained a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
.
He was a friend of Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen
Karen Blixen
Baroness Karen von Blixen-Finecke , , née Karen Christenze Dinesen, was a Danish author also known by her pen name Isak Dinesen. She also wrote under the pen names Osceola and Pierre Andrézel...
), Simon Spies
Simon Spies
Simon Ove Christian Oglivie Spies was a famous Danish tycoon, best known for starting the charter airline Spies Rejser, which is owned by MyTravel today....
, Tao Nørager
Tao Nørager
The documentary follows the increasingly anxious Mackenzie in the last days before a fashion show giving a unique view into the fashion world. As opposed to Nørager's fashion shootings featuring a complete film crew, Nørager chose to be the cameraman himself, in that way ensuring that he did not...
and Henrik Stangerup.
His works include:
- Essay on The Origin of Thought 1974 (philosophy)
- Det er spændende at tænke 1976 (philosophy)
- Music to the movie "Jorden Er Flad or The Earth is Flat" 1977 by Henrik Stangerup
- Den store undren 1992 (philosophy)
- Simon Spies. Historien om et venskab 1984-1999 (biography)
- Den døve øgle 2001 (Self-Portraits)
- Du må ikke sjuske med dit liv 2008 (biography; Henrik Stangerup)
He was one of the main characters in the documentary "En aften i november" the other being Ilja Bergh. He was also interviewed in the documentary "At skrive eller dø & At forråde virkeligheden" about his relationship with Henrik Stangerup. He regularly appeared in the Danish TV-program "Smagsdommerne" until his death. He also appears in the radio documentary "Eliten fra Minefeltet" where he talks about his relationship to the pianist Klaus Heerfordt.
Essay on the Origin of Thought 1974
Describes how Moskvitin came to observe "states of mind when consciousness is kept somewhere halfway between the waking state and dream." Moskvitin became aware of strange "sparks" and "smoke-like forms", which "upon close and intense observation became the elements of waking dreams, forming persons, landscapes, strange mathematical fractalFractal
A fractal has been defined as "a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of which is a reduced-size copy of the whole," a property called self-similarity...
forms." Moskvitin came to believe that the hypnagogic patterns he was observing were the actual `material' out of which the conscious mind `builds' its representation of the external world. Our inner world of dreams and visions comes before the outer one of sensory stimuli (Closed-eye hallucination
Closed-eye hallucination
Closed-eye hallucinations and closed-eye visualizations are a distinct class of hallucination. These types of hallucinations generally only occur when one's eyes are closed or when one is in a darkened room. They are a form of phosphene....
).
Det er spændende at tænke 1976 (It's Exciting to Think)
This book was made by Moskvitin in an effort to kick start a child's imagination. It contains classical examples in philosophyPhilosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and logic
Logic
In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
and features illustrations by Jakob Hoffmeyer. It was published by Sommer og Sørensen.
Den store undren 1992 (The Great Wonder)
This book takes up the philosophical questions: What is time? who am I? What is real? Why does anything exist at all? and presents them for the adult reader while guiding the reader through the history of philosophy. The book was published by Lindhart og Ringhof in 1992. Shortly thereafter Moskvitin wrote a highly critical and devastating review of his book in the Danish newspaper PolitikenPolitiken
Politiken is a Danish daily broadsheet newspaper, published by JP/Politikens Hus.The newspaper comes third among Danish newspapers in terms of both number of readers and circulated copies ....
under a pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
. The aim was to create debate and interest in the book, but Moskvitin's plan backfired and the result was a low sale.
Simon Spies. Historien om et venskab 1984,1999 (Simon Spies. The Story of a Friendship)
This book was published twice. Immediately after Spies's death April 16, 1984 Moskivitin began Writing the book which he managed to publish within the same year under the title "Simon Spies - en myte" (Simon Spies a myth). The book received a critical reception in that it painted an honest, but non-glamorous portrait of the Danish tycoon. The book concerns itself with the psychedelicPsychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
era of Simon Spies's life during the late 60's in which Moskvitin and Spies were close friends. Years later Moskivitin decided to edit out some of the more obscene details while making the book more readable. This "final version" called "Historien om et venskab" was published in 1999 by Lindhardt og Ringhof.
Den døve øgle 2001 (The Deaf Lizard)
Karen Blixen
Baroness Karen von Blixen-Finecke , , née Karen Christenze Dinesen, was a Danish author also known by her pen name Isak Dinesen. She also wrote under the pen names Osceola and Pierre Andrézel...
, how he had his first sexual intercourse in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, his first great concert in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, and his mother's aristocratic friends. The book follows Moskvitin in his never ending search for women, drugs and spiritual insight. The book was published in 2001 by Lindhardt og Ringhof.