Jean-François Lyotard was a French philosopher and leading figure in the intellectual movement known as postmodernism. As a youth, Lyotard considered becoming a monk, a painter, and a historian. After studying at the Sorbonne, he completed an agrégation (teaching degree) in philosophy in 1950 and

lyre: …separately, as in the Greek lyra.

Lyra, constellation in the northern sky at about 18 hours right ascension and 40° north in declination. Its brightest star is Vega, the fifth brightest star in the sky, with a magnitude of 0.03. With the bright stars Deneb and Altair, Vega is part of the prominent asterism of the Summer Triangle.

St. John Henry Newman: Mind and character of St. John Henry Newman: …are his contributions in the Lyra Apostolica of his Anglican days, including the hymn “Lead, kindly light,” written in 1833 when he was becalmed in the strait between Sardinia and Corsica, and The Dream of Gerontius (1865), based upon the requiem offices and including such well-known hymns as “Praise to…

viol: …solo bass, and for the lyra viol, a small bass viol (also called viola bastarda). But as the style of instrumental composition changed during the 17th century, an expressive, vocal sound in the soprano register was emphasized, and the tenor and treble viols declined in favour of the violin, with…

Lyra, constellation in the northern sky at about 18 hours right ascension and 40° north in declination. Its brightest star is Vega, the fifth brightest star in the sky, with a magnitude of 0.03. With the bright stars Deneb and Altair, Vega is part of the prominent asterism of the Summer Triangle.

lyre, stringed musical instrument having a yoke, or two arms and a crossbar, projecting out from and level with the body. The strings run from a tailpiece on the bottom or front of the instrument to the crossbar. Most lyres are plucked, but a few are bowed. Box lyres are instruments having a

The Lyre of Orpheus, novel by Robertson Davies, published in 1988. The book is the third in the so-called Cornish trilogy, which also includes The Rebel Angels (1981) and What’s Bred in the Bone (1985). This fable about the nature of artistic creation has two major plot lines. One thread concerns

nightjar: The lyre-tailed nightjar (Uropsalis lyra) inhabits northwestern South America. Its outermost tail feathers may measure 60 cm (24 inches) or more, accounting for 80 to 90 percent of the bird’s total length.

lyrebird, (genus Menura), either of two species of Australian birds (family Menuridae, order Passeriformes) named for the shape of their tail when spread in courtship display. The name also aptly suggests a musician. Inhabiting forests of southeastern Australia, lyrebirds are ground dwellers, and

lyretail, any of a half dozen species of fishes in the genus Aphyosemion of the family Cyprinodontidae (order Atheriniformes). All are freshwater species of tropical Africa. They attain lengths of five centimetres (two inches). Female lyretails are drab olive or beige, but the males are brilliantly

lyric, a verse or poem that is, or supposedly is, susceptible of being sung to the accompaniment of a musical instrument (in ancient times, usually a lyre) or that expresses intense personal emotion in a manner suggestive of a song. Lyric poetry expresses the thoughts and feelings of the poet and

caesura: ” The lyric caesura is a feminine caesura that follows an unstressed syllable normally required by the metre. It can be seen in A.E. Houseman’s “they cease not fighting / east and west.”

American literature: Lyric fictionists: An interesting development in fiction, abetted by Modernism, was a shift from naturalistic to poetic writing. There was an increased tendency to select details and endow them with symbolic meaning, to set down the thought processes and emotions of the characters, and to…

Peter Pindar: …he became famous with his Lyric Odes to the Royal Academicians (1782–85).

Western music: Opera: …to produce the prevailing French lyric opera. At the same time, opéra comique branched off in another direction to produce operettas, which developed into the musical comedies of the 20th century. Indigenous opera appeared in other regions, especially in Russia, Bohemia, and Scandinavia, as a result of nationalistic fervour.

Carol Fox: …Theatre of Chicago (1954; now Lyric Opera of Chicago) and served as its general manager for more than 25 years (1954–80).

Lyric Pieces, series of collections of short songs for solo piano by Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, often considered his most characteristic work. Some of Grieg’s solo piano pieces were based upon Norwegian folk songs; others are entirely his own work, though often flavoured by the rhythms and

lyric, a verse or poem that is, or supposedly is, susceptible of being sung to the accompaniment of a musical instrument (in ancient times, usually a lyre) or that expresses intense personal emotion in a manner suggestive of a song. Lyric poetry expresses the thoughts and feelings of the poet and

soprano: …a rich, powerful quality; a lyric soprano, a lighter, singing tone; and a coloratura soprano possesses a high range (to the second C above middle C and higher) and extreme agility.

Xia Gui: Life: …of landscape sometimes called the lyric style. His ideas were developed and exploited by academy landscapists later in the 12th century, practically all of whom were to some degree his followers.

Carol Fox: …Theatre of Chicago (1954; now Lyric Opera of Chicago) and served as its general manager for more than 25 years (1954–80).

Lyrical Ballads, collection of poems, first published in 1798 by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth, the appearance of which is often designated by scholars as a signal of the beginning of English Romanticism. The work included Coleridge’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and Wordsworth’s

American literature: Lyric fictionists: An interesting development in fiction, abetted by Modernism, was a shift from naturalistic to poetic writing. There was an increased tendency to select details and endow them with symbolic meaning, to set down the thought processes and emotions of the characters, and to…

Ira Gershwin: …wrote commentaries on each in Lyrics on Several Occasions (1959). Ira Gershwin continued writing until the last year of his life, rewriting lyrics for Gershwin tunes used in the musical My One and Only (1983).

sound reception: Anatomical evidence: …contain many slitlike openings, called lyriform organs, that have been considered as sensory in nature. Most of these organs probably have a kinesthetic function and thus provide information on local movements of body parts. There is one type of lyriform organ, however, that differs from the others in its location…

Jan Lievens was a versatile painter and printmaker whose style derived from both the Dutch and Flemish schools of Baroque art. A contemporary of Rembrandt, he was a pupil of Joris van Schooten (1616–18) and of Rembrandt’s teacher Pieter Lastman in Amsterdam (1618–20). After residing in Leiden for a

Lyric Pieces, series of collections of short songs for solo piano by Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, often considered his most characteristic work. Some of Grieg’s solo piano pieces were based upon Norwegian folk songs; others are entirely his own work, though often flavoured by the rhythms and

grouse: …Old World member is the black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix), of Wales, Scotland, Scandinavia, and north-central Europe; a related form (L. mlokosiewiczi) occurs in the Caucasus. The male, known as blackcock, may be 55 cm (22 inches) long and weigh almost 2 kg (about 4 pounds). He is iridescent blue-black, with…

World War I: The Western Front, March–September 1918: …for a time that this Battle of the Lys might be turned into a major effort. The British, however, after being driven back 10 miles, halted the Germans short of Hazebrouck. French reinforcements began to come up; and, when the Germans had taken Kemmel Hill (April 25), Ludendorff decided to…

Western painting: Early and High Baroque in Italy: In the hands of Johann Liss (or Jan Lys) the groundwork was laid for the flowering of the Venetian school of the 18th century. Venetian painting was also enriched by the pale colours and flickering brushwork of Francesco Maffei from Vicenza, whereas Bernardo Strozzi in 1630 carried to Venice…

Evan Lysacek is an American figure skater who won the men’s figure skating gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. (Read Scott Hamilton’s Britannica entry on figure skating.) Lysacek started skating at age eight when his grandmother purchased a pair of hockey skates for him.

Agis IV: …his uncle Agesilaus; and by Lysander, who was an ephor (magistrate with the duty of limiting the power of the king) in 243. When the rich, led by the other king, Leonidas II, defeated these proposals, Leonidas was deposed. The ephors of 242 tried to restore him to his throne,…

Lysander was a Greek military and political leader who won the final victory for Sparta in the Peloponnesian War and, at its close, wielded great power throughout Greece. Nothing is known of his early career. In his first year as admiral he won a sea battle off Notium (406) and obtained support of

A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Meanwhile, two lovers, Hermia and Lysander, seek refuge in the forest near Athens when Hermia’s father demands that she marry Demetrius. Hoping to win Demetrius’s favour, Helena tells him their whereabouts and follows him to the forest, where he goes in search of Hermia. The forest is also full of…

Ukraine: Music of Ukraine: …musical life was dominated by Mykola Lysenko, whose output encompassed vocal and choral settings, piano compositions, and operas, including Natalka Poltavka, Utoplena (“The Drowned Girl”), and Taras Bulba. Other major composers of the period were Kyrylo Stetsenko, Yakiv Stepovy, and Mykola Leontovych, the latter excelling in polyphonic arrangements of ancient…

Trofim Lysenko was a Soviet biologist and agronomist, the controversial “dictator” of Communistic biology during Joseph Stalin’s regime. He rejected orthodox genetics in favor of “Michurinism” (named for the Russian horticulturist I.V. Michurin), which was begun by an uneducated plant breeder

Trofim Lysenko was a Soviet biologist and agronomist, the controversial “dictator” of Communistic biology during Joseph Stalin’s regime. He rejected orthodox genetics in favor of “Michurinism” (named for the Russian horticulturist I.V. Michurin), which was begun by an uneducated plant breeder

Lamarckism: Lamarckism in politics: …Trofim Lysenko, the proponent of Michurinism, became the dictator of Soviet biology. A number of Communists in Western Europe followed the Soviet directives and sought to rehabilitate Lamarckism. During the next decade the discussions of Lamarckism were political rather than scientific, and a great deal of confusion was naturally introduced…

ergot: …is also the source of lysergic acid, from which the powerful hallucinogen lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is easily synthesized.

LSD, potent synthetic hallucinogenic drug that can be derived from the ergot alkaloids (as ergotamine and ergonovine, principal constituents of ergot, the grain deformity and toxic infectant of flour caused by the fungus Claviceps purpurea). LSD is usually prepared by chemical synthesis in a

LSD, potent synthetic hallucinogenic drug that can be derived from the ergot alkaloids (as ergotamine and ergonovine, principal constituents of ergot, the grain deformity and toxic infectant of flour caused by the fungus Claviceps purpurea). LSD is usually prepared by chemical synthesis in a

Lysias was a Greek professional speech writer, whose unpretentious simplicity became the model for a plain style of Attic Greek. Lysias was the son of Cephalus, a wealthy native of Syracuse who settled in Athens. Plato, at the opening of the Republic, had drawn a charming picture of Cephalus and

Maccabees: Hanukkah: reconsecration of the sanctuary: Lysias, the Syrian general, was now the real power. A peace of a sort was agreed between Judas and the Syrian general, who was having trouble elsewhere, and the Jews secured liberty of conscience and worship. The war, however, soon resumed. Judas sent a delegation…

skunk cabbage: The ill-smelling western, or yellow, skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanum), of the same family, having a large yellow spathe, is found from California to Alaska and eastward to Montana. Another skunk cabbage (Veratrum californicum) is the poisonous corn lily, or false hellebore, which grows from New Mexico and…

Monument of Lysicrates, only extant example of the ancient Greek architectural structure known as the choragic monument. For architects in the 18th century, the Monument of Lysicrates, located in Athens, was a common inspiration for decorative

loosestrife: Yellow pimpernel, or wood loosestrife (L. nemorum), a low plant with a slender spreading stem and solitary yellow flowers, is common in England. Many species of Lysimachia are visited by bees for the oil contained in hairs on the flowers rather than for nectar or…

creeping Jenny, (Lysimachia nummularia), prostrate perennial herb of the primrose family (Primulaceae), native to Europe. The plant is grown as a ground cover in warm climates and as an indoor hanging plant. It is considered an invasive species in parts of North America and in other areas outside

loosestrife: The Eurasian yellow loosestrife (Lysimachia vulgaris), an erect plant 0.6 to 1.2 metres (2 to 4 feet) high, is common on riverbanks in England and grows in eastern North America. The branched stem bears tapering leaves in pairs or whorls and terminal clusters of deep yellow…

Lysimachus was a Macedonian general, satrap (provincial governor), and king who, as one of the diadochoi (“successors”) to Alexander the Great, came to rule strategic parts of the divided Macedonian Empire. Lysimachus was one of Alexander’s bodyguards during the conquest of Asia, and, in the

hydrologic sciences: Evapotranspiration: …of several metres across) called lysimeters, evaluate the different components of the water balance precisely, and calculate the evapotranspiration by subtraction. A similar technique is often employed at the catchment scale, although the measurement of the other components of the water balance is then necessarily less precise.

fertilization: Sperm-egg association: …releases a substance called a lysin, which breaks down the egg’s vitelline coat, allowing passage of the spermatozoon to the egg. The acrosomal membrane region opposite the opening adheres to the nuclear envelope of the spermatozoon and forms a shallow outpocketing, which rapidly elongates into a thin tube, the acrosomal…

lysine, an amino acid released in the hydrolysis of many common proteins but present in small amounts or lacking in certain plant proteins; e.g., gliadin from wheat, zein from corn (maize). First isolated from casein (1889), lysine is one of several so-called essential amino acids for warm-blooded

metabolic disease: Amino acid transport disorders: …ornithine in the intestines causes lysinuric protein intolerance (LPI), a disorder characterized by protein intolerance, diarrhea, unsatisfactory weight gain, osteoporosis, and rashes; late complications of LPI include kidney and lung disease. Hartnup disease is a disorder of amino acid transport in the intestines and kidneys; ataxia, a photosensitive rash, and…

Lysippus was a Greek sculptor, head of the school at Árgos and Sicyon in the time of Philip of Macedon and especially active during the reign of Philip’s son Alexander the Great (336–323 bce). Lysippus was famous for the new and slender proportions of his figures and for their lifelike naturalism.

Plato: Early dialogues of Plato: The Lysis is an examination of the nature of friendship; the work introduces the notion of a primary object of love, for whose sake one loves other things. The Menexenus purports to be a funeral oration that Socrates learned from Aspasia, the mistress of Pericles (himself…

therapeutics: Blood and blood cells: … (type B or O blood), lysis of the red blood cells occurs, which can be fatal. Persons with blood type O are universal red cell donors because this blood type does not contain antigen A or B. However, because type O blood contains antibodies against both A and B, patients…

Lysis Of Tarentum was a Greek philosopher and member of the Pythagorean school in southern Italy. Lysis left Italy for Greece about 390 bc, after escaping a massacre of the Pythagoreans at Croton. Settling in Thebes, he became the teacher of Epaminondas (c. 420–362 bc), the Greek military commander

Lysistrata, comedy by Aristophanes, produced in 411 bce. Lysistrata depicts the seizure of the Athenian Acropolis and of the treasury of Athens by the city’s women. At the instigation of the witty and determined Lysistrata, they have banded together with the women of Sparta to declare a ban on

Lysistrata, comedy by Aristophanes, produced in 411 bce. Lysistrata depicts the seizure of the Athenian Acropolis and of the treasury of Athens by the city’s women. At the instigation of the witty and determined Lysistrata, they have banded together with the women of Sparta to declare a ban on

Jupiter: Other satellites: The closer group—Leda, Himalia, Lysithea, and Elara—has prograde orbits. (In the case of these moons, retrograde motion is in the direction opposite to Jupiter’s spin and motion around the Sun, which are counterclockwise as viewed from above Jupiter’s north pole, whereas prograde, or direct, motion is in the same…

virus: Lysogeny: …of transferring genetic information, called lysogenic conversion, imparts genes with special functions to bacterial cells without such functions. It is common in bacteria and is an important aspect of the epidemiology (incidence, distribution, and control) of infectious diseases. For example, the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae is the causative agent of diphtheria,…

episome: Some bacterial viruses, called temperate phages, carry DNA that can act as an episome. A bacterial cell into whose chromosome the viral DNA has become integrated is called a prophage. See lysogeny.

lysogeny, type of life cycle that takes place when a bacteriophage infects certain types of bacteria. In this process, the genome (the collection of genes in the nucleic acid core of a virus) of the bacteriophage stably integrates into the chromosome of the host bacterium and replicates in concert

metabolic disease: Lysosomal storage disorders: Lysosomes are cytoplasmic organelles in which a variety of macromolecules are degraded by different acid hydrolase enzymes. Lysosomal enzymes are coded for by nuclear DNA and are targeted to lysosomes by specific recognition markers. If a lysosomal enzyme is absent or has…

metabolic disease: Lysosomal storage disorders: Lysosomes are cytoplasmic organelles in which a variety of macromolecules are degraded by different acid hydrolase enzymes. Lysosomal enzymes are coded for by nuclear DNA and are targeted to lysosomes by specific recognition markers. If a lysosomal enzyme is absent or has…

lysosome, subcellular organelle that is found in nearly all types of eukaryotic cells (cells with a clearly defined nucleus) and that is responsible for the digestion of macromolecules, old cell parts, and microorganisms. Each lysosome is surrounded by a membrane that maintains an acidic

lysozyme, enzyme found in the secretions (tears) of the lacrimal glands of animals and in nasal mucus, gastric secretions, and egg white. Discovered in 1921 by Sir Alexander Fleming, lysozyme catalyzes the breakdown of certain carbohydrates found in the cell walls of certain bacteria (e.g., cocci).

rabies, acute, ordinarily fatal, viral disease of the central nervous system that is usually spread among domestic dogs and wild carnivorous animals by a bite. All warm-blooded animals, including humans, are susceptible to rabies infection. The virus, a rhabdovirus, is often present in the salivary

virus: Annotated classification: …cattle, swine, and equines, and Lyssavirus, which includes the causative agent of rabies. Family Filoviridae Enveloped virions, variably elongated filaments 650–1,400 nm in length and pleomorphic in shape, containing a helical nucleocapsid with single-stranded negative-sense RNA (about 19 kilobases in length) and an endogenous RNA polymerase. Much

Anatolia: The Old Hittite Kingdom: … (Purushkhanda; probably modern Acemhöyük); and Lusna (classical Lystra). With the exception of Landa (probably to the north), the sites are all located in the territory to the south of the Kızıl River called by the Hittites the Lower Land, suggesting the first extension of the Hittite Kingdom from its restricted…

Lystrosaurus, extinct genus of about seven species of medium-sized heavily built animals that lived from the middle of the Permian Period (298.9 million to 251.9 million years ago) until early in the Triassic Period (251.9 million to 201.3 million years ago). Lystrosaurus was part of the

Lysva, city, Perm kray (territory), Russia. It lies along the Lysva River in the mid-Urals. First recorded in the mid-17th century, the settlement acquired an iron-smelting factory as an economic base in 1785 and became a town in 1926. Its steel industry was modernized after the October Revolution

Lysychansk, city, eastern Ukraine, on the Donets River. In 1721 the first discovery of coal in the Donets Basin was made there at the Cossack village of Lisya Balka, which dated from 1710. It was not until 1795, however, that Lysychansk was established as the first coal-mining settlement of the

sea urchin: Lytechinus variegatus, a pale-greenish urchin of the southeastern coast of the United States and the Caribbean, and the large, short-spined Psammechinus (sometimes Echinus) miliaris of Iceland, Europe, and western Africa use their tube feet to hold up bits of seaweed or shell as a shield…

Fylde: …sand beaches are found at Lytham and St. Anne’s (St. Anne’s-on-the-Sea), where the Ribble meets the sea.

Myrtales: Family distributions and abundance: Lythraceae, the loosestrife family, containing about 650 species in 31 genera of trees, small shrubs, and perennial herbs, occurs primarily in warmer regions of both the Old World and the New World and is especially diverse in South America and Africa. It now includes the…

loosestrife: Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), native to Eurasia and now common in eastern North America, grows 0.6 to 1.8 metres (2 to 6 feet) high on riverbanks and in ditches. It has a branched stem bearing whorls of narrow, pointed, stalkless leaves and ending in tall,…

bacteriophage: Life cycles of bacteriophages: …one of two life cycles, lytic (virulent) or lysogenic (temperate). Lytic phages take over the machinery of the cell to make phage components. They then destroy, or lyse, the cell, releasing new phage particles. Lysogenic phages incorporate their nucleic acid into the chromosome of the host cell and replicate with…

agrarianism: Agrarianism since the mid-20th century: Penn Warren, Allen Tate, Andrew Lytle, and Donald Davidson, who defended a mode of life that they believed was consonant with European rather than industrial society. The Southern Agrarians wrote about a wide range of aspects pertinent to the settled and traditional mode of farm life that they believed…

Faron Young: …went on to fame included Johnny Paycheck, the Wilburn Brothers, Roger Miller, Lloyd Green, and Darrell McCall.

blister beetle: …species Lytta vesicatoria, commonly called Spanish fly. Cantharidin is used medically as a topical skin irritant to remove warts. In the past, when inducing blisters was a common remedy for many ailments, cantharidin was commonly used for this purpose. It was also a major ingredient in so-called love potions. Blister…

Lyttelton, town and port, eastern South Island, New Zealand. It is situated within the Christchurch urban area and on Lyttelton Harbour, an inlet of the southwestern Pacific Ocean extending 8 miles (13 km) into the north shore of Banks Peninsula. The harbour’s entrance is flanked by Godley Head on

George Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton was a British Whig statesman and writer, patron of novelist Henry Fielding and poet James Thomson. The son of a prominent Whig family, Lyttelton was an early political associate of his brother-in-law, William Pitt (later Earl of Chatham), in the so-called Boy

Humphrey Lyttelton was a British trumpeter, clarinetist, bandleader, and composer who was the leading force in English jazz for more than 50 years. In his later years he was perhaps best known as the host of a BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) weekly radio comedy titled I’m Sorry I Haven’t a

Sir Thomas Littleton was a jurist, author of Littleton on Tenures (or Treatise on Tenures), the first important English legal text neither written in Latin nor significantly influenced by Roman (civil) law. An edition (1481 or 1482?) by John Lettou and William de Machlinia was doubtless the first

Lytton Commission, (1931–32), investigation team that was led by V.A.G.R. Bulwer-Lytton, 2nd Earl of Lytton, and was appointed by the League of Nations to determine the cause of the Japanese invasion of Manchuria begun on Sept. 18, 1931. After extensive research and a six-week stay in Manchuria

Edward George Earle Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton was a British politician, poet, and critic, chiefly remembered, however, as a prolific novelist. His books, though dated, remain immensely readable, and his experiences lend his work an unusual historical interest. Bulwer-Lytton was the youngest

Michael Holroyd: His exhaustive two-volume work Lytton Strachey: A Critical Biography (1967, 1968) stands as Strachey’s definitive biography. Holroyd’s two-volume Augustus John (1974, 1975) is a study of the painter’s personal as well as artistic life. He later revisited both of the latter biographies and published substantially revised versions of each:…

Edward George Earle Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton was a British politician, poet, and critic, chiefly remembered, however, as a prolific novelist. His books, though dated, remain immensely readable, and his experiences lend his work an unusual historical interest. Bulwer-Lytton was the youngest

Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 1st earl of Lytton was a British diplomat and viceroy of India (1876–80) who also achieved, during his lifetime, a reputation as a poet. Lytton, son of the 1st Baron Lytton, began his diplomatic career as unpaid attaché to his uncle Sir Henry Bulwer, then minister at

Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 1st earl of Lytton was a British diplomat and viceroy of India (1876–80) who also achieved, during his lifetime, a reputation as a poet. Lytton, son of the 1st Baron Lytton, began his diplomatic career as unpaid attaché to his uncle Sir Henry Bulwer, then minister at

Sir Henry Alfred Lytton was a British comic actor best known for his leading roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. The mainstay of the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company for nearly 30 years, Lytton was so distinguished that his stage jubilee celebration was attended by the British prime minister and his

Victor Alexander George Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 2nd earl of Lytton was a British governor of Bengal (1922–27) and chairman of the League of Nations mission to Manchuria, which produced the so-called Lytton Report (1932), condemning Japan’s aggression there. (See Lytton Commission.) Bulwer-Lytton was

Victor Alexander George Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 2nd earl of Lytton was a British governor of Bengal (1922–27) and chairman of the League of Nations mission to Manchuria, which produced the so-called Lytton Report (1932), condemning Japan’s aggression there. (See Lytton Commission.) Bulwer-Lytton was

Lyubertsy, city, Moscow oblast (region), Russia. It lies in the greenbelt, southeast of Moscow city. Before the October Revolution in 1917 it was an agricultural centre, but its position at an important railway junction made it an attractive site for industry. In the early Soviet period, the

Yury Petrovich Lyubimov was a Soviet theater director and actor noted for his two decades of somewhat experimental productions for the Taganka Theatre in Moscow. Lyubimov served in the Soviet army during World War II, and upon his release in 1946, he joined the company of the Yevgeny Vakhtangov

Fyodor Abramov: His essay Lyudi kolkhoznoy derevni v poslevoyennoy proze (1954; “People in the Kolkhoz Village in Postwar Prose”), which took issue with the official, idealized portrayal of life in communal Soviet villages, was condemned by the Writers’ Union and the highest organ of the Communist Party, the Central…

Nastia Liukin: Her Kazakh-born father and coach, Valery Lyukin, won four medals for the Soviet Union at the 1988 Olympic Games and two more at the 1991 world championships, and in 1987 he became the first gymnast to complete a triple back somersault on the floor exercise. Her mother, Anna Kochneva, also…

Nastia Liukin is an American gymnast who won five medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, more than any other gymnast at the Games. Liukin was born into a family of extraordinary gymnasts. Her Kazakh-born father and coach, Valery Lyukin, won four medals for the Soviet Union at the 1988 Olympic