Algis Uždavinys

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Algis Uždavinys
Notable ideasCritique of modern classical scholarship; essential unity of Egyptian, Greek and Islamic mysticisms

Algis Uždavinys (1962–2010) was a Lithuanian philosopher and scholar. His work pioneered the hermeneutical comparative study of Egyptian and Greek religions, especially their esoteric relations to Semitic religions, and in particular the inner aspect of Islam (Sufism). His books have been published in Lithuanian, Russian, English and French, including translations of Plotinus, Frithjof Schuon and Ananda Coomaraswamy into Russian and Lithuanian.

Early life

Born in

Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts.[1]

Career

Upon graduation he came in contact with the writings and authors of the

Traditionalist or Perennialist school, and this influenced his comparative exegesis, notably his studies on Sufism, the Ancient Egyptian religion, and his assertion of the substantial continuity of Greek philosophical tradition from Pythagoras down to the latest Neoplatonic authors.[2] In this last claim he was expressly indebted to Pierre Hadot.[2]

Uždavinys was an active member of the editorial board of the journal Acta Orientalia Vilnensia

Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts, Kaunas Faculty; as an art critic, philosopher and intellectual he was a prominent figure in Lithuanian cultural life. In 2008 he spent time as a research fellow at La Trobe University in Bendigo, Australia.[4]

He was a member of the International Society for Neoplatonic Studies[5] and The Lithuanian Artists' Association, and a regular contributor to journals such as Sacred Web,[6][failed verification] Vancouver, and Sophia,[7][failed verification] Washington, D.C.

Death

Uždavinys died in his sleep of an apparent

heart attack on 25 July 2010 in his native village of Kabeliai.[1]

Personal life

He was a convert to Islam[8] and is survived by his wife Virginija[8] (or Virginia),[9] and their two daughters.[8]

Works

Books

Academic monographs in Lithuanian

Chapters

  • "From Homer to the Glorious Qur’an: Hermeneutical Strategies in the Hellenistic and Islamic Traditions," Sacred Web, vol. 11, 2003.
  • "The Egyptian Book of the Dead and Neoplatonic Philosophy," History of Platonism, Plato Redivivus, eds. Robert Berchman and John Finamore. New Orleans: University Press of the South, 2005.
  • "Chaldean Divination and the Ascent to Heaven," in Seeing with Different Eyes: Essays in Astrology and Divination, eds. Patrick Curry and Angela Voss, Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2007.

Articles

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Kazimieras Seibutis, "In memoriam Algis Uždavinys", Acta Orientalia Vilnensia 9.2: 185–187.
  2. ^ a b See his Introduction to The Golden Chain.
  3. ^ "Acta Orientalia Vilnensia". Archived from the original on 15 November 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  4. ^ See Harry Oldmeadow "In Memoriam: Algis Uždavinys (1962-2010) and his Antipodean Sojourn," Sacred Web 27, 2011.
  5. ^ http://www.isns.us/. See also the obituary by J. Finamore International Journal of the Platonic Tradition, vol. 5, no. 1, 2011 , pp. 4–5(2).
  6. ^ "Home". sacredweb.com.
  7. ^ "reviews op binaire handel". sophiajournal.com. Archived from the original on 2 May 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  8. ^ a b c In memoriam Algis Uždavinys, Kazimieras Seibutis, 2010, https://www.journals.vu.lt/acta-orientalia-vilnensia/article/view/3699/5181, p. 188
  9. , p. x

External links