How Did I Survive? is the memoir of Professor Artavazd M. Minasyan, a tale of one man's life and his survival despite all odds. It is a story that inspires life and hope, one in which good ultimately prevails over evil. It also tells of a country, the former USSR, which has lived through decades of controversies, destruction and injustice, but also hope and aspirations for the better. The author unveils intricate details of his life, describing his fight for survival and what inspired and gave him strength to go on. Professor A. M. Minasyan was an optimist throughout his tireless and principled struggle for justice in life and in science. Indeed, the book is a story of his iron will and immense belief in, and love for and appreciation of, the gift of life, whether in the days of his hungry childhood, or enduring Stalin's purges, or facing the enemy one-on-one during World War II, or struggling in peacetime for the right to voice alternative views in science. Covering the period of approximately eighty years from the early 1910s to the early 1990s, the narrative coincides with the author's life journey, touching upon every significant event of the time and the author's personal involvement in each case. These situations are not told in simple chronological enumeration, but are enriched with complex nuances. They are analyzed through the prism of time and the author's adherence to dialectical critique. As such, one man's life becomes the reflection of the life of an entire country. In this book, it happens to be the life of Professor Artavazd M. Minasyan, whose dedication to his family, country, nation, and science was far greater than words could describe.
About the Author: Artavazd M. Minasyan (01/21/1913-05/23/1993) was a Doctor of Philosophy Sciences, a Professor, and renowned Soviet philosopher, and one of the founders of the modern dialectic philosophy school in southern Russia. Professor Minasyan made an immense contribution to the scientific content of philosophy through his numerous research articles, monographs, textbooks, and conference presentations. His work focused on dialectics as logic and cognition theory. An outspoken critic, Professor Minasyan possessed a unique gift of analytical foresight and encyclopedic knowledge. A grandson of a respected village priest in Armenia's Sjunik province, and an active participant in the Soviet Army's major World War II battles and a true patriot, Professor Minasyan possessed the mind, the soul and the heart of a principled and compassionate individual driven by his unshaken will, self-discipline and unyielding desire for truth. Professor Minasyan was a thinker of the highest rank and caliber, dedicating his entire life to true cognition. Today, his ideas and teachings find their reflection in his students' work in the Minasyan tradition across the globe. Aleksandr V. Gevorkyan is Assistant Professor of Economics at the Peter J. Tobin College of Business at St. John's University in New York City. Dr. Gevorkyan is a professional economist with extensive research and teaching experience in macroeconomic policy, economic development, and financial economics, as well as managerial background in corporate finance and financial consulting. He has published, and has articles forthcoming, in various academic journals and reference volumes on a range of topics in macroeconomics and economic development. Dr. Gevorkyan is the author of Innovative Fiscal Policy and Economic Development in Transition Economies (Routledge, 2013 in paperback; 2011 in hardcover). He is also the editor and translator of How Did I Survive? by Artavazd M. Minasyan (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2008). Additional information on recent publications and current work may be found at Dr Gevorkyan's professional website: http: //agevorkyan.com