Obratnaya Storona Sovetskoi Nauki

This memoir of Andro (Andrei Vasil'evich) Bitsadze, an outstanding Georgian and Russian mathematician, gives a glimpse into his life, background and career behind the Iron Curtain. Born in 1916 a small alpine village of Tskhrukveti in western Georgia, Andro Bitsadze became a professor at Novosibirsk State University and later at Moscow Lomonosov State University. In 1958 Bitsadze became a corresponding member of the Soviet Academy of Sciences and in 1969 he was elected a full member of the Georgian Academy of Sciences. Throughout his academic career, Andro Bitsadze wrote extensively on the mathematical theory of elasticity, the theory of functions, the theory of equations of mixed type and the theory of boundary-value problems for elliptical systems of equations. Besides the description of the author's personal life, this book contains graphic description of various aspects of life in the former USSR, unknown or little-known facts about some outstanding scientists, politicians and artists whose paths crossed with Andro Bitsadze, as well as his philosophical reflections on various issues and problems of science, politics, history and life in general.