Lysenko up close, but from afar, or lysenkoism from the xxist century

Abstract

This paper reviews two books on Lysenkoism recently published outside of Russia. These two publications confirm the revival of interest in this phenomenon by the international scientific community. The first book, "The Lysenko Controversy as a Global Phenomenon", which comprises two volumes edited by William De Jong-Lambert and Nikolai L. Krementsov, integrates old and new approaches to studying and understanding Lysenkoism. The merits and demerits of the two-volume publication confirm the progress in the study of this subject. Loren Graham’s book, "Lysenko’s Ghost: Epigenetics and Russia", describes Trofim D. Lysenko's activities and their consequences for the development of science in Russia. Graham focuses on Lysenkoism under historical conditions and in the current Russian political context. In the reviewer’s opinion, the book has a debatable character and provides serious reasons to reflect on the fate of Russian science and the fate of the country.