The lecture discussed the legend of where the phoenix was born and how it transformed over time, the phoenix in pagan and Christian traditions, the symbolism of the phoenix and its metamorphoses, the appearance of the phoenix, its habits, properties and attributes; the phoenix in poetry, mythology, literature, hagiography, patristics, folk consciousness, and the fine arts.... Without exaggeration, a sea of very interesting information was vividly and emotionally presented, including many quotes, allusions, and rare visual materials. Members of the audience, by their own admission, simply lost track of time — the story was so fascinating. In the end, we never even got to Shakespeare — there simply wasn’t enough time. Ekaterina Rakitina promised to talk about the phoenix in Shakespeare’s plays next time.

At the end of the event, audience members rewarded the lecturer with applause and expressed their hope that the Library will organise the second part of the lecture. In turn, Ekaterina Rakitina warmly thanked the Library for organising the meeting with listeners and for the books presented to her.

Reviews on social media enthused:

“The lecture was simply amazing! Looking forward to the recording and the sequel!”

“We listened and forgot about everything else! We can’t wait for the second part.”

“In fact, I’m happy that the lecture has grown into a two-part series; listening to it was a great pleasure!”

We will definitely post the video of the lecture on our social networks and on the RUTUBE channel, and provide a link to it. And we will try to make sure that the second part takes place, and that the series continues.