This book by a well known Russian historian of culture is about sects, particularly sects in the cultural elite of Russia at the turn of 19-20th centuries. The author describes the life and rituals of mystical religious sects: Khlysts, Eunuchs, etc., their reflection in modern literature and politics. The methods used vary from the author"s interpretation of Russian classic works to analyses of recently opened archival materials. The book is a multidisciplinary study including traditional historical analysis, post-structural philology, sociology and psychoanalysis. The book gives a new perspective on artists and philosophers of the Silver Age. (0.725 kg.)