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Here are two books in one: an extensive discussion of Western esotericism in relation to the most famous drama of the Russian Silver Age, The Rose and the Cross, along with a new translation of Alexander Blok’s mysterious play. Blok was inspired by the occult revival that largely defined the Russian Silver Age, and his play dramatizes his replies to the characteristically Gnostic questions “Who are we? What have we become? Where were we? Whither have we been cast? Whither do we hasten? From what have we been set free?” In his comprehensive introduction to and commentary on The Rose and the Cross, Lance Gharavi reveals how Blok, in this highly symbolic drama, drew from the Western esoteric traditions of Gnosticism, Kabbalism, Hermetism, and alchemy in order to create his masterwork, here complete with Blok’s own annotations.

Lance Gharavi teaches theater and performance studies at Arizona State University.

About the Author

Lance Gharavi is a scholar and artist whose work has appeared in books, journals, and on stages and screens throughout the US and abroad. An early pioneer in the field of digital performance, Gharavi was one of the co-founders of the internationally celebrated Institute for the Exploration of Virtual Realities (i.e. VR). His one-man show, Honorable Discharge (written and directed by Jeff McMahon), appears in the Performing Rights Library, an international project dedicated to documenting and archiving the work of artists and activists involved in the conjoining of performance and human rights.  Currently an Assistant Professor in the School of Theatre and Film at Arizona State University, Gharavi’s work focuses on the many intersections of performance, digital technology, and religion. His scholarship on Western esotericism in performance, as well as his writings on digital technology and theatre, have been published in such journals as Text and Performance Quarterly, The Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism, PAJ, Theatre Topics, GRAMMA, ateatro, and Esoterica.