Valeriy Fridrikhovich Pisigin (
Russian: Вале́рий Фри́дрихович Писи́гин; born September 21, 1957) is a Russian writer; historian; blues, British and American folk music researcher; and former political activist.
Valeriy Pisigin
Valeriy Pisigin at
Hogan Jazz Archive,[1] Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, April 2016
In 1990, he graduated from
Kazan State University with specialization of history and social science teaching.
In 1982, created a political club which later was named after
Nikolai Bukharin. The major mission of N.I.Bukharin's Political Club[2] was building democracy in Russia.
Pisigin was one of the young informal political leaders in the period of so-called
Perestroika launched by
Mikhail Gorbachev.
From 1988 to 1990, he took part in some international scientific conferences in Germany, France, and Brazil giving presentations.[3][4]
From 1988 to 1993, remained president of the Interregional Cooperative Federation of USSR (ICF) which was defending interests of the small and the middle business of the province.
In February 1992, became a member of Council of Constitutors of weekly newspaper
Moskovskiye Novosti (The Moscow News), which was supporting the democratic processes in Russian society.
In November 1992, he repeatedly gave presentations and talks on reforms and problems of the development of enterprise in Russia at universities of USA (
New York University,
Princeton University,
University of Dallas and
Duke University in Northern Carolina). In January 1993 Pisigin shared his perspectives on the future of democracy in Russia at the conference "America and Russia in the Future", Washington, USA ("The Future of the Democracy in Russia".[5]
Starting from autumn 1996 to date, Valeriy Pisigin has been primarily focusing on literary work.
From 1995 to 2001, he was working on book series about modern Russia, in which he described painful transformations in people's lives and severe economic depression after the collapse of USSR in the 1990s. Pisigin's books on Russia have been published in monthly literary "thick" magazines
Novy Mir and Oktyabr.
Beginning in 2001, has been researching English and American folk music. By the present moment five volumes of "The Stories on English-American Music of 50s and 60s of the 20th Century" and five volumes of the series devoted to the blues "The Coming of the Blues. Vol. 1-5" have been published.
Kuron le Polonais Face a Pissiguine le Russe: Jusqu'ou Liberaliser? // Politis le Citoyen (France). –1989. –N85. Du 21 Décembre –3 Janvier. –P.66-69.
Jorge Altamira. El Simposio Internacional Sobre Leon Trotsky. Realizado en San Pablo // Prensa Obrera (Argentina). – 1990. – 11 de Octubre. -N 315. -P.14-15.
Неформальная Россия / О "неформальных" политизированных движениях и группах в РСФСР /Опыт справочника. М.: Мол. Гвардия. - 1990. - С.157.
Mary Kate Smiley. Yeltsin Supporter Addresses Future of Russian Businesses // The Daily Princetonian. –1992. –Vol.CXVI, №112. –November 11. –P.4 and 9.