In his youth, Alexander Meshcheryakov dreamed of devoting his life to literary creation. As a result, he managed to combine the craft of writing with the study of the culture of Japan, which in the middle of the last century began to become a leader in the world. The whole life of Meshcheryakov, his scientific and pedagogical activities are inextricably linked with Japanese studies.
From the biography of Alexander Meshcheryakov
The future specialist in the history, traditions and culture of Japan was born in 1951. The boy’s childhood passed in the capital of the USSR, it coincided with the beginning of the space exploration era and with the famous “thaw” in society. But Meshcheryakov was not interested in politics in his youth. However, Alexander Nikolaevich remembers the end of the "thaw" well: when Khrushchev was dismissed in 1964, protracted food interruptions immediately began. Queues for bread crashed into my memory.
Uncle Alexander Meshcheryakova was a specialist in China. He advised the young man to choose Japanese studies. At first, Alexander dreamed of the profession of a writer or journalist. However, he did not want to stoop to lies, without which, as he already understood, it was impossible to work in central publications during times of stagnation.
Meshcheryakov received his education at the historical department of the prestigious Institute of Oriental Languages at Moscow State University, but he was not interested in contemporary subjects: the young student was more attracted to antiquity and the Middle Ages. Another hobby of Meshcheryakov was fiction. He tried to write himself, composed poems and prose.
At first, the Japanese language at the university was given to Meshcheryakov with considerable difficulty. But Alexander studied diligently, comprehending the basics of grammar, phonetics and hieroglyphics of an unfamiliar language. And gradually the quantity turned into quality. Now Alexander Nikolayevich explains to his depressed students: “120 million people speak Japanese. Once they were able to master it, you too can!” The main thing when learning Japanese is not to spare yourself and do a little more than the curriculum requires, the scientist believes.
