> Dear Valentin A. Bazhanov,
>
> I attach below a recent off-list email from V.I. Arnold with reference
> to his Lobachevsky prize of 1992 -- I asked him to clarify on this issue.
>
> When you state that
>
> "In 1992 the prize was awarded to A.P.NORDEN (not V.I.Arnold!)",
>
> are you referring to the "Lobachevsky medal for outstanding achievements
> in geometry", now awarded every five years by an appointed academic council
> of Kazan University?... If so, I do not agree with Arnold when he remarks
> that this medal "has nothing to do with the old tradition". Anyhow, it seems
> that we cannot ignore the prize awarded to Vladimir Arnorld by the Russian
> Academy of Sciences, in 1992, as he himself confirms below.
>
> Could you please elaborate a bit on these TWO awards?
>
> Many thanks!
>
> Sincerely,
> Julio GC
>
> =====
>
> Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1998 11:14:54 +0400 (MSD)
> From: Vladimir Arnold <arnold@mi.ras.ru>
> To: Julio Gonzalez Cabillon <jgc@adinet.com.uy>
> Subject: Re: [HM] Lobachevskii prize - some inaccuracies corrected
>
> There are TWO prizes: I got that awarded by the Russian Academy
> of Sciences, indeed in 1992. The Academy is considering it as the
> continuation of the old tradition as described in the paper by Novikov
> and Buchshtaber and in your letter.
> As of the other prize having the same name, it is attributed by
> a different committee and has nothing to do with the old tradition
> as far as I know.
> Best
> V.Arnold
> =====
Dear Julio Gonzalez Cabillon,
I beg you (and the rest HM participants and especially V.I.Arnold) for
the interference of inaccuracies! One due to me (I had forgotten 1992
Academy of Sciences decision re to V.I.Arnold who without any doubt
deserves this prize). Meanwhile the second due to V.I.Arnold (re to his
claim that Academy of Sciences continues to award the prize as an OLD
tradition). V.I.Arnold is right that actually up to the date there are TWO
Lobachevsky prizes - 1) prize awarded by the Russian Academy of Sciences
AND 2) Lobachevsky prize (medal) awarded by Kazan University.
V.I.Arnold is surely wrong that RAS Lobachevsky prize is the continuation
of the old tradition. On the contrary - after the WWII Soviet Academy of
Sciences in the totalitarian style of governing deprived Kazan University
of the honor to award Lobachevsky prize and Kazan mathematicians took no
part in the procedure of awarding and even learned about the results from
the media.
On the occasion of Lobachevsky bicentennial Kazan University RESTORED the
tradition of awarding the prize and did its best to negotiate with the
Academy of Sciences of, so to speak, merging these prizes (according the
Charter Kazan University and Academy of Sciences create the joint
Committee). Nevertheless it didn't happen. Another Soviet tradition:
Academy if Sciences usually felt and behave itself as the superior
organization toward Universities. Thus the rivalry remained.
Lobachevsky prize was established in 1892-3 by prominent Kazan University
mathematician Alexander A. Vasiliev and up to 1937 it was awarded by
Kazan University.
For details see: A.V.Vasiliev. N.I.Lobachevsky (1792 - 1856)/ Ed. by
A.P.Yushkevich. Compiled by V.A.Bazhanov and A.P.Shirokov. Moscow, Nauka
Publ., 1992. - 229 p. (This is restoration of the 1929 edition ABSOLUTELY
TOTALLY destroyed by the censorship).
Bazhanov V.A. History of Lobachevsky prize. PRIRODA (Nature), 1993, N 7,
p.31-32
Sincerely yours Valentin A. Bazhanov
bazhan@bazh.univ.simbirsk.su
OR
bazhan@sv.uven.ru
http://www.ssu.samara.ru/research/philosophy/vjpss.htm