Dr Oliver Smith (1979-2013)

[Roger Keys]

Dear Fellow Slavists,


As some of you will know, the body of Dr Oliver Smith, Lecturer in the Department of Russian at the University of St Andrews, has been found on the north side of the mountain Blaven several weeks after he failed to return from a hill-walking trip on the isle of Skye.

The family will have a private burial on the morning of Saturday, 22 June, followed by a memorial service at 4.00pm at St Paul's Episcopal Cathedral in Dundee, to which all friends and colleagues are invited. Oliver's family requests that donations in his honour may be made to the Skye Mountain Rescue Team.


Oliver was an outstanding teacher and scholar, whose untimely passing is a grievous loss to the profession. As mentioned in an earlier announcement on SEELANGS, his research was focused on the Russian religious and intellectual tradition from the beginning of the 19th century, and particularly on the thought of Soloviev. His fine study, Vladimir Soloviev and the Spiritualization of Matter, was published by the Academic Studies Press in 2011.

If any colleagues wish to offer words of condolence or words regarding Oliver or his work, then I would ask them to write to me at the electronic address given below, and I will pass on whatever I receive to his widow, Shelley, and to his family, who are so much in our thoughts at this difficult time.

Roger Keys

Head of Russian,
University of St Andrews,
St Andrews, Fife,
KY16 9AL, United Kingdom

e-mail                  rjk1 at st-andrews.ac.uk

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