Marina Sonkina

Marina Sonkina's first initiation into the world of academia happened at the age of 18, as a freshman at the Moscow State University. She was enjoying an important seminar presented by the famous scholar Uri Lotman. Professor Lotman was teaching a course on 18th-century Russian cultural history, writing a detailed bibliography on the class blackboard in French, German, English, and Italian.

As a PhD student of this professor, Sonkina made a discovery: "All aspects of human culture are deeply interconnected," she said, "in spite of a seeming fragmentation of the disciplines of those who study culture." She went on to study philosophy, psychology, film, theatre, folklore, and visual arts.

"Together with my students, I am always fascinated to discover the hidden threads that connect all of our human activities across languages and borders," she said.

In 1987, Sonkina emigrated to Canada from the USSR, and became a producer and broadcaster at CBC Radio. Later, she returned to teach at Dawson College in Montreal, followed by UBC and SFU.

When Sonkina doesn't teach or study, she teaches yoga and dance tango, and writes.

"My love-hate relationship with my computer recently produced two collections of short fiction: Tractorina’s Stories and Runic Alphabet."

Both books are available on Amazon.com, at Duthie, and other local stores.