Algis Uždavinys

Algis Uždavinys (1962–2010) was a Lithuanian philosopher and scholar.

His work pioneered the hermeneutical comparative study of Egyptian and Greek religions, especially their esoteric relations to Semitic religions, and in particular the inner aspect of Islam (Sufism).

His books have been published in Lithuanian, Russian, English and French, including translations of Plotinus, Frithjof Schuon and Ananda Coomaraswamy into Russian and Lithuanian.

Born in Vilnius and brought up in Druskininkai, by the Nemunas River in southern Lithuania, Uždavinys moved again to Vilnius to pursue studies at the former State Art Institute of Lithuania, now Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts.

Upon graduation he came in contact with the writings and authors of the Traditionalist or Perennialist school, and this influenced his comparative exegesis, notably his studies on Sufism, the Ancient Egyptian religion, and his assertion of the substantial continuity of Greek philosophical tradition from Pythagoras down to the latest Neoplatonic authors.

In this last claim he was expressly indebted to Pierre Hadot.

Uždavinys was an active member of the editorial board of the journal Acta Orientalia Vilnensia and head of the department of humanities at the Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts, Kaunas Faculty; as an art critic, philosopher and intellectual he was a prominent figure in Lithuanian cultural life.

In 2008 he spent time as a research fellow at La Trobe University in Bendigo, Australia.

He was a member of the International Society for Neoplatonic Studies and The Lithuanian Artists' Association, and a regular contributor to journals such as Sacred Web, Vancouver, and Sophia, Washington, D.C.

Uždavinys died in his sleep of an apparent heart attack on 25 July 2010 in his native village of Kabeliai.

He was a convert to Islam and is survived by his wife Virginija (or Virginia), and their two daughters.