Bekhterev in the Kremlin. Psychologist and tyrant

On December 23, 1927, Vladimir Bekhterev, one of the leading neurologists and psychiatrists of the 20th century, was at a reception with Stalin in the Kremlin. It was a face-to-face meeting, so no one knows what the scientist and the tyrant talked about. The next day, Bekhterev passed away. According to the official version, death was caused by acute food poisoning. But what really happened? Cold-blooded murder? Revenge for an honest diagnosis? Retribution for scientific independence? The new book by Italian psychologist and historian Luciano Mecacci is not only a historical investigation into the death of Bekhterev, but also an attempt to understand how fear works, how oblivion works, and what happens when science collides with dictatorship. A fascinating, precisely written intellectual investigation - between the archive and speculation, silence and testimony.