Thais, the best-selling novel by Ivan Yefremov, a prominent Russian scientist and writer, was first published in Russia nearly forty years ago. It has sold millions of copies and to some extent has shaped the national cultural outlook on femininity and true humanity. Set in the era of Alexander the Great, the book tells a story of an Athenian hetaera Thais, whose fascinating image captures readers' hearts and minds from the very first chapter and makes you fall in love with the heroine, or more precisely the image created by Yefremov – the image of a Muse, a word that has gone out of use, as well as the concept itself. The novel embraces the authentic historical overview and, with more relevance to our time, offers a unifying distinction of the ancient philosophies and religions through the prism of the universal humane values of all times. The pivoting point of the novel is the female aspect of divinity, the disregard, and diminution of which led to the domination of machismo reflected in spiritual and social trends, culture and ultimately human progress. The time has come for the rest of the world to discover Thais in order to remind us all of what true feminine beauty is - a combination of beautiful body, mind, and spirit; the very ideal of a woman.
