Alexander Pyatigorsky, renowned philosopher, linguist, and researcher on culture and Buddhism, coauthored many works with Yuri Lotman and Merab Mamardashvili, and was one of those who stood at the cradle of the Tartu-Moscow semiotic school. Starting as an Oriental scholar, he was staff researcher of the Moscow)based Institute of Oriental Studies under the USSR Academy of Sciences, Indian history and religions department. He published many works on Indian philosophy. On Yuri Lotman's invitation, he joined the Tartu University staff in Estonia in the early 1960s. The scholar emigrated to Britain in 1974, and holds professorship of the University of London. His novel Remembering That Strange Man brought him the 2006 Andrei Bely Award. Pyatigorsky was a visiting lecturer in many countries. He revisited Moscow thirty years after leaving it.