ABSTRACT
Lev Vygotsky was a prophet, a Bolshevik, a reflexologist, a psychologist, a revisionist, and a holist. After his death he became a genius. The origin of the story about the genius of Vygotsky dates back to a time when his admiring students and followers would earnestly discuss how much of a genius Vygotsky was. "Vygotsky the genius" migrated across the borders. In their communications with Western scholars, Leontiev and, especially, Alexander Luria promoted the late Vygotsky as an important figure in Russian psychology. The aura and charisma of the late "genius" provided Vygotsky's followers with the authority they needed. The "genius's elusiveness", though, prevented them from pinpointing what exactly his scientific achievement was. A whole new genre of scholarly writing subsequently evolved in an attempt at "understanding Vygotsky". Vygotsky became a celebrity and a superstar. This is how it happened that his following nowadays is as numerous as it is authoritative.
