Dionys Neubacher: ‘Dreams about Space Led Me to Linguistics’

Dionys Neubacher, a new lecturer at the Austrian library shared his impressions about Nizhny Novgorod and his plans to expand the library.

I’m a doctoral student in Austria and here I’m planning to work on my thesis dedicated to the study of the problems of intercultural communication in Western companies operating in Russia. I will also teach German and academic writing to the students of HSE Faculty of Humanities.

As for the Austrian library, I believe it’s not only a growing collection of literary sources, it’s also a cultural centre. I hope that here we can organize regular meetings with Austrian specialists in culture, researchers, representatives of business and industry that will help Russian students to learn more about Austria.

Dionys, you speak very good Russian, Where did you learn it?

When I was a boy, like many children in the world I wanted to become an astronaut. Franz Artur Viehböck was the first Austrian astronaut, in 1991 he visited the Mir space station with the Soviet crew. That was when I realized that the Russian language can open many doors (laughs).

But seriously speaking, I attended the school of humanities, studied linguistics at the university and have always been interested in intercultural communication and Russian. During studies at University I had a friend from Ukraine, who invited me to visit his country. I really liked staying in Eastern Europe, and I realized that it is important for me to learn Russian. Later I studied at Pushkin State Russian Language Institute in Moscow, and attended a summer language school in St. Petersburg. However, my trip to Nizhny Novgorod is my first extended stay in the country, and I hope my Russian will get even better!

You’ve been in Nizhny Novgorod for two days. Could you please tell us what sights you have already seen? And what are you planning to visit?

Of course, before coming to Nizhny Novgorod I watched hundreds of videos on youtube about the city. It is very beautiful, and my first trip around the city centre impressed me much more than all the videos! I love Moscow, but Nizhny Novgorod compares well with the capital, and the more relaxed pace of life, perhaps, makes it even more attractive to me. I am impressed with the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin and the views from the hills, but since I was born and raised in Linz – the industrial capital of Austria - I really want to see the industrial, factory areas of the city.

Dionys, thank you very much for the interview, good luck with your stay!