Pitirim Sorokin (1889-1968) was one of the greatest sociologists of the twentieth century. Born in north-eastern Russia, he was forced into exile in 1922. The truth about his deep involvement in the social upheavals in Russia at the time was long suppressed in his own country, as were his sociological works in Russian. As Russia now once again takes up its place in the international academic community, the interest in Sorokin's work and life is growing. In the present volume his previously unknown essay on suicide is reprinted in Russian as well as in English translation and analysed by Ilkka Henrik Mäkinen, while Sorokin's intellectual and political development before his exile is presented by Andrew Stickley.