Olga Novikova, born in Moscow, Russia, in 1974. M.A. from Moscow Lomonosov State University. Postgraduate Student at Moscow Lomonosov State University.
Participation in the TRIS programme contributed significantly to my research for various reasons. The main sources I need are concentrated at the Rare Book Department of the Leiden University Library and are not available at any other place. So it was of vital importance for me to stay at NIAS, nearby Leiden, and to consult these unique materials. The period at NIAS coincided with the final stage of my work. Thanks to the perfect library service I could consult the most recent and rare secondary literature (in Russia this would not have been possible). I also checked the doubtful passages of my sources, bridged little informational gaps and as a result arrived at some new ideas. During these two months I grew closer to the country and to my subject and now I feel ready to complete my work.