Lev Vygotsky was a Russian Jew, born in 1896 – the same year as Jean Piaget. Unlike Piaget, who lived into his eighties, Vygotsky died at the tragically young age of 37 from tuberculosis, which he had suffered from since the age of 23.
The fact that he was Russian is relevant. Although he was a highly respected theorist and prolific writer, the political situation in Russia at the time meant that his work remained unknown outside the country until many years after his death.
When Vygotsky’s seminal book, Thought and Language, was finally translated into English in the 1960s, Piaget wrote the preface. In it, he voiced his sadness at never having had the opportunity to know Vygotsky and to discuss their work, which Piaget felt had so many points of shared interest.
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