Paradoxes of Anatoly Wasserman: Vow of chastity, 15 victories in "Your game", shooting with Buzova, etc

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

For several decades, the name of this person has not left the pages of the media. The unique man Anatoly Wasserman, who celebrated his 68th birthday on December 9, was known as a programmer during the Soviet era, in the 1990s. - as a participant in intellectual games, a 15-time champion of "My own game", today - as a political consultant, blogger, TV presenter and one of the most paradoxical media persons. Wasserman never ceases to amaze the public, either appearing in one underwear in front of journalists, then talking about his collection of adult films, then acting in Olga Buzova's video, or regretting that he made a vow of chastity in his youth …

When in 1952 a son was born in the Odessa family of a prominent thermal physicist Alexander Wasserman and an accountant-economist Lina Baum, he was named Anatoly in honor of his grandfather, a military doctor who went through the Civil, Finnish and Great Patriotic Wars. My grandmother was also a doctor who was awarded the title of Excellence in Healthcare. Anatoly from childhood was an unusual child, which are called wunderkinds: already at the age of 4 he could read fluently, at 11 he read a 15-volume encyclopedic reference book on mechanical engineering, at 14 he already knew it by heart, while due to poor health he received mainly home education, which his mother was engaged in. Problems at school appeared not only because he often missed classes, but also because the polymath allowed himself to point out mistakes and inaccuracies to teachers, starting to explain the subject instead of them. Perhaps that is why Wasserman was not an excellent student and did not receive a gold medal.

But the intellectual managed to easily enter the Odessa Technological Institute of the Refrigeration Industry. Already in his third year, in 1972, he wrote the first computer program not for educational purposes, but for production purposes. Wasserman received the same specialty as his father - a thermal physics engineer. After completing his studies, he got a job at NPO Kholodmash, where he became one of the first programmers. After 3 years he was accepted to the position of a system programmer at the Research Institute "Pishchepromavtomatika".

Encyclopedic education allowed Anatoly Wasserman to take part in television intellectual games. For the first time, the polymath appeared on the screens in 1989 in the program “What? Where? When?". For several years he was a member of Nurali Latypov's team. Then, together with Boris Burda, Wasserman played in the "Brain Ring", but the most brilliant appearance was his appearance in "His Game". Anatoly became the first record holder of this intellectual show, winning it 15 times in a row and earning the title of "Best Player of the Decade".

His IQ level exceeds 140 units, which usually qualifies as a genius, but Wasserman does not consider himself as such. He said more than once that the smartest people usually do the biggest stupid things. And he gave an example from his own biography - at the age of 17 Anatoly made a vow of chastity, about which he said: "".

After graduation, Wasserman never saw this classmate again, but he kept his word - because of his own stubbornness and loyalty to his word. However, he more than once called this decision his greatest stupidity and mistake. In an interview, he said: "". The intellectual admits that he has met interesting women more than once and he has thought about creating a family more than once, but he rejected these ideas, since he believed that no woman could come to terms with his lifestyle - the habit of working very hard, sitting at a desk until late, spend 8-12 hours a day on the Internet and do not turn off the TV at night. And it is easier for him to give up his family than from his lifestyle. At the same time, Wasserman claims that he experienced the last bright love in the 5th grade, and if he experienced it again, he might have abandoned the vow of chastity.

The polymath sought to compensate for the lack of practice in matters of intimate life by intensifying the study of theory - that is why he collected a huge collection of relevant literature and films for adults, which he talked about more than once in interviews. Anatoly is a passionate collector not only of such literature and films, but also of airsoft weapons designed for training imitation of military operations.

Odessans are no longer surprised when they see Anatoly Wasserman on nudist beaches - he does not hide the fact that he has long preferred this kind of rest. He was introduced to this by his teammate “What? Where? When”, psychologist Irina Morozovskaya. According to Wasserman, this helped him gain self-confidence and not be complex about his own appearance - he always believed that he was overweight, but he did not have enough time, willpower, or desires. At the same time, guests of the house - not only friends, but even a film crew - an erudite can meet in some swimming trunks - says that sometimes there is not enough time to get ready.

The intellectual never cared about his image at all - he let go of his beard only because he was tired of shaving. The last time he held a razor in his hands was in 1982, and since then he has only occasionally trimmed his beard. Wasserman also does not wear suits and jackets for many years - in public he always appears in his famous vest weighing 7-9 kg. Many people are interested in the question: what is stored in the pockets of this vest, and why should all this heavy stuff be worn every day? The intellectual admits that it is much easier and more convenient for him to always have a supply of things "for all occasions" than to think every time about whether he forgot to take something with him. The pockets hold chargers, a knife, pens, pencils, notepads, a folding umbrella, a flashlight, a set of screwdrivers, a voice recorder, a spyglass and much more.

The erudite changed the spheres of activity several times, while always choosing the occupation that he liked himself. Mind games have long been his main job and a way of self-expression. Later he became a political consultant and political strategist, but at the same time he emphasized: "".

Back in the 1990s, since he began to appear regularly in television programs, the polymath has become a vibrant media person who invariably attracts the attention of viewers. In the era of the Internet, its popularity has increased tenfold. In the mid-2000s. he became the hero of numerous Onotole memes, which he himself always treated with humor and his inherent self-irony. Wasserman loves to appear in public and often participates in social events.

Therefore, in 2019, the intellectual willingly agreed to star in the video of the no less exotic character of Internet memes - Olga Buzova. He danced famously with the girls to the song "Dance to Buzov" and enjoyed filming. "", - Wasserman said.

Many colleagues of the polymath also frequently appear on television: How did the fate of the most famous experts of the club “What? Where? When?"