Novosibirsk algebra and logic in the mid 1960s: A personal perspective

Being asked to write about Asan D. Taimanov, I had a little problem. I knew Taimanov. I liked and respected him, and so I wanted to write something. But I didn’t know him well. I didn’t live in the Novosibirsk Akademgorodok where he lived and worked; I just visited Novosibirsk a number of times. So I decided to widen the topic and write about my own Novosibirsk experience, including interactions with Taimanov.