Andrei Platonov: Uncertainties of Spirit

Cambridge Univ Pr, 1992. First Edition. . Hardcover. Fine/Near Fine. Review "This book is a very welcome addition to Platonov studies, utopian studies, and the study of early twentieth-century Russian intellectual history. Building on a number of previous works, Seifrid does a convincing job synthesizing the literary and philosophical currents within which this writer, so unique and difficult to place, should be interpreted....this is a very valuable addition that, it is hoped, will encourage inclusion of Platanov in syllabi of courses and seminars on utopia." Utopian Studies Product Description The Soviet writer Andrei Platonov (1899-1951) belongs to a Russian philosophical tradition that includes such figures as Vladimir Solov'ev, Mikhail Bakhtin, and Boris Pasternak. This study investigates the interrelation of themes, imagery, and the use of language in his prose. Thomas Seifrid shows how Platonov was particularly influenced by Russian utopian thought of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and how his world view was also shaped by its implicit dialogue with the "official" Soviet philosophy of Marxism-Leninism, and later with Stalinist utopianism.