Bloomsbury Phoenix of Philosophy, The: Russian Thought of the Late Soviet Period (1953–1991)

Review Bold, comprehensive, and beautifully written, this book retrieves one of the best-forgotten parts of global intellectual history. While the lives of leading Soviet thinkers were tragic, Mikhail Epstein presents their philosophy as liberating: a sublime lesson of hope and resistance for our time. - --Alexander Etkind, Professor of History of Russia-Europe Relations, European University at Florence, ItalyAn impressive work of synthesis, this book offers a fascinating panorama of Soviet intellectual life in the second half of the 20th century. Epstein writes with clarity and conviction that stem from his knowledge and immediate experience of the times he revisits in these often riveting pages. - --Galin Tihanov, George Steiner Professor of Comparative Literature, Queen Mary University of London, UKThis beautifully written book by one of our most eminent scholars of Russian culture confirms that even in the most inhospitable circumstances, such as Soviet ideocracy, Russian thought flourishes and liberates. It is a brilliant testimony to the power of ideas and of the human spirit. - --Randall A. Poole, Professor of History, College of St. Scholastica, USA Product Description This groundbreaking work by one of the worlds foremost theoreticians of Russian literature, culture, and thought gives for the first time an extensive and detailed examination of the development of Russian thought during the late Soviet period. Countering the traditional view of an intellectual wilderness under the Soviet regime, Mikhail Epstein offers a systematic account of Russian thought in the second half of the 20th century. In doing so, he provides new insights into previously ignored areas such as Russian liberalism, nationalism and culturology. Epstein shows how Russian philosophy and culture has long been trapped in an intellectual prison of its own making as it sought to create its own utopia. However, he demonstrates that it is time to reappraise Russian thought and art, now freed from the bonds of totalitarianism. We are left with not only a new and exciting interpretation of Russian thought, but also an opportunity to rethink our own intellectual heritage. About the Author Mikhail Epstein is Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Cultural Theory and Russian Literature at Emory University, USA. From 20122015 he was Professor of Russian and Cultural Theory and Founding Director of the Centre for Humanities Innovation at Durham University, UK. His research interests include new directions in the humanities and methods of intellectual creativity, contemporary philosophy, postmodernism, Russian literature, and philosophy and religion of the 20th21st cc. He is the author of 33 books, including The Transformative Humanities: A Manifesto (Bloomsbury, 2012), and more than 700 articles and essays. His work has been translated into 23 languages. Professor Epstein has won national and international awards, including The Andrei Bely Prize, The Social Innovations Award, and The Liberty Prize, awarded annually for ""the outstanding contribution to the development of Russian - U.S. cultural relations"" (New York, 2000).