Echoes of Pochvennichestvo in Solzhenitsyn's August 1914
1975; Cambridge University Press; Volume: 34; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/2495876
ISSN2325-7784
Autores Tópico(s)Philosophical and Historical Studies
ResumoA notable characteristic of Solzhenitsyn's earlier works, from One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich to Cancer Ward, was their apparent philosophical and aesthetic eclecticism. Their author seemed neither to reveal the intellectual origins of his work nor to articulate in his novels a coherent philosophy of history or theory of art. One critic was forced to conclude that artistically Solzhenitsyn was an “eclectic with conservative leanings” whose main concern was with truth and honesty in literature. The publication of August 1914 tended at first to allay this feeling. Parallels of both form and content could be drawn between the new novel and Tolstoy's War and Peace. Further reflection, however, suggests that the comparison with Tolstoy raises as many difficulties as it resolves. But this does not mean that the riddle of the origins of Solzhenitsyn's thought remains insoluble. When examined in conjunction with the Nobel Prize lecture and the programmatic letter of September 5, 1973, to the Kremlin leaders, August 1914 does reveal the sources of Solzhenitsyn's philosophical and aesthetic views.
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