The philosophical and political development that converted Georg
Lukács from a distinguished representative of Central European
aesthetic vitalism into a major Marxist theorist and Communist
militant has long remained an enigma. In this this now classic
study, Michael Löwy for the first time traced and explained the
extraordinary mutation that occurred in Lukács's thought between
1909 and 1929. Utilizing many as yet unpublished sources, Löwy
meticulously reconstructed the complex itinerary of Lukács's
thinking as he gradually moved towards his decisive encounter with
Bolshevism. The religious convictions of the early Lukács, the
peculiar spell exercised on him and on Max Weber by Dostoyevskyan
images of pre-revolutionary Russia, the nature of his friendships
with Ernst Bloch and Thomas Mann, were amongst the discoveries of
the book. Then, in a fascinating case-study in the sociology of
ideas, Löwy showed how the same philosophical problematic of
Lebensphilosophie dominated the intelligentsias of both Germany and
Hungary in the pre-war period, yet how the different configurations
of social forces in each country bent its political destiny into
opposite directions. The famous works produced by Lukács during
and after the Hungarian Commune-Tactics and Ethics, History and
Class Consciousness and Lenin-were analysed and assessed. A
concluding chapter discussed Lukács's eventual ambiguous
settlement with Stalinism in the thirties, and its coda of renewed
radicalism in the final years of his life. In this new edition,
Löwy has added a substantial new introduction which reassess the
nature of Lukacs's thought in the light of newly published texts
and debates.
General
Imprint: |
Verso Books
|
Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Release date: |
November 2023 |
Authors: |
Michael Löwy
|
Dimensions: |
210 x 140mm (L x W) |
Pages: |
256 |
Edition: |
New edition |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-80429-549-6 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
1-80429-549-3 |
Barcode: |
9781804295496 |
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