The Lukacs Reader

297 Pages·1995·20.166 MB·English

by  Arpad Kadarkay

THE LUKACS READER
Edited by
Arpad Kadarkay
II
-
BLACI<WELL
Oxford UK &0 Cambridge USA
To Iris Murdoch
The Lukacs Reader
Copyright © Blackwell Publishers Ltd 1995
Introduction, arrangement, translation and apparatus
copyright © Arpad Kadarkay 1995
First published 1995
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The Lukacs reader I edited by Arpad Kadarkay.
p.cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-55786-570- 1. ISBN 1-55786-571-X
1. Lukacs, Gyorgy, 188;-1971-Contributions in criticism.
2. Lukacs, Gyorgy, 1885-1971-Aesthetics. 3. Lukacs, Gyorgy, 1885-1971. 4.
Marxist criticism. 5. Aesthetics, Modern-20th century.
I. Kadarkay, Arpad, 1934- .
PN75.L8L85 1995
94-47944
199'. 439-dc20 CIP
Typeset in lIon 13 pt Plantin by Pure Tech India Ltd, Pondicherry
Printed in Great Britain by Hartnolls Ltd, Bodmin, Cornwall
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Contents
Preface
Vll
Acknowledgements
IX
PART I: Essays in Autobiography 1
Introduction 3
1 Soren Kierkegaard and Regine Olsen 11
2 Diary (1910-1911) 26
3 On Poverty of Spirit 42
4 My Socratic Mask 57
PART II: Drama and Tragedy 63
Introduction 65
5 Shakespeare and Modem Drama 70
6 John Ford 82
7 August Strindberg 91
8 Thoughts on Henrik Ibsen 97
9 Peer Gynt 112
10 Oscar Wilde 120
11 Bernard Shaw 125
PART III: Art and Literature 141
Introduction 143
12 Aesthetic Culture 146
13 Paul Gauguin 160
14 The Parting of the Ways 167
15 Stavrogin's Confession 174
16 Integrated Civilizations 179
17 The Ideology of Modernism 187
PART IV: Philosophy and Politics 211
Introduction 213
18 Bolshevism as an Ethical Problem 216
19 Class Consciousness 222
20 Friedrich Nietzsche 246
21 Martin Heidegger 266
vi Contents
Bibliography 283
Index 287
Preface
The literary career of Georg Lukacs (1885-1971) spanned nearly
seven decades of twentieth-century European thought, politics and
culture. He was not only one of the most important intellectuals of
this century, but as a Marxist, rising from the chaos of 'Old Europe'
tom by war and revolutions, he became a philosopher of the first
Marxist state. He stood at the epicentre of almost every major histori
cal event of the turbulent twentieth century, from the Russian revo
lution of 1917 to the Hungarian revolution and its aftermath in 1956.
As a philosopher and representative of his own ideals, Lukacs took up a
position, often as adversary, on all the great events, ideas and personalities
of his long and fascinating career. In this selection ofh is writings, conveni
ently structured by topic, Arpad Kadarkay presents the breadth and depth
of Lukacs's thought.
Whether he is putting on a Socratic mask in pursuit of Eros, or
analysing the essence of Shakespeare, Ibsen, Wilde or Shaw, Lukacs
is always thought-provoking and often startling. We see a mind grap
pling with the fundamental issues of human existence, centred on love
and work, striving to extend the boundaries of thought. If we want to
gain a deeper understanding of the human condition and consider life
at the limits, vita in extremis, we should read Lukacs's essays in
autobiography.
The Lukacs Reader is the most comprehensive introduction to Lu
kacs's work yet published in English. The essays chosen encompass
every aspect of his thought: his early autobiographical essays, written
under the influence of Socrates, Plato and Kierkegaard; his original
reflections on Shakespeare, Ford, Strindberg, Ibsen, Wilde and Shaw;
his pioneering essays on aesthetics, art and modernism; the rich and
subtle essay on 'Class Consciousness' and, finally, his attempt to turn
the tables on Nietzsche and Heidegger as he examines their ideas.
Given the vast range of this material, each section has been prefaced
by a brief introduction describing the basic issues and the essential back
ground. Editorial intervention has otherwise taken the form of providing
Preface
Vlll
extensive explanatory notes at the ends of chapters. All these notes are
by the editor unless otherwise indicated.
While working on the Reader, I enjoyed the sustained and sustaining
support of archivists, librarians, friends and colleagues. I am indebted
to the Bodleian Library, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences Library,
and the Lukacs Archive in Budapest for access to published and
unpublished material.
The following colleagues of mine at the University of Puget Sound
provided me with stimulus and help: Michael Curley, Mott Greene, David
Lupher, Lisa Neil, Ted Taranovski and Mike Veseth.
I wish to thank Lee Congdon, Professor of History, James Madison
University, whose friendship and many acts of kindness eased my search
for elusive documents. As always, Leszek Kolakowski, whose friendship
I enjoyed many summers and many winters, supported my labours. I am
most grateful to David Frisby, University of Glasgow, for the rare
materials he sent me which proved valuable and helpful. It is a pleasure
to thank Martin Jay at the University of California for being a conversa
tion partner and lively correspondent. I am singularly fortunate to
benefit from George Steiner's work whose presence in the Reader, as well
as his correspondence, I gratefully acknowledge. I want also to record
my particular gratitude to James McFarlane, Emeritus Professor of
European Literature at the University of East Anglia, for reading and
commenting on Lukacs's essays on Strindberg and Ibsen. Professor
McFarlane's monumental work, the eight volumes of The Oxford Ibsen,
the standard English text of the plays, proved invaluable during my long
labours on the Reader.
Alison Truefitt is a demon of a copy editor; the flicker of flags
fluttering at the right margin of my manuscript, the painstaking
scrutiny of every single word, her tough-minded way of correcting
slips and offering improvements and felicitous reformulations have
left me with a debt that seems impossible to discharge. She earned my
admiration and gratitude.
Finally, I should like to thank my editors at Basil Blackwell, Ste
phan Chambers, John Davey and Andrew McNeillie, for the advice,
support and professionalism which they brought to the production of
this volume.
Acknowledgements
The editor and the publishers would like to thank the following for
permission to include the material collected in this edition: for 'Inte
grated Civilizations' and 'Class Consciousness', the MIT Press; for
'Ideology of Modernism', HarperCollins Publishers; for 'Friedrich
Nietzsche' and 'Martin Heidegger' Humanities Press, for the rest of
the material included, in parts I-IV, the Philosophical Institute of the
Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Lukacs Archive and Library, and
Artijus, Agency for Literature and Theatre in Budapest.
The publishers apologize for any errors or omissions in the above list
and would be gratefuf to be notified of any corrections that should be
incorporated in the next edition or reprint of this book.