The review of the book Young Ilyenkov: Archive Research (compiled by E. E. Illesh, edited by A. D. Maidansky, Direct-Media, Moscow, 2026. 352 p.) highlights the key thematic lines of the philosopher's biography, covering the pivotal period from 1953 to 1955. It focuses on analyzing the collection's unique archival data and examining the intellectual and political conflict known as the “case of the gnoseologists”. Special attention is paid to E.V. Ilyenkov's pedagogical phenomenon at Moscow State University, featuring the first-ever publication of his notebook fragments with seminar notes. The review concludes that the book is of high value to researchers of Soviet intellectual history.
The review of the book Young Ilyenkov: Archive Research (compiled by E. E. Illesh, edited by A. D. Maidansky, Direct-Media, Moscow, 2026. 352 p.) highlights the key thematic lines of the philosopher's biography, covering the pivotal period from 1953 to 1955. It focuses on analyzing the collection's unique archival data and examining the intellectual and political conflict known as the “case of the gnoseologists”. Special attention is paid to E.V. Ilyenkov's pedagogical phenomenon at Moscow State University, featuring the first-ever publication of his notebook fragments with seminar notes. The review concludes that the book is of high value to researchers of Soviet intellectual history.
The review is funded by the Russian Science Foundation (RSF), project number 24-18-00130 “E.V. Ilyenkov and the End of Classical Marxist Philosophy”.