A. Bogdanov's Novels: Utopia or Artistic Reflection of the Future Sociality and Dilemmas of the Author's Personality?

Abstract

The article offers the author's reconstruction of two novels and partly the life of Alexander Bogdanov. In terms of methodology, the author relies on the studies of art and his works published by him, which include three main plans - an analysis of the sphere of art, artistic communication and the artistic reality of the work. The study opens with the formulation of problems: the genre of novels is called into question as a utopia (the author believes that it is rather a social projection in the form of a work of art), the actions of the characters are incomprehensible, it is not clear why Bogdanov builds the plot so paradoxically. To resolve these problems, the author turns to the personality of Bogdanov, shows its duality: on the one hand, the desire for power and leaderism, on the other hand, the denial of these values and switching to scientific and teaching activities. This approach allows building a plausible, from the point of view of the author, reconstruction of the artistic reality of the novels and its events. At the same time, the author distinguishes two types of events in artistic reality. The first type is events that line up in response to a completely conscious problem or task. The second type does not imply an awareness of the problem facing the artist (it can only be felt as a vague dissatisfaction or desire), and there is no clear understanding of the way to solve this problem. The proposed reconstruction also makes it possible to explain some features of the evolution of Bogdanov himself: a break with Lenin and the Bolshevik leadership, the rejection of leaderism, switching to the construction of the science of "Tectology".