“Clavdophora”: Prishvin and Two Platonovs

Abstract

. Mikhail Prishvin and Andrei Platonov are usually discussed as like-minded writers, proponents of Russian “cosmism”; however, during their lifetime, there existed a complex relationship between the two writers, and polemics arose between them more than once. Their debate was not limited to the literary plane; it expanded to include issues of environmental management and public good. Thus, Platonov very critically assessed Prishvin’s novella “Zhuravlinaya rodina” (“The Crane Homeland”) both as a writer and as a knowledgeable landscape ecologist. Yet another irritating coincidence, which added fuel to the annoyance, was the fact that Andrei Platonov’s literary “twin” – Alexey Platonov – happened to contribute his novella “Makar – karaiuschaya ruka” (“Makar-the-Punishing-Hand”) to the very same issue of the “Novy Mir” journal that contained “The Crane Homeland”. The present article examines in detail the hidden, but at the same time very cutting remarks by Andrei Platonov aimed against Prishvin and the literary group “Pass” – the remarks, which found their way into the posthumously published preface to his chronicle “Vprok” (“For the future”). The article ventures to account for such a stance.