Klim Samgin and an encyclopaedic genius of the era. On Gorky’s God-building pursuit

Abstract

Gorky’s severe and sometimes unfair criticisms (‘empty soul’) aimed at the hero of his last novel are revealed to be reflections of the writer’s adherence to empiriomonism, a philosophy that demands that an individual submit themselves to a collective genius and systemic knowledge. The article explores the precursors to the Samgin theme in Gorky’s works and the reasons the writer became attracted to A. Bogdanov’s ideas, also detailing differences in their views. The author considers the attitude of the novel’s characters to Bogdanov’s theory and the protagonist’s engagement with the dispute between ‘vperyodovtsy’ (members of the ‘Vperyod’ group, a subfaction of the Bolsheviks) and ‘vekhisty’ (followers of the ideas expressed in Landmarks [Vekhi], a collection of works by Russian liberally minded intellectuals). Gorky creates a belittling image of an individualistically-minded intellectual, portraying Samgin as a follower of the Kantian theory of genius, dismissed as obsolete by empiriomonists. The author suggests that Bogdanov’s character traits, biography and appearance make him a real-life prototype of Dmitry Samgin. A personality crisis in Gorky’s novel is also regarded in the context of the contemporary socio-cultural situation.