Lukacs After Communism

Since the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, the validity of Marxism and Marxist theory has undergone intense scrutiny both within and outside the academy. In "Lukacs After Communism", Eva L. Corredor conducts ten lively and engaging interviews with a diverse group of international scholars to address the continued relevance of Gy'rgy Lukacs's theories to the post-communist era. Corredor challenges these theoreticians, each of whom have been influenced by the man once considered the foremost theoretician of Marxist aesthetics, to reconsider the Lukacsean legacy and to speculate on Marxist theory's prospects in the coming decades. The scholars featured in this collection - Etienne Balibar, Peter Burger, Terry Eagleton, Fredric Jameson, Jacques Leenhardt, Michael L'wy, Roberto Schwarz, George Steiner, Susan Suleiman, and Cornel West - discuss a broad array of literary and political topics and present provocative views on gender, race, and economic relations. Corredor's introduction provides a biographical synopsis of Lukacs and discusses a number of his most important theoretical concepts. The interviews yield insights into Lukacs as a philosopher and theorist, while offering anecdotes that capture him in his role as a teacher-mentor. This collection of theoretical reflections illuminates the ongoing vitality of Lukacs's work and offers a fascinating critical re-appropriation. "Lukacs After Communism" will particularly interest students and scholars of Marxism and critical theory.