Boris Stolpner: marxist, philosopher, kabbalist

Abstract

This article deals with the life and creative work of the Russian-Jewish philosopher Boris Stolpner (1871–1937), the important but undeservedly forgotten representative of the Russian thought of the Silver Age. For three decades he was at the heart of discussions on issues of religion, philosophy, literature, politics and was familiar with almost all outstanding representatives of the cultural life of Russia of that time. The focus of the article is Stolpner’s contribution to the cultural context of the Silver Age and his special method of polemics. The article also scrutinises his role in the work of the Religious-Philosophical Society of St. Petersburg, his relationship with V. V. Rozanov, A. F. Losev, etc. The article raises for the fi rst time the question of the signifi cance of Stolpner’s ideas for the perception of Jewish mysticism by Russian philosophers of the early twentieth century. The study is largely based on hard-to-access publications and archival materials that have not yet been made public.

Keywords

• русская философия
• Серебряный век
• Религиозно-философское общество
• Государственная академия художественной культуры
• В. В. Розанов
• А. Ф. Лосев
• П. А. Флоренский
• С. Н. Булгаков
• Г. Г. Шпет
• еврейский мистицизм
• каббала
• марксизм