Written Conversations: N.A. Berdyaev’s Epistolary Archive

A Review on: Nikolai Berdyaev: An Epistolary Conversation. Archival Materials. Ed.-comp. T.G. Shchedrina; introduction, ed., prep. of texts and commentaries by A.A. Gaponenkov, E.V. Serdyukova, I.O. Shchedrina, T.G. Shchedrina. Moscow: Politicheskaya Entsiklopediya Publ., 2023. 303 p.

Abstract

The essay examines the book published in 2023 “Nikolai Berdyaev: An Epistolary Conversation. Archival Materials”, containing bilateral correspondence between N.A. Berdyaev and S.L. Frank, as well as letters to Berdyaev from N.O. Lossky and Yu.M. Panebrattsev. This book covers the chronological period from 1922 to 1948, during which Berdyaev was living in exile. The main focus of the book is the correspondence between Berdyaev and Frank, which covers a wide range of topics, including the fate of Russian philosophical research abroad, educational and publishing institutions in Germany and France, as well as the daily challenges faced by Berdyaev during the 1920s and 1940s. A significant portion of the correspondence also discusses the ideas behind Berdyaev’s philosophical works, the process of preparing and publishing them, and the history of “Way” journal (1925–1940). Lossky’s letters (unfortunately, Berdyaev’s reply letters have not yet been found) are more formal and distant, but they also reflect the long-term collaboration between the philosophers, their attention to each other’s work, and their perception of the intellectual life in Soviet Russia as continuing in many ways, both in relation to the past and in connection with emigration. Of particular interest are the letters written by Yu.M. Panebrattsev (1900–1937) from Soviet Russia to Paris between 1930 and 1931, expressing the intense philosophical quest of a relatively young man seeking advice and guidance from Berdyaev. Panebrattsev’s letters provide an interesting insight into how, at the very beginning of the 1930s, he synthesized the trends of Russian idealistic philosophy from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, while also appealing to the great philosophical traditions of Europe, consciously avoiding the influence of official philosophy. The reviewed publication makes a valuable contribution not only to the study of Berdyaev’s life and works, but also to the history of the Russian emigration of the first wave.