“For Lovers and Friends, Distance is a Great Boon”. On the Correspondence Between S.L. Frank and L. Binswanger.

Review on: The Correspondence Between S.L. Frank and L. Binswanger (1934–1950), ed. by K.M. Antonov, G.E. Alyaev, F. Bubbaier et al. Moscow: St. Tikhon Orthodox Un. Press, 2021. 960 p.

Abstract

The essay examines the 2021 edition of S.L. Frank’s correspondence with L. Binswanger, covering the period from 1934 to 1950. This correspondence includes more than 400 letters, both closed and open, from both correspondents, and covers a wide range of topics, including everyday issues, the Franks’ stay in Germany and France, and, after the war, in England, as well as various philosophical discussions. First and foremost, the correspondence allows us to witness the formation and development of Frank’s later creative ideas, such as his works on “The Incomprehensible”, “Light in Darkness”, “God with Us”, and “Reality and Man”. Additionally, an anthology on the history of Russian thought was also produced during this time. A significant common theme throughout Frank and Binswanger’s communication from the beginning until the end is the understanding of existential philosophy. Their attitude towards Heidegger’s philosophy evolved over time, from Frank’s initial rejection of it as “nihilism”, to a greater and more sympathetic appreciation of the “turn” towards it. The thoroughness of both interlocutors, and in Frank’s case, the diary nature of the correspondence, makes the correspondence a valuable source for the intellectual history of the 1930s-40s, and especially for studying the international relations of Russian emigration. The variety of forms of interaction and the search for environments are also explored. All published texts, which include not only letters and postcards from Frank and Binswanger but also a number of related messages, particularly Binswanger’s correspondence with S.L. Frank’s son Victor during the philosopher’s final illness and immediately after his death, are presented in the original language (mostly German) and Russian translation. The publication also serves as a kind of “documentary biography” for S.L. Frank in the last sixteen years of his life, thanks to the detailed introductory article and commentary.