L. E. Pinsky. Why God is asleep

Abstract

Pinsky, L. (2019). Why God is asleep. Ed. by A. Kozintsev. St. Petersburg: Nestor-Istoriya. (In Russ.)

The book is titled after the opening Menippean satire, sent by its author L. Pinsky to G. Kozintzev in order to entertain. Their correspondence (1968– 1973) follows to represent their current work. At that moment Pinsky was making desperate attempts to bring to completion his book Shakespeare. The Essential Elements of Drama [Shekspir. Osnovnye nachala dramaturgii]. Kozintsev in his turn was filming King Lear and enjoyed the worldwide success in 1971. Pinsky was among those who were disappointed with the work done by his friend. According to him both the sense of the heroic and a comic attitude towards heroism were lost in the film. The book is remarkable for the dignity of conversation on both sides and exchange of comprehension that does not rule our disagreement but, on the contrary, invites to the polemics as a form of ‘thinking together’ (Kozintsev).