V. K. Kantor. Russia as destiny

Abstract

Kantor’s book is devoted to the problem of choosing Russia as one’s own destiny and remaining loyal to that choice. The book’s leitmotif is the significance of the word in our lives: turning to the word, we continue God’s work, and the writer’s inner freedom and self-discovery at the crossroads of epochs ensures the word’s immortality. Kantor complements his religious interpretation of literature and writing with a cultural-historical interpretation that draws on Mamardashvili’s ideas. The latter argued that the question whether Dostoevsky and Tolstoy loved Russia is nonsensical: He believed both to be Russia — or creators of Russia. Kantor, however, further develops the concept by pointing out that creation is only possible for a loving heart, and that it was love for Russia as a great nation that set Peter I and his successors apart from Lenin, Tolstoy, Herzen, and others who hated Russia or failed to see its greatness. In Kantor’s perception the prevalent thought of Russian Europeans was to accept Russia as their destiny — and his own creed can be deduced from this idea.