A. Platonov’s Script “Inspiration (or – Let the Gods Envy Us!)” in the Context of the Cinematographic “Railway” Project 1936–1938

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Abstract

A. Platonov’s dramaturgy represents the least studied part of the writer’s heritage. In this study, for the first time, an attempt has been made to reconstruct the complete history of the film script “Inspiration (or – Let the Gods Envy Us!)” (1936) – from the conclusion of the contract with the film studio to the actual cessation of work on the text. For the first time, the prerequisites for its creation are examined in detail, the cinematic, political, railway and other realities of the middle of 1930s reflected in the work are highlighted. The analysis involved previously unpublished sources or the text, cinematic archival documents, publications and periodicals of 1936–1938. During the study significant disagreements between the positions of Platonov and the politically engaged film organization were revealed. These disagreements entailed considerable censorship corrections, the introduction of which, however, did not reduce the artistic value of the work: Platonov, as a rule, kept markers of an undesirable topic or a problem which was raised in the text by removing or replacing individual elements.

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About the authors

M. V. Osipenko

A.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Author for correspondence.
Email: msn08383@gmail.com

Cand. Sci. (Philol.), Senior Researcher

Russian Federation, Moscow

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