Anatoly Lunacharsky
Anatoly Lunacharsky was a notable Russian author, critic, and politician, born on November 23, 1875, in Poltava, Ukraine. A dedicated Marxist, he faced deportation in 1898 due to his revolutionary activities and later became a prominent propagandist for the Bolshevik faction of the Social Democratic Party. Lunacharsky was arrested during the failed Russian Revolution of 1905 and formed a close friendship with fellow Marxist writer Maxim Gorky. He attempted to establish an advanced school for elite factory workers, but this initiative was opposed by Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin and was ultimately shut down.
After the successful Russian Revolution of 1917, Lunacharsky was appointed the people's commissar for education, where he played a key role in preserving historic cultural heritage during the civil war. He was also passionate about theater, revitalizing the Russian stage and promoting dramatic innovation. However, he was removed from his educational post by Stalin in 1929 and later served as the Soviet ambassador to Spain beginning in 1933. Lunacharsky authored several dramatic works, with three of them collected in the English publication "Three Plays" in 1923. He passed away in Menton, France, on December 26, 1933.
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Subject Terms
Anatoly Lunacharsky
Marxist Revolutionary
- Born: November 23, 1875
- Birthplace: Poltava, Ukraine, Russian Empire
- Died: December 26, 1933
- Place of death: Menton, France
Biography
Russian author, critic, and politician Anatoly Lunacharsky was born in Poltava, Ukraine, on November 23, 1875. He was a Marxist, and in 1898 he was deported for revolutionary activities. He became a propagandist for the Bolshevik wing of the Social Democratic Party and began working for the Bolshevik journal Vpered. He was arrested and imprisoned during the unsuccessful Russian Revolution of 1905. He befriended author and fellow Marxist Maxim Gorky, and with the help of Aleksandr Bogdanov they founded an advanced school for elite factory workers on the island of Capri; however, Bolshevik leader Vladimir Ilich Lenin opposed the idea, and the school was soon shut down. In 1909 Lunacharsky published Outlines of a Collective Philosophy, which attempted to address the rightful place of religion in a socialist society.
Lunacharsky was appointed people’s commissar for education during the successful Russian Revolution of 1917. In this post, he was able to ensure the preservation of historic buildings and works of art during the subsequent civil war. Lunacharsky was passionate about theater, and as commissar he imbued the Russian stage with renewed vitality and encouraged dramatic innovation. Stalin removed him from this position in 1929, and he was appointed Soviet ambassador to Spain in 1933. Lunacharsky was the author of several dramatic works, of which three were translated into English. These were collected in Three Plays, published in 1923. Lunacharsky died in Menton, France, on December 26, 1933.