Leonid Leonov's novel "Skutarevsky": a view from the history of philosophy point

The article presents a religious and philosophical interpretation of Leonid Leonov’s novel «Skutarevsky». The author prefaces the interpretation with an overview of the selected pieces of literary criticism of the 1930s, in which he shows the specifics of both Soviet and emigre views on the book. Particular attention is paid to the historical and philosophical context: the assessment of the novel in the works of Lev Vygotsky, Georgy Fedotov, and Pavel Florensky. Based on these reviews, the author makes an attempt to consider «Skutarevsky» from a fundamentally new angle - the one according to which one of the leading lines in the novel, which does not deny other primary and secondary plot lines, deals with philosophical reflection over the problem of a man-made scientific and technical «miracle». According to the author, the philosophical prose of Leonid Leonov can significantly expand the horizons of understanding of the «Soviet project» and Russian religious and philosophical thought of the XXth century.