Platonov or bust

Abstract

The author presents a highly personal case for considering Andrey Platonov as the third person of a ‘holy trinity’ of writers from early twentieth-century Russia. Where Chekhov foresaw huge social upheaval (but died before seeing it) and Gorky staged the beginnings of insurrection, Platonov explores the fallout of the Revolution. The malign impact of Gorky’s doctrine of Socialist Realism on Platonov’s life and work is tracked. The challenges of adapting Platonov’s fiction to the stage are examined, and a case study offered of the new play Bliss, based on ‘The River Potudan’, which premiered in Platonov’s hometown of Voronezh, in June 2019.