Andrej Platonow

Andrei Platonov (1899-1951) trained in railway engineering and worked as an irrigation and electrification engineer at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1918 he began publishing journalistic works, poems and stories. During his time as an irrigation engineer, Platonov witnessed the humanitarian tragedies that took place as a consequence of forced collectivisation. The poverty and violence he experienced prompted the previously fervent supporter of the revolution to rethink his position. He processed his critiques into the anti-authoritarian content of his literary works; his main works include the novels Chevengur (1926) and The Foundation Pit (1930). His publications’ system-critical orientation provoked major objections from party officials, which meant that the publication of Platonov's works was not permitted during his lifetime, and he wasn’t rediscovered until the 1980s.