Edmund Griffiths Knihy

Aleksandr Prokhanov (born 1938) is a prominent novelist and editor of the weekly newspaper Zavtra, known for his role in Russian ‘imperial patriotism.’ Since 1991, he has been a significant voice in Russian political culture, influencing the shift from the ‘irreconcilable opposition’ of the 1990s towards Empire. Prokhanov grapples with whether to view Vladimir Putin as a savior or a fraud, while promoting a series of elaborate ‘conspiracy theories’ that explain Russian and international affairs in extravagant terms. His prolific writing includes novels that are both muck-raking and lyrical, blending Moscow scandals with mystical yearnings of ‘cosmism.’ Themes such as world conspiracies, space exploration, and the resurrection of the dead recur in both his fiction and non-fiction, with Stalin often depicted as a supernatural redeemer. This book aims to understand Prokhanov as a key figure in the school of thought identified as ‘post-Soviet esotericism.’ This belief system, reminiscent of early Christian ideas, has gained traction in Russia since the USSR's collapse. The work offers a unique opportunity to explore the emergence of such beliefs and will interest those engaged with modern Russian literature, politics, and the study of esotericism.