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Abstract:

Written in memory of Yuri Mann, this article recounts the life and work of the prominent scholar whose books constitute a landmark phenomenon in Russian literary studies as well as offering new perspectives on different episodes of the history of literature. Mann’s scholarly career spanned the post-WWII period. In his book of memoirs written towards the end of his life, Mann analysed his philological pursuits and noted that he was occasionally considered as an outsider despite his efforts to keep up with contemporary trends. The article tries to explain how Mann’s personal and scholarly journey influenced his remarkable achievements. It also pays special attention to a lesser-known sphere of Mann’s interests: his analytical studies of modern literature (fellow philologists mostly know him as an expert on Gogol and Russian Romanticism). Finally, it describes Mann’s thoughts on conventionalism in art and gives compelling evidence that his works follow the tradition of Russian formalism.