The Russian philosopher and cultural theorist Mikhail Bakhtin has traditionally been seen as the leading figure in the group of intellectuals known as the Bakhtin Circle. The writings of other members of the Circle, when not attributed to Bakhtin himself, are considered much less important than his work. However, Bakhtin's achievement has been exaggerated in proportion to the downgrading of the thinkers with whom he associated in the 1920s. This volume, which includes new translations and studies of the work of the most important members of the Bakhtin Circle, sets out to correct the distortions in the established representations of its activity. The original contributions to literary and linguistic theory made by Valentin Voloshinov and Pavel Medvedev (but frequently credited to Bakhtin) are assessed, and the distinctiveness of their approaches is highlighted. The works and careers of less well-known members of the Circle, such as Lev Pumpianskii, Matvei Kagan, Ivan Kanaev and Ivan Sollertinskii, are also introduced.
The Bakhtin Circle emerges from this reconsideration not as a set of followers or disciplines of one central figure, but as a dynamic confederation of independent thinkers. The volume contains contributions by some of the leading scholars in the field of Bakhtin studies. It also makes available translations of key works by Voloshinov, Medvedev, Kagan and Pumpianskii. It should be a valuable point of reference for anyone interested in the trajectories of Russian thought and in the development of cultural theory in the 20th century.