Leonid Maksimovich Leonov

A Soviet novelist. Born in Moscow. His father was a poet. He grew up in Arkhangelsk until he was 19 years old because his father was exiled for being a free thinker. He graduated from middle school in Moscow the year after the October Revolution and joined the Red Army. In 1922, he made his debut on the literary scene with his short story "Bruyga," a bizarre and fantastical work about a forest monster, and established his reputation with his full-length novel "The Badger" (1924). His second full-length novel, "The Thief" (1927), was banned for a long time due to its sharp criticism of reality, but it was extensively revised in 1959, deepening the criticism even further. In his novels Sochi (1930), Sktarevsky (1932), and The Passage to the Ocean (1935), he focused on the relationship between the group and the individual in the process of building socialism, and showed new ground with the long novel Russian Forest (1953), which explores the lives of intellectuals after World War II, the science fiction screenplay Mr. McKinley's Flight (1961), and the medium-length story The Evil Rocks (1963), which deals with the issues of purges and exiles. Regarded as the successor to Dostoevsky, Leonov's works are characterized by their philosophical nature, their innovative style, and their engagement with contemporary issues, making him a truly unique writer in the former Soviet Union.

[Takuya Hara]

"The Thief" translated by Takuya Hara (1978, Shueisha) " "The Escape of Mr. McKinley" translated by Yukio Kudo (included in "Contemporary Soviet Writers 18 People Collection 2" 1967, Shinchosha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

旧ソ連の小説家。モスクワ生まれ。父は詩人。自由思想のかどで父がアルハンゲリスクへ流刑となったため19歳までその地で育った。十月革命の翌年、モスクワの中学校を終えて赤軍に入り、1922年、森の魔物を主人公にした怪奇幻想的な短編『ブルイガ』で文壇に登場、長編『穴熊(あなぐま)』（1924）で文名を確立した。第二の長編『泥棒』（1927）は、鋭い現実批判のため長らく禁書同然であったが、59年大幅に改作されてその批判をさらに深めた。また『ソーチ』（1930）、『スクタレフスキー』（1932）、『太洋への道』（1935）の長編で、社会主義建設の過程における集団と個人の関係に目を注いだ彼は、第二次世界大戦後も知識人の生き方を探ろうとする長編『ロシアの森』（1953）、シナリオ体のSF小説『マッキンリー氏の逃亡』（1961）、粛清と亡命者の問題を扱った中編『えうげにあ・いわのぶな』（1963）を書いて新境地を示した。ドストエフスキーの後継者と評されるレオーノフの作品は、その哲学性、作品の斬新(ざんしん)なスタイル、現代の問題に対するかかわり方などが大きな特色となっており、旧ソ連においては文字どおり異色の作家であったということができる。

［原　卓也］

『原卓也訳『泥棒』（1978・集英社）』▽『工藤幸雄訳『マキンリイ氏の逃亡』（『現代ソヴェト文学18人集2』所収・1967・新潮社）』

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