S.L. Frank in Switzerland: the contours of the creative evolution

Abstract

Based on the analysis of foreign archival materials, correspondence, and periodicals of the 1920s–1930s, the author of the article carries out the historical and philosophical reconstruction of the Swiss episode of Semyon Ludwigovich Frank's philosophical biography. The author thoroughly reconstructs the history of his lecture visits to Basel, Kreuzlingen, Rüschlikon and Zürich, which were organized by his Swiss colleagues Ludwig Binswanger, Fritz Lieb and Elsa Mahler. The role of the Swiss Frank's lectures of 1929, 1935 and 1938 in his creative development is stressed, and their significance in the history of contacts between the Russian philosopher and the Swiss intellectuals is determined. Particular attention in the article is paid to examining  the little-known publications of the Russian philosopher in the Swiss newspaper Neue Züricher Zeitung, in particular his reviews of Rene Le Senne's work "Obstacle and Value" and Eugene Minkowski's work "Towards Cosmology. Philosophical Fragments", published by the philosopher in 1935 ("Changes in French Thinking" ("Wandlungen des französischen Denkens")) and 1938 ("Soul and World" ("Seele und Welt")) with the assistance of L. Binswanger and the editor of the Swiss newspaper Hans Barth. It is concluded that the Swiss episode in the biography of Frank, in spite of its not being a major one, was nevertheless of great importance for the philosopher; therefore, a detailed study of this period will make it possible for researchers to recreate the most complete picture of the thinker's creative biography – the history of his philosophical views development, his travels around Western Europe and meetings with European intellectuals and philosophers – during the complex and controversial era of the 1920s–1930s.