'Andrey Platonovich and Me – We Were Both Born under the Same Sun…'

The article attempts at analyzing the scientific problems included in the works of the famous scholar from Voronezh State University Vladislav Anatol’evich Svitel’skiy about the creative activity of A. Platonov. The scholar’s studies before and after the abolition of strict censorship outlined the benchmarks in the investigation of the writer’s legacy, which have not always been properly interpreted in modern science. The urgency of the paper consists in reestablishing a true dialogue with the works of the literary critics, who were among the first to describe the writer’s artistic world, and in revealing adequate interpretations of their ideas. Methodologically, the article is based on the theoretical views of V. A. Svitel’skiy, stemming from the nature of the talent of the great scholar from Voronezh. The scholar focuses on the principles of philosophical-poetical generalization in the prose of Platonov, the image of the author and the means of expression of the author’s position under the conditions of creation of censored works, the genre nature of “Chevengur”, his gender specificity, “participation” of the lyrical dominant in the modeling of the democratic consciousness in the novel as one of the great achievements of Platonov’s artistic talent. The retrospective approach made it possible to concentrate attention on the urgency of a number of Svitel’skiy’s ideas in the contemporary Platonov studies and to simultaneously realize the modern tendencies in the study of the writer’s legacy and their perspectives. The conclusions of the article are based on the detailed study of the papers written by Svitel’skiy and the works of the scholars developing his ideas, as well as on his activity as editor and publisher. He was editor-in-chief of the “Philological Notes” of Voronezh University founded by A. A. Khovanskiy in 1860. He initiated the creation of the “Platonov Vestnik”, an information bulletin, which reflected the “new findings” of foreign scholars about Platonov. Due to his continuous effort, the number of scholars from various countries engaged in serious studies of Platonov’s texts grew considerably to include H. Günther (Germany), T. Langerak (Netherlands), M. Liubushkina-Koch (France), etc. The reflections about the fate of scientific ideas and their implementation in real life are mentioned in Svitel’skiy’s letters. Their author is a real Teacher – a clever and a patient one.