Aleksandr Prokhanov and Post-Soviet Esotericism

Aleksandr Prokhanov and Post-Soviet Esotericism by Edmund Griffiths delves into the multifaceted persona of Aleksandr Prokhanov, a prize-winning novelist and the editor of the weekly newspaper Zavtra. Prokhanov stands as a prominent figure in Russian imperial patriotism. Ever since 1991, when he signed (and reputedly wrote) the manifesto for the failed putsch against Mikhail Gorbachev, he has been an influential voice in Russian political culture.

He has played a significant role in steering the "irreconcilable opposition" of the 1990s towards ideas of empire, wrestled with the challenging question of whether to endorse Vladimir Putin as a saviour, and has propagated a bewildering series of conspiracy theories. In addition to his political influence, Prokhanov is a remarkably prolific writer.

His novels are simultaneously muck-raking and lyrical, weaving Moscow scandal with the mystical yearnings of 'cosmism.' Themes such as conspiracies, space exploration, the resurrection of the dead, and Stalin as a supernatural redeemer appear repeatedly in his works, both in his novels and articles.

Aleksandr Prokhanov and Post-Soviet Esotericism strives to understand Prokhanov as the leading representative of post-Soviet esotericism, a school of thought that has gained significant traction in Russia since the collapse of the USSR.