The Master and the Slave

Galin Tihanov's book ... should be heartily welcomed * Historical Materialism *
... a very significant book for all those who are interested in the development of literary and cultural theoryin the inter-war period. It adds a new dimension to the debates discussed in Lunn' Marxism and Modernism and Jay's The Dialectical Imagination, and like these works it will prove an important resource in the intellectual history of Marxism and the theory of culture. * Historical Materialism *
... Tihanov has made a contribution of prodigious learning, subtle argumentation and lucid exposition. There is a dynamic inside this book, not only in its title: the dialectical contest holds and richly informs our attention. * Charles Lock, Recherche Littéraire *
Closely and incisively argued, densely packed with ideas, arresting points and challenging arguments ... It should stimulate lively debate for a long time to come. One can hardly ask more of an academic study * Journal of European Studies *
A brilliant comparative study of the ideas of G. Lukács and M. Bakhtin ... will be essential reading for students and specialists of Bakhtin, Lukács, twentieth-century literary theory, aesthetics and the history of ideas in Russia and Germany * Journal of European Studies *
Rich and spectacular study ... astonishingly precise insights crowd in on every page ... exceptionally impressive volume * The Russian Review *
Tihanov's annotations (scrupulously accurate and accessible in Oxford's handsome format) are a gold mine for Bakhtin and Lukács scholars alike * The Russian Review *
Galin Tihanov is a brilliant historian of ideas and in The Master and the Slave he compares and contrasts the ideas of Lukács and Bakhtin in connection with the novel and in the context of prevalent critical and philosophical ideas of their time. Anyone who has got anywhere near these two thinkers, especially Bakhtin, knows how easy it is to misunderstand them and how hard it is to be sure one does understand them. Tihanov can help. Every library where Theory reigns needs it desperately * Bibliotheque d'Humanisme et Renaissance *
Compelling new book ... * Simon Dentith, Times Literary Supplement *
Tihanov has produced both the most thoughtful, incisive and erudite book yet to be published on Bakhtin and an excellent and innovative study of Lukács ... In one fell swoop Tihanov has given us a brilliant analysis of cultural argument in the interwar period and set a new standard for the study of Bakhtin's work in particular. * Ken Hirschkop, Slavonic and East European Review *
An intelligent and stimulating read ... Tihanov's study is a welcome contribution to twentieth-century intellectual history * Michael Eskin, Slavonica *