Andrei Platonov
Andrei Platonov, born Andrei Platonovich Klimentov on August 28, 1899, was a Soviet author whose visionary writing anticipated existentialism.
A committed communist, he paradoxically saw his works banned during his lifetime for their skeptical portrayal of collectivization and Stalinist policies.
Between 1918 and 1921, his most prolific period, he produced poems, stories, and hundreds of essays spanning literature, science, politics, and philosophy.
Adopting his pen name in 1920, Platonov became one of Russia's most distinctive literary voices.
His most celebrated works, The Foundation Pit and Chevengur, were published only after his death on January 5, 1951.
