Between Cultural Memory and Autobiographical Contract. Self-Knowledge by Nicolai Berdyaev

Abstract

The issue of specific form of Self-knowledge by N. Berdyaev is the main focus of interest in the paper. According to the Russian philosopher his book should be regarded as a spiritual autobiography, differing form classical epitomes of the genre as well as from all sorts of confessional literature. The purposes of gaining the self-knowledge and comprehension of his spiritual life are among the main differences between the particular book and other forms of ego-documents. In order to reach the expected result the principle of conscious material selection is needed as far the information concerning the past is taken into account. Despite the fact the book by Berdyaev contains all the features of autobiographical contract, articulated by Ph. Lejeune (prose narration, the fate of personality as the topic, identity of author and narrator, identity of narrator and the hero) it could be regarded as well as an intentionally subjective attempt at reconstruction of the cultural consciousness of the Russian thinker’s contemporaries. Memory, according to Berdyaev, occurs as a creative power, giving meaning to the past and enabling its interpretation due to the possibility to look at it from the present point of view and from the perspective of eternity.