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Johann AltmanSoviet literary scholar, literary and theatre critic
Date of Birth: 01.05.1900
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Content:
- Soviet Literary Scholar and Critic
- Theater and Literary Criticism
- - "New Drama and the Problem of Classics" (1935)
- Post-War Career and Persecution
- Posthumous Recognition
Soviet Literary Scholar and Critic
Early Life and EducationIosif Lionovich Altman was born on May 1, 1900, in the Bessarabian town of Orhei (now the district center of Orhei in Moldova). In 1921, he relocated to Moscow, where he graduated from Moscow State University in 1926 and from the Literary Department of the Institute of Red Professors in 1932.
Theater and Literary Criticism
From 1933 onwards, Altman actively reviewed Moscow's theatrical scene and published literary works on classical and Soviet playwrights, as well as the development of theater in Soviet republics like Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. Notable works included:
- "New Drama and the Problem of Classics" (1935)
- "On the Tasks of Theater Criticism" (1935)- "Aristotle's Dramatic Principles" (1936)
- "Lessing's Theory of Drama" (1936)
- "Lessing and Drama" (1939)
- "Problems of Soviet Drama during the Great Patriotic War" (1946)
Editorial Roles
On April 30, 1937, Altman became the first editor of the journal "Theater" (serving until 1941), while concurrently editing the newspaper "Soviet Art" (1936-1938). During World War II, he served as an editor for the front-line army newspaper "We Will Destroy the Enemy."
Post-War Career and Persecution
From 1947 until its closure in 1948, Altman held the position of Deputy Artistic Director for Repertoire at the Moscow State Jewish Theater (Moscow GOST). In 1949, during the campaign against cosmopolitanism, he was unjustly accused of antipatriotic activities. At the urging of Alexander Fadeyev, he was removed from his post, expelled from the Writers' Union of the USSR, and arrested.
Posthumous Recognition
After Stalin's death, Altman was exonerated and rehabilitated. In 1957, a volume of his selected literary articles entitled "Selected Articles" was published posthumously.
