Prophets of Dissent : Essays on Maeterlinck, Strindberg, Nietzsche and Tolstoy

A collection of critical essays analyzes four influential modern writers, grouping them as indicators of competing intellectual currents: Maeterlinck's mysticism, Strindberg's eccentricity, Nietzsche's exaltation, and Tolstoy's revivalism. The author presents them as radicals and introspective thinkers whose ideas illuminate social and moral tensions of their age, tracing each writer's aesthetic principles, ethical premises, and impact on concepts of personal happiness and social reform. Prefatory and war-era reflections situate their thought amid contemporary crises, and the essays pair close readings with broader cultural and philosophical commentary.