N. S. Trubetzkoy's Letters and Notes

Those interested in the history of modern linguistic theory will find this book indispensable. It contains 196 letters written to Roman Jakobson between 1920 & 1938; 5 letters to N. Durnovo in 1925 to 1928; an appendix containing 13 more letters to various people; an appendix containing the 1935 article 'On Racism'; an appendix consisting of a lecture on Tolstoi given in 1935; an appendix of notes prepared by N. Durnovo for the Prague conference on phonology in 1930; an appendix containing a 1913 proposal by V. Porzezinski to Moscow U for promoting Trubetzkoy to 'candidate professor'; & a final appendix consisting of a list of Trubetzkoy's courses at U Vienna. All text is in the original language, mostly Russian, with a very enlightening introduction & footnotes by Jakobson. These letters provide a great deal of insight into the political, social, & academic climate of the time between the 2 World Wars. Many of that time's linguistic concepts are still seminal to new modern theories. T. Lamb