The life of György Lukács--perhaps better known in the West as Georg Lukács--was an eventful and interesting one. During his eighty-six years he navigated the rough waters of much of twentieth-century Hungarian history. While Lukács wrote extensively about politics and political theory, he was not merely an academic theorist; he took an active part in the crucial political events of his time. Yet, this active role was not always best for him as he often found himself at odds with Communist Party leaders, and he was often scorned by those in his party for being too progressive. His motives and allegiances were often questioned, and he was exiled from Hungary many times. His work, however, became a significant force in twentieth-century Marxist criticism, and his critical, aesthetic, philosophical, and political writings have influenced Western Marxist and post-Marxist critical theory. The...