ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the young Lukács through the prism of his early intellectual identifications and obsessions: through Kierkegaard, his model; through Mann, his poet; through Dostoyevsky, his prophet; and through Weber, his mentor. Through his interactions with these figures, it will attempt to reconstruct the mental universe of the pre-communist Lukács, who, it is argued, is best understood through two key motifs: the leap of faith and cultural despair. In his writings on and interactions with these figures, it is the spiritual and moral concern that is always uppermost. This is a thread that runs through his entire life in different forms, from the pre-Marxist to the later Marxist Lukács.
