Kolakowski, Leszek

Kołakowski, Leszek (lĕsh`ĕk kô'wəkôf`skē), 1927–, Polish philosopher, b. Radom. He taught at the Univ. of Warsaw (1950–68), where he also had obtained his Ph.D. (1953). A Marxist revisionist and critic of Eastern European Communism, Kołakowski left Poland after his expulsion from the Polish Workers' party (1966) and his dismissal from his professorship (1968). He subsequently was a fellow at All Souls College, Oxford (1970–95) and a professor at the Univ. of Chicago (1981–94). He has written extensively and astutely on the history of philosophy, Marxism, and religion, and influenced the Polish opposition to Communist rule in the 1970s and 80s. His more than 30 books include Toward a Marxist Humanism (tr. 1968), Main Currents of Marxism (3 vol., 1976, tr. 1978), and Religion (1982). He also has written fables, stories, and plays.