Lecture: “The Revolutionary Feminism of Alexandra Kollontaï”

Lecture: “The Revolutionary Feminism of Alexandra Kollontaï” is organized by the Prince Pierre of Monaco Foundation on Monday 6 February 2023, at 6.30 pm, in Théâtre des Variétés.

Russian aristocrat Alexandra Kollontaï rejected her environment and her country very early, and instead chose revolution and the wider world. In 1917, she was a minister in Lenin’s first government, despite women not being able to hold such positions till after the Second World War. Five years later, she became the first woman ambassador in history. Alexandra Kollontaï, who spoke several languages, would also go on to be a famous tribune, electrifying fascinated audiences on every continent. She was a highly talented political writer, novelist, and diarist. A devoted mother, a passionate feminist, theoretician of free love and militant supporter of women’s emancipation and rights. A timeless beauty with an elegance often remarked upon by the press, she emerged victorious from the destructive folly of Stalin and lived, active and unharmed, as long as he. Hélène Carrère d’Encausse, the great historian of Russia, invites us to discover the incredible story of this extraordinary woman.