This authoritative survey traces the development of LukAcs' thought from his conversion to Marxism to his renunciation of History and Class Consciousness, from his remarkably fertile 'essay period' to the Ontology, The essays explore the evolution of his work in relation to that of his contemporaries, among them Brecht, Bloch, and Husserl. They reflect at every turn the contributors' broad commitment to LukAcs' philosophy, but they are always critical in their approach. LukAcs' ambiguities are noted without compromise and his inconsistencies deftly exposed.