Urszula Idziak-Smoczynska

A deeply researched account of Wittgenstein’s wartime experiences and reading during 1914-1917, revealing numerous previously unknown yet vital details about his work on the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus.

Delving into Wittgenstein’s recently published in English wartime private diaries, Urszula Idziak-Smoczyńska offers unique insight into a pivotal period in Wittgenstein’s life, when he completed his ground-breaking work in logic and underwent a profound spiritual transformation that left an indelible mark on his future and his philosophical evolution.

She reconstructs the young Wittgenstein’s state of mind as he grappled with the challenges imposed by war. Tracing the roots of Wittgenstein’s spiritual sensibilities to works like William James’ The Varieties of Religious Experience, Saint Augustine’s Confessions, and Nietzsche’s writings, Idziak-Smoczyńska explores his relationships with key figures of Austrian modernity, including Georg Trakl, Rainer Maria Rilke, Ludwig von Ficker, and Adolf Loos.

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