author
A. (Aleksandra) Kollontai
1872–1952
A fierce revolutionary and gifted writer, she pushed for bold new ideas about women, work, love, and social change in the early Soviet era. Her life moved from radical politics to groundbreaking diplomacy, making her one of the most striking figures of her time.
1 Audiobook
Red love
by A. (Aleksandra) Kollontai
About the author
Born in St. Petersburg in 1872, Alexandra Kollontai became a Russian revolutionary, Marxist theorist, and one of the most prominent women in the Bolshevik movement. She argued that political revolution had to be matched by deep changes in everyday life, especially for women, and wrote influential essays and fiction about family, labor, motherhood, and personal freedom.
After the 1917 Revolution, she served as People's Commissar for Social Welfare in Lenin's government, making her one of the first women to hold a ministerial role in modern history. She was also associated with efforts to improve women's lives in the new Soviet state and became known for challenging traditional ideas about marriage and social institutions.
Later, Kollontai entered diplomacy and became the first woman to serve as an accredited minister to a foreign country, representing the Soviet Union abroad. She died in 1952, but her work continues to be read for its unusual mix of revolutionary politics, feminist thought, and sharp attention to the emotional side of social life.