Suvremena talijanska filozofija

In the book Contemporary Italian Philosophy, Vjekoslav Mikecin provides a problematic-bibliographic overview of Italian philosophy in the mid-20th century. The work focuses on the period after World War II, analyzing the transition from the classical idealism of Benedetto Croce and Giovanni Gentile to new currents.

Mikecin devotes special attention to Italian Marxism and its variants – from the Gramscian legacy, through critical interpretations of Marx, to the dialogue with existentialism and phenomenology. The book covers authors who sought a synthesis of Marxism with the Italian philosophical tradition, as well as those who were critical of orthodox Marxism.

The influences of existentialism, spiritualism, and various forms of neo-idealism and neo-rationalism are also highlighted. Mikecin shows how Italian philosophy after fascism and the war intensively sought new answers to questions of history, practice, freedom, and social change, often in dialogue with European currents (French Marxism, German critical theory).

The work is characteristic of Mikecin's approach: it combines philosophical analysis with a cultural-historical context, emphasizing the originality of Italian thought within a broader European framework. As one of the early Croatian (Yugoslav) reviews, the book is valuable because it brings authors and discussions that were at that time less known outside Italy closer to the domestic audience.

Published in 1966, this study reflects the spirit of the sixties – a period of intellectual ferment, openness to Marxism and critical re-examination of tradition. Today it serves as an important document on the reception of Italian philosophy in the Yugoslav context and as an introduction to authors who would later (Vattimo, Agamben, etc.) mark the international scene.

Mikecin's book remains useful for understanding the continuity and rupture in Italian philosophy of the 20th century, especially in its engaged and historically conscious character.