USSR State Prize

In 1986, Losev was awarded the USSR State Prize for his magnum opus on the history of classical aesthetics, on which he had worked over the course of several decades. The prize represented the highest recognition of scholarly merit that Losev ever received from the Soviet government. Shortly before this, in 1983, his 90th year, he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor and admitted to the Union of Writers. The order was presented with the following inscription: "For many years of fruitful training of philosophical cadres." In other words, Losev was officially recognized as a philosopher. We should mention here that, after his release from the camps in the 1930s, Losev was forbidden from studying philosophy. He was allowed to study philology and aesthetics, but could not develop his philosophical ideas. Thus, for many decades, Losev was drawn away from philosophy to focus on philology. As he said, "The philosopher wants to understand everything," and the Soviet power disliked this desire. During that same year, 1983, when the philosopher's birthday was widely celebrated, his new book about the idealist philosopher Vladimir Solovyov was regarded as harmful. Its print run was nearly destroyed, and Losev's other books that were ready for press were delayed. Thus, it is impossible to say that the Soviet authorities ever fully recognized Losev.