The book was written in the late 30s, published in German in 1947-1948. It is widely known as a Marxist study of the work of the young Hegel. The introductory article introduces readers to the spiritual atmosphere in which this work was born, characterizes the path that D. Lukacs went in his development to Marxism, examines some of the fundamental philosophical problems posed by him in connection with the study of Hegel's legacy in German classical philosophy.