The originality of the method used by the author to analyze Marx's aesthetics is remarkable. Far from being a compendium of Marx's comments on art and literature, he examines his views on these subjects as an integral part of his thinking. In his thesis, the author shows the relationship between Marx's changing views on art and the development of his revolutionary theory, which goes from his first romantic poetry to Capital. In this edition the controversy on Literature and Marxism is added, between Lifshitz, Kemenov, Levin, Rosenthal, who analyze Tolstoi, Pushkin, Gogol, Shakespeare from different perspectives. The result is a lively debate on literature and politics.