In the '70's and '80's Russian society was seized with a mania for writing poetry, and a countless throng of young poets made their appearance. No book sold so rapidly as a volume of verses. But very few of these aspirants to fame possessed any originality or serious worth. Poetry had advanced not a single step since the days of Nekrásoff and Shevtchénko, so far as national independence was concerned.

The most talented of the young poets of this period was Semén Yákovlevitch Nádson (1862-1887). His grandfather, a Jew who had joined the Russian Church, lived in Kíeff. His father, a gifted man and a fine musician, died young. His mother, a Russian gentlewoman, died at the age of thirty-one, of consumption. At the age of sixteen, Nádson fell in love with a young girl, and began to write poetry. She died of quick consumption shortly afterwards. This grief affected the young man's whole career, and many of his poems were inspired by it. He began to publish his poems while still in school, being already threatened with pulmonary trouble, on account of which he had been sent to the Caucasus at the expense of the government, where he spent a year. In 1882 he graduated from the military school, and was appointed an officer in a regiment stationed at Kronstádt. There he lived for two years, and some of his best poems belong to this epoch: "No, Easier 'Tis for Me to Think that Thou Art Dead," "Herostrat," "Dreams," "The Brilliant Hall Has Silent Grown," "All Hath Come to Pass," and so forth. He retired from the military service in 1883, being already in the grasp of consumption. His poems ran through ten editions during the five years which followed his death, and still continue to sell with equal rapidity, so remarkable is their popularity. He was an ideally poetical figure; moreover, he charms by his flowing, musical verse, by the enthralling elegance and grace of his poetical imagery, and genuine lyric inspiration. All his poetry is filled with quiet, meditative sadness. It is by the music of his verse and the tender tears of his feminine lyrism that Nádson penetrates the hearts of his readers. His masterpiece is "My Friend, My Brother," and this reflects the sentiment of all his work.[52] Here is the first verse:

My friend, my brother, weary, suffering brother,
Whoever thou may'st be, let not thy spirit fail;
Let evil and injustice reign with sway supreme
O'er all the tear-washed earth.
Let the sacred ideal be shattered and dishonored;
Let innocent blood flow in stream—
Believe me, there cometh a time when Baal shall perish
And love shall return to earth.

Another very sincere, sympathetic, and genuine, though not great poet, also of Jewish race, is Semén Grigórievitch Frug (1860-1916), the son of a member of the Jewish agricultural colony in the government of Khersón. He, like Nádson, believes that good will triumph in the end, and is not in the least a pessimist.

Quite the reverse are Nikolái Maxímovitch Vilénkin (who is better known by his pseudonym of "Mínsky" from his native government), and Dmítry Sergyéevitch Merezhkóvsky (1865) who, as a poet, is generally bombastic. His novels are better.

There are many other good, though not great, contemporary writers in Russia, including several women. But they hardly come within the scope of this work (which does not aim at being encyclopedic), as neither their work nor their fame is likely to make its way to foreign readers who are unacquainted with the Russian language. For those who do read Russian there are several good handbooks of contemporary literature which will furnish all necessary information.

QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW

  1. How was Russia influenced by the romantic movement in western Europe?
  2. Describe the character of the romances of the first period of the fifties.
  3. What important historical works appeared at this time?
  4. What popular novels were written by Danilévsky?
  5. What were the chief works of Mélnikoff, and why are they not likely to be translated into English?
  6. Describe the career and influence of Lyeskóff.
  7. Why was the fame of Markóvitch's work short-lived?
  8. What difficulties did Uspénsky encounter in his early attempts at writing?
  9. Describe the effect produced by his "Hard Labor" and "An Eccentric Master."
  10. What views of society did Zlatovrátsky express in his writings?
  11. Why did Ryeshétnikoff's "The Inhabitants of Podlípovo" become widely popular?
  12. Give an account of the experiences of Saltykóff.
  13. How did he make use of the material gathered during his exile?
  14. How did his writings contribute some new words to the Russian language?
  15. What qualities does he show in "The Story of How One Peasant Maintained Two Generals"?
  16. Give the chief events in the life of Tolstóy.
  17. What characteristics of style did he show in his earliest writings?
  18. How is he "subjective" in delineating his characters?
  19. Why was his genius not at first appreciated?
  20. What was his theory of life?
  21. What change came into his life in the seventies?
  22. How did this affect his writings?
  23. How did his experience with famine sufferers affect his views?
  24. What were Gárshin's views of people in general?
  25. How do his books bear out his theories?
  26. What facts in Korolénko's life have influenced his literary development?
  27. What characteristics does Tchékoff show in his short stories?
  28. What is the story of Potápenko's "On Active Service"?
  29. Give the leading events of Górky's career.
  30. How is his many-sided genius shown?
  31. What ideals are expressed in his work?
  32. Why has Nádson's poetry such a firm hold on the popular mind?

BIBLIOGRAPHY