Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Symbolism in the Silver Age
The late 19th century saw the rise of the symbolist movement, which emphasised individu-
alism and creativity, and maintained that artistic endeavours were exempt from the rules that
bound other parts of society. The outstanding figures of this time were novelists Vladimir
Solovyov (1853-1900), Andrei Bely (1880-1934) and Alexander Blok (1880-1921), as
well as poets Sergei Yesenin (1895-1925) and Vladimir Mayakovsky (1893-1930).
Although Bely lived in Moscow for a time, he is remembered for his mysterious novel
Petersburg.
His essays and philosophical discourses were also respected, making him one of
the most important writers of the symbolist movement.
Mayakovsky was a futurist playwright and poet, and he acted as the revolution's official
bard. He lived near Lyubyanskaya pl, where his flat has been converted into a museum. He
devoted his creative energy to social activism and propaganda on behalf of the new regime,
but the romantic soul was unlucky in love and life. As is wont to happen, he became disillu-
sioned with the Soviet Union, as reflected in his satirical plays. In one of his last letters, he
wrote, 'She did devour me, lousy, snuffling dear Mother Russia, like a sow devouring her
piglet'. He shot himself in 1930 and is buried at Novodevichy Cemetery. He is memorial-
ised at Triumfalnaya pl, site of Mayakovskaya metro.
Revolutionary Literature
The immediate aftermath of 1917 saw a creative upswing in Russia. Inspired by social
change, writers carried over these principles into their work, pushing revolutionary ideas
and ground-breaking styles.
The trend was temporary, of course. The Bolsheviks were no connoisseurs of culture, and
the new leadership did not appreciate literature unless it directly supported the goals of com-
munism. Some writers managed to write within the system, penning some excellent poetry
and plays in the 1920s; however, most found little inspiration in the prevailing climate of art
'serving the people'. Stalin announced that writers were 'engineers of the human soul' and
as such had a responsibility to write in a partisan direction.
The clampdown on diverse literary styles culminated in the late 1930s with the creation
of socialist realism, a literary form created to promote the needs of the state, praise industri-
alisation and demonise social misfits. Alexey Tolstoy (1883-1945), for example, wrote his-
torical novels comparing Stalin to Peter the Great and recounting the glories of the Russian
civil war.
