A History of Russian Symbolism [Paperback]

This is the first detailed history of the Russian Symbolist movement, which served as the seedbed of Existentialism and Modernism in Russia.This book is the first detailed history of the Russian Symbolist movement, which served as the seedbed of Existentialism and Modernism in Russia. It reassesses the Symbolists' achievements in the light of modern research, focusing on their literary works. Prose is quoted in English translation and poetry given in the original Russian with prose translations.This book is the first detailed history of the Russian Symbolist movement, which served as the seedbed of Existentialism and Modernism in Russia. It reassesses the Symbolists' achievements in the light of modern research, focusing on their literary works. Prose is quoted in English translation and poetry given in the original Russian with prose translations.This book is the first detailed history of the Russian Symbolist movement, which served as the seedbed of Existentialism and Modernism in Russia. It reassesses the symbolists' achievements in the light of modern research, focusing on their literary works. Prose is quoted in English translation and poetry is given in the original Russian with prose translations. There is a valuable bibliography of primary sources and an extensive chronological appendix. This book will fill a long-felt gap for students and teachers of Russian and comparative literature, symbolism, modernism, and pre-revolutionary Russian culture.Acknowledgements; Prologue: decadence or rebirth? The European fin de si?cle and the Russian precursors; Part I. The art of the cell: 1. Transitional writers; 2. The new poetry in St Petersburg; 3. Russian Symbolism acquires a name; Part II. Collective Creation: 4. The foundation of Mir Iskusstva and the role of the visual and performing arts; 5. From Mir Iskusstva to Novyi Put; 6. Russian Symbolism comes of age; Part III. Gleams Of Paradise: 7. The turn of the century; 8. The Sophia-myth and the theme of apocalypse;lS‹