The Legacy of Ancient Rome in the Russian Silver Age (Studies in Slavic Literature & Poetics)

221 Pages·2007·1.03 MB·English

by  Anna Frajlich

T L
he egacy
a R
of ncienT ome
R s a
in The ussian iLveR ge
s
Tudies in
s L
Lavic iTeRaTuRe
P
and oeTics
v XLviii
oLume
Edited by
J.J. van Baak
R. Grübel
A.G.F. van Holk
W.G. Weststeijn
T L
he egacy
a R
of ncienT ome
R s a
in The ussian iLveR ge
Anna Frajlich
Amsterdam - New York, NY 2007
Cover design: Aart Jan Bergshoeff
The paper on which this book is printed meets the requirements of “ISO
9706:1994, Information and documentation - Paper for documents -
Requirements for permanence”.
ISBN-13: 978-90-420-2251-5
©Editions Rodopi B.V., Amsterdam - New York, NY 2007
Printed in the Netherlands
To Władysław and Paul Zajac

Contents

Acknowledgments 7

Note on Transliteration 13

Introduction
Off to Rome… 15

I. Departing from Stylization
Apollon Maikov 27

II. The Forum of Forgotten Thoughts
Arseny Golenishchev-Kutuzov 31

III. And a Fourth Shall Never Be…
Vladimir Solovyov 37

IV. The Contradictions of the Northern Pilgrim
Dmitry Merezhkovsky 49

V. Julius Caesar, Antony and Sulla
Valery Bryusov 61

VI. The God-Loving Roman
Vyacheslav Ivanov 97

VII. From Prophecy to Transubstantiation
Maksimilian Voloshin 125

VIII. The Quest for Pax Romana as a Quest for Peace of Mind
Vasily Komarovsky 145

IX. The Distant Eternal City
Mikhail Kuzmin 165

X. Conclusion
«Как сделан Рим»? (How Is Rome Made?) 188

Bibliography 195

Index 207

Acknowledgments

T
o my professor, mentor and friend, the late Zoya Yurieff, I owe
what I have become in this country. She urged me to resume
my graduate studies at the Department of Slavic Languages at
New York University, where she made me measure up to her highest
standards. Knowing that I had spent the first several months of my
exile in Rome, she suggested that I conduct my research on the image
of the Eternal City in the poetry of the Russian Symbolists.
Researching the topic, which had scarcely been explored at the time,
launched me on an arduous journey in time, as well as cultural,
mythical and geographical space. Professor Yurieff’s expertise in and
passion for the Silver Age guided me at every step of my work. I am
enormously in her debt.
At the early stages of shaping this text I benefited from the
editorial and spiritual support of my friends Rochelle Diogenes and
Professor Marlene Barsoum. Ruth and Thomas Mathewson were also
involved in the initial editorial reworking of the manuscript from the
original dissertation.
It was not, however, until I met Ronald Meyer, on the strong
recommendation of the late Professor Robert Maguire, that serious
work on my manuscript began. Dr. Meyer, Publications Editor of the
Harriman Institute, offered me not only his editorial expertise, but also
his professional advice, and his support, both personal and
institutional. My gratitude and debt to him are like Rome itself—
eternal.
The late Professor Maguire, for many years the Chair of the
Department of Slavic Languages at Columbia University, took an avid
interest in this book and helped me with his encouragement to the very