Merezhkovsky, D. S.

Dmitrey Sergeyevich Merezhkovsky (1865 – 1941) was a Russian writer, poet, literary critic, translator, historian, philosopher, and political activist. As one of the most prominent representatives of the Silver Age in Russian literature, Merezhkovsky was considered one of the founders of Russian symbolism and the literary genre of historic-philosophic novel, which was new to Russian literature at the time.
His approach to literary analysis, combining religion and philosophy, was believed to be revolutionary and secured him a prominent place among essayists and literary critics. Since 1914, Merezhkovsky was nominated for the Nobel Prize in literature 10 times.
Merezhkovsky’s philosophical ideas and radical political views were invariably met with strong response – both positive and negative. However, even his staunchest opponents acknowledged him as an outstanding author, a genre innovator, and one of the most original thinkers of the 20th century.