From 1899 Bryusov oversaw the Skorpion publishing house, and in 1904 he was named editor of the literary magazine Vesy (“Libra,” or “Scales”). During this time he also contributed to the literary almanac Severnye tsvety (“Northern Flowers”). His regularly published articles on literature present a panorama of Russian poetry from a Symbolist point of view while also positioning Russian poetry within an international literary context. Bryusov also became known as a writer of fiction with his novel Ognenny angel (1908; The Fiery Angel) and as a translator from many languages.
Bryusov's resulting literary reputation allowed him to transcend the confines of the Symbolist movement. From 1909 on, he published a great deal in one of the most popular Russian magazines, Russkaya Mysl (“Russian Thought”). From 1910 to 1912 he was editor in chief of its literary section, and he subsequently became its war correspondent during World War I. His poetry during those years, however, is of less interest and importance.
Bryusov initially viewed the Russian Revolution of 1917 with some skepticism, but he soon joined the Bolsheviks, becoming a member of the Communist Party in 1920 and working in various Soviet institutions. During this period Bryusov wrote a great deal of experimental poetry, the style of which was not taken up by later generations of poets.
Additional Reading
Joan Delaney Grossman, Valery Bryusov and the Riddle of Russian Decadence (1985); Martin P. Rice, Valery Briusov and the Rise of Russian Symbolism (1975).
Tyutchev, Fyodor Ivanovich
▪ Russian writer
Tyutchev also spelled Tiutchev
born Dec. 5 [Nov. 23, Old Style], 1803, Ovstug, Russia
died July 27 [July 15], 1873, St. Petersburg
Russian writer who was remarkable both as a highly original philosophic poet and as a militant Slavophile, and whose whole literary output constitutes a struggle to fuse political passion with poetic imagination.
The son of a wealthy landowner, educated at home and at Moscow University, Tyutchev served his country as a diplomat in Munich and Turin. In Germany he developed a friendship with the poet Heinrich Heine and met frequently with the idealist philosopher Friedrich W.J. von Schelling. His protracted expatriate life, however, only made Tyutchev more Russian at heart. Though the bare and poverty-stricken Russian countryside depressed him, he voiced a proud, intimate, and tragic vision of the motherland in his poetry. He also wrote political articles and political verses, both of which reflect his reactionary nationalist and Pan-Slavist views, as well as his deep love of Russia. He once wrote, “I love poetry and my country above all else in the world.”
Tyutchev's love poems, most of them inspired by his liaison with his daughter's governess, are among the most passionate and poignant in the Russian language. He is regarded as one of the three greatest Russian poets of the 19th century, making a trinity with Aleksandr Pushkin and Mikhail Lermontov.
Stanislavsky, Konstantin Sergeyevich
▪ Russian actor and director
Introduction
Stanislavsky also spelled Stanislavski , original name Konstantin Sergeyevich Alekseyev
born January 5 [January 17, New Style], 1863, Moscow, Russia
died August 7, 1938, Moscow
Russian actor, director, and producer, founder of the Moscow Art Theatre (opened 1898). He is best known for developing the system or theory of acting called the Stanislavsky system, or Stanislavsky method.
Early influences
Stanislavsky's father was a manufacturer, and his mother was the daughter of a French actress. Stanislavsky first appeared on his parents' amateur stage at age 14 and subsequently joined the dramatic group that was organized by his family and called the Alekseyev Circle. Although initially an awkward performer, Stanislavsky obsessively worked on his shortcomings of voice, diction, and body movement. His thoroughness and his preoccupation with all aspects of a production came to distinguish him from other members of the Alekseyev Circle, and he gradually became its central figure. Stanislavsky also performed in other groups as theatre came to absorb his life. He adopted the pseudonym Stanislavsky in 1885, and in 1888 he married Maria Perevoshchikova, a schoolteacher, who became his devoted disciple and lifelong companion, as well as an outstanding actress under the name Lilina.
Stanislavsky regarded the theatre as an art of social significance. Theatre was a powerful influence on people, he believed, and the actor must serve as the people's educator. Stanislavsky concluded that only a permanent theatrical company could ensure a high level of acting skill. In 1888 he and others established the Society of Art and Literature with a permanent amateur company. Endowed with great talent, musicality, a striking appearance, a vivid imagination, and a subtle intuition, Stanislavsky began to develop the plasticity of his body and a greater range of voice. Praise came from famous foreign actors, and great Russian actresses invited him to perform with them. Thus encouraged, Stanislavsky staged his first independent production, Leo Tolstoy (Tolstoy, Leo)'s The Fruits of Enlightenment, in 1891, a major Moscow theatrical event. Most significantly, it impressed a promising writer and director, Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko (Nemirovich-Danchenko, Vladimir Ivanovich) (1858–1943), whose later association with Stanislavsky was to have a paramount influence on the theatre.
Nemirovich-Danchenko followed Stanislavsky's activities until their historic meeting in 1897, when they outlined a plan for a people's theatre. It was to consist of the most talented amateurs of Stanislavsky's society and of the students of the Philharmonic Music and Drama School, which Nemirovich-Danchenko directed. As the Moscow Art Theatre, it became the arena for Stanislavsky's reforms. Nemirovich-Danchenko undertook responsibility for literary and administrative matters, while Stanislavsky was responsible for staging and production.
The Moscow Art Theatre opened on October 14 (October 26, New Style), 1898, with a performance of Aleksey K. Tolstoy's Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich. But Stanislavsky was disappointed in the acting that night. He found it to be merely imitative of the gestures, intonations, and conceptions of the director (directing). To project important thoughts and to affect the spectators, he reflected, there must be living characters on stage, and the mere external behaviour of the actors is insufficient to create a character's unique inner world. To seek knowledge about human behaviour, Stanislavsky turned to science. He began experimenting in developing the first elements of what became known as the Stanislavsky method. He turned sharply from the purely external approach to the purely psychological. A play was discussed around the table for months. He became strict and uncompromising in educating actors. He insisted on the integrity and authenticity of performance on stage, repeating for hours during rehearsal his dreaded criticism, “I do not believe you.”
Stanislavsky's successful experience with Anton Chekhov (Chekhov, Anton)'s The Seagull confirmed his developing convictions about the theatre. With difficulty Stanislavsky had obtained Chekhov's permission to restage The Seagull after its original production in St. Petersburg in 1896 had been a failure. Directed by Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko in 1898, The Seagull became a triumph, heralding the birth of the Moscow Art Theatre as a new force in world theatre. Chekhov, who had resolved never to write another play after his initial failure, was acclaimed a great playwright, and he later wrote The Three Sisters (1901) and The Cherry Orchard (1903) specially for the Moscow Art Theatre.