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Abstract:

The aim of this article is to introduce into scholarly circulation a little-known essay by A. Ya. Levinson (1887–1933) on Alexander Blok. The text is of interest not only as yet another interpretation of the poet’s creative development by a perceptive contemporary, but also as a document of intercultural exchange. The essay was published in the Parisian journal La Revue Mondiale several months after Blok’s death and became one of the first French-language works in the critic’s substantial literary legacy. Levinson had previously engaged with Blok’s writings as a reviewer; however, in this piece he made his first attempt to present a comprehensive view of the poet’s oeuvre. In Levinson’s interpretation, two principal forces underlie the profound inner contradiction and duality of Blok’s personality and artistic work: the Romantic tradition and the distinctive features of the Russian national character. The article also examines the essay’s connection with émigré journalistic discourse: Levinson addresses a number of themes that were widely debated in Russian-language periodicals of the time, including the causes of the poet’s death, the “appropriation” of his legacy by various political factions, and his attitude toward the Bolsheviks and the Revolution. Reflecting on Blok’s response to the events in Russia, Levinson draws on his meetings with the poet in the postrevolutionary period and formulates an antinomic definition: “an apostle and a martyr of the Bolshevik delusion”. The appendix presents a commented Russian translation of Levinson’s essay.