Apollon Grigoriev

Apollon Grigoriev was a prominent Russian literary critic, philosopher, and writer, closely associated with the Circle of Stankevich, a group of intellectuals that included Mikhail Bakunin, Vissarion Belinsky, and Alexander Herzen. Grigoriev's work was heavily influenced by the ideas of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Friedrich Schelling, and Arthur Schopenhauer, which he encountered during his studies at Moscow University. His literary career was marked by friendships with notable writers such as Nikolai Gogol, Mikhail Lermontov, and Ivan Turgenev. Grigoriev's philosophical views were also shaped by his interactions with Pyotr Chaadaev and Aleksey Khomyakov, key figures in the development of Slavophilism.

● Early Life and Education

Apollon Grigoriev was born in Moscow to a family of Russian nobility. He received his early education at home, where he was exposed to the works of William Shakespeare, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and Friedrich Schiller. Grigoriev then attended Moscow University, where he studied philology and became acquainted with the ideas of German idealism, particularly those of Immanuel Kant and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. During his time at university, Grigoriev befriended Mikhail Bakunin and Vissarion Belinsky, with whom he would later engage in lively debates about literary criticism and philosophy. Grigoriev's education was also influenced by his readings of French Enlightenment thinkers, such as Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, as well as the works of English Romanticism, including those of Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley.

● Literary Career

Grigoriev's literary career began in the 1840s, when he started writing reviews and articles for various Russian literary journals, including the Moskovsky Vestnik and the Otechestvennye Zapiski. He became known for his insightful critiques of the works of Nikolai Gogol, Mikhail Lermontov, and Ivan Turgenev, and his friendships with these writers allowed him to play a significant role in shaping the Russian literary scene. Grigoriev's own literary style was influenced by the works of Alexander Pushkin and Mikhail Lomonosov, and he was particularly drawn to the genre of lyric poetry, as exemplified by the works of John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley. Grigoriev's interactions with other notable writers, such as Fyodor Dostoevsky and Leo Tolstoy, also had a profound impact on his literary development, and he was a frequent visitor to the salon of Sofia Kovalevskaya, where he engaged in lively discussions with Russian intellectuals.

● Philosophy and Criticism

Grigoriev's philosophical views were shaped by his readings of German idealism and French Enlightenment thinkers, as well as his interactions with Russian philosophers such as Pyotr Chaadaev and Aleksey Khomyakov. He was particularly drawn to the ideas of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and Friedrich Schelling, which he saw as providing a framework for understanding the development of Russian literature and culture. Grigoriev's critical approach was also influenced by the works of William Hazlitt and Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve, and he was known for his insightful analyses of the works of Shakespeare and Goethe. Grigoriev's philosophical views were further shaped by his readings of Arthur Schopenhauer and Søren Kierkegaard, and he was a frequent contributor to the Russian philosophical journal, Voprosy Filosofii i Psikhologii.

● Major Works

Grigoriev's major works include his critical essays on the works of Nikolai Gogol and Mikhail Lermontov, as well as his philosophical treatises on the nature of art and beauty. His most famous work, My Literary and Moral Wanderings, is a collection of essays that explore the development of Russian literature and culture in the 19th century. Grigoriev's other notable works include his studies of Shakespeare and Goethe, as well as his essays on the French Revolution and the Russian Enlightenment. Grigoriev's writings were widely read and admired by his contemporaries, including Fyodor Dostoevsky and Leo Tolstoy, and his influence can be seen in the works of later Russian writers, such as Andrei Bely and Vladimir Nabokov.

● Legacy and Influence

Apollon Grigoriev's legacy as a literary critic and philosopher is still widely recognized today, and his influence can be seen in the works of many Russian writers and intellectuals. His critical approach, which emphasized the importance of understanding the historical and cultural context of a work, has been particularly influential, and his essays on the works of Shakespeare and Goethe remain widely read and studied. Grigoriev's philosophical views, which emphasized the importance of individualism and creative freedom, have also had a lasting impact on Russian thought, and his influence can be seen in the works of Russian philosophers such as Nikolai Berdyaev and Sergei Bulgakov. Grigoriev's legacy is also celebrated in Russia and Europe, where he is remembered as a key figure in the development of Russian literature and culture, and his works continue to be studied and admired by scholars and readers around the world, including those at Oxford University, Cambridge University, and the Sorbonne.