Literary Reviews of Ivan Bunin and Yuly Aikhenvald in the 1920s’ Periodics: Comparison of Approaches, Evaluations, Conclusions

About the author:

Irina V. Kochergina, PhD in Philology, teacher, School 57, Malyi Znamenskii 7/10, bild. 5, 119019 Moscow, Russia.

ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1298-089X 

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Abstract:

The paper considers the literary reviews of Ivan Bunin and critic Yuly Aikhenvald in the 1920s. The author compares the critical manner and style of the reviews, highlighting the similar evaluations of literary works and analyzing the reasons for this similarity. In particular, there is similarity in the assessment of literary works of Alexey K. Tolstoy, Ivan Savin, Leonid Zurov. Critical responses to the works of the writers of “smenovekhovstvoˮ and the magazine “Verstyˮ are considered; the author also touches upon responses to the works of Alexander Blok of the revolutionary period and to the Soviet literature. It is noted that both Bunin and Aikhenvald did not accept an utilitarian approach to art, as well as the efforts to make literature a handmaid of public. It is concluded that, despite the difference in style and genre of the critical reviews of Bunin and Aikhenvald, the evaluation of the literary works is mostly similar.