19th Century Literary Moscow

Russia is home to incredibly outstanding literature, including poetry, plays, short stories, and lengthy novels. Dating back to the Middle Ages, Russia’s literary history saw its height during the 19^th century, a period that came to be known as the Golden Age, with such authors as the poet Alexander Pushkin, the novelists Nikolai Gogol, Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and the short-story writer and dramatist Anton Chekhov.

In turn, the beginning of the 20^th century became known as the Silver Age, including notable poets such as Konstantin Balmont, Marina Tsvetaeva, Boris Pasternak. The rise of the Soviet Union in the early 20^th century brought new genres like Socialist realism led by Maxim Gorky and Nikolay Ostrovsky, while many notable writers, such as Mikhail Bulgakov, saw their work censored by the Soviet regime (in fact, his prime novel The Master and Margarita was only published after his death). Others continued to write in exile, such as Vladimir Nabokov. The political and economic instability of the late 20^th century led to a printing and literature crisis. The turn of the 21^st century has witnessed the rise of what has become known as a “new realism”, including authors Zakhar Prilepin and Alexander Karasyov.

Considering that the long, rich, and diverse history of Russian literature could not possibly be thoroughly reviewed here, this exhibition will focus on the Golden Age of Russian literature, covering most of the 19^th century, from Alexander Pushkin’s first major poems to Leo Tolstoy’s most famous novels. The exhibition includes a tour spanning some of the remnants of these influential writers around the city of Moscow.