Biographical features of Vladislav Khodasevich in Gulliver’s chronicle

Abstract

The main source of information about Vladislav Khodasevich’s life is his memoirs, which he published as separate essays on the pages of émigré outlets. The article discusses several cases when biographical information appears in the chronicle of Soviet literature, which the critic published together with Nina Berberova in the newspaper “Vozrozhdenie” (1927 – 1939) under the common pseudonym Gulliver. In addition to documentary evidence of work on the chronicle, as well as the existence of an ideological community of pseudonymous notes and authorized publications, Khodasevich’s authorship can be established when biographical details of the chronicler’s life are interwoven in the notes. Until now, such cases have been considered as supporting material for the attribution of certain chronicle issues. The article highlights notes that are of independent value for studying both Khodasevich’s work and his biography, which allows us to significantly correct the traditional approach to such a material. The most interesting and voluminous examples from the entire corps of “Literary Chronicle” are used for research. The thematic scatter is quite large: from the reception of plans for 1935 on the redevelopment of Moscow streets to references to Khodasevich’s unpublished poetic legacy.

Keywords

• first wave of emigration
• vladislav khodasevich
• “vozrozhdenie” newspaper
• pseudonims
• “literary chronicle”
• chronicle of soviet literature