Vissarion Belinsky
Vissarion Belinsky | |
|---|---|
V. Belinsky, lithograph by Kirill Gorbunov | |
| Born | Vissarion Grigoryevich Belinsky 11 June 1811 Sveaborg, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire |
| Died | 7 June 1848 (aged 36) Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire |
| Resting place | Literatorskiye Mostki, Saint Petersburg |
| Occupation | Editor of Sovremennik, and Otechestvennye Zapiski |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Period | 1830s–1840s |
| Genre | Criticism |
| Subject | Literature |
| Literary movement | Westernizers Russian Schellingianism |
Vissarion Grigoryevich Belinsky (Russian: Виссарио́н Григо́рьевич Бели́нский; June 11 [O.S. May 30] 1811 – June 7 [O.S. May 26] 1848) was a Russian literary critic of Westernizing tendency. Belinsky played one of the key roles in the career of poet and publisher Nikolay Nekrasov and his popular magazine Sovremennik. He was the most influential of the Westernizers, especially among the younger generation. He worked primarily as a literary critic, because that area was less heavily censored than political pamphlets. He agreed with Slavophiles that society had precedence over individualism, but he insisted the society had to allow the expression of individual ideas and rights. He strongly opposed Slavophiles on the role of Orthodoxy, which he considered a retrograde force. He emphasized reason and knowledge, and attacked autocracy and theocracy.