Boris Eikhenbaum
Boris Eikhenbaum was a prominent Russian literary critic and scholar born on October 16, 1886, in Krasnyi, Smolensk. He graduated from the University of St. Petersburg in 1912 with a focus on philology and history and later taught at what became known as Leningrad State University from 1918 to 1949. Eikhenbaum was a key figure in the Formalist movement of literary criticism during the 1910s and 1920s, emphasizing the formal elements of literary texts while downplaying the authors' ideas and historical contexts. His influential works included a 1922 book on the Formalist theory of poetry and critical analyses of authors such as Leo Tolstoy and Mikhail Lermontov.
Despite his contributions, Eikhenbaum faced significant opposition from Marxist theorists who prioritized the social dimensions of literature, especially under the oppressive regime of Joseph Stalin. Following the decline of the Formalist movement by 1928, he shifted focus to literary biography, particularly exploring how authors reflect their social environments. His later works, especially his studies on Tolstoy, gained recognition for their scholarly depth, although some critiques noted their dense detail. Eikhenbaum's career was further complicated by the harsh political climate during and after World War II, impacting his health and leading to harassment during Stalin's postwar purges. He died in Leningrad on November 24, 1959, leaving a complex legacy in the field of literary criticism.
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Subject Terms
Boris Eikhenbaum
Nonfiction Writer and Poet
- Born: October 16, 1886
- Birthplace: Krasnyi, Russia
- Died: November 24, 1959
- Place of death: Leningrad, U.S.S.R. (now St. Petersburg, Russia)
Biography
Boris Eikhenbaum was born on October 16, 1886, in Krasnyi, in the Smolensk region of Russia. After graduating with a degree in philology and history from the University of St. Petersburg in 1912, he taught intermittently at his alma mater, renamed Leningrad State University, from 1918 to 1949. He also lectured at the Leningrad Institute for the History of the Arts in the 1920’s.
During his early career, from approximately 1916 to 1928, Eikhenbaum was a leading proponent of the Formalist movement of literary criticism, which concentrated on the formal elements of literary texts while generally ignoring the ideas and historical contexts of authors. His major contribution to formalism was the idea that each literary work contains a few artistic devises that overshadow other elements. In 1922, he published a book devoted to the Formalist theory of poetry, and he then applied his theories to the works of Leo Tolstoy and Mikhail Lermontov.
Eikhenbaum’s formalism provoked opposition from influential Marxist theorists who focused on the social messages of literature. In 1927, his defense of formalism, Literatura: Teoriia, kritika, polemika, only intensified the opposition, which had the support of Joseph Stalin’s tyrannical regime. By 1928, the Formalist movement was dissolved, and Eikhenbaum retreated to work on literary biography, focusing on ways that authors were products of their social environments. He published three more books devoted to Tolstoy; two of them have been translated into English.
Eikhenbaum continued to experience bitter hostility from Marxist theorists. During World War II, moreover, the German blockade of Leningrad had a harmful effect on his health, and during a forced evacuation of 1942 he lost one of his large Tolstoy manuscripts. During Stalin’s postwar purge of writers, he was further harassed and barely escaped exile to Siberia. He retired from teaching in 1949, but, following the dictator’s death in 1953, he resumed his research and writings. He died in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) on November 24, 1959.
During his early career, Eikhenbaum made an important contribution to the development of the theory of formalist criticism. During his later career, his books in literary biography, particularly his studies of Tolstoy, were recognized for their scholarship, even though some critics argued that they were overloaded with minutia and did not effectively reveal Tolstoy’s personality.