Vsevolod Vladimirovich Krestovsky
Vsevolod Vladimirovich Krestovsky (1839-1895) was a Russian writer known for his contributions to literature during the 19th century. Born in a minor noble family near Kiev, he initially pursued studies at St. Petersburg University, where he engaged with both conservative and radical literary circles. Krestovsky gained recognition with his first major work, "Stikhi," a two-volume collection of poetry that resonated with the public and included verses that became popular folk songs. His subsequent novel, "Peterburgskie trushchoby," published between 1864 and 1866, delved into the social issues of St. Petersburg, portraying the struggles of the poor against a decaying aristocracy, despite receiving criticism for its lack of solutions.
As Krestovsky's political views shifted towards nationalism and conservatism, particularly following the Polish Uprising of 1863, his later works reflected these changes, including "Kravavyi puf" in 1875 and "Zhid idet" in 1888. The latter novel controversially depicted international Jewry as a threat to Russia, a claim that garnered little support and marked a decline in his literary career. Throughout his life, Krestovsky also served in the military and contributed as a war correspondent, earning recognition from the czar. He passed away in 1895, and while his funeral was sparsely attended, his literary legacy remains significant for its vivid portrayal of Russian society and its reflection of the era's political ideologies.
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Vsevolod Vladimirovich Krestovsky
Writer
- Born: March 10, 1839
- Birthplace: Malaia Berezianka, near Kiev, Russia
- Died: January 18, 1895
Biography
Vsevolod Vladimirovich Krestovsky was born into a family of minor nobility in the village of Malaia Berezianka near Kiev, Russia, on March 10, 1839. From 1857 to1858, Krestovsky studied at St. Petersburg University, where he immersed himself in various intense literary and political circles, some conservative and others radical. After leaving the university to devote himself to his literary career, Krestovsky first found literary fame in 1862 with Stikhi, a popular two-volume set of romantic and lyrical poetry, some of which became folk songs that are still sung in Russia today.
The quality of Krestovsky’s poetry won him the admiration and friendship of Fyodor Dostoevski, which was short lived, however, as Krestovsky took on more conservative political views. His first major novel Peterburgskie trushchoby was published serially between 1864 and 1866, becoming a popular socialist novel. It depicted the decadent and duplicitous nobility destroying the social fabric of St. Petersburg by callously forcing the poor to depend on vice and depravity to survive. Although radical critics and Dostoevski’s circle attacked the book for simply cataloging surface social problems without offering any solutions or redemption, the novel’s main importance is its realistic and revealing rendering of St. Petersburg’s shadowy underworld.
Marrying the actress Varvara Dimitrieva Grineva and becoming increasingly nationalistic, conservative, and anti-Pole in the wake of the Polish Uprising of 1863, Krestovsky’s traveled to Warsaw in 1865 and 1866. He published his next major novel, Kravavyi puf, in 1875. As with Peterburgskie trushchoby, duplicity and decadence rule the day and threaten the existence of good and innocent Russians, but Krestovsky shifts his ire away from the nobility to secret societies of Poles and nihilist radicals who willfully plot to sabotage Russia. Although the novel affords a detailed glimpse into Russian society and political thought of the period, most critics consider the novel to be overly propagandistic.
Krestovsky’s growing nationalism led him to enter the cavalry as a noncommissioned officer, like his father and grandfather before him. He continued writing, publishing political pieces and idealized pictures of army life in various outlets, eventually writing a regimental history at the request of Czar Alexander II. From 1877 to 1888, he served as the government’s first official war correspondent, earning a ring from the czar and being named secretary to the chief of the Pacific Ocean squadron. Marrying his second wife in 1885 (after divorcing his first in 1875), and then becoming a colonel in 1888, he published in the same year his novel Zhid idet, which blames a secret cabal of international Jewry for trying to ruin Russia and dominate Europe by controlling the world’s wealth. The novel gained little attention and effectively ended his career as a writer. Krestovsky died in 1895 after an illness that prompted him to turn religious. Few people attended his funeral in St. Petersburg. Krestovsky’s literary legacy rests with his detailed descriptions of Russian life and his intellectual and political journey that is emblematic of the times in which he lived.