Vladimir Solovyov

“Religious philosopher, mystic and poet, Vladimir Solovyov is one of Russia’s most intriguing and influential figures. Interest in his legacy continues to grow in Russia and the West. One of the very best introductions to his work is the intellectual biography completed by his gifted nephew Sergey Solovyov in 1922–1923. This new edition presents Aleksey Gibson’s superb translation of this classic work. In an insightful preface, Jonathan Sutton illuminates recent developments in the study of Solovyov’s significance.”—PAMELA DAVIDSON, Professor of Russian literature, School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London

“This new edition of Aleksey Gibson’s excellent translation of Sergey Solovyov’s study of his uncle, Vladimir Sergeevich, reminds us yet again that Solovyov’s legacy is a gift that keeps on giving. As the words of Igor Vishnevsky in the original English edition attest, during the heady first decades of the twentieth century Vladimir Solovyov’s writings proved crucial to the development of the next generation of Russian intellectuals, his nephew Sergey included. Father Michael Meerson, who helped bring the archived Russian manuscript to light in 1967, reminds us that Solovyov was a beacon for dissident readers in the dark years of the Soviet Union. And now the new preface by Jonathan Sutton informs us that a whole new generation of scholars in the twentieth-first century has discovered the life-affirming words of Vladimir Solovyov. Kudos to Aleksey Gibson and Angelico Press for continuing to make this important work available to readers throughout the world.”—JUDITH DEUTSCH KORNBLATT, Professor Emerita, Department of Slavic Languages and Literature, University of Wisconsin–Madison

“Outside a narrow circle of Slavists and religious philosophers, Vladimir Solovyov’s philosophy tends at first to provoke confusion and intimidation. His work is astonishingly learned, wide-ranging, and multi-faceted, and—unlike the literary production of his older contemporaries Leo Tolstoy and Fedor Dostoevsky—appears difficult to approach. And yet, recent years have seen a proliferation of translations, academic publications, and Solovyov societies worldwide. The publication in English of this intimate and intelligent biography by Solovyov’s nephew, Sergey Solovyov, goes a long way toward making his life and thought familiar to a wide circle of readers, humanizing this towering figure and introducing his ideas into our own homes and classrooms. It is a major contribution to the current wave of fascination with Solovyov. The manuscript itself has a dramatic history, productively illuminated in the multiple prefaces to the volume.”—CATHERINE EVTUHOV, Professor of History, Columbia University

SERGEY SOLOVYOV (1885–1942) was a nephew of the philosopher Vladimir Solovyov. From a young age, Sergey was familiar with his uncle’s personality and writings and helped prepare his uncle’s complete works for publication in 1911–1914. Trained as a classical philologist, Sergey was admired for his translations of Aeschylus and Virgil, but was better known as a Symbolist poet and close friend of Andrey Bely and Aleksandr Blok. On the eve of the Russian Revolution, Sergey was ordained as an Orthodox priest, and then later, while working on the biography of Vladimir, made his final reconciliation with Catholicism at a time when it was illegal for him to serve as a Russian Greek Catholic priest. His final years were clouded by mental illness, constant fear of arrest, and the outbreak of World War II. Sergey Solovyov’s greatest legacy remains Vladimir Solovyov: His Life and Creative Evolution.