Lev Shestov and Ivan Bunin: existential insight into Russian literature
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Lev Shestov and Ivan Bunin: existential insight into Russian literature Evgeny R. Ponomarev1,2 Accepted: 20 October 2020 © Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract This paper analyzes the creative interaction between Ivan Bunin and Lev Shestov. After providing constructive feedback on observations and reflections from the preceding scholarly literature on the subject the author argues that the main point of convergence between the writer and the philosopher is their works on Leo Tolstoy. The study includes a textual analysis of the elements of Shestovian discourse that were discovered in Bunin’s essay The Liberation of Tolstoy. The author argues that the ending of The Liberation of Tolstoy can be understood only in the context of existentialist discourse. Bunin’s objections to the Shestov’s view of Chekhov’s creative work have been studied in detail. In general, Bunin does not appear to be a “disciple” of Shestov, as he is engaged in a philosophical dialogue with him on equal terms. Existentialism is the closest philosophical tradition to Bunin’s thought than any others that arose in the twentieth century. Keywords Lev Shestov · Ivan Bunin · Existentialism · The Liberation of Tolstoy · Leo Tolstoy · About Chekhov · Anton Chekhov Lev Shestov, who had a significant influence on Russian “Silver Age” and émigré literature, as well as on twentieth century philosophy in general, is today perceived as, on the one hand, the precursor of French existentialism,1 and, on the other hand, the most literature-centric among Russian philosophers. It is the personal and conceptual connections of Shestov with contemporary writers that necessarily come to 1
Shestov famously influenced Camus (who refers to him extensively in The Myth of Sisyphus, though not always agreeing with his point of view); Deleuze also makes reference to Shestov in his Nietzsche and Philosophy; according to Richardson, Shestov allegedly influenced Georges Bataille (Richardson 1994). * Evgeny R. Ponomarev [email protected] 1
A. M. Gorky Institute of World Literature, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation
2
St. Petersburg State University of Culture, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation
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the foreground. Scholars first drew their focus on Ivan Bunin, a friend of Shestov and even a distant relative (Shestov’s wife, Anna Yeleazarovna, née Berezovskaya, was a cousin of Bunin’s wife’s father. Vera Nikolaevna Bunina, née Muromtseva, had been friends with Anna Yeleazarovna since her early years; Ivan AlekseyevichBunin called her “auntie” (Bunin et al. 2014, p. 667)).
Historical background The interconnection between Ivan Bunin and Lev Shestov has never been examined within the Western tradition. Even in Russia, the issue had not been investigated until the last decade. In 2010, a paper “Literary and philosophic resemblance in Ivan Bunin and Lev Shestov” was published (Kolobayeva 2010). It included biographical records of friendly meetings and engaging conversations between the writer and the philosopher
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