Belinsky V. G. (1811-1848), critic, publicist

Categories / Press. Mass Media/Personalia
Categories / Literature. Book Publishing/Personalia
BELINSKY Vissarion Grigorievich (1811-1848, St. Petersburg), critic, publicist. Studied at the Department of Philology of Moscow University (was expelled in 1832). Resided in St. Petersburg from 1839. Contributed to Literaturniye pribavlenia k Russkomu Invalidu newspaper, afterwards was the principal critic of the Otechestveniye Zapiski journal until 1846. Following the conflict with A. A. Kraevsky from 1847 assumed the editorial position of Sovremennik journal critical review department. Belinsky's activities as a critic determined to a large extent the understanding of works of the most prominent Russian writers for the first half of the 19th century; during his Petersburg period he became the theorist of the realistic trend, gaining importance in literature (so called Natural School), he was one of the masterminds of the Westernizers, for whom St. Petersburg (as opposed to Moscow) became the symbol of Russian and European historical paths to unity (see Belinsky's article Petersburg and Moscow in the Physiology of Petersburg collection). Quite a number of writers were affected by Belinsky's ideas and personality (I. I. Panaev, N. A. Nekrasov, I. S. Turgenev, F. M. Dostoevsky, I. A. Goncharov, А. I. Herzen and others). While residing in St. Petersburg he changed address more than 10 times, a memorial plaque is set on the house where Belinsky lived in 1842-46 (68 Nevsky Prospect). Buried at the Volkovskoe Orthodox Cemetery (subsequently it became the traditional burial site for writers and public figures; see Literatorskie mostki). The former Simeonovskaya Street, Simeonovskaya Square and Simeonovsky Bridge over the Fontanka River from 1923 were named after Belinsky.

References: Оксман Ю. Г. Летопись жизни и творчества В. Г. Белинского. М., 1958; Гордин А. М. В. Г. Белинский // Литературные памятные места Ленинграда. 3-е изд., испр. и доп. Л., 1976. С. 205-228; Мануйлов В. А., Семенова Г. П. Белинский в Петербурге. Л., 1979.

A. B. Muratov. Belinsky Vissarion Grigorievich
Dostoevsky Fedor Mikhailovich
Goncharov Ivan Alexandrovich
Gordin Arkady Moiseevich
Herzen Alexander Ivanovich
Kraevsky Andrey Alexandrovich
Manuylov Viktor Andronikovich
Nekrasov Nikolay Alexeevich
Oksman Yulian Grigorievich
Panaev Ivan Ivanovich
Turgenev Ivan Sergeevich
Nevsky prospect/Saint Petersburg, city, house 68
Оксман Ю. Г. Летопись жизни и творчества В. Г. Белинского. М., 1958
Мануйлов В. А., Семенова Г. П. Белинский в Петербурге. Л., 1979
Гордин А. М. В. Г. Белинский // Литературные памятные места Ленинграда. 3-е изд., испр. и доп. Л., 1976 Russky Invalid (The Russian Invalid), newspaper
Otechestvennye Zapiski (Notes of the Fatherland), journal
Sovremennik (Contemporary), journal
Literatorskie (Literary) Mostki, the museum-necropolis
1848