Arts, The House of, literary society

Categories / Literature. Book Publishing/Salons, Circles, Creative Associations and Unions
Arts, The House of, an organisation for literary figures. It was founded by K. I. Chukovsky, M. Gorky, A. N. Tikhonov. Opened on 19 November 1919 in the former house of the Eliseev family at 15 Nevsky Prospect / 59 Moika River Embankment. It was governed by a council. A. A. Akhmatova, A. A. Blok, A. L. Volynsky, Gorky, M. V. Dobuzhinsky, E. I. Zamyatin, K. S. Petrov-Vodkin, N. N. Punin et al. were members at various times. Destined to solve problems and provide social help to artists, the House of Arts became a hostel for many of them: Volynsky, A. S. Grin, N. S. Gumilev (it was here that he was arrested in August 1921), M. M. Zoshchenko, L. N. Lunz, O. E. Mandelstam, V. A. Pyast, V. A. Rozhdestvensky, M. L. Slonimsky, O. D. Forsh, V. F. Khodasevich, M. S. Shaginyan et al. lived here. Literary soirees were routinely held in the House of Arts, A. Bely, Blok, Grin, Gumilev, Zamyatin, Zoshchenko, G. V. Ivanov, N. A. Klyuev, M. A. Kuzmin, Lunz, Mandelstam, V. V. Mayakovsky, N. N. Nikitin, A. M. Remizov et al. read here compositions written by them; A. V. Amfiteatrov, N. N. Evreinov, V. M. Zhirmunsky, A. F. Koni, Petrov-Vodkin, Chukovsky, V. B. Shklovsky, B. M. Eichenbaum et al. gave lectures, public debates were sponsored, exhibitions of works by contemporary artists, musical evenings and concerts were arranged. The emergence of Literary Groups Serapion's Brothers, the Sounding Shell, Inhabitants of the Island is connected with the work of the literary studio of the House of Arts where general courses were given and practical lessons were held. Debates were sponsored in the House of Arts, lectures of the Free Philosophical Association were given, sittings of OPOYaZ were held etc.; E. L. Schwarz, Y. P. Annenkov, V. Khlebnikov, S. A. Esenin, A. B. Mariengof, N. N. Aseev, B. L. Pasternak, H. Wells and many others were among visitors and guests of the House of Arts. The book shop of the House of Arts was located at 14 Herzen Street (today Bolshaya Morskaya Street). Only two issues of of the journal of the House of Arts were published in 1921. It was closed in the autumn of 1922. The activity of the House of Arts, the real centre of intellectual-artistic life of Petrograd became an example of creative communication, intense spiritual searching in a time of devastation, asperity, and social chaos. It was described in the novel by Forsh Crazy Ship; Khodasevich, Chukovsky, Slonimsky, Rozhdestvensky, Zamyatin, R. V. Ivanov-Razumnik, N. N. Berberova, I. V. Odoevtseva, V. A. Kaverin et al. left their memoirs about the House of Arts.

References: Шульц С. С. Дом Искусств. СПб., 1997; Тимина С. И. Культурный Петербург: ДИСК - 1920-е гг. СПб., 2001.

D. N. Cherdakov. Akhmatova Anna Andreevna
Amfiteatrov Alexander Valentinovich
Annenkov Yury Pavlovich
Aseev Nikolay Nikolaevich
Bely Andrey (real name Bugaev Boris Nikolaevich)
Berberova Nina Nikolaevna
Blok G.P.
Chukovsky Korney Ivanovich
Dobuzhinsky Mstislav Valerianovich
Eichenbaum Boris Mikhailovich
Esenin Sergey Alexandrovich
Evreinov Nikolay Nikolaevich
Forsh Olga Dmitrievna
Gorky Maxim (Alexey Maximovich Peshkov)
Grin Alexander Stepanovich
Gumilev Nikolay Stepanovich
Ivanov Georgy Vladimirovich
Ivanov-Razumnik (real name Razumnik Vasilievich Ivanov)
Kaverin Veniamin Alexandrovich
Khlebnikov Velimir (real name Viktor Vladimirovich)
Khodasevich Vladimir Felitsianovich
Klyuev Nikolay Alexeevich
Koni Anatoly Fedorovich
Kuzmin Mikhail Alexeevich
Lunz Lev Natanovich
Mandelstam Osip Emilievich
Mariengof Anatoly Borisovich
Mayakovsky Vladimir Vladimirovich
Nikitin Nikolay Nikolaevich
Odoevtseva Irina Vladimirovna (real name Heinecke Iraida Gustavovna )
Pasternak Boris Leonidovich
Petrov-Vodkin Kuzma Sergeevich
Punin Nikolay Nikolaevich
Pyast Vladimir Alexeevich
Remizov Alexey Mikhailovich
Rozhdestvensky Vsevolod Alexandrovich
Schwarz Evgeny Lvovich
Shaginyan Marietta Sergeevna
Shklovsky Viktor Borisovich
Slonimsky Mikhail Leonidovich
the Eliseevs
Tikhonov Alexander Nikolaevich
Volynsky (Flexer) Akim Lvovich
Wells Herbert George
Zamyatin Evgeny Ivanovich
Zhirmunsky Viktor Maximovich
Zoschenko Mikhail Mikhailovich
Moika River Embankment/Saint Petersburg, city, house 59
Nevsky prospect/Saint Petersburg, city, house 15
Шульц С. С. Дом Искусств. СПб., 1997
Тимина С. И. Культурный Петербург: ДИСК, 1920-е гг. СПб., 2001. Serapion's Brothers
OPOYaZ
1919