Zinaida Vengerova (April 19, 1867 – 1941) was a

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

literary critic and translator. She is considered one of the few women who were highly educated during her time, having studied in universities in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. For her works, she had been described as "a literary ambassador between East and West". She also influenced the first generation of Russian symbolists through her writings about

French symbolism Symbolism was a late 19th-century art movement of French and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts seeking to represent absolute truths symbolically through language and metaphorical images, mainly as a reaction against naturalism and realis ...

Biography

Vengerova was born on April 19, 1867 in Sveaborg. Her mother, Paulina Iul'evna (

Pauline Wengeroff Pauline Wengeroff (1833–1916), born Pessele Epstein, was the author of a first-of-its kind memoir by a Jewish woman, in which she refracts a period in Jewish history—the emergence and unfolding of Jewish modernity in nineteenth-century Russian ...

), came from a wealthy family and was also a published author. Her grandfather on her mother's side, Ieguda Epstein, was noted for his commentaries about the

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...

. Her father, Chonon (Afanasy), was a banker in

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...

. Vengerova had two brothers and four sisters.

Semyon Simeon () is a given name, from the Hebrew ( Biblical ''Šimʿon'', Tiberian ''Šimʿôn''), usually transliterated as Shimon. In Greek it is written Συμεών, hence the Latinized spelling Symeon. Meaning The name is derived from Simeon, son ...

, the older of her two brothers, became an author, academic, literary historian, and, like Vengerova, a literary critic. He is considered a pioneer of Russian literary history. Vengerova grew up in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

before her family moved to Minsk, where she completed her gymnasium education in 1881. At an early age, Vengerova was exposed to literature and foreign languages. She continued her education in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, where she studied in western European literature and went back to St. Petersburg to study at the Institute of Higher Studies for Women from 1884 to 1887. Minsky

Vengerova relocated to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, where she took classes in literature at the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

. She became acquainted with and was a long-time friend of

Olga Petit Olga Petit or Sophie Balachowsky-Petit (16 March 1870 – 1966) was a Russian-born, French lawyer. She is noted as the first woman to take the legal oath in France. She is also known for assisting Russian emigres settling in the country after the ...

, the first French woman to become a lawyer. In 1925, Vengerova married the symbolist poet

Nikolai Minsky Nikolai Minsky and Nikolai Maksimovich Minsky (russian: Никола́й Макси́мович Ми́нский) are pseudonyms of Nikolai Maksimovich Vilenkin (Виле́нкин; 1855–1937), a mystical writer and poet of the Silver Age of R ...

. Vengerova was an emigré in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, then Paris, and London. She went to live with her sister

Isabelle Vengerova Isabelle Vengerova ( be, Ізабэла Венгерава; 7 February 1956) was a Russian, later American, pianist and music teacher. She was born Izabella Afanasyevna Vengerova (Изабелла Афанасьевна Венгерова) in M ...

- a noted pianist - in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

after her husband's death in 1937 and lived there for four years. She died in 1941.

Works

Vengerova moved to London to work for the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

. From 1908 to 1912, she built her reputation in England serving as a specialist in Russian literature. By 1917, her translation of B.V. Savinkov's ''The Pale Horse'' was published in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. Vengerova is known for her criticism of conservatism as demonstrated in her approach to Russian literary criticism amid the new literary movements. She also stressed individuality and criticized portrayals of divisions between men and women based on biology. Aside from her translation works, she wrote essays on noted literary figures such as

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

Paul Verlaine Paul-Marie Verlaine (; ; 30 March 1844 – 8 January 1896) was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement and the Decadent movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the ''fin de siècle'' in international and ...

Arthur Rimbaud Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (, ; 20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891) was a French poet known for his transgressive and surreal themes and for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism. Born in Charleville, he starte ...

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
Revised 18 May 2015. ''

Ezra Pound Ezra Weston Loomis Pound (30 October 1885 – 1 November 1972) was an expatriate American poet and critic, a major figure in the early modernist poetry movement, and a Fascism, fascist collaborator in Italy during World War II. His works ...

Arthur Schnitzler Arthur Schnitzler (15 May 1862 – 21 October 1931) was an Austrian author and dramatist. Biography Arthur Schnitzler was born at Praterstrasse 16, Leopoldstadt, Vienna, capital of the Austrian Empire (as of 1867, part of the dual monarchy ...

and

Gerhart Hauptmann Gerhart Johann Robert Hauptmann (; 15 November 1862 – 6 June 1946) was a German dramatist and novelist. He is counted among the most important promoters of literary naturalism, though he integrated other styles into his work as well. He recei ...

, among others. She also wrote a column covering European literature for ''Vestnik Evropy'' (''The Herald of Europe'') periodical for fifteen years.

Decadence and symbolism

Vengerova and her husband became active in the Russian

decadence The word decadence, which at first meant simply "decline" in an abstract sense, is now most often used to refer to a perceived decay in standards, morals, dignity, religious faith, honor, discipline, or skill at governing among the members of ...

and

symbolism Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: Arts * Symbolism (arts), a 19th-century movement rejecting Realism ** Symbolist movement in Romania, symbolist literature and visual arts in Romania during the late 19th and early 20th centuries ** Russian sy ...

movements, which celebrated the cult of beauty and enjoyment. She pioneered Decadence as a "new art" and single-handedly constructed for Russians her interpretation of

French Symbolism Symbolism was a late 19th-century art movement of French and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts seeking to represent absolute truths symbolically through language and metaphorical images, mainly as a reaction against naturalism and realis ...

. A description of this approach was contained in her work, ''Symbolist Poets in France''. This was embraced by the Russian intellectuals who favored Symbolism as self-appellation and the polemical potential of the way Vengerova's notion contrasted decadence and symbolism. The conflict or "factional squabble" that this created is said to designate what one rejected or accepted in "new art". In 1905, she became the center of a minor controversy involving its adherents. Her husband instigated a protoecumenical ritual participated in by a group of intellectuals. It included drinking the "donated" blood of Vengerova.Bird, Robert (2007)
''The Russian Prospero: The Creative Universe of Viacheslav Ivanov''
Madison, Wisconsin: Univ of Wisconsin Press. p. 12. . The event, which was intended as a bonding ritual, was described in the media as esoteric and anti-Semitic. Vengerova and her husband were both Jewish.

Publications

* ''Symbolist Poets in France (Poety-simvolisty vo Frantsii)'' (1892) * ''Literary Characteristics'' (1897-1910) * ''English Writers of the 19th Century'' (1913) *''English Futurists (Angliiskie Futuristy)'' (1915) *''Sobranīe sochinenīĭ'' *

References

{{Authority control Women literary critics Literary theorists Russian Jews 1867 births 1941 deaths Symbolist writers Decadent literature