Georgiy Ivanov
| Georgii Vladimirovich Ivanov | |
|---|---|
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Ivanov in 1921
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| Native name | Георгий Владимирович Иванов |
| Born | 10 November [O.S. 29 October] 1894 Puki Estate, Seda Volost, Telšiai County, Kovno Governorate |
| Died | 26 August 1958 (aged 63) Hyères, Var, France |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Citizenship | Russian Empire |
| Genre | prose, poetry |
| Literary movement | acmeism |
Georgii Vladimirovich Ivanov (Russian: Гео́ргий Влади́мирович Ива́нов, 10 November [O.S. 29 October] 1894, Puki Estate, Seda Volost, Telšiai County, Kovno Governorate – 26 August 1958, Hyères, Var, France) was a leading poet and essayist of the Russian emigration between the 1930s and 1950s.
As a banker's son, Ivanov spent his young manhood in the elite circle of Russian golden youth. He started writing pretentious verses, imitative of Baudelaire and the French Symbolists, at a precocious age. Although his technique of versification was impeccable, he had no life experience to draw upon. The favourite subjects of his early poetry were Rococo mannerisms and gallant festivals. Unsurprisingly, he named two of his books "The Embarkment for Cythera", alluding to Watteau's great painting.
After dallying with a puerile variety of Russian Futurism, as promoted by Igor Severyanin, Ivanov came to associate himself with the Acmeism movement. Although not considered a major talent, the 20-year-old was addressed or mentioned in the poems by Osip Mandelshtam and Anna Akhmatova. Georgii Ivanov was also considered to be one of the best pupils of the informal Guild of Poets school organized by Nikolay Gumilyov and Sergei Gorodetsky.
Ivanov was the only prominent member of this circle who emigrated to the West. His natural arrogance and peremptory judgements easily won him respect and admiration from his younger contemporaries. He self-consciously promoted himself as the only remnant of the highly sophisticated milieu of the Russian Silver Age. To augment his standing, he issued a book of memoirs, entitled Petersburg Winters, which contained a fictionalized or widely exaggerated account of his experiences with the Acmeists. The book alienated Ivanov from his elder contemporaries but won instant acclaim from his disciples.
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