A drawing by Leonardo da Vinci and the shaping of D. Merezhkovsky’s literary reputation

Abstract

The article considers the background of the little-known letter written by D. Merezhkovsky to Novoe Vremya in 1901 with regard to the novel Resurrected Gods. Leonardo da Vinci [Voskresshie bogi. Leonardo da Vinchi] and establishes the circumstances that prompted such a reaction to V. Burenin’s feuilleton. The novel was written during the period of bitter competition with A. Volynsky, who had authored a study of Leonardo da Vinci’s life. Merezhkovsky’s suspicion that the latter may have plagiarised his original plot resulted in an acrimonious rivalry. In his letter, Merezhkovsky chooses to focus on the author’s ‘scholarly scrupulosity’ and the authoritative opinion of European audiences, who had long acknowledged his writing talent, rather than on prejudiced reviews of his novels penned by newspaper-employed critics. The article argues that what really provoked Merezhkovsky to approach the newspaper was his resentment of unfair allegations, rather than an attempt to defend the authenticity of Leonardo’s drawing. Hostile reviews of his novel in the periodicals contradicted Merezhkovsky’s efforts to create his own reputation as a writer.