THE RUSSIAN SALON CULTURE IN THE END OF THE XIX AND THE BEGINNING OF THE XX CENTURY

Abstract

At the turn of centuries, the following literary associations were well-known:
from the professional writers unions to the home jour-fixes of people closely connected
with literary circles:
- societies (fellowships, unions etc.);
- circles (groups of literary men);
- salons (jour-fixes, parties etc.);
- the creative groups (Acmeists, Cubofuturists, Symbolists, Egofuturists);
- the amateur literary societies and circles;
- the would-be literary societies not associated directly with literature and
literary medium;
- the literary circles of expatriates communities and national minorities.
The salons played a significant role in the cultural life of that period, in particular,
the salons of philosophic-artistic orientation. First of all, it was the salon
of Z.N.Gippius and D.S.Merezhkovsky.
For a quarter of century, the Merezhkovskys salon was one of the centers of
the literary and philosophic life in Petersburg. There, common problems of art,
culture and modern philosophy, as well as the occurring new literary trends (decadence,
the Russian and western symbolism) were discussed.
The Merezhkovskys salon has played a significant role in formation of the
so-called religious-philosophic renaissance.
The salons of A.K.Gertsik, S.P.Kuvshinnikova, G.L.Girshman and
S.N.Andronnikova belonged to the salons of literary orientation.