Iurij Govoruha-Otrok The critic, who wrote under the pseudonym Nikolaev, Y. Country: Russia

1. Early Life and Education
2. Revolutionary Involvement and Imprisonment
3. Literary Debut and Political Transformation
4. Conservative Beliefs and Criticism
5. Legacy as a Literary Critic

Early Life and Education

Yuri Nikolaevich Govorukha-Otrok, also known by his pen name "Nikolaev," was born in the mid-1850s into an affluent noble family in southern Russia. He attended a gymnasium in Kharkiv but did not complete his studies.

Revolutionary Involvement and Imprisonment

In 1874, Govorukha-Otrok joined a revolutionary circle in Kharkiv and engaged in "going to the people." He was subsequently tried in the "Trial of the 193" and imprisoned for several years. After his release, he settled in Kharkiv in 1882.

Literary Debut and Political Transformation

While in Kharkiv, Govorukha-Otrok became involved in the newly founded journal "Mir" and the newspaper "Yuzhny Krai." During this period, he became disillusioned with revolutionary activities and developed critical views towards the revolutionary movement and the prevailing artistic ideologies of the 1860s.

Despite a brief return to his earlier sentiments in his literary debut stories "Iz neokonchennogo romana" and "Fatum," Govorukha-Otrok's writing in the 1880s marked a significant departure. In his articles for "Yuzhny Krai," he engaged in a heated debate against the ideas of the 1860s, liberalism, and the literary establishment represented by "Otechestvennye Zapiski."

Conservative Beliefs and Criticism

In 1889, Govorukha-Otrok joined the editorial staff of "Moskovskie Vedomosti," where he wrote literary and theatrical critiques until his death in July 1896. He also wrote critical articles for "Russkoe Obozrenie" and "Russkii Vestnik" under the pseudonym "Yu. Elagin."

During his "Moscow period," Govorukha-Otrok's writing softened, and his polemics took on a more principled character. He wrote passionately about theatrical productions, demonstrating his artistic sensibilities and demanding high standards of performance.

Legacy as a Literary Critic

As a literary critic, Govorukha-Otrok displayed undeniable talent, a keen aesthetic sense, and a solid literary education. However, his criticism was often skewed by his preconceived goal of exposing the emptiness of the 1860s movement. He utilized works by writers from different ideological camps to support his arguments, as seen in his critique of V.G. Korolenko, for example.

In his analysis of Turgenev, his polemics overshadowed critical insight. Govorukha-Otrok interpreted Turgenev's work as subservient to fashionable influences, with only the character of Liza in "A Nobleman's Daughter" emerging as a genuine creation.

Govorukha-Otrok's religious and political views aligned him loosely with Slavophilism, but he dismissed key elements such as freedom of thought, speech, and public opinion. In his literary outlook, he claimed to follow Apollon Grigoriev but selectively appropriated only his polemical attacks against Westernization and journalistic excesses of the early 1860s. His closest intellectual affinity lay with Nikolai Nikolaevich Strakhov's writings in the latter's final years.