About
Zinaida Gippius (1869-1945) was a Russian writer and a central figure of the first wave of Symbolism. Married to Dmitry Merezhkovsky, she hosted an influential literary salon in St. Petersburg, where she mentored Alexander Blok and introduced Osip Mandelstam. Opposed to the Bolshevik Revolution, she emigrated to Paris in 1920, where she founded the literary-philosophical society 'The Green Lamp'. Her poetry, noted for its intellectual intensity, was called 'electric' by Ivan Bunin. She also wrote short stories, novels, and plays, including The Green Ring, staged by Meyerhold.
* 1869-11-08 — † 1945-09-09
Major works
- Collected Poems, 1889–1903 (1903)poetry collection
- New People (1896)short story collection
- Mirrors (1898)short story collection
- The Green Ring (1916)play
Key milestones
- 1889Married writer and philosopher Dmitry Merezhkovsky.
- 1920Settled permanently in Paris after fleeing Bolshevik Russia.
- 1927Founded the 'Green Lamp' literary-philosophical society in Paris.
Themes
SymbolismMetaphysics and spiritualityLove and deathSocial and political critiqueExile and nostalgia
Sources: britannica.com · poets.org · catdir.loc.gov