Le regard de Xodasevič sur la survie de la littérature russe en exil

Can Russian Literature in Exile Survive? Xodesevič's Answer Vladislav Xodasevič (1886-1939) emigrated in 1922 and settled in Paris in 1925. Already a leading poet and critic when he left Russia, he became deeply concerned about the fate of Russian literature in exile, particularly about the future of the younger generation. His insistence on the necessity for young poets to acquire formal craftsmanship and to study the Russian classical heritage, and his rejection of the 'human document' as a substitute for artistic creation, have often earned him the réputation of being a conservative – yet he was one of the first to detect Nabokov's genius. In fact, he thought that Russian émigré literature should have been able not only to survive, but to find a new life by being 'authentically émigré': if it had found its unity in developing new themes and forms, then it would have fulfilled its mission of 'conservation' – the conservation of the movement of life in its constant evolution – in accordance with the great Russian tradition.