Mikhail Lermontov as Alexander Pushkin’s Spiritual Successor

This article considers the phenomenon of Alexander Pushkin to be a value vector for the develo­pment of Lermontov’s artistic and personal genius. Following an examination of reminiscences of Pushkin’s works in Lermontov’s bibliography, the author concludes that Pushkin’s legacy was at the root of the formation of Lermontov’s historical views and served as the foundation for his understanding of nationality as acceptance of the spiritual and moral guidelines of Russian culture. It is in his dialog with Pushkin that Lermontov comprehends the ontological underpinnings of human existence. Pushkin’s heritage manifests itself both at the speech and value-semantic levels of the text. Lermontov progresses from direct borrowings, which indicate acceptance of Pushkin’s worldview as unquestionably true, to peer-to-peer dialog, in which Pushkin’s discourse not only serves as semantic support, but also unfolds its spiritual perspective. Lermontov sees Pushkin’s writings as both an existent and recognized legacy of a genius and an insight into his inner life.