In the dialogue with Europe

P.A. Vyazemsky's philosophy of Russian culture

Abstract

Readings on P. A. Vyazemsky are a long tradition in Russian studies in philosophy and literature. Prince Vyazemsky is well-known both as a poet and a literary critic of Pushkin’s “golden era”. The article presents the idea that Vyazemsky’s intellectual biography shows a difficult way the formation of Russian culture’s semantic space in the context of a dialogue between Europe and Russia. The author reveals that Vyazemsky translates the idea of European Enlightenment towards Russian intellectual history and culture. The author provides the idea that Vyazemsky undertakes himself the mission of cultural education in Russia. The essay also analyzes the aesthetic ideals of Russian classics in critical works of Vyazemsky. According to the author of the article, the poet’s idea about the necessity of creating national literature is the conceptual basis of Vyazemsky’s philosophy of culture.