The Life and Career of Vladimir Solovyov

Abstract

Where Vladimir Solovyov is concerned, I cannot begin to provide the wealth of biographical information and insights offered by Konstantin Mochulsky or Sergey Solovyov, the philosopher’s own nephew,¹ and those who do not have access to these Russian-language biographies are unfortunate. Mine, however, is not primarily a biographical study. Msgr Michel d’Herbigny’s frequently quoted book Vladimir Soloviev: Un Newman russe (1918) is not reliable either in factual detail or in emphasis.² Some pertinent observations about Solovyov’s personal character are included in the chapter which N. O. Lossky devotes to his thought in History of Russian Philosophy (1952).³ More critical views are presented by Georgiy Chulkov and Alexey Remizov, and by Thomas G. Masaryk in his celebrated work The Spirit of Russia (1919).⁴ Masaryk actually goes so far as to call Solovyov ‘a decadent struggling for regeneration’.⁵ Paul Allen’s book Vladimir Soloviev: Russian Mystic (1978) places much weight on the philosopher’s biography, but errs on the side of uncritical adulation.⁶ Here, however, the text is supplemented by numerous interesting illustrations that are not easy to find elsewhere: of Solovyov’s parents, figures who influenced him, places where he studied or visited, and several which depict the philosopher at various stages in his life.