 Adamovich Georgy Viktorovich
7.4.1892 (Moscow) - 21.2.1972 (Nice)
Poet, critic and interpreter.
He studied at the Second Moscow Gymnasia, then at the First Petersburg Gymnasia, in 1910-1917 - at the history and philosophy department of the
Petersburg University.
In 1914-1915 Adamovich chummed up with the poets-akmeists and in 1916-1917 he became one of the heads of the second "Poets Guild". In 1916 the first poetic collection "Clouds" was published.
After the revolution Adamovich participated in the third "Poets Guild", actively cooperated as a critic in its almanacs and in the newspaper "Life of Art". Adamovich's poems of 1916-1917 were included in
the collection "Chistilishe" (1922). They are dedicated mostly to the winter scenery.
After time the Adamovich's poetry became "poetry about nothing", the main subject and highest value of which is the "air of the epoch of symbolism".
In 1923 Adamovich immigrated to France and settled in Paris. He worked as a critic in the magazine "Modern Notes", then in "Zveno" and "Chisla" and gradually he got a reputation of "First Critic of the Emigration". During the emigration he wrote a little of poetry, but nevertheless the emigrant poetry owes to him the appearance of so-called "Parisian note" - extreme sincere expression of the mental anguish.
In the beginning of Second World War Adamovich volunteered to the French Army. In 1951 he moved to England where he taught Russian literature at
the Manchester University. Concentration on the most important, fidelity to the Russian culture, comprehension of mission of emigration, spiritual
freedom - these are the basic features of his creativity.
One of the main themes of Adamovich's creativity was Petersburg. And this theme was a basis of "Parisian note". Many things in Adamovich's life
were connected with Petersburg. Here he saw the poet Annensky and fell in love with his tragic muse. Here he discovered for himself Blok's poetry and
joined "Poets Guild", here he was published in the magazine "Apollo" and here he studied at university.
Many Adamovich's poems about St. Petersburg
received wide popularity and they became this exact formula, which determines the image of the city on the Neva river. "On the Earth it is the only one capital, all others are simply the cities" - the poet wrote about St.Petersburg.
Adamovich is one of the "most Petersburg" poets of the emigration: in the article "Poets in St. Petersburg" he wrote: "there is a geographical
feature according to, maybe, would be correct to divide Russian art: St.Petersburg and Moscow..." / Muscovites do not realize in themselves unity of style which is so clear in St. Petersburg..."
In his critical prose Adamovich also shows interest to the literary life of St. Petersburg-Petrograd-Leningrad. For example, in regard to the collection of publishing house "Academia", he remarked: "St. Petersburg
still has something to show...". Or about the Petersburg poets published in the collection "Lar": "They do not have that plebian spirit which is repudiation of everything, that cowardice of spirit which is afraid of everything, even influences..."
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