On a question of memoirs genre in books by I. L. Leontyev (Shcheglov) of the late 19th and early 20th century

The author characterizes the life journey I. L. Leontyev’s (Shcheglov’s), reveals the characteristic features of a memoirs genre in his work at a turn of the 19th-20th centuries which are going back to traditions of his predecessor S. T. Aksakov; and in this connection the literary and esthetic positions shown in works of a memoirs genre during the last period of his activity are defined. Considering the reasons of moral crisis in private life of the writer as one of representatives of «Chekhovian artel», his attempt to find again spiritual balance after visit of Optina Pustyn and writing of memories of Gogol, Dostoyevsky, Chekhov and others, the question of further studying of memoirs in Leontyev’s (Shcheglov’s) works is raised.