“You do not have to be a poet, but you must be a human...” on the vocation of the writer in the emigration publicism and literary criticism of Zinaida Gippius

Based on such plentiful material as journalism, literary criticism and ego-documents by Zinaida Gippius of the emigration period this article is the first one to present an analysis of her views on the vocation of Russian writers and their moral 296 Новый филологический вестник. 2019. №3(50). 297 responsibility for the fates of Russia and Europe. After 1917, the understanding of the writer’s vocation seen by Gippius in many aspects coincided with the views of the radical part of the Russian diaspora who considered the preservation of cultural traditions and the rebirth of Russia as one of their most important tasks. Similarly to D. Merezhkovsky, I. Bunin or D. Filosofov, Gippius perceived emigration as a vocation and a historical mission, claiming that literature and its creators are crucial in shaping cultural and national identity. Emphasizing the connection of literature with a given historical moment, Gippius considered émigré writers as “depositories of truth and values”, who should participate in the liberation of their homeland. Gippius raised the question of their civic responsibility and activity, their participation not only in cultural life, but also in social life. She disapproved of the writers’ individualism and subjectivism (the concept of “pure art”). A characteristic feature of Gippius’s émigré critics became a special interest in the ideological meaning of the works, and her assessment of the writers was often dependent on their worldview, especially their political views. Gippius’ journalism, literary criticism and ego-documents prove that she considered the terms “true writer” and “true man” as synonyms, especially when the author took moral responsibility not only for his own words but also for his own life choices.