Leonid Andreyev's and Par Lagerkvist's works in the context of expressionism: the problem statement

The article substantiates the classification of the creative methods of Leonid Andreyev (1871-1917) and Pär Lagerkvist (1891-1974) as expressionistic. Expressionism was the leading art and literature direction in the early XX century. The authors trace back the Russian and foreign academic tradition of viewing certain periods of these writers’ creative career as expressionistic. This tradition is based on some of the characteristics present in their works, such as heightened expression, one-dimensional characters, static scenes, grotesque forms, colour contrasts, the depiction of a chaotic world, and a nervous and alienated person within it. The authors come to the conclusion that the expressionist works of Leonid Andreyev and Pär Lagerkvist can be most effectively compared by employing the historical typological method developed by Victor Zhirmunsky.