The Golden Age
The term ‘Golden Age’ in Russian Literature has been used to refer to most of the 19th century, when some of Russia’s greatest and most internationally praised writers saw their height, from Aleksandr Pushkin’s 1831 Eugene Onegin to Leo Tolstoy’s last novels at the end of the 1890s. As such, the term encompasses different genres and movements that developed close in time, influencing each other and helping place Russian literature among the greatest in the international stage.
Initially these writers’ audience was limited to the Russian elite (at the end of the 19th century only 21% of the Russian population was literate, and just 1% had middle or higher education), but their influence has since widely extended across society and time. Although not all the writers of the Golden Age developed their careers in Moscow, their presence can still be felt in the capital city, both through the setting of their literary pieces themselves, as well as through the many statues, house museums, and other monuments that have been raised across the years to celebrate their work and commemorate their ties to Moscow.