The history of the term ‘living life’ (zhivaya zhizn) in Russian literature

Abstract

The concept of ‘living life’ became widespread in 19th-c. Russian literature. Dictionaries record its origins as a literal translation of the German expression lebendiges Leben. Scholarly sources point to Schiller, who is supposed to have coined the term (in his tragedy The Bride of Messina [Die Braut von Messina], 1803). The article argues that Schiller may not be given the credit as he only followed a much older spiritual tradition (J. Arndt, True Christianity [Wahres Christentum], 1605–1609) and gave a secular use to a previously sacral concept. The honour of being the first to use the expression in Russian belongs to N. Yazykov (‘A farewell song’ [‘Proshchalnaya pesnya’], 1829). The term began its wider circulation among people with various connections to Yazykov: N. Gogol, the Slavophiles, V. Zhukovsky, and V. Odoevsky. Next, the term gained popularity with critics and journalists, and scholars and writers alike. A very special meaning of the term ‘living life’ can be found in works by the Pochvenniks A. Grigoriev and F. Dostoevsky, whose interpretation accentuated its profound significance and relevance in the values system, and ensured its enduring appeal.