Nikolay Gudzy in correspondence with authors and historians of Russian Symbolism (1922–1940). Stories from a biography in the light of archival materials

Nikolay Gudzy (1887–1965) authored fundamental studies of Russian Symbolism. Drawing on extensive archival and published materials, his innovative research uncovered hitherto unknown topics and ignited the interest of several generations of scholars in the subject. These studies remain relevant to this day, despite the addition of hundreds of new articles and publications to the body of literature on Russian Symbolism in the last few decades. That Gudzy was a renowned scholarly authority enjoying close ties with authors and historians of Russian Symbolism is evidenced by his correspondence and materials from his personal archive. The article sets out to describe his communications with individuals who, either as witnesses or participants, were immediately associated with the history of Russian Symbolism, as well as with scholars who chose this topic for their research — a younger generation of fellow-historians of literature.