Polyxena Solovyova

• Name — Polyxena Solovyova • Birth Name — Polyxena Sergeyevna Solovyova • Born — 20 March 1867 • Birthplace — Moscow, Russia • Died — 16 August 1924 • Place of death — Moscow, Soviet Union • Other Names — Poliksena Soloviova, Poliksena Sergeevna Solov'eva • Occupation — writer, artist • Years Active — 1883–1924 • Father — Sergey Solovyov • Relatives — Vsevolod Solovyov (brother) Vladimir Solovyov (brother)

Polyxena Sergeyevna Solovyova was born on 20 March 1867 O.S. in Moscow to Polyxena Vladimirovna (née Romanova) and Sergey Solovyov. Her father was a noted historian and the rector of the University of Moscow. Her mother was from a Polish-Ukrainian family, who were related to the philosopher Gregory Skovoroda. Her paternal grandfather was Mikhail Vasilievich Solovyov, who had been a priest and law instructor. She was the youngest of 12 children, which included her brothers Vsevolod Solovyov and Vladimir. Her education began at home and she was able to read and write by age 5. After reading a poetry collection by Afanasy Fet, she began writing poetry. Later, she attended the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, studying under Vasily Polenov and Illarion Pryanishnikov.

• Illustration — Polyxena Solovyova in 1885, painting by Nikolai Yaroshenko. Solovyova began publishing poetry at the age of 16 with her first publication in the journal Нива (The Field). She moved to Saint Petersburg in 1895, becoming involved with the literary circle which included Konstantin Balmont, Alexander Blok, Zinaida Gippius, Vyacheslav Ivanov, and Konstantin Sluchevsky, among other Symbolist poets. In 1898, at a gathering of Symbolist poets in the home of Mikhail Petrovich Manasein, a professor at the Imperial Military Medical Academy, Solovyova met him and his wife, Natalia. In 1899, when she published her first volume of poetry, which she also illustrated, called Стихотворения (Poems), she began using the pseudonym Allegro. She also published poetry in magazines like Вестник Европы (European Herald), Мир Божий (God's World), and Русское богатство (Russian Wealth). By around 1901, Solovyova met the sisters, Adelaida and Eugenia Gertsyk and also around 1903 became acquainted with the poet Maximilian Voloshin. From around 1906, she began summering in Koktebel, in the Crimea with the Gertsyk sisters, who headed a literary salon which included Voloshin and the Manaseins. In 1906, Solovyova founded the publishing house and children's magazine Тропинка (Path), where she worked as an editor, illustrator, and writer along with Manaseina. Both she and the publishing house were awarded the Pushkin Gold Medal in 1908. She personally published over twenty books while running Тропинка, including many translations of noted literary works for children. She was the first to translate Alice in Wonderland into Russian, which she published as Приключения Алисы в Стране чудес in 1909. The publication also became widely used by other Symbolist poets as an outlet for their creative works. It was a significant publishing house in the period, publishing around 100 books by 1918, for which more than half were for the Ministry of Education. In addition to writing and translating, Solovyova published many drawings for the magazine. Her works represent a wide range of styles, from imitations of children's sketches to Art Nouveau graphics. She also solicited drawings from other artists to enhance the layout of the magazine. Though she often followed in the Symbolist tradition, Solovyova also wrote in other genres, writing lullabies, religious legends, riddles and poems about nature and animals. One of these was a stage drama, Svadba solntsa i vesny (The Wedding of the Sun and the Spring) written in 1907 in celebration of spring. Music for the piece was written by Mikhail Kuzmin. Solovyova and Manaseina began an affair, and beginning 1909, they lived with Natalia's husband in the same house at #16 Voznesensky in Saint Petersburg. In 1917, the three lived in voluntary exile in Crimea to avoid the violence of the Russian Revolution in the capital. While living in the Crimea, she continued to write, but her works only occasionally managed to make it into the newspapers and journals in Simferopol or Feodosia. She taught for the Feodosia Department of Education and gave lectures in Koktebel at the People's University. To earn a living, she and Manaseina created and sold hats. At the end of 1923, with the help of friends Korney Chukovsky and Voloshin, Solovyova and Manaseina were able to return to Moscow. Solovyova was ill and almost immediately underwent an operation, but her health continued to decline.

• 1899: Стихотворения (Poems) • 1905: Иней (Frost) • 1909: Плакун-трава (Willow-Grass) • 1912: Тайная правда (Secret Truth) • 1913: Перекресток (Crossroads) • 1914: Вечер (Evening) • 1924: Последние стихи (Last Poems)

• 1906: Yolka I osina (The Spruce and the Aspen) • 1907: Yolka (The Christmas Tree) • 1909: Priklyucheniya Alisy v strane chudes (translation of Alice in Wonderland) • 1913: Krasnoe yaichko (The Red Egg)

Polyxena Solovyova was recorded at birth as Поликсена Сергеевна Соловьева. She also worked under the name Allegro. The authorities additionally record the headings Poliksena Solov'eva, Poliksena Sergeevna Solov'eva, Poliksena Sergeevna Solovʹeva, Polyxena Soloviova and Poliksena Solovyova. Her recorded language was Russian. She was the child of Sergey Solovyov. Other recorded relations include Hryhorii Skovoroda.

Polyxena Solovyova is recorded as poet, writer, editor and illustrator. Solovyova studied at Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture.