The command to smash whatever can be smashed defined the philosophical framework of Dmitry Pisarev, a central figure in the Russian nihilist movement during the 1860s. Operating within the Russian Empire, he utilized his position as a journalist and critic to advocate for the total negation of established moral and human authority in favor of independent thought.
Academic and Personal Background
Born in Znamenskoe in 1840, Pisarev came from a family of the landed aristocracy. He enrolled at Saint Petersburg State University in 1856 to study history and philology, graduating in 1861. His early years were marked by severe mental health challenges, including multiple suicide attempts and a four-month period of commitment to a mental asylum between 1859 and 1860. By the time of his graduation, he had abandoned his Orthodox Christian faith and fully embraced nihilism.
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Pisarev began his writing career in 1858 while still a student, contributing to the liberal women's journal Rassavet. Influenced by radical thinkers like Nikolay Dobrolyubov and Nikolay Chernyshevsky, he sought to define the relationship between literature and the environment. He championed a scientistic, anti-aesthetic position, viewing literature as a tool to provoke the masses into self-reliant thought rather than mere artistic production. His views were so provocative that they became a focal point for the satire in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel, Crime and Punishment.
Imprisonment and Final Years
The government arrested Pisarev in 1862 for his anti-state writings, leading to a four-year term of incarceration. He produced the majority of his literary body of work while confined. After his release in 1866, he resumed his journalism until his death in 1868. He drowned during a summer holiday at Dubulti, located on the Gulf of Riga, at the age of 27. The exact circumstances of his death—whether accidental or intentional—remain unresolved.
Historical Influence
Lenin specifically referenced Pisarev's thoughts on the rift between dreams and reality in his work, What Is To Be Done?, citing the necessity of reconciling fantasies with practical labour. His legacy as a forerunner of Nietzschean philosophy and a proponent of natural science secured his place as an essential figure in the history of Russian revolutionary thought.
Fast facts
- Born: 1840, Znamenskoe
- Died: 1868, Jūrmala
- Education: Saint Petersburg State University
- Primary Occupations: Journalist, literary critic, essayist
- Imprisonment: 1862–1866
- Burial Site: Volkovo Cemetery Writer's Walkways
Questions readers ask
Was his death a suicide?
The cause of his death by drowning remains unknown; it is debated whether it was an accident or a suicide given his history of mental health issues.
How did he influence Lenin?
Lenin and his generation were deeply influenced by Pisarev's writing, particularly his arguments regarding the role of dreams in guiding and fueling practical work.
