The only life worth living for a critic

Abstract

The essay by the writer and critic V. Novikov celebrates the memory of the literary critic Lev Anninsky (1934-2019). Remembering Anninsky's personal qualities (his constant zeal and energy, his fastidiousness and perfectionism as an editor of the journal Druzhba Narodov, his conscientiousness when interacting with the authors of the journal), Novikov also dwells on his method as a critic, the so-called ‘Anninsky's loop': an energetic intro, an escalating culmination, and a paradoxical twist in the end, which shows Anninsky's mastery of composition as well as the language. According to Novikov, Anninsky had been a proponent of deconstruction before this idea became ubiquitous: he would become the writer and co-author of the reviewed piece, and a creator of the critical dialogue. Novikov believes that it is this ability to conduct a dialogue unmarred by grievances or humiliating verdicts that a contemporary critic could learn from Anninsky.