Osmolovska O. L.N.Tolstoy in the creative world of D.S.Merezhkovsky

The evolution of Merezhkovskiy's attitude to a personality and works of Tolstoy was observed, the reasons of the writer's turning to this question were defined and his interpreting in the context of symbolist project aimed at trying to understand specific Tolstoy's characters was grounded. New materials found in the archives were put into scientific use. The sphere of usage is artistic and aesthetic searches of boundaries of XIX - XX centuries. Articles of Merezhkovskiy, dated 1880 - 1915, with the appreciation of a personality and a creative contribution of Tolstoy were also investigated. The peculiarity of Merezhkovskiy's interpretation of biography and works of Tolstoy was revealed. Its importance for understanding of peculiarities and inner contradictions of the development of Russian social consciousness was proved. Methods of investigation: descriptive, genetic, comparative and typological.