The slim volume of poetry with which Mikhail Matveevich Kheraskov's oeuvre is represented in this century does not even begin to outline the influence this poet had on the development of Russian literature, nor does it give any idea of his actual importance for Russian cultural history. Cliché formulas about Kheraskov, mostly generated during the period following his death and generally hostile to his legacy, abound even among scholars of eighteenth-century literature. Much of this unjust posthumous assessment stems from the fact that Kheraskov simply is not read. If his complete works were ever published, they would fill the space on bookshelves occupied only by the most prolific of poets. His only published collected works (1796-1803) comprise twelve volumes but account for only about half of his writings. Besides being scarce, Kheraskov's works are but a pale reflection of a man who left his imprint on practically...