SOURCE: “Vasily Rozanov as a Philosopher,” in Modern Age, Vol. 28, Nos. 2-3, Spring-Summer, 1984, pp. 143-51.

In the following essay, Stammler explores Rozanov's philosophy, finding that he fit into no definable category as a thinker.

During his lifetime Vasily Vasilievich Rozanov (1856-1919) was one of the most controversial, most admired, and most reviled Russian authors of modern times. He stood in the crossfire of all the big guns of opinion in his time, from right to left, from religious to resolutely secular, from Christian and Orthodox to neo-pagan and cosmic-vitalistic. He has also been considered, appreciated, and analyzed as one of the outstanding innovators of Russian creative prose, as the authentic Russian inventor of the interior monologue, the stylistic pioneer. For him, in the words of Victor Shklovsky, the “sujet,” the subject matter or substance of what he wrote, was a mere phenomenon of style and mode of expression...