The Meaning of Love

Vladimir Solovyov is one of the most important figures in Russian culture, a genius and multifaceted personality who had a tremendous influence on an entire generation of thinkers, writers, and poets of the Silver Age. In his aesthetics, Solovyov developed the idea of active art, which, by reviving the images of the past, brings to life in a person his most authentic love. As Solovyov defines: "Love, as the actual abolition of selfishness, is the real justification and salvation of individuality." No matter how diverse the subjects Solovyov engaged with, there is one common thread: the experience of thought as a living being. For him, thought is that depth within ourselves that we are unaware of, just as we are unaware of our falling in love until we are in love. This edition presents three collections by Vladimir Solovyov: "Beauty in Nature," "The Meaning of Love," and "Three Conversations on War, Progress, and the End of Universal History, including a short story about the Antichrist."