Vladimir Alexandrovich Posse

May 10, 1864 (age 76)

Borovichi, Novgorod, Russian Federation

In early 1899 Vladimir Alexandrovich took over as editor of Zhizn (Life), in an attempt to merge populism and Legal Marxism. He thought he had an understanding with the leading Legal Marxists, but at the last moment they founded their own magazine, Nachalo (The Beginning). Nachalo, however, was shut down by the government in June 1899, and the Legal Marxists moved to Zhizn, since Vladimir Alexandrovich was willing to forgive and forget. He continued to edit the magazine until it was suppressed by the Tsarist government in April 1901. He put his friend Maxim Gorky in charge of the magazine's literary section. In mid-1901, after the suppression of Zhizn, he moved to Ireland and then London, where he tried to resume the magazine's publication. The group published another 5 issues of Zhizn in London between April and August 1902. The last issue, dated September–December 1902, was published in Geneva in December 1902. Between May 15 and December 12, 1902 (Gregorian calendar), Vladimir Alexandrovich also edited and published (as "F. Rosin") twelve issues of a companion magazine, Listki Zhizni (Leaflets of Life), which he called a "non-factional Social-Democratic organ", in London. He also edited several volumes in the irregular Zhizn Library series, also published in 1902. The Zhizn Social Democratic Group ceased to exist and publication stopped when Bonch-Bruevich had a falling out with Posse and left the group, joining Iskra, a rival Social Democratic publication, and taking his distribution network with him. Bonch-Bruevich also transferred 19 manuscripts from Zhizn's portfolio to Iskra against the wishes of the Zhizn Group, which caused a controversy in early 1903. In 1905 the Odessa publisher Burevestnik issued his translation of August Bebel's Die Frau und der Sozialismus (Woman and Socialism). Vladimir Alexandrovich returned to Russia after the Revolution of 1905 and continued working as an editor, apparently rejecting young Isaac Babel's early stories He published an autobiography, Perezhitoe i produmannoe. Molodost'. 1864-1894 (Meditations about the Past: Youth, 1864–1894), in 1933, which was privately criticized by his one time friend and protégé Gorky for its supposed multiple omissions and inaccuracies.

Vladimir Alexandrovich Posse

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also known as Wilde, V. Shvedov

essayist, publicist, interpreter

Background

Vladimir Alexandrovich Posse was born on May 10, 1864 in Borovichi, Russian Federation in the family of engineer Alexander Fedorovich Posse (1827-1867) and Elizabeth Yakovlevna (1830-1904). He was the youngest of six children.

Education

Vladimir Alexandrovich attended Saint Petersburg University (the philological and juridical faculties), being expelled in 1887. The following year he took a degree in law.

Career

In early 1899 Vladimir Alexandrovich took over as editor of Zhizn (Life), in an attempt to merge populism and Legal Marxism. He thought he had an understanding with the leading Legal Marxists, but at the last moment they founded their own magazine, Nachalo (The Beginning). Nachalo, however, was shut down by the government in June 1899, and the Legal Marxists moved to Zhizn, since Vladimir Alexandrovich was willing to forgive and forget. He continued to edit the magazine until it was suppressed by the Tsarist government in April 1901. He put his friend Maxim Gorky in charge of the magazine's literary section.

In mid-1901, after the suppression of Zhizn, he moved to Ireland and then London, where he tried to resume the magazine's publication. The group published another 5 issues of Zhizn in London between April and August 1902. The last issue, dated September–December 1902, was published in Geneva in December 1902.

Between May 15 and December 12, 1902 (Gregorian calendar), Vladimir Alexandrovich also edited and published (as "F. Rosin") twelve issues of a companion magazine, Listki Zhizni (Leaflets of Life), which he called a "non-factional Social-Democratic organ", in London. He also edited several volumes in the irregular Zhizn Library series, also published in 1902.

The Zhizn Social Democratic Group ceased to exist and publication stopped when Bonch-Bruevich had a falling out with Posse and left the group, joining Iskra, a rival Social Democratic publication, and taking his distribution network with him. Bonch-Bruevich also transferred 19 manuscripts from Zhizn's portfolio to Iskra against the wishes of the Zhizn Group, which caused a controversy in early 1903. In 1905 the Odessa publisher Burevestnik issued his translation of August Bebel's Die Frau und der Sozialismus (Woman and Socialism).

Vladimir Alexandrovich returned to Russia after the Revolution of 1905 and continued working as an editor, apparently rejecting young Isaac Babel's early stories He published an autobiography, Perezhitoe i produmannoe. Molodost'. 1864-1894 (Meditations about the Past: Youth, 1864–1894), in 1933, which was privately criticized by his one time friend and protégé Gorky for its supposed multiple omissions and inaccuracies.

Politics

In the 1890s, Vladimir Alexandrovich slowly moved from the narodniks' populism to Marxist social democracy.

Connections

Posse had three daughters.

Daughter:: Tatyana Vladimirovna Ogus
Daughter:: Elena Vladimirovna Sachs
Daughter:: Alexandra Vladimirovna Posse
Brother:: Konstantin Posse
Frined:: Maxim Gorki

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