Russian literature has always been inseparably linked to Russian history. D. S. Mirsky, in dealing with this fact, constantly keeps in mind the ever colorful and changing aspects of the one in discussing the other. With a keen and penetrating sense of values, fortified by a style sharp enough to carry every nuance of his meaning, he explores one of the most complex and fascinating literatures of the world.Sound in judgment, luminescent, and exquisitely written, Mirsky's work is essential reading for anyone interested in Russian literature. A History of Russian Literature: From Its Beginnings to 1900 contains all of the author's A History of Russian Literature and the first two chapters of his Contemporary Russian Literature. This single volume covers the beginning of Russian fiction, the Age of Classicism, the Age of Gogol, and the poets, journalists, novelists, and playwrights of the Age of Realism.