Two centuries of the Russian classics Two centuries of the Russian classics 2686-7494 IWL RAS https://doi.org/10.22455/2686-7494-2026-8-1-210-225 Research Article Articles Maxim Gorky as an Epigon of A. P. Chekhov and the “Theatre of Mood” (Vsevolod Meyerhold) Demkina Svetlana M. red@rusklassika.ru 25 03 2026 8 1 210 225 A. P. Chekhov M. Gorky Vsevolod Meyerhold theater play epigone dramaturgy director Copyright © 2026, IWL RAS 2026 The article is dedicated to the analysis of Vsevolod Meyerhold’s ideas, formulated in his study “Russian Playwrights” (1911). The central focus of this article is Meyerhold’s assertion that the dramaturgy of A. P. Chekhov and M. Gorky belongs to the “Theater of Mood.” Furthermore, in the director’s opinion, Gorky is Chekhov’s main and most successful epigone. Using correspondence, memoirs, and essays, the article examines the relationships between Vsevolod Meyerhold, A. P. Chekhov, and M. Gorky, as well as the specifics of their dramaturgy. The author of the article refers to the real-world experience of modern directors who, following Meyerhold, consider Gorky to be Chekhov’s closest follower (Peter Stein’s “The Dacha Builders,” Alfredo Canavates’ “Gorky-Chekhov 1900”). The conclusion is drawn that Gorky’s dramaturgy developed and was interpreted within the traditions of Chekhov and the Theater of Mood. However, there are clear distinctions between the playwrights, stemming from the historical period and the environment that shaped the writers’ creative and personal experiences. 1. Brodskaia, G. Alekseev-Stanislavskii, Chekhov i drugie. Vishnevоsadskaia epopeia: v 2 t. [Alekseev-Stanislavsky, Chekhov, and others. The Cherry Orchard Epos: in 2 vols.]. Moscow, Agraf Publ., 2000. (In Russ.) 2. Lichnaia biblioteka A. M. Gor’kogo v Moskve. Opisanie: v 2 t. [Personal Library of A. M. Gorky in Moscow. Description: in 2 vols.]. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 1981. (In Russ.) 3. M. Gorkii i A. Chekhov. Perepiska. Stat’i. Vyskazivaniia [M. Gorky and A. Chekhov. Correspondence. Articles. Statements]. Moscow, Khudozhestvennaia literatura Publ., 1951. 287 p. (In Russ.) 4. Semanova, M. Chekhov i sovetskaia literatura. 1917–1935 [Chekhov and Soviet Literature. 1917–1935]. Moscow, Leningrad, Sovietskii pisatel’ Publ., 1966. 311 p. (In Russ.)