Julian Shchutsky

Elisaveta Ivanovna Dmitrieva (1887–1928) gained significant literary fame under the pseudonym Cherubina de Gabriak. Her poetry first appeared in the artistic journal Apollon in 1909, presented as the work of a mysterious, aristocratic woman with dark secrets. The persona captivated many, particularly the poet Nikolai Gumilyov, who engaged in a passionate correspondence with the supposed Cherubina. The mystery was short-lived, as it was soon revealed that Dmitrieva, a disabled schoolteacher, was the true author, with the celebrated persona and much of the poetry attributed to a collaboration with Apollon editor Maximilian Voloshin. While Dmitrieva and Voloshin maintained she was the sole author, receiving editorial assistance, many contemporaries believed Voloshin was the primary creative force. This revelation led to a public scandal and a near-duel between Voloshin and Gumilyov. Dmitrieva continued to write and publish poetry, as well as prose and translations, but faced hardship, including exile, and died in 1928.

The literary persona of Cherubina de Gabriak emerged in 1909 through verses sent to the artistic journal Apollon, signed simply 'Ch'. These poems, printed on perfumed, mourning-edged paper, hinted at a secretive, beautiful author. The poet Sergei Makovsky was contacted by a woman with a captivating voice, further fueling the mystique. The verses quickly became a sensation, with many hailing Gabriak as a major new talent in Russian poetry. The fabricated identity presented her as a baroness of French and Polish descent, raised in a strict Catholic aristocratic family, isolated from the world due to an undisclosed past. This romanticized image deeply affected many male writers associated with Apollon, most notably Nikolai Gumilyov, who exchanged passionate letters with the supposed poet.

The elaborate mystification surrounding Cherubina de Gabriak was eventually exposed. It was discovered that the author was Elisaveta Ivanovna Dmitrieva, a schoolteacher, and that the persona and much of the poetry were a collaborative effort with the editor and poet Maximilian Voloshin. Apparently, Voloshin devised the Cherubina legend after Makovsky rejected some of Dmitrieva's work. Controversy ensued regarding the true authorship, with many contemporaries believing Voloshin was the principal author due to the perceived quality of the poetry. Both Dmitrieva and Voloshin asserted that the verses were hers, with Voloshin providing editorial support. Modern analysis tends to support Dmitrieva as the primary author, noting similarities to her later writings. The scandal culminated in a public confrontation and a duel between Voloshin and Gumilyov.

Elisaveta Dmitrieva, born in 1887, was left lame in her childhood due to bone tuberculosis. She pursued studies in old French and Spanish literature and published poetry before and after the Gabriak period, though with limited success. She married Vsevolod Nikolaievitch Wassilieff and later collaborated with Samuil Marshak on children's theatrical plays. In the 1920s, she faced scrutiny from the State Political Directorate as a member of the Anthroposophic Society. In 1927, she was exiled to Tashkent, where she died of liver cancer in 1928. Shortly before her death, influenced by her friend Julian Shchutsky, she wrote a series of poems attributed to a fictional Chinese poet, Li Xiang Zi, whose name, invented by Shchutsky, held personal significance.