Historiographer and novelist-historiographer. Letters from D. S. Merezhkovsky to P. E. Shchegolev

The publication is devoted to the relationship of Dmitry Merezhkovsky, one of the main authors of Russian modernism, and Pavel Shchegolev, an outstanding specialist in the history of the liberation movement and the socio-politi- cal life of Russia in the 18 th  –19 th centuries. For the first time, 15 letters from Merezh- kovsky to Shchegolev (1905 –1914) are published. Along with a discussion of current events in the world of literature and journalism, the main topic of the correspondence is Merezhkovsky's work on historical compositions  – the drama “Paul I”, the novels “Alexander I”, “December 14”. Shchegolev actively helped the writer in the selection of historical materials, provided copies of archival files of the investigation and tri- al of the Decembrists; he was impressed by Merezhkovsky's strict documentary ap- proach to the recreation of the heroes and the era of Alexander and Nikolay. The letters and scientific commentary highlight the contradictory perception of Merezhkovsky's works by contemporary Russian criticism.