Aleksandr Evlakhov

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Aleksandr Mikhailovich Evlakhov (8 August 1880 – 28 May 1966) was a Russian literary critic and doctor. He even served as the rector of Rostov State University in 1920, though for less than a year.

He was born in Odessa, the son of a gymnasium teacher. In 1898 he went to Saint Petersburg University, originally in the physics and mathematics department, but soon switched to history and philology, graduating in 1903. He also earned a degree from the St. Petersburg Archaeological Institute in 1902.

Evlakhov earned a Master’s degree in literature in 1907. He became a Privatdocent at Saint Petersburg University in 1908, taught at Kiev University, and then became a professor at Warsaw University in 1909. Between 1907 and 1913 he traveled around Europe to study painting. He also taught at the Karl May School, wrote poems and stories, and even wrote the libretto for an opera called Princess Mary.

In 1915, as World War I disrupted universities, he moved with the Warsaw University community to Rostov-on-Don. There he wrote for the newspaper Priazovsky Kray and, in 1917, published the final volume of his work Introduction to the Philosophy of Artistic Creativity. In 1920 he was appointed rector of Rostov State University, but he held the post for less than a year.

In 1925 Evlakhov graduated from the Medical Faculty of Baku University. He soon headed the departments of Western literature and the History of Art there. From 1928 he worked as a psychiatrist, and from 1944 he was a professor of forensic psychiatry. Beginning in 1934 he also taught Italian at the Leningrad Conservatory.

Evlakhov died in Leningrad on 28 May 1966. He left a diverse legacy as a literary critic, teacher, writer, and medical professional who connected literature, art, and science.