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Professor Konstantin Polivanov Has Passed Away
© Sergey Shchedrin
A recipient of the Best Teacher award on numerous occasions, as well as the Second Degree Badge of Honour and many other HSE University awards, Prof. Polivanov was one of the founders of the university’s bachelor’s and master’s programmes in philology.
He joined HSE University in 2002. He initially taught at the Department of Literature and subsequently at the Faculty of Philology and the School of Philology, and also headed the School of Literary History and Theory. For decades, he combined his work as a schoolteacher, university lecturer, and academic researcher, inspiring students at every level—from schoolchildren to doctoral students and university lecturers—to develop a deep love of literature.
In his case, these words are not merely a conventional compliment. Prof. Polivanov truly knew, like no one else, how to make every student, from schoolchildren to university students, and every colleague feel that he genuinely cared about them. He remembered everyone’s name, even those of people who happened to attend one of his lectures. He never missed an opportunity to offer a kind word or show support, understanding, and compassion. He had a rare ability to inspire people to fall in love with his subject, and, almost inevitably, that love extended to him as a person. Indeed, his entire life was inseparable from his work as a scholar and teacher.
His contribution to the study of 20th-century Russian poetry, and to the scholarship on Boris Pasternak’s work, cannot be overstated. Above all, however, he was a teacher to all of us. In his unobtrusive and delicate manner, Prof. Polivanov showed by his own example what a true teacher should be. He also treated schoolchildren and students with the utmost respect, always making them feel like his 'colleagues' in the fullest sense of the word. His books and articles are marked by the same qualities: a meticulous and respectful approach to the words of others, and the humility of a scholar who always placed his 'material' immeasurably above his own ambitions.
Prof. Polivanov devoted himself completely to teaching until the very end. On the morning of August 15, he was preparing to give a talk to schoolchildren on the poetry of Alexander Blok as part of the Summer School of History and Philology in Voronovo. Sadly, he never had the opportunity to deliver it.
The team of the School of Philological Studies, the Faculty of Humanities, and HSE University extend their deepest condolences to Prof. Polivanov’s family, friends, students, and all those who knew, loved, and valued him. His passing is a profound loss for the university and the entire academic community.
