Abstract
The article deals with the main principles of aestheticism reflected in the literary works of
Mikhail Kuzmin, the author of well-known lines: “Широки и спокойны струи, Как судоходный
Дунай!” The sources of M. Kuzmin’s aestheticism, such as ideas of Pre-Raphaelites, French
symbolists, English aesthetes are under investigation. It is stated that literary heritage of Oscar Wilde
greatly influenced M. Kuzmin’s critical works.