Sluchevsky, like his senator father before him, spent most of his life in high administrative positions in the Tsar’s government. He graduated from the St. Petersburg Military School and later studied in Paris at the Sorbonne and in Germany. From 1891 to 1902 he was editor of Pravitelstvenniy Vestnik (Government Bulletin). In spite of his conservative, nearly reactionary views, Sluchevsky’s poetry is in contrast with and even mocks the society he served during office hours. While recognizing the imminent collapse of this society, he does not welcome the impending destruction but senses how much will be buried beneath the ruins.
