Andreyev, Leonid, << ahn DREH yuhf, leh ah NEET >> (1871-1919), was a Russian prose writer and dramatist. Andreyev created moods of extreme pessimism and despair in most of his works. A number of his writings deal with the themes of loneliness and human suffering. His best-known short story, “The Red Laugh” (1904), explores the horror and terror of war. The short novel “The Seven That Were Hanged” (1908) examines the feelings of five revolutionaries and two murderers as they await their executions.
Andreyev’s most popular plays were The Life of Man (1906) and He Who Gets Slapped (1915). Leonid Nikolayevich Andreyev was born on Aug. 21, 1871, in Orel. He died on Sept. 12, 1919. See also Russian literature (Symbolism).
