Richard F. Gustafson

Richard F. Gustafson, Professor Emeritus in the Barnard/Columbia Slavic Department, died on May 5, 2024, in New York City.  After Yale, he obtained his PhD from Columbia in 1963 and began a four decade career on the faculty of the Slavic Department at Barnard.  He was a masterful teacher, an inspiring mentor, and an influential writer.  His books include The Imagination of Spring: The Poetry of Afanasy Fet and Leo Tolstoy: Resident and Stranger.  In addition, he edited the Oxford World Classics editions of three volumes by Tolstoy and wrote introductions to those volumes and several other books of Russian literature and theology.  After retirement, Richard embraced new adventures, learning Spanish, traveling widely, and summering in Maine.