 What proved to be more important in retrospect, though, was his work as literary critic.An insightful and stylish author, shying faction feuds and working upon the purely aesthetical set of criteria, Izmaylov developed and mastered his own peculiar genre of impressionist critical etude.He published several acclaimed essay collections ("On the Verge" and "Twilight of Small Gods and New Idols", both 1910; "Literary Olymp", 1911; "Motley Flags", 1913), as well as Anton Chekhov's biography ("Chekhov", 1916).