- ... maybe their own Platons
And quick-witted Newtons
Russian land to give birth.
M.V. Lomonosov
Russian writers of the 18th century
| Full name of the writer | Years of life | The most significant works |
| PROKOPOVICH Feofan | 1681-1736 | "Rhetoric", "Poetics", "A commendable word about the Russian fleet" |
| KANTEMIR Antioch Dmitrievich | 1708-1744 | “To your own mind” (“On those who blaspheme the teaching”) |
| TREDIAKOVSKY Vasily Kirillovich | 1703-1768 | "Tilemakhida", "A new and concise way to compose Russian poetry" |
| LOMONOSOV Mikhail Vasilievich | 1711-1765 |
"Ode on the Capture of Khotyn", "Ode on the Day of Ascension ...", “Letter on the Usefulness of Glass”, “Letter on the Usefulness of Church Books”, "Russian Grammar", "Rhetoric" and many others |
| SUMAROKOV Alexander Petrovich | 1717-1777 | "Dimitri the Pretender", "Mstislav", "Semira" |
| KNYAZHNIN Yakov Borisovich | 1740-1791 | "Vadim Novgorodsky", "Vladimir and Yaropolk" |
| FONVIZIN Denis Ivanovich | 1745-1792 | "Foreman", "Undergrowth", "Fox Treasurer", "Message to My Servants" |
| Derzhavin Gavrila Romanovich | 1743-1816 | "Lords and Judges", "Monument", "Felitsa", "God", "Waterfall" |
| RADISHCHEV Alexander Nikolaevich | 1749-1802 | "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow", "Liberty" |
It was that troubled time
When Russia is young
Straining strength in the struggles,
Husband with the genius of Peter.
A.S. Pushkin
Old Russian literature left a rich heritage, which, however, was not known to the 18th century for the most part, because. most monuments ancient literature was discovered and published at the end of the 18th and in the 19th century(for example, "The Tale of Igor's Campaign"). In this regard, in the 18th century, Russian literature relied on the Bible and European literary traditions.
Monument to Peter the Great (" Bronze Horseman"), sculptor Matteo Falcone
18th century is age of enlightenment in Europe and in Russia. In one century, Russian literature has come a long way in its development. The ideological basis and prerequisites for this development were prepared by economic, political and cultural reforms. Peter the Great(reigned 1682 - 1725), thanks to which backward Rus' turned into a powerful Russian Empire. Since the 18th century, Russian society has been studying world experience in all areas of life: politics, economics, education, science, and art. And if until the 18th century Russian literature developed in isolation from European literature, now it is mastering the achievements of Western literatures. Thanks to the activities of the associate of Peter Feofan Prokopovich, poets Antioch Cantemira And Vasily Trediakovsky, scientist-encyclopedist Mikhail Lomonosov works on the theory and history of world literature are being created, foreign works are being translated, and Russian versification is being reformed. This is how it started idea of Russian national literature and Russian literary language.
Russian poetry that arose in the 17th century was based on a syllabic system, which is why Russian verses (verses) did not sound quite harmonious. In the 18th century, M.V. Lomonosov and V.K. Trediakovsky develop syllabo-tonic system of versification, which led to the intensive development of poetry, and the poets of the 18th century relied on Trediakovsky's treatise "A New and Brief Way of Composing Russian Poems" and Lomonosov's "Letter on the Rules of Russian Poetry". The birth of Russian classicism is also associated with the names of these two prominent scientists and poets.
Classicism(from the Latin classicus - exemplary) is a trend in the art and literature of Europe and Russia, which is characterized by strict adherence to creative norms and rules And orientation to antique samples. Classicism originated in Italy in the 17th century, and as a trend it developed first in France, and then in other European countries. Nicolas Boileau is considered the creator of classicism. In Russia, classicism was born in the 1730s. in the work of Antioch Dmitrievich Kantemir (Russian poet, son of the Moldavian ruler), Vasily Kirillovich Trediakovsky and Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov. The work of most Russian writers of the 18th century is associated with classicism.
Artistic principles of classicism are.
1.
The writer (artist) must depict life in ideal images(ideally positive or "perfectly" negative).
2.
In the works of classicism strictly separated good and evil, high and low, beautiful and ugly, tragic and comic.
3.
Heroes of classic works clearly divided into positive and negative at the same time, the names of the characters, as a rule, are "speaking", that is, they contain the characteristics of the hero.
4.
Genres in classicism are also divided into "high" and "low":
| High genres | Low genres |
| Tragedy | Comedy |
| Oh yeah | Fable |
| epic | Satire |
5. Dramatic works obeyed the rule of three unities - time, place and action: the action took place within one day in the same place and was not complicated by side episodes. Wherein dramatic work consisted of five acts (actions).
Genres are fading ancient Russian literature. From now on, Russian writers use genre system in Europe which exists to this day.
M.V. Lomonosov
The creator of the Russian ode was Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov.
A.P. Sumarokov
The creator of the Russian tragedy - Alexander Petrovich Sumarokov. His patriotic plays were devoted to the most notable events in Russian history. The traditions laid down by Sumarokov were continued by the playwright Yakov Borisovich Kniazhnin.
HELL. Cantemir
The creator of Russian satire (satirical poem) - Antioch Dmitrievich Kantemir.
DI. Fonvizin
The creator of Russian comedy - Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin, thanks to which satire became enlightening. Its traditions at the end of the 18th century were continued by A.N. Radishchev, as well as the comedian and fabulist I.A. Krylov.
A crushing blow to the system of Russian classicism dealt Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin, who started as a classicist poet, but violated in the 1770s. canons (creative laws) of classicism. He mixed high and low, civic pathos and satire in his works.
Since the 1780s the leading place in the literary process is occupied by a new direction - sentimentalism (see below), in line with which M.N. Muravyov, N.A. Lvov, V.V. Kapnist, I.I. Dmitriev, A.N. Radishchev, N.M. Karamzin.
The first Russian newspaper "Vedomosti"; number dated June 18, 1711
An important role in the development of literature begins to play journalism. Until the 18th century, there were no newspapers or magazines in Russia. The first Russian newspaper called Vedomosti in 1703 issued by Peter the Great.
In the second half of the century, literary journals also appeared: "All sorts of things" (publisher - Catherine II), "Drone", "Painter" (publisher N.I. Novikov), "Hell Mail" (publisher F.A. Emin). The traditions laid down by them were continued by the publishers Karamzin and Krylov.
In general, the 18th century is the era of the rapid development of Russian literature, the era of general enlightenment and the cult of science. In the 18th century, the foundation was laid that predetermined the beginning of the “golden age” of Russian literature in the 19th century.
MOSCOW, February 13 - RIA Novosti. The famous writer Zakhar Prilepin became the deputy commander of one of the battalions of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic. For Prilepin, this is not the first experience in war zones. In the past, he already served as the commander of the OMON department, participated in both Chechen campaigns.
In 2016, the writer began work on the book Platoon: Officers and Militias of Russian Literature, dedicated to the military biographies of poets of the Golden Age. According to the author, he wanted to refute the stereotype "about Russian literature as a bunch of humanists." Probably, his great predecessors, Prilepin, also inspired him to travel to the Donbass, that "Russian classics in identical situations behaved exactly like this: they immediately went and took the side of their people, and often with weapons in their hands."
Alexander Pushkin
In 1829, the poet proposed to Natalya Goncharova, but, having received an evasive answer from the mother of the bride, he left with annoyance for the Caucasus, where at that moment another military campaign was underway with Turkey under the leadership of Field Marshal Ivan Paskevich.
Pushkin managed to show off his courage in the battle on the top of Soganlug, but at the insistence of the commander, who did not want to take responsibility for the safety of the famous poet, he soon left the front line and moved to Tiflis.
Vasily Zhukovsky and Pyotr Vyazemsky
© Photo
Pushkin's senior comrades took part in the war of 1812. Already being famous poet, the author of the popular among his contemporaries "Lyudmila", Vasily Zhukovsky signed up for the militia. Together with him there was his young follower Peter Vyazemsky. The latter, by the way, received the Order of St. Vladimir of the 4th degree for military successes.
Both poets left memories of the Battle of Borodino. Zhukovsky wrote a poem "In the camp of Russian soldiers", which instantly dispersed in the ranks Russian army, and the stories of Vyazemsky formed the basis of Tolstoy's War and Peace.
Lev Tolstoy
Count Lev Nikolayevich himself also sniffed gunpowder - first, as a cadet in the Caucasus, he participated in skirmishes with the highlanders, and with the outbreak of the Crimean War he moved to the Danube army. For the defense of Sevastopol, Tolstoy was awarded the Order of St. Anna, 4th degree, and several medals.
In addition to the reputation of a brave warrior, the count won the love of fellow soldiers with his stories. His " Sevastopol stories", printed in the midst of hostilities, made an impression even on Emperor Alexander II, who ordered to take care of a talented officer.
Nikolay Gumilyov
One of the most famous front-line writers Silver Age was Nikolai Gumilyov. Despite poor health, the poet dreamed of the exploits of Russian officers who volunteered for Abyssinia. Gumilyov made several expeditions to Africa, visited Turkey and Egypt. At the beginning of World War I, the poet signed up for the front and was enlisted as a volunteer in the Life Guards Ulansky Regiment.
For participation in intelligence operations, Gumilyov was awarded the St. George Cross three times. In 1917, after an exacerbation of his illness, the poet was sent to the Russian expeditionary corps in Paris, served as an adjutant to the commissar of the Provisional Government.
Mikhail Zoshchenko
The famous satirist was a participant in three wars. In World War I, he served as an ensign, received a shrapnel wound in the leg, a heart defect - as a result of poisoning during a gas attack - and five orders for military merit. In 1919, Zoshchenko was released from service for health reasons. However, the writer immediately volunteered for the active ranks of the Red Army.
Zoshchenko passed civil war regimental adjutant of the 1st Exemplary Regiment of the Rural Poor. After a heart attack, he was demobilized, but with the beginning of the Great Patriotic War the writer again arrived at the draft board with a request to send him to the front as an experienced soldier. He was refused, deeming him unfit for military service. Nevertheless, Zoshchenko entered the fire defense group, which protected the roofs of houses during the bombing.
Arkady Gaidar
First attempt to get to the front children's writer and screenwriter Arkady Gaidar undertook at the age of ten. He failed to participate in the First World War, but at the age of 14 he was enlisted in the Red Army. Already at the age of 18, Gaidar was appointed commander of a separate regiment to combat banditry. In 1919, he was demobilized with a diagnosis of traumatic neurosis, caused by a shrapnel wound and a fall from a horse.
Gaidar began World War II as a correspondent for Komsomolskaya Pravda, writing military essays. But after the encirclement on the South-Western Front, he ended up in a partisan detachment, where he served as a machine gunner. In October 1941, Gaidar was ambushed by the Germans and died.
Daniil Granin
One of the few living front-line writers, Daniil Granin, went to the front at the age of 22 with a division militia. In the very first year of the Great Patriotic War, he participated in the battles near Pskov and at the Pulkovo Heights, trying to prevent the Germans from breaking through to Leningrad, was wounded twice.
One of Granin's last novels, My Lieutenant, dedicated to the hardships of the first months of the war, received the Big Book Prize and caused a great resonance in society.
This time we will talk about famous British writers, whose life was connected with work for intelligence.
Christopher Marlo
Playwright Christopher Marlo, one of the most famous contemporaries of William Shakespeare, during his years of study at Cambridge University, conducted intelligence activities on behalf of the royal authorities. It is assumed that his task was to collect information about the plans of the English Catholic underground in France, which was trying to overthrow the Protestant regime of Elizabeth I. However, according to one of the versions (the most probable), it was this that subsequently served as the reason for his murder.
The writer led a wild life: he abused alcohol, rowdy and repeatedly found himself in the center of high-profile scandals. And there is nothing surprising in the fact that such behavior made him an unreliable agent in the eyes of high authorities. In favor of the fact that the murder of Marlo was a planned operation is evidenced by the attitude of the official authorities towards this high-profile case. The investigation was carried out extremely carelessly, not only the testimony, but even the names of witnesses were repeatedly confused, and the court completely acquitted the killers of the playwright, calling this incident an ordinary “self-defense” during a tavern fight.
Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe, author of the famous Robinson Crusoe novels, also served in British intelligence. The exact circumstances of their collaboration are shrouded in a veil of mystery. According to one version, he headed the intelligence service of Britain and had a huge influence not only on the government, but also on the king himself. According to another, he was an ordinary agent who was released from prison on the condition that he would carry out secret orders from the authorities. In particular, it is known for certain that he collected information in Scotland at the time of the signing of the famous Act of Union of 1707, which marked the unification of the two countries and the creation of the kingdom of Great Britain.
Somerset Maugham
The famous novelist and playwright Somerset Maugham was recruited by the British intelligence service MI6 during the First World War. He was sent to Russia with a special task - to prevent the country from getting out of the conflict. The writer was in Petrograd from August to November 1917, repeatedly met with Alexander Kerensky, Boris Savinkov and other political figures of the Provisional Government. However, all his activities were fruitless. The October Revolution marked the failure of the mission, and Maugham had to flee the country for Sweden.
The experience of serving in intelligence was subsequently reflected in the collection of short stories "Ashenden, or the British Agent", which was published in 1928.
Alan Milne
He worked for intelligence and the author of fairy tales about Winnie the Pooh Alan Milne. During the First World War, he was drafted into the Royal Army. In July 1916, the writer was wounded at the Battle of the Somme, after which he was demobilized and sent for treatment to England (by the way, a similar fate befell John Tolkien). Soon after returning to his homeland, he received an offer to start cooperation with MI7, the propaganda unit of British intelligence. Milne agreed and worked for the department until the very end of the war.
Graham Green
Throughout his life, Graham Greene traveled the world extensively. In the early 1940s, during one of his trips, he was recruited by MI6. On a secret assignment, the writer was sent to Sierra Leone, where he lived until the end of World War II, mining for British intelligence useful information. Remarkably, in those years, his immediate supervisor (as well as a close friend) was the infamous intelligence officer and double agent Kim Philby.
The work of the English prose writer at MI6 and his contact with the world of the "big game" are reflected in famous novels"The Quiet American" and "Our Man in Havana".
Ian Fleming
Perhaps the most famous British spy writer was Ian Fleming, author of spy novels about the legendary 007 James Bond.
During the Second World War, Fleming was called to serve in the intelligence of the Royal Navy. As an officer, he took part in the development of many strategically important operations against Nazi Germany, formed the famous sabotage and reconnaissance detachment “No. 30 Commandos. Over the years of service, the writer, like no one else, thoroughly studied all the methods, features and aspects of the work of the special services and subsequently skillfully used the accumulated knowledge in the process of writing his novels.
John Le Carré
John Le Carré began working with the intelligence service while still at Oxford. On assignment from his handlers, he infiltrated a communist university club and spied on students with left-wing political views. Subsequently, he was officially employed by MI5. However, a year later he moved to MI6, from where he was sent to Germany, where he worked under diplomatic cover for 5 years. After his retirement, John Le Carré dedicated later life writing spy novels, which, like Fleming's books, have become classics of the genre (however, the writer does not like James Bond novels).
Stella Rimington
Stella Rimington became the first woman in British history to lead MI5 (she served as CEO from 1992 to 1996). After retiring, she decided to devote her later life to literary activity. In 2001, her book of memoirs was published, and a few more years later, action-packed spy novels, in the best traditions of Ian Fleming and John Le Carre, began to appear. Today, Stella Rimington is one of the most popular British writers, whose books are guaranteed to become bestsellers not only at home, but also in other countries.
Children's works occupy an important place among other varieties of fiction, since they largely reflect the characteristics of the culture of a particular people, their system of values. Every culture has its own concepts of good and evil, right and wrong, beautiful and ugly, fair and unfair. In childhood, we absorb values that stay with us for the rest of our lives. The value of literature for children, therefore, should not be underestimated.
It should be noted a characteristic feature of children's books - a combination of artistry and pedagogical requirements. Such literature should not only entertain, but also teach, guide, and orient. Children's writers of the 18th century (and their works, of course) sought to convey to children important knowledge about the world, to instill the right values.
Let's take two countries - Great Britain and Russia - and on the example of children's works created in these states, we will be convinced that this is really so. writers and their works are offered to your attention.
18th century British children's literature
Each of us has favorite books from childhood: fairy tales "Alice in Wonderland", "The Kid and Carlson, who lives on the roof", "Matilda", "Thumbelina", "Gulliver's Travels" and "Robinson Crusoe" (the list, of course). , to each his own). But suppose that we grew up not in the 21st century in Russia, but in the 18th century in England, what could we read then?
From the above list, we would have left only the book "Robinson Crusoe" by Daniel Defoe (1719) and "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift (1726) in a special version for children, written in a simplified language, with many pictures.
However, does this mean that in the 18th century there was nothing for English children to read? Let's figure it out.
The fact is that fairy tales have always existed, and there has never been a shortage of them. Even when there was no written language, they were passed down from generation to generation in the form of folklore. But in the 17-18 centuries, with the development of printing, more and more professional writers began to appear, in particular children's. Fairy tales then, as now, delighted and frightened children, creating fantastical worlds that adults absorbed in everyday worries did not always approve.
Here are just the main children's writers of the 18th century and their works.
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
Let's go back to 18th century England. At that time, so to speak, the real "bestseller" was the work of Defoe. The book "Robinson Crusoe" praised the courage, stamina, resourcefulness of a person forced to exist in extreme conditions. Jonathan Swift's fairy tale, in which the author's call to discover new dimensions and horizons, was also very popular.
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
The success of Gulliver's Travels even led to the appearance of other children's books that clearly showed the desire to imitate this work, with the words "Gulliver" and "Lilliput" in the titles to evoke a certain association. One early example is the 1751 children's Journal of the Lilliputians, created by John Newbery, a writer from London. Another example is The Library of the Lilliputians, or the Gulliver Museum, in ten volumes of small format, published in Dublin in the 1780s. This book was produced especially for children, and its price was small so that children could buy it for themselves. The total cost of 10 volumes was only five British shillings, and individual parts could be bought for six pence each. However, even this relatively low price was still too much for many children and their parents. Only middle- and high-income families could afford to buy such literature and were literate enough to read it.
Other books
Cheap books in the genre of popular literature already existed then and were accessible to segments of the population. They included children's stories, stories, travels, songs, prayer books, stories about robbers, robbers and murderers. These volumes were of poor quality and sold for a penny or two.
In 1712 a translation into English language famous Arabian tales"Thousand and One Nights".
As you can see, children's literature of that time was actively developing in England. And what happened on the territory of Russia? Read more about this.
Russian books for children of the 18th century
Children's writers of the 18th century and their works appear in Russia (the first Russian books written specifically for children were created on the territory of our state back in the 17th century, the 18th century continued this tradition).
The era of Peter I gave impetus to the development of education, in particular literature for children. The king himself believed that it was very important to take care of the upbringing of the younger generation. At this time, children's books pursue mainly an educational goal. Textbooks, alphabets and primers are printed.
"Youth honest mirror"
Writers of the 18th century (Russians) open the list of children's literature with educational. As an example, we can cite the "Honest Mirror of Youth". This work described the rules of conduct at court, which Peter I introduced with his reforms. This book was compiled by the tsar's associates by his personal decree. At the head of the writers working on the work was Gavrila Buzhinsky. In the book, among other things, were placed materials on spelling, alphabet, spelling. The "Honest Mirror of Youth" was intended for the future elite, the tsar's support - children, who in the future were to become courtiers. The book is main idea that in achieving success, it is not the origin of a person that is more important, but his personal merits, although the special position of the nobility was emphasized. His vices were pointed out and criticized. A special code of twenty virtues was created for girls, among which helpfulness, silence, religiosity, hard work should be especially noted. The writers of the 18th century (Russian) revealed the list of women's virtues figuratively, using examples, creating bright female images in their works.
translated literature
In the eighteenth century, translated literature also spread, such as Aesop's fables. These fables, written in the 6th century BC. e. sage Aesop, are well perceived by children due to the opportunity to imagine themselves in the form of heroes - animals, birds, trees, flowers ... Aesop's fables provide an opportunity to overcome their vices and develop associative thinking while joking and playing.
After the 1850s, children's writers of the 18th century and their works began to appear. But still, the bulk of children's literature is borrowed from the West (especially from France). Here it should be noted, of course, the famous French storyteller of the 17th century, Charles Perrault. His fairy tales "Cinderella", "Sleeping Beauty", "Little Red Riding Hood", "Bluebeard" are known and loved by children all over the world. Not only readers, but also poets and writers of the 18th century drew inspiration from these works.
18th century writers
The list opens This author wrote two books for children - "A Brief Russian History", as well as "The First Teaching to the Young". In the preface to the second book, he noted that childhood is a very important time in the life of every person, since it is then that the main character traits and habits are formed. Children should read books and love them.
Catherine II
Not only professional poets and writers of the 18th century created children's books. Even the heads of state considered it their duty to educate the youth on their own. A real example of this was Catherine II. She created a large number of works, among which were books for children, such as "The Tale of Tsarevich Chlor" and "The Tale of Tsarevich Thebes." Of course, they were far from fairy tales in modern sense this word, with their bright characters and heroes. These works only depicted vices and virtues in a general, abstract way. However, the example of Catherine II turned out to be contagious, and many famous Russian writers of the 18th century followed him, creating works especially for children.
Nikolay Ivanovich Novikov
Nikolai Ivanovich Novikov also made an important contribution to the development of children's literature. He is the publisher of the first children's magazine - "Children's reading for the heart and mind. "It published works of various genres: fairy tales, stories, plays, jokes, etc. Not only fiction was presented in the magazine. Popular science children's articles were also placed in it, telling young readers about nature, the environment world, various countries, and cities, and the peoples inhabiting them. These articles were written figuratively, interestingly, in the form of a conversation. Novikov in his works preached the ideas of goodness and humanism, human dignity which, in his opinion, should be instilled in children from a young age. The magazine was a great success and was very popular at the time. 18th century were printed in this edition.
Nikolai Mikhalovich Karamzin
It is necessary to say a few words about Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin. This writer has created and translated over 30 different works for children. Being a representative of sentimentalism (followed by many Russian writers of the 18th century), so close to childish nature, he became especially beloved among young readers of middle and older age. In 1789, the first works of Karamzin were published in the journal Children's Reading for the Heart and Mind. Nikolai Mikhailovich wrote for children even after the closure of this magazine. In the last decade of the 18th century, he created such works as "The Beautiful Princess" and "Ilya Muromets". Russian epics are reflected in the last tale. This work has not been completed. Ilya Muromets, created by the author's pen, was not at all like a typical hero from epics, as we usually imagine him, but only partly resembled the latter. The fairy tale does not describe the battles with the enemies of Rus', it reveals the lyrical part of the soul of Ilya Muromets in communication with his beloved. In the spirit of sentimentalism, Karamzin depicted in detail the feelings of the characters, creating vivid pictures.
Conclusion
Thus, the 18th century brought a lot of new things to children's literature both abroad and in our country. Literature for children actively continued its development in the 19th and then in the 20th century. Moreover, continuity is clearly felt in its development. For example, the fairy tales of Charles Perrault in various versions were later used by Andersen, Pushkin, the Brothers Grimm, Irving. That is, the motives of some fairy tales took root perfectly in others. The works of Russian writers of the 18th century were read in the 19th and later. Children's literature of the 19th century is characterized by an even greater connection with fiction for adults, as well as with education and culture in general.
The proletarian writer spent half his life abroad, lived in mansions and stood at the origins of "socialist realism". His fate was full of paradoxes.
Tramp rich man
For a long time, Gorky was portrayed by Soviet propaganda as a proletarian writer who came "from the people" and endured deprivation and want. The writer Bunin, however, in his memoirs quotes the dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: “Gorky-Peshkov Alexei Maksimovich. Born in 1868, in a completely bourgeois environment: his father is the manager of a large shipping office; mother is the daughter of a wealthy merchant-dyer. It would seem that this is not significant, the writer's parents died early, and his grandfather raised him, but it is clear that Gorky quickly became one of the richest people of his time, and his financial well-being was fueled not only by fees.
Korney Chukovsky wrote interestingly about Gorky: “Now I remembered how Leonid Andreev scolded Gorky for me:“ Pay attention: Gorky is a proletarian, and everything clings to the rich - to the Morozovs, to Sytin, to (he named a number of names). I tried to ride with him in Italy on the same train - where are you going! Broke. There are no forces: he travels like a prince.” Poet Zinaida Gippius also left interesting memories. On May 18, 1918, while still in Petrograd, she wrote: “Gorky buys old things for next to nothing from the ‘bourgeois’ who are dying of hunger.” As you can understand, Gorky was far from being a stranger to material well-being, and his biography, created already in the Soviet era, is a well-made myth that still requires detailed and impartial research. [S-BLOCK]
Patriot Russophobe
Maxim Gorky more than once gave reason to doubt his patriotism. During the years of the Red Terror, he wrote: “I explain the cruelty of the forms of revolution by the exceptional cruelty of the Russian people. The tragedy of the Russian revolution is played out among "half-wild people". "When the leaders of the revolution - a group of the most active intelligentsia - are accused of "atrocity" - I consider this accusation as a lie and slander, inevitable in the struggle of political parties, or - for honest people - as an honest delusion." "A recent slave" - noted Gorky in another place - became "the most unbridled despot."
Political artist
The main contradiction of Gorky's life was the close conjugation of his literary and political career. He had an uneasy relationship with both Lenin and Stalin. Stalin needed Gorky no less than Stalin needed Gorky. Stalin provided Gorky with everything necessary for life, the supply of the writer went through the channels of the NKVD, Gorky provided the "leader" regime with legitimacy and a cultural platform. On November 15, 1930, the Pravda newspaper published an article by Maxim Gorky: “If the enemy does not surrender, they destroy him.” Gorky allowed himself to "flirt" with the Soviet authorities, but did not always imagine the consequences of his actions. The title of this article became one of the slogans of the Stalinist repressions. At the end of his life, Gorky once again wanted to go abroad, but Stalin could not let him go: he was afraid that the proletarian writer would not return. The “Leader of the Peoples” reasonably believed that Gorky could pose a danger to the Soviet regime abroad. He was unpredictable and knew too much. [S-BLOCK]
Bolshevik who did not accept the revolution
Gorky for a long time positioned himself as a fierce revolutionary, a Bolshevik, who stood at the helm of the cultural revolutionary process, but immediately after the October coup from the pages of the Social Democratic newspaper " New life" Gorky furiously attacked the Bolsheviks: "Lenin, Trotsky and those accompanying them have already been poisoned by the rotten poison of power, as evidenced by their shameful attitude towards freedom of speech, the individual and the whole sum of those rights for the triumph of which democracy fought." Boris Zaitsev recalled that once Gorky told him: “The matter, you know, is simple. A handful of communists. And there are millions of peasants ... millions! .. Those who have more, they will cut out. It's a foregone conclusion. Communists will be slaughtered." They didn’t cut them out, they also found revolvers, and Maxim Gorky, who spoke so negatively about the Bolsheviks and the Communists, became the tribune of the new regime.
godfather godless
Gorky's relationship with religion cannot be called simple. Gorky was characterized by a spiritual quest, in his youth he even went to monasteries, talked with priests, met with John of Kronstadt, became the godfather of brother Yakov Sverdlov Zinovy. Gorky and Tolstoy ensured the financial emigration of Molokan Christians to the West, but Gorky never became a religious man. In 1929, at the opening of the Second All-Union Congress of militant atheists, the writer said that "in the love that churchmen, Christians preach, there is a huge amount of hatred for man." Maxim Gorky was one of those who signed a letter asking him to destroy the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Something, but Christian humility was alien to Gorky. Back in 1917, in Untimely Thoughts, he wrote: “I have never repented of anything and no one, because I have an organic disgust for this. Yes, and I have nothing to repent of.” [S-BLOCK]
Friend Yagoda, homophobe
Gorky was very intolerant towards homosexuals. He openly spoke out against them from the pages of the Pravda and Izvestia newspapers. On May 23, 1934, he calls homosexuality “socially criminal and punishable” and says that “there is already a sarcastic saying: “Destroy homosexuality - fascism will disappear!”. However, Gorky's inner circle also included homosexuals. If we do not touch on the creative environment in which homosexuality was a phenomenon, if not common, then widespread (Eisenstein, Meyerhold), we can say about the deputy chairman of the OGPU Heinrich Yagoda, with whom Gorky was in close contact. Yagoda wrote memos to Stalin stating that “buggers launched recruitment among the Red Army, Red Navy and individual university students,” while he himself was not alien to the condemned phenomenon, arranged orgies at his dacha, and after his arrest, a dildo was found among the belongings of the former deputy chairman of the OGPU.
Defender of writers-Stalinist tribune
Gorky's contribution to the organization of the literary process in the country cannot be denied. He published magazines, founded publishing houses, Gorky's project was the Literary Institute. It was in Gorky's apartment, in the Ryabushinsky mansion, that the term " socialist realism“, in line with which Soviet literature developed for a long time. Gorky also headed the publishing house "World Literature" and served as a kind of cultural "window to Europe" for Soviet readers. With all these undoubted merits of Gorky, one cannot but note his negative role in justifying the repressions of the Stalinist regime. He was the editor of the voluminous book "The White Sea-Baltic Canal named after Stalin", published in 1934. [S-BLOCK]
In it, Gorky openly does not skimp on praise “... this is an excellently successful experiment in the mass transformation of former enemies of the proletariat ... into qualified employees of the working class and even into enthusiasts of state-necessary labor ... The corrective labor policy adopted by the State Political Directorate ... once again brilliantly justified itself." In addition, Gorky, by his mere presence on the Soviet literary Olympus, justified the repressive policy pursued by Stalin. He was worldwide famous writer to which they listened and believed.
