Father of Ivan and Konstantin Sergeevich Aksakov, b. September 20, 1791 in the mountains. Ufa, died on April 30, 1859 in Moscow. In "Family Chronicle" and "Childhood years of Bagrov-grandson" S. T. Aksakov left a true chronicle of his childhood, as well as a description of his parents and relatives: the first are depicted under the name of Bagrov, the second - Kuroyedov - under the name of Kurolesov. The initial upbringing of ST Aksakov was directed by his mother, nee Zubova, a woman who was very educated at that time; for four years he could already read and write.
ST Aksakov received his further upbringing and education at the Kazan gymnasium and at the Kazan University, which he described in such detail in his "Memoirs". Mother barely decided to part with her beloved son, and this separation almost cost the life of both the son and the mother. Having entered the gymnasium initially in 1799, S.T.Aksakov was soon taken back by his mother, since the child, who was generally very nervous and impressionable, began to develop, from the anguish of loneliness, something like an epileptic illness, according to S.T.Aksakov's own statement ... He lived for a year in the village, but in 1801 he finally entered the gymnasium. Responding in his "Memoirs" generally disapprovingly about the level of the then gymnasium teaching, S. T. Aksakov notes, however, several outstanding teachers, such as: pupils of Moscow University I. I. Zapolsky and G. I. Kartashevsky, warden V. P. Upadyshevsky and Russian language teacher Ibragimov. S. T. Aksakov lived with Zapolsky and Kartashevsky as a boarder. In 1817, Kartashevsky became related to him, marrying his sister Natalya Timofeevna, that beautiful Natasha, whose story is the plot of the unfinished story of the same name, dictated by the author shortly before his death.
In the gymnasium, S. T. Aksakov moved to some classes with awards and meritorious certificates, and at the age of 14, in 1805, he entered the number of students of the newly founded Kazan University. A part of the gymnasium was assigned to the premises of the latter, and some teachers were appointed professors, and the best students of the senior classes were promoted to students. Listening to university lectures, S. T. Aksakov at the same time continued to study in some subjects at the gymnasium. There was no division into faculties in the first years of the existence of Kazan University, and all 35 first students listened indifferently to the most diverse sciences - higher mathematics and logic, chemistry and classic literature, anatomy and history. In March 1807, S. T. Aksakov left Kazan University, having received a certificate with the prescription of such sciences that he knew only by hearsay and which had not yet been taught at the university.
In his "Memoirs", S. T. Aksakov says that in his university years "was childishly carried away in different directions by the passion of his nature." These hobbies, which have survived for almost a lifetime, were hunting in all its forms and theater. In addition, from the age of 14, he began to write, and soon publish his works. His first poem was placed in the gymnasium manuscript magazine "Arcadian shepherds", whose employees tried to imitate the Karamzin sentimentality and signed mythological shepherd names: Adonisov, Irisov, Daphnisov, Amintas, etc. The poem To the Nightingale was a success, and encouraged Thus, ST Aksakov, together with his friend Alexander Panaev and the later famous mathematician Perevozchikov, founded in 1806 the Journal of Our Occupations. In this magazine, S. T. Aksakov was already an opponent of Karamzin and a follower of A. S. Shishkov, the author of "Discourse on the Old and New Syllable," defending the ideas of the first initiator of Slavophilism. The passion for the theater manifested itself even at the university in the fact that S. T. Aksakov organized a student troupe, among which he himself stood out for his undoubted stage talent. In 1807, the Aksakov family, which received a large inheritance from their aunt, Kuroyedova, moved from the village, first to Moscow, and the next year to Petersburg, for better education of their daughter in the capital's educational institutions: here, too, the stage interests completely captured S. T. Aksakov , who entered, on the advice of Kartashevsky, a translator in the commission for drafting laws.
A passionate desire to improve in recitation led him to a close acquaintance with the actor Ya. E. Shusherin, a celebrity of the end of the last and the beginning of this century, with whom the young theatergoer spent most of his free time talking about the theater and reciting. Subsequently, S. T. Aksakov spoke about this in an essay under the title: "Yakov Emelyanovich Shusherin and contemporary theatrical celebrities," like Dmitrevsky, Yakovlev, Semenova, etc. This essay, like other theatrical memoirs (1812-1830), is concluded in a lot of valuable data for the history of Russian theater in the first third of this century. Apart from theatrical acquaintances, S. T. Aksakov acquired other acquaintances - with the Martinists V. V. Romanovsky, an old friend of the Aksakov family, and Labzin, as well as with the famous admiral A. S. Shishkov. Freemasonry did not attract S. T. Aksakov, but the rapprochement with Shishkov was very successful, which was greatly facilitated by the declamatory talent of the young writer. S. T. Aksakov was introduced to Shishkov by one of his colleagues on the commission for drafting laws - A. I. Kaznacheev, who was later known for his literary connections, the admiral's nephew. In the house of Shishkov S. T. Aksakov has repeatedly staged performances. Leaving in 1811 his service in the commission, which attracted little young theatergoer, he left first in 1812 for Moscow, and then for the village, where he spent the time of Napoleon's invasion, enrolling with his father in the militia. During his last Moscow stay, S.T.Aksakov, through Shusherin, became closely acquainted with a number of Moscow writers - Shatrov, Nikolev, Ilyin, Kokoshkin, S.N. Glinka, Velyashev-Volyntsev, etc. Somewhat earlier than this time he began to translate Lagarpov's arrangement the tragedy of Sophocles "Philoctetes", intended for the benefit performance of Shusherin. This tragedy was published in 1812. S. T. Aksakov spent the years 1814-1815 in Moscow and St. Petersburg. On one of his visits to Petersburg, he became close friends with Derzhavin, again thanks to his ability to expressively read. In 1816, S. T. Aksakov wrote the "Epistle to A. I. Kaznacheev", published for the first time in the "Russian Archive" in 1878. In it, the author is indignant at the fact that the invasion of the French did not diminish the Gallomania of the then society.
In the same year S. T. Aksakov married the daughter of the Suvorov general, Olga Semyonovna Zaplatina. The mother of the latter was a Turkish woman Igel-Syuma, taken for 12 years during the siege of Ochakov, baptized and raised in Kursk, in the family of General Voinov, Igel-Syuma died 30 years old. OS was born in 1792. Immediately after the wedding, S. T. Aksakov went with his young wife to the trans-Volga patrimony of his father Timofei Stepanovich. This trans-Volga patrimony - the village of Znamenskoye or Novo-Aksakovo - is described in the Family Chronicle under the name of Novy Bagrov. There, the next year the young people had a son, Constantine. S. T. Aksakov lived for five years without a break in his parents' house. The family was added annually. In 1821 Tim. Art. finally agreed to allocate a son, who already had four children, and assigned him to his fiefdom the village of Nadezhino, in the Belebeevsky district of the Orenburg province. This very village is found in the "Family Chronicle" under the name Parashina. Before moving there, S. T. Aksakov went with his wife and children to Moscow, where he spent the winter of 1821. In Moscow, he renewed his acquaintance with the theatrical and literary world, having struck up a close friendship with Zagoskin, the vaudevilleist Pisarev, theater director and playwright Kokoshkin, playwright Prince. A. A. Shakhovsky and others, and published a translation of the 10th satire of Boileau, for which he was elected a member of the Society of Lovers of Russian Literature. In the summer of 1822, S. T. Aksakov again went with his family to the Orenburg province and remained there without a break until the fall of 1826. He did not succeed in housekeeping; moreover, children were growing up, they had to be taught; in Moscow one could look for a position.
In August 1826, S. T. Aksakov said goodbye to the village forever. From that time until his death, that is, for thirty-three years, he was in Nadezhin only by collisions only three times. Having moved to Moscow with 6 children for permanent residence, S. T. Aksakov renewed his friendship with Pisarev, Shakhovsky and others with even greater intimacy. He took up the prosaic translation of Molière's "The Covetous" (1828), translating even earlier, in 1819, in verse, The School of Husbands by the same author; he was an active defender of his friends from the attacks of Polevoy, persuaded Pogodin - who published Moskovsky Vestnik at the end of the twenties and from time to time, who had already given space to theatrical notes of S. T. Aksakov - to write a special "Dramatic addition", which was written all over them alone. ST Aksakov also feuded with Polev on the pages of Pavlov's Athenaeum and Raich's Galatea. Finally, in the Society of Lovers of Russian Literature, S. T. Aksakov read his translation of Boileau's 8th satire (1829), turning from it harsh verses to the same Polevoy. ST Aksakov transferred the enmity with Polev from the pages of magazines to the soil of censorship, becoming in 1827 the censor of the newly established separate Moscow censorship committee; he received this position thanks to the patronage of A.S. Shishkov, who was then Minister of Public Education. S. T. Aksakov served as a censor for 6 years, several times while temporarily correcting the position of chairman of the committee. In 1834 he went to serve in the land survey school. This service also lasted 6 years, until 1839. At first, S. T. Aksakov was an inspector of the school, and then, when it was transformed into the "Konstantinovsky Land Survey Institute," - its director. In 1839, S.T.Aksakov, upset by the service that had a bad effect on his health, finally retired and healed quite richly and openly as a private person, having received a significant inheritance after his father, who died in 1837 (his mother died in 1833 .).
In the early thirties, the circle of acquaintances of S. T. Aksakov changed. Pisarev died, Kokoshkin and Shakhovskoy faded into the background, Zagoskin maintained a purely personal friendship. S. T. Aksakov began to fall under the influence, on the one hand, of the young university circle, which was made up of Pavlov, Pogodin, Nadezhdin and his son, Konstantin Sergeevich, on the other, under the beneficial influence of Gogol, acquaintance with which began in 1832 and lasted 20 years, until the very death of the great writer. In the house of ST Aksakov, Gogol usually read his new works for the first time; in turn, S. T. Aksakov was the first to read his works of fiction to Gogol at a time when neither he himself nor those around him suspected the future of him famous writer... Friendship with Gogol was maintained both by personal relationships and by correspondence. Excerpts from the memoirs of ST Aksakov about Gogol were published in the 4th volume of the complete collected works, under the title: "Acquaintance with Gogol." Under the same title in the "Russian Archive" in 1889, and then as a separate publication, there were still unpublished draft materials for memoirs, extracts from letters, many of Gogol's letters to S.T.Aksakov in full, etc. In 1834, in Almanac "Dennitsa", published by Maksimovich, a famous scientist and friend of Gogol, S. T. Aksakov published a short story "Buran", which testified to a decisive turn in his work: S. T. Aksakov turned to living reality, finally freeing himself from pseudo-classical tastes ... Steadily following the new path of realistic creativity, he already in 1840 began to write the "Family Chronicle", which, however, appeared in its final form only in 1846. Excerpts from it were published without the author's name in the "Moscow Collection" in 1846 Then, in 1847, there appeared "Notes on a Fish Eating", in 1852 - "Notes of a Gun Hunter of the Orenburg Gubernia.", In 1855 - "Stories and Memoirs of a Hunter." All these hunting "Notes" by S. T. Aksakov had a huge success. The name of the author became known throughout reading Russia. His presentation was recognized as exemplary, descriptions of nature - poetic, characteristics of animals, birds and fish - masterful images. "Your birds have more life than my people", - said S. T. Aksakov Gogol I. S. Turgenev in his review of "Notes of a rifle hunter" ("Sovremennik", 1853, v. 37, pp. 33-44) recognized the descriptive talent of S. T. Aksakov first-class.
Encouraged by this success, already in his declining years, S. T. Aksakov appeared before the public with a number of new works. He took up memories of a literary and, mainly, family character. In 1856 the "Family Chronicle" appeared, which had an extraordinary success. Criticism diverged in understanding the inner meaning of this best work of S. T. Aksakov. Thus, the Slavophiles (Khomyakov) found that he was "the first of our writers to look at our life from a positive, not a negative point of view"; publicist critics (Dobrolyubov), on the contrary, found negative facts in the Family Chronicle. In 1858, a continuation of the "Family Chronicle" appeared - "The childhood years of Bagrov the grandson", which had less success. “Literary and theatrical recollections have attracted little attention, although they contain a lot of valuable material for both the literary historian and the theater historian. To characterize the last years of S. T. Aksakov's life, information is important in "Literary memoirs" by I. I. Panaev and memoirs of M. N. Longinov ("Russian Bulletin", 1859, No. 8, as well as an article in "Encycloped. Slov.", (published by Russian writers and scientists, vol. II). Longinov says that S. T. Aksakov's health deteriorated 12 years before his death. An eye disease forced him to lock himself in a dark room for a long time, and, not accustomed to a sedentary life, he upset his body, losing, moreover, one eye.In the spring of 1858, S. T. Aksakov's illness took on a very dangerous character and began to cause him severe suffering, but he endured them with firmness and patience.
He spent the last summer at a dacha near Moscow and, despite a serious illness, had the strength to dictate his new works in rare moments of relief. This includes "Collecting butterflies", which appeared in print after his death in "Bratchin" - a collection published by former students of Kazan University, edited by P. I. Melnikov, at the end of 1859. In the fall of 1858, S. T. Aksakov moved to Moscow and the next winter he spent in terrible suffering, despite which he sometimes continued to study literature and wrote "Winter Morning", "Meeting with the Martinists" (the last of his works published during his lifetime, which appeared in the "Russkaya Beseda" 1859) and the story "Natasha", which was published in the same magazine.
The works of S. T. Aksakov were published in separate editions many times. So, "Family Chronicle" has withstood 4 editions, "Notes on a fish-eating" - 5, "Notes of a rifle hunter" - 6. The first complete collection of works, constituting an almost complete autobiography of S. T. Aksakov, appeared at the end of 1886 in 6 -th volumes, published by the bookseller N.G. Martynov and edited partly by I.S.Aksakov, who provided him with valuable notes, and partly by P.A.Efremov, who informed the publication of significant completeness in bibliographic terms.
, Moscow) - Russian writer, government official and public figure, literary and theater critic, memoirist, author of books on fishing and hunting, lepidopterist. Father of Russian writers and public figures of the Slavophiles: Konstantin, Ivan and Vera Aksakov. Corresponding Member of the Imperial St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.
Childhood and youth
Sergei Timofeevich Aksakov came from an old but not rich noble family. His father Timofey Stepanovich Aksakov was a provincial official. Mother - Maria Nikolaevna Aksakova, nee Zubova, a very educated woman for her time and social circle, in her youth she corresponded with famous educators N.I. Novikov and A.F. Anichkov.
Aksakov's childhood passed in Ufa and in the Novo-Aksakovo estate, among the steppe nature, which was still little touched by civilization. A significant influence on the formation of Aksakov's personality in early childhood was exerted by his grandfather Stepan Mikhailovich.
Novo-Aksakovo
At the age of eight, in 1799, Aksakov was assigned to the Kazan gymnasium. Since 1804, when the senior grades of the gymnasium were transformed into the 1st year of the newly formed Kazan University, Aksakov became a student there.
During his studies in Kazan (1804-1807) Aksakov participated in the publication of handwritten magazines: "Arcadian shepherds" and "Journal of our studies." In them, his first literary experiments appeared - poetry written in a naive sentimental style. Young Aksakov's Karamzinism did not last long and was replaced by another extreme. At this time, he read "Discourse on the old and new style of the Russian language" by Admiral A. Shishkov and became an ardent supporter of his literary and linguistic theory. This adherence, however, for him was more ideological and theoretical than practical, since it had little effect on the poetics and stylistics of his literary work.
Since 1806, Aksakov took part in the activities of the Society of Russian Literature Lovers at Kazan University. In June 1807 he moved to St. Petersburg.
Memories of childhood and adolescence Aksakov subsequently formed the basis of his memoir and autobiographical trilogy: "Family Chronicle" (1856), "The childhood of Bagrov the grandson" (1858), "Memoirs" (1856).
Early period of literary activity
During this period, Aksakov was engaged in literary work irregularly, mainly he was attracted by translation activity. In the city, he translates Moliere's School of Husbands, for the benefit performance of Shusherin, Philoctetus by Sophocles (from French), and the 8th satire (On a person) by Boileau (). A little later - Moliere's comedy "The Miser" () and W. Scott's novel "Peveril" ().
Among the poetic works of that time, it is worth noting the poem "The Ural Cossack" (1821), although he himself later characterized it as: "a weak and pale imitation of Pushkin's" Black Shawl ". In the same year in the "Vestnik Evropy" he published "Elegy in a New Taste", a parody of the romantic school of V. A. Zhukovsky and the acutely polemical "Message of Prince. Vyazemsky ".
Despite his irregular participation in the literary and theatrical life of Moscow, Aksakov is still a fairly noticeable figure in it, and in 1821 he was elected to the Full Members of the Society of Lovers of Russian Literature at Moscow University.
Aksakov - censor
A serious problem for Aksakov the censor was the need to supervise the Moscow Telegraph magazine. As already noted, its publisher N.A.Polevoy was in many ways an ideological opponent of Aksakov and naturally suspected him of bias. During the first period of his censorship, friction regularly arose between them, and when, in 1830, the leadership again entrusted him with reading this magazine, Aksakov refused this, so as not to question his objectivity.
Aksakov approached his activities as a censor exceptionally conscientiously, paying attention not only to the content, but also to the artistic quality of the texts. He was not particularly harsh, but he was not a liberal either. So, due to an unfavorable political situation, he suspended the publication of "Martha Posadnitsa" by M. P. Pogodin, which he himself had previously authorized, made serious notes in the "Poems" by A. I. Polezhaev.
In 1831, the first issue of the Teleskop magazine was published, in which NI Nadezhdin's article "The Modern Direction of Education" was published, which caused the displeasure of the authorities. Aksakov was reprimanded as a censor. In response, he wrote sharp explanatory letters to the head of the gendarme department in Moscow and to the head of the III Division himself, A. Kh. Benkendorf.
Aksakov received a new stern remark for permission to publish the article "The Nineteenth Century" by I. V. Kireevsky in No. 1 of the "European" magazine. The magazine was closed.
The opinion of the management about Aksakov's activities became less and less favorable. The last straw was the publication of the satirical ballad "Twelve sleeping watchmen" by E. Fytyulkin, which he allowed, which provoked the emperor's anger again. In February Aksakov was dismissed from the Censorship Committee.
Theater criticism
Until the mid-1820s, theater criticism in periodicals was banned in the Russian Empire. But by the end of the decade, censorship restrictions began to weaken, and of course, the passionate theater lover Aksakov immediately got involved in this activity, becoming one of the first Russian theater critics. In 1825, in the "Bulletin of Europe" published his "Thoughts and remarks on theater and theatrical art", and from 1828 to 1830 he became a regular theatrical columnist for "Moskovsky Vestnik". Since the middle of the year, on his initiative, a special "Dramatic Supplement" has been published in this journal, in which he combines the activities of an author and an editor. In addition, a number of articles were published by him in Galatea and in Rumor.
Most of these publications were published anonymously or under pseudonyms, since Aksakov could not, for ethical reasons, openly combine the work of a censor and a writer. By now, probably not all of his theatrical critical works have been identified. Some literary historians, for example, suggest that the sensational cycle of theatrical critical articles published in Molva in 1833-1835. signed with the initials P. Shch. also belongs to his pen.
Aksakov's notes are quite simple in form and are mainly devoted to the analysis of the actors' play, their interaction and the correspondence of stage techniques to the content of the role. He pays a lot of attention to the fight against clichés and outdated stage style, chanting recitation. Aksakov rarely theorizes, but despite this, his aesthetic position is very definite and consistent. It is based on the requirements of "graceful simplicity" and "naturalness".
Aksakov was one of the first to appreciate the talent and significance for the Russian theater of M.S.Schepkin and P.S.Mochalov. In the city, after a trip to St. Petersburg, he published two "Letters from St. Petersburg to the publisher of the Moskovsky Vestnik", in which he gave a wonderful comparative characteristics playing manner of P. S. Mochalov and V. A. Karatygin. The ideas expressed then by Aksakov were later deepened and developed by V.G.Belinsky.
Literary criticism
The complex history of his relationship with the Moscow Telegraph magazine deserves special mention in Aksakov's literary biography. Its publisher N. Polevoy represented the liberal trend in Russian journalism and was in many ways an ideological opponent of the literary circle to which Aksakov belonged. Aksakov himself took the position of a sympathetic observer rather than a participant in polemics: only a few articles on this topic are known, including: "Answer to the anti-criticism of Mr. V. U." (1829), "Reply to Mr. N. Polevoy" (1829) "Conversation about the imminent publication of the second volume of the History of the Russian People" (1830) A fact of this polemic was the demonstrative withdrawal of Aksakov from membership in the Society of Lovers of Russian Literature in 1829 in protest against the election of N. Polevoy as a member of this society. In the course of the polemic with the "Moscow Telegraph" Aksakov was also published "Letter to the publisher of the" Moskovsky Vestnik "<О значении поэзии Пушкина>"(1830). This note is remarkable in that in it Aksakov not only highly appreciated Pushkin's work during the poet's lifetime, but also defended him from unfair criticism.
His last literary critical work was a small note "About the novel by Y. Zhadovskaya" Away from the big world "" published in "Rumor" in 1857.
Aksakov - Director of the Land Survey Institute
In the 40s, the theme of Aksakov's work underwent fundamental changes. He starts writing "Family Chronicle", and in the city he is captured by a new idea: to write a book about fishing. In the th he finishes work on it and in the th publishes it under the title "Notes on Fishing". The book became an event in literary life and won the unanimous approval of literary criticism. In the city, its 2nd edition is published, revised and substantially supplemented, and in the city - the 3rd lifetime.
Inspired by the success of Aksakov in the city, he began to write a book about hunting. After three years of hard work in the city, the book "Notes of a rifle hunter of the Orenburg province" is coming out of print.
The book also gained great popularity, the entire circulation was sold out unusually quickly. The reviews from critics were even more favorable than the book on fishing. Among others, I.S.Turgenev wrote a remarkable laudatory review. However, while preparing for the 2nd edition () Aksakov unexpectedly faced serious opposition from censorship. Only after a tense and long struggle did he manage to defend the book.
Aksakov's books on fishing and hunting were very unusual for their time. They were distinguished from numerous manuals on this subject, first of all, by the high artistic level of the text. Each chapter of the book was a complete literary work - an essay dedicated to some element of fishing and hunting equipment, one or another type of fish or bird. Poetic landscape sketches, apt, witty descriptions of fish and bird habits attracted attention. However, in the first place, the success of the books among the reader was facilitated by the author's special manner of narration, confidential, based on rich life experience, and personal memories.
In the process of working on the "Notes of a rifle hunter" Aksakov conceived the publication of an annual almanac: "Hunting collection", and in 1853 he submitted a petition to the Moscow Censorship Committee. The publication project was rejected. The reason for the ban was the general reputation of the Aksakov family as disloyal to the current government. In addition, since the beginning of the 30s, a personal file in the III Department was instituted and regularly replenished against ST Aksakov himself, as an obvious "undesirable" one.
While the bureaucratic procedure continued in the Censorship Committee, Aksakov wrote more than a dozen essays and small stories about different types hunting. As a result, after the final ban on the publication of the almanac, he compiled and published a collection of ready-made materials: “Stories and memoirs of a hunter about different hunts”.
Aksakov and later, almost until his death, did not leave this favorite topic, occasionally publishing small essays in periodicals: "Explanatory note to the" Police officer falconer way "" (), "Remarks and observations of the hunter to take mushrooms" (), "Several words about early spring and late autumn supper "() and others.
Memoir-autobiographical trilogy
Drawing from the Aksakovs' album
The history of writing "Family Chronicle" stretched for almost a decade and a half. The beginning of work on it belongs to the 1st year. But soon Aksakov was distracted from her by writing notes about fishing and hunting. Although he did not stop reflecting on the great memoir, work on it was resumed only in g.
As it was written, the book was published in parts in periodicals: a small episode from it appeared back in Moscow in the "Moscow Literary and Scientific Collection". 8 years later, the first "excerpt" - in "Moskvityanin" (), the fourth - in "Russian conversation" () and the fifth - in "Russian Bulletin" (). At the same time, Aksakov worked on "Memoirs", which in the city under the same cover, together with the first three excerpts from "Family Chronicle" were published as a separate book. In the same year, Aksakov adds the remaining two passages to the second edition, and the Family Chronicle finally takes its finished form.
While preparing the book for publication, Aksakov again encountered censorship difficulties, especially in relation to the excerpts "Stepan Mikhailovich Bagrov" and "Mikhail Maksimovich Kurolesov". But much more burdensome than the censorship pressure for Aksakov was the need to resist many relatives, who feared public disclosure of the shadow sides of family life, any secrets and troubles. Many of the persons mentioned were still alive, many internal conflicts were still acute. As a result, Aksakov was forced to either keep silent about many events or mention them in passing, with a hint. Largely due to the same reasons, Aksakov did not complete the story "Natasha", which thematically adjoins the "Family Chronicle" (). As a result, a compromise solution was found: to abandon a detailed story about some events and replace the real names of the characters with fictional ones.
The Family Chronicle contains five passages. The first excerpt is devoted to a description of the family's life after moving to new lands in the Ufa governorship. The second tells the dramatic story of Praskovya Ivanovna Bagrova's marriage. The story of the marriage and the first years of family life of the author's parents. As a result, a surprisingly holistic picture of provincial noble life at the end of the 18th century is formed from narratives that are heterogeneous both in theme and style.
The events described in "Memoirs" Aksakov took place in the period from 1801 to 1807, during his studies at the Kazan gymnasium and the University. Unlike "Family Chronicle", the material for which was mainly oral stories of relatives and friends, this work is built almost entirely on the basis of personal memories of Aksakov. Thematically, she is also different from her. The family theme fades into the background, and the plot development is built around the problems that inevitably arise during the growing up of the teenage hero.
From 1854 to 1856 Aksakov is concentrating on writing "Childhood years of Bagrov the grandson." The book was published in full at once, only a small excerpt was published a year earlier in periodicals. The chronology of her plot fills in the "gap" between the end of "Family Chronicle" and the beginning of "Memories", and covers the period of Aksakov's biography from 1794 to 1801. "The childhood of Bagrov the grandson" is deservedly considered one of the best works, artistically describing the mental life of a child, a gradual, as he grows up, a change in his perception of the world.
As an appendix to "The Childhood Years of Bagrov the Grandson" Aksakov published the fairy tale "The Scarlet Flower. (The tale of the housekeeper Pelageya) ". This literary adaptation of the famous story about the beauty and the beast, later published separately, became, probably, the most popular and frequently published work of Aksakov.
The existing descriptive-memoir style was reflected even in Aksakov's correspondence. Ex. his letter to V.I.Bezobrazov is essentially a reminiscence of another famous memoirist D. B. Mertvago.
Aksakov and Gogol
Aksakov met Gogol in 1832. Without exaggeration, this acquaintance can be called fateful, since it was precisely Gogol's influence as a writer that was one of the most important factors that predetermined the entire direction of Aksakov's mature work. In the history of their relationship, long periods of close communication and vice versa of mutual misunderstanding alternated. At the same time, Aksakov was one of the first who not only appreciated Gogol's talent, but saw in him a great writer.
The death of Gogol was a great shock for Aksakov. Almost immediately he published in Moskovskiye Vedomosti "A Letter to Gogol's Friends" (
(1791-1859)
The famous Russian writer. A scion of an old noble family, Aksakov undoubtedly received in childhood vivid impressions of the proud family consciousness of this gentility. Grandfather Stepan Mikhailovich dreamed that his grandson would become exactly the successor of the “famous family of Shimon” - the legendary Varangian, the nephew of the Norwegian king, who left for Russia in 1027.
Love for nature - completely alien to his mother, a true city dweller - the future writer inherited from his father. In the initial development of his personality, everything fades into the background before the influence of the steppe nature, with which the first awakening of his observation, his first sense of life, his early hobbies are inextricably linked. Along with nature, peasant life invaded the boy's awakening thought. Peasant labor gave birth to in him not only compassion, but also respect. The female half of the courtyard, as always, the keeper of folk poetry, introduced the boy to songs, fairy tales, Christmastide games. And "The Scarlet Flower", recorded many years later from memory from the story of the housekeeper Pelageya, is just a small fragment of that vast world of folk poetry, into which the boy was introduced to the courtyard, the maiden, the village. But earlier folk literature came to the city. With his characteristic rapture, he plunged into Kheraskov's Rossiada and Sumarokov's works; he was “driven crazy” by the fairy tales of The Thousand and One Nights, and along with them were read “My trinkets” by Karamzin and his “Aonids”.
Quite early, the influences of the state school joined the domestic and rural influences. And the Kazan gymnasium, where Aksakov entered in the tenth year of his life, and the new teacher, the stern and intelligent Kartashevsky, and comrades, and new interests - all this boiled down to a whole world that had a beneficial effect on the soul open to impressions. The gymnasium was above the usual level; even according to the idea of \u200b\u200bthe founders, it was supposed to be something like a lyceum. Aksakov spent only three and a half years at the gymnasium, the end of which was enriched with new literary interests. He stayed at the university for only a year and a half, continuing to take lessons in the gymnasium, but these one and a half years mean a lot in his development. It is even difficult to say what played a big role here: collecting butterflies or a comradely magazine that he published together with I. Panaev, hobby for the theater or literary disputes, the French lectures of the naturalist Fuchs undoubtedly played a major role in strengthening that innate observation of Aksakov, which gave I.S. Turgenev has the right to place him above Buffon in certain respects. Here he understood his love for nature, here he consolidated his love for literature.
Having received a university certificate, Aksakov spent a year in the countryside and in Moscow, and then moved with his family to St. Petersburg. Kartashevsky has already prepared for his pet the position of a translator in the commission for drafting laws, where he himself was an assistant editor. In St. Petersburg, Aksakov became close to the artist Shusherin, visited Admiral Shishkov, met many actors and writers, was fiercely fond of theater, talked a lot about literature, but it is not evident that he was interested in any search in this or that area. There is nothing to say about political thought; she passed him, and he fully joined Shishkov's tastes. Prince Shikhmatov seemed to him a great poet. Derzhavin and Dmitriev, Count Khvostov, Prince Shakhovskoy and others gathered at Shishkov's, who later composed the conservative Conversation of the Russian Word. During these years, Aksakov lived in St. Petersburg, in Moscow, then in the countryside. After his marriage (1816) to Olga Semyonovna Zaplatina, he tried to settle in the village. He lived with his parents for five years, but in 1820 he received the same Nadezhdino (Orenburg province), which was once the field of villainy of Kuroyedov, who he portrayed.
In August 1826 Aksakov parted with the village - and forever. On occasion he visited here, lived for a long time in his Moscow region, but, in essence, remained a metropolitan until death. In Moscow, he met with his old patron Shishkov, now the minister of public education, and easily got the post of censor from him. They say different things about Aksakov's censorship, but, in general, he was soft; formalism could not stand his nature. Closeness with Pogodin expanded the circle of literary acquaintances. Yuri Venelin, professors PS, became his “new and devoted friends”. Shchepkin, M.G. Pavlov, then N.I. Nadezhdin. Theatrical ties have also been renewed; M.S. was a frequent guest. Shchepkin; there were Mochalov and others. In 1832 Aksakov had to change his service; he was dismissed from the position of censor for having missed I.V. Kireevsky "European" article "The Nineteenth Century". With Aksakov's connections, it was not difficult to find a place, and the next year he received a job as an inspector of a land survey school, and then, when it was transformed into the Constantine Land Survey Institute, he was appointed its first director and organizer. In 1839 Aksakov, now provided with a large fortune, which he inherited after the death of his father, left the service and, after some hesitation, never returned to it. All this time he wrote little, and what he wrote is very insignificant: a number of theatrical reviews and several small articles. His translation of Moliere's "The Miser" was shown at the Moscow theater in Shchepkin's benefit performance. In 1830, his story “The Minister's Recommendation” was published in the “Moskovsky Vestnik” (without signature). Finally, in 1834 in the anthology "Dennitsa" appeared, also without a signature, his essay "Buran". This is the first work that talks about the real Aksakov.
Sons grew up, little like Aksakov in temperament, mental makeup, ideological interests. The ardent youth, with their high intellectual demands, with their extreme seriousness, with their new literary tastes, could not have an influence on a forty-year-old man who was by nature not inclined to change. Aksakov was born a little ahead of time. His talent was created for new forms of literary creation, but it was not in his power to create these forms. And when he found them - perhaps not only in Gogol, but also in “ Captain's daughter”And“ Belkin's Tales ”, - he managed to use the richness of expression that they provided to his natural observation. A writer was born in it. This was in the middle of the 30s, and since then Aksakov's work has developed smoothly and fruitfully. After "Buran" was started "Family Chronicle".
Already in these years, a certain popularity surrounded Aksakov. His name was respected. The Academy of Sciences has chosen him more than once as a reviewer for awards. He was considered a man of advice and reason; the liveliness of his mind, supported by closeness with young people, gave him the opportunity to move forward, if not in a socio-political or moral-religious worldview, the foundations of which, learned in childhood, he always remained faithful, then in the concrete manifestations of these general principles. He was tolerant and sensitive. Not being not only a scientist, but also not possessing sufficient education, alien to science, he nevertheless was a moral authority for his friends, many of whom were famous scientists. Old age approached, blooming, deceased, creative.
Temporarily leaving Family Chronicle, he turned to natural science and hunting memoirs, and his Notes on the Eating of Fish (1847) was his first widespread literary success. The author did not expect him, and did not want to especially appreciate him: he simply “went away” to his notes for himself. The ideological struggle that captured everyone reached extreme tension, and the rapidly aging Aksakov could not survive its ups and downs. He was ill, his eyesight was weakening, and in the village of Abramtsevo near Moscow, in the evening on the idyllic Thief, he willingly forgot about all the spite of the day. “Notes of a rifle hunter of the Orenburg province” was published in 1852 and attracted even more enthusiastic reviews. Among these reviews, the most interesting is the well-known article by I.S. Turgenev.
Along with the hunting memories and characteristics, the ideas of stories about childhood and immediate ancestors matured. Soon after the publication of "Notes of a Gun Hunter" new excerpts from "Family Chronicle" began to appear in magazines, and in 1856 it was published as a separate book. Everyone was in a hurry to pay tribute to the talent, and this noisy unanimity of criticism was only an echo of the book's enormous success in society. Everyone noted the truthfulness of the story, the ability to combine historical truth with artistic treatment. The joys of literary success softened the hardships of these recent years for Aksakov. The family's material well-being was shaken; Aksakov's health became worse and worse. He was almost blind - both with stories and dictation of memories, he filled the time that not so long ago he devoted to fishing, hunting and active communication with nature.
A number of works marked these last years of his life. The "Family Chronicle" was continued in "The Childhood of Bagrov the Grandson." A long series of secondary literary works moved alongside family memories. Partly, as, for example, "Remarks and observations of a hunter to take mushrooms", they are adjacent to his natural-scientific observations, in a significant part they continue his autobiography. Published "Literary and theatrical memoirs", included in "Various works" (1858), "The history of my acquaintance with Gogol." These last works were written in the intervals of a serious illness from which Aksakov died in Moscow.
It was rightly said about Aksakov that he grew up all his life, grew up with his time and that his literary biography is, as it were, the embodiment of the history of Russian literature during the period of his activity. Russian literature honors in him the best of its memoirists, an irreplaceable cultural writer-historian of everyday life, an excellent landscape painter and observer of the life of nature, and, finally, a classic of language.
Russian writer.
Sergey Timofeevich Aksakov was born on September 20 (October 1), 1791 in the family of Timofei Stepanovich Aksakov (1759-1832), a representative of an old, but not rich noble family.
The future writer spent his childhood in and in his father's family estate. In 1799-1804 he studied at the Kazan gymnasium, from 1804 - at the newly formed Kazan University.
In 1807, without completing his university course, S. T. Aksakov moved to, then to. He worked as a translator for the Law Drafting Commission. At this time, his first rapprochement with literary circles took place.
In subsequent years, S. T. Aksakov lived in, then in, then in the village. During his stay in 1821, he managed to enter the writing and literary environment.
In 1827-1832, S. T. Aksakov served as a censor, in 1833-1838 he was an inspector of a land survey school, with the transformation of which into the Konstantinovsky Land Survey Institute he became its director. In 1839, having inherited his father's fortune, he left the service.
Since 1843, S. T. Aksakov lived mainly in his estate near Moscow. Here he was visited, MS Schepkin. A prominent place in Russian memoir literature is occupied by Aksakov's memoirs "The Story of My Acquaintance with", first published in 1890.
In the second half of the 1820s - early 1830s, S. T. Aksakov was engaged in theatrical criticism, opposed the epigones of classicism and routine in stage art, calling on actors to "simplicity" and "naturalness" of performance.
In 1834, S. T. Aksakov published his essay "Buran" in the anthology "Dennitsa", which marked the beginning of his writing career. In his first books - "Notes on the Eating" (1847), "Notes of a Gun Hunter of the Orenburg Province" (1852), "Stories and Memories of a Hunter about Various Hunt" (1855), - originally designed for a narrow circle of fishing and hunting enthusiasts, S. T. Aksakov showed himself as a writer possessing the riches of the popular word and keen observation, as a heartfelt poet of Russian nature.
The main place in the legacy of S. T. Aksakov is occupied by autobiographical fiction, entirely based on "memories of a previous life" and family legends. His outstanding writing talent was most fully revealed in the books "Family Chronicle" (1856) and "Childhood of Bagrov the Grandson" (1858), created on the basis of memoirs and family stories. Based on the history of three generations of the Bagrov family, the author recreated in them the landlord life of the late 18th century in his everyday life. He had a significant influence on the work of the writer.
In the last years of his life, S. T. Aksakov wrote memoirs such as "Literary and theatrical memoirs", "Meetings with Martinists."
S. T. Aksakov died on April 30 (May 12) 1859. He was originally buried in the Simonov Monastery. After its destruction in 1930, the remains of the writer were transferred to the Novodevichy cemetery.
Russian literature XIX century
Sergey Timofeevich Aksakov
Biography
SERGEY TIMOFEEVICH
Sergei Timofeevich Aksakov, Russian writer, literary and theater critic, author of the books "Notes on the Eating of Fish" (1847), "Notes of a Gun Hunter of the Orenburg Province" (1852), "Stories and Memories of a Hunter about Various Hunting" (1855), "Family Chronicle "(1856); memoirs "Literary and theatrical memoirs" (1858), "The story of my acquaintance with Gogol" (1880) and many others, is best known to the general reader as the author of the story "Bagrov-Vkuk's childhood" (1858) and the fairy tale "The Scarlet Flower", the former original appendix to the story. A.'s books occupy a special place in Russian literature of the 19th century. Their main subject is unassuming (the natural world, patriarchal life of several generations of a noble family, family traditions), their language, in the opinion of many, is perfect. “We must all learn from him,” wrote I. Turgenev, admiring the language of Aksakov's prose.
A. was born in 1791 in Ufa. His father, Timofey Stepanovich, was a prosecutor, his mother, Maria Nikolaevna, came from the bureaucratic aristocracy and was distinguished by a rare intelligence and education. MN Aksakova had an exceptional influence on the formation of the future writer, relations between mother and son developed, rare in trust and friendliness.
A. spent his early years in Ufa and in the family estate Novo-Aksakovo in the Orenburg province. He graduated from the Kazan gymnasium and entered the Kazan University. While still in high school, he began to write poetry, "verses without rhymes", in the spirit of sentimental poetry. At the university he became interested in theater, actively participated in the work of student theater, and had the gift of recitation. The fame of A.-reader was wide, that G.R.Derzhavin was impatiently awaiting the arrival of the young man in Petersburg to listen to his poems performed by him.
In 1808, Mr .. A. came to St. Petersburg and entered the service of a government official. Meets GR Derzhavin, AS Shishkov, takes part in a meeting of the literary circle headed by Shishkov, "Conversation of lovers of the Russian word." Debuts in print in 1812 with the fable 'Three Canaries'. In 1811 he moved to Moscow, became closer to Moscow theatrical circles, translated the plays of Schiller, Moliere, Boileau, appeared in print as a theater critic.
From the 1820s to the 1830s. House A., who in 1816 married the daughter of the Suvorov general O.S. Zaplatina, becomes one of the centers of the literary and theatrical life of Moscow. For many years, the largest Moscow cultural and art workers have regularly gathered for Aksakov's "subbotniks" - actor M.S.Schepkin, historian M.P. Pogodin, writer M.N. Zagoskin, professors of Moscow University S.P. Shevyrev and N. I. Nadezhdin. In the spring of 1832, Gogol began to visit the Aksakovs, who maintained his friendship with A. throughout his life. When the sons Konstantin and Ivan grew up (and there were 14 children in A.'s family), a circle of Slavophiles settled in the Aksakovs' house, which included K. and I. Aksakovs, A.S. Khomyakov, and the Kireevsky brothers. A. took an active part in their conversations and disputes.
In 1837, Mr .. A. bought the Abramtsevo estate, where he began to work on the materials of the "Family Chronicle". A noticeable weakening of vision pushed A. to intense literary work. A passionate hunter, fisherman, and A. decides to describe his experience of ‘life in nature’ and the related experiences and impressions.
In 1847, "Notes on a fish-eating" were published, which was preceded by an epigraph that largely determined the further direction of A.'s work: "I am leaving for the world of nature, into the world of tranquility, freedom ..." The book was a great success. Then there are "Notes of a rifle hunter of the Orenburg province" (1852), "stories and memoirs of a hunter about different hunts" (1855). The hunting trilogy is a genre of free memories with incidents, anecdotes, hunting tales, etc. included in the text.
The main place in the artistic heritage of A. is occupied by autobiographical prose. The Family Chronicle (1856) traces the life of three generations of the Bagrovs' estate nobles. The book "Bagrov's childhood years" (1858) is a continuation of the "Chronicle". Moreover, "childhood years" is a work written for children. In one of the letters to his granddaughter Olenka, his favorite, A. promises to compose a book for her “... about young spring, // about flowers in the fields, // about little birds (...) // about a forest Bear, // about a white mushroom (... ) ". In the process of work, the author's idea has significantly expanded and changed. A book appeared describing the life of a child from infancy to nine years of age against the backdrop of a carefully recreated life of a Russian estate at the end of the 18th century, against the backdrop of pictures of nature that are grandiose in terms of spirituality.
The main subject of the book was determined by the author himself - the life of a person in childhood, a children's world, created under the influence of daily new impressions ... The life of a person in a child. "Little Seryozha grows up, learns the world that seems to him bright, mysterious, endless. The reader sees objects and phenomena, described in the book through the eyes of a little hero, feels the freshness and spontaneity of children's perception. Everyday pictures, life, nature, experiences and impressions of Seryozha, simple and important events his life - conversations with his mother, the death of his grandfather, the birth of his brother are combined into a single canvas of the book of the story.
Seryozha Bagrov is undoubtedly an autobiographical hero, and, of course, inherits A.'s distinctive feature - a passionate love for nature, its deep understanding. So, the arrival of spring is an event of great importance in the life of Seryozha: "... everything was noticed by me accurately and attentively, and every moment of spring was triumphant by me as a victory." Nature is one of the main characters in the story. A.'s descriptions are not pictures, not landscapes in the generally accepted sense, but life itself, breathing freely and manifesting itself in a variety of ways. You need to have a special mentality, a special look, to feel this. The hero of the book has this gift to the fullest. “Finally, we drove into an urema (floodplain of the river - IA), a green, blooming fragrant urema. The merry singing of birds was heard from all sides (...) Whole swarms of bees, wasps and bumblebees were hovering and buzzing near the trees in bloom. My God, how fun it was! " - this is how Seryozha sees the Siberian spring.
The narration is based on a leisurely, detailed and at the same time capacious oral story. The language of A. has long been recognized as a model of Russian literary speech. Gogol, Turgenev, Tolstoy, Belinsky, Tyutchev, and others spoke of A.'s style with praise. The book "Childhood of Bagrov the Grandson" was very warmly received by critics and readers. In the history of Russian literature A.'s story stood next to Tolstoy's trilogy "Childhood", "Adolescence", "Youth". Until now, "the childhood of Bagrov the grandson" is one of the best works of autobiographical and memoir prose, in the center of which the hero is a child.
Aksakov Sergey Timofeevich was born in the family of a prosecutor in 1791 on September 20 according to the old calendar or October 1 according to the new calendar. His father's name was Timofei Stepanovich, and his mother was Maria Nikolaevna. The writer's parents were smart, educated and left the bureaucratic aristocracy. Aksakov and his mother had an excellent relationship, they understood and trusted each other like no one else. The family lived in the Orenburg province, Ufa, in their Novo-Aksakovo mansion. The guy began all his education with a gymnasium in Kazan, then he graduated from the university there. He began to write poetry. In 1808 the poet went to serve in St. Petersburg. In 1811 he moved to Moscow, was engaged in the translation of plays by German authors. Aksakov meets a girl - General's daughter Olga Semyonovna Zaplatina, whom he marries in 1816. The Aksakovs family becomes large, or rather 14 children. In 1837, the family bought Abramtsev's mansion, where he began his work on "Family Chronicle". Due to diligent writing, the author's eyesight noticeably shrinks. He begins to get involved in fishing and hunting. He sets out his observations in the book "Notes on the Eating of Fish" in 1847. Then he starts writing books about hunting: "Stories and memories of a hunter about different hunts" and "Notes of a rifle hunter of the Orenburg province." Also, a great success among Aksakov's readers was his book "I am leaving the world of nature, the world of tranquility, freedom ...".