And Kuprin life and creative way. Life and creative path of AI Kuprin. Youth and education

An extremely complex and colorful picture is the life and work of Kuprin. It is difficult to summarize them. The whole experience of life taught him to call for humanity. In all the stories and stories of Kuprin, the same meaning is laid - love for a person.

Childhood

In 1870 in the dull and waterless town of Narovchat, Penza province.

Orphaned very early. When he was one year old, his father, a petty clerk, died. There was nothing remarkable in the city, except for the artisans who made sieves and barrels. The life of the baby went without joys, but there were enough insults. She and her mother went to friends and obsequiously begged for at least a cup of tea. And the "benefactors" put their hand in for a kiss.

Wandering and study

Three years later, in 1873, the mother left for Moscow with her son. She was taken to a widow's house, and her son from the age of 6, in 1876 - to an orphanage. Later, Kuprin would describe these establishments in the stories The Fugitives (1917), Holy Lies, and Retirement. These are all stories about people whom life has mercilessly thrown out. Thus begins the story about the life and work of Kuprin. It's hard to talk about it briefly.

Service

When the boy grew up, they managed to attach him first to a military gymnasium (1880), then to the cadet corps and, finally, to the cadet school (1888). Education was free, but painful.

So the long and joyless 14 war years dragged on with their senseless drills and humiliations. The continuation was an adult service in the regiment, which stood in provincial towns near Podolsk (1890-1894). The first story to be published by A. I. Kuprin, opening military theme, - “Inquiry” (1894), then “Lilac Bush” (1894), “Night Shift” (1899), “Duel” (1904-1905) and others.

Wandering years

In 1894, Kuprin decisively and abruptly changes his life. He retires and lives very poorly. Alexander Ivanovich settled in Kiev and began to write feuilletons for newspapers, in which he paints the life of the city with colorful strokes. But the knowledge of life was lacking. What did he see other than military service? He was interested in everything. And Balaklava fishermen, and Donetsk factories, and the nature of Polissya, and unloading watermelons, and flying in a balloon, and circus artists. He thoroughly studied the life and way of life of the people who made up the backbone of society. Their language, jargons and customs. The life and work of Kuprin, saturated with impressions, is almost impossible to briefly convey.

Literary activity

It was during these years (1895) that Kuprin became a professional writer, constantly publishing his works in various newspapers. He meets Chekhov (1901) and everyone around him. And earlier he became friends with I. Bunin (1897) and then with M. Gorky (1902). One after another, stories come out that make society shudder. "Moloch" (1896) about the severity of capitalist oppression and the lack of rights of workers. "Duel" (1905), which is impossible to read without anger and shame for the officers.

The writer chastely touches the theme of nature and love. "Olesya" (1898), "Shulamith" (1908), " Garnet bracelet"(1911) knows the whole world. He also knows the life of animals: "Emerald" (1911), "Starlings". Around these years, Kuprin can already support his family on literary earnings and get married. He has a daughter. Then he gets divorced, and in his second marriage he also has a daughter. In 1909 Kuprin was awarded the Pushkin Prize. The life and work of Kuprin, briefly described, can hardly fit in a few paragraphs.

Emigration and homecoming

Kuprin did not accept the October Revolution with the flair and heart of the artist. He is leaving the country. But, while publishing abroad, he yearns for his homeland. Bring age and disease. Finally, he nevertheless returned to his beloved Moscow. But, having lived here for a year and a half, he, seriously ill, dies in 1938 at the age of 67 in Leningrad. This is how the life and work of Kuprin end. Summary and the description does not convey the bright and rich impressions of his life, reflected on the pages of books.

About the writer's prose and biography

The essay briefly presented in our article suggests that each is the master of his own destiny. When a person is born, he is taken up by the current of life. He brings someone into a stagnant swamp, and leaves it there, someone flounders, trying to somehow cope with the current, and someone just goes with the flow - where he will take it. But there are people, to whom Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin belongs, who stubbornly row against the current all their lives.

Born in a provincial, unremarkable town, he will love him forever and will return to this uncomplicated dusty world of harsh childhood. He will love inexplicably the petty-bourgeois and meager Narovchat.

Maybe for the carved architraves and geraniums on the windows, maybe for the vast fields, or maybe for the smell of dusty earth beaten down by rain. And perhaps this poverty will pull him in his youth, after the army drill, which he experienced for 14 years, to recognize Russia in the fullness of its colors and dialects. Wherever his paths-roads will not bring him. And to the Polissya forests, and to Odessa, and to metallurgical plants, and to the circus, and in the skies on an airplane, and to unload bricks and watermelons. A person full of inexhaustible love for people, for their way of life, will know everything, and will reflect all his impressions in stories and stories that contemporaries will read and which are not out of date even now, a hundred years after they were written.

How can the young and beautiful Shulamith, the beloved of King Solomon, become old, how can the forest sorceress Olesya stop loving the timid city dweller, how can Sashka the musician from Gambrinus (1907) stop playing. And Artaud (1904) is still devoted to his masters, who love him endlessly. The writer saw all this with his own eyes and left us on the pages of his books so that we could be horrified by the heavy tread of capitalism in Moloch, the nightmarish life of young women in the Pit (1909-1915), the terrible death of the beautiful and innocent Emerald .

Kuprin was a dreamer loving life. And all the stories passed through his attentive eyes and sensitive intelligent heart. Maintaining friendship with writers, Kuprin never forgot either workers, or fishermen, or sailors, that is, those who are called ordinary people. They were united by inner intelligence, which is given not by education and knowledge, but by the depth of human communication, the ability to sympathize, and natural delicacy. He had a hard time with emigration. In one of his letters he wrote: more talented person, the more difficult it is for him without Russia. Not considering himself a genius, he simply yearned for his homeland and, upon returning, died after a serious illness in Leningrad.

Based on the presented essay and chronology, one can write short essay"The life and work of Kuprin (briefly)".

Kuprin Alexander Ivanovich (1870-1938), prose writer.

Born on August 26 (September 7, NS) in the city of Narovchat, Penza province, in the family of a petty official who died a year after the birth of his son. Mother (from the ancient family of the Tatar princes Kulanchakov) after the death of her husband moved to Moscow, where the future writer spent his childhood and youth. At the age of six, the boy was sent to the Moscow Razumovsky boarding school (orphan), from where he left in 1880. In the same year he entered the Moscow Military Academy, transformed into the Cadet Corps.

After the end of the exercise, he continued his military education at the Alexander Cadet School (1888 - 90). Later he will describe his military youth"in the stories "At the Break (Cadets)" and in the novel "Junkers". Already then he dreamed of becoming a "poet or novelist."

Kuprin's first literary experience was poetry, which remained unpublished. The first work that saw the light of day was the story "The Last Debut" (1889).

In 1890, after graduating military school, Kuprin, with the rank of second lieutenant, was enrolled in an infantry regiment stationed in the Podolsk province. The life of an officer, which he led for four years, provided rich material for his future works. In 1893 - 1894 in the St. Petersburg magazine "Russian wealth" his story "In the Dark" and the stories "Moonlight Night" and "Inquiry" were published. A series of stories is dedicated to the life of the Russian army: "Overnight" (1897), "Night Shift" (1899), "Campaign". In 1894 Kuprin retired and moved to Kiev, having no civilian profession and little life experience. In the following years, he traveled a lot around Russia, having tried many professions, eagerly absorbing life experiences that became the basis of his future works.

During these years, Kuprin met Bunin, Chekhov and Gorky. In 1901 he moved to St. Petersburg, began working as a secretary for the Journal for All, married M. Davydova, and had a daughter, Lydia. Kuprin's stories appeared in St. Petersburg magazines: "Swamp" (1902); "Horse Thieves" (1903); "White Poodle" (1904). In 1905, his most significant work, the story "The Duel", was published, which was a great success. The writer's speeches with the reading of individual chapters of the "Duel" became an event in the cultural life of the capital. His works of this time were very well-behaved: the essay "Events in Sevastopol" (1905), the stories "Staff Captain Rybnikov" (1906), "The River of Life", "Gambrinus" (1907). In 1907 he married a second marriage to sister of mercy E. Heinrich, daughter Ksenia was born.

Kuprin's work in the years between the two revolutions opposed the decadent moods of those years: the cycle of essays "Listrigons" (1907 - 11), stories about animals, the stories "Shulamith", "Garnet Bracelet" (1911). His prose became a prominent phenomenon in Russian literature at the beginning of the century.

After the October Revolution, the writer did not accept the policy of war communism, the "Red Terror", he experienced fear for the fate of Russian culture. In 1918 he came to Lenin with a proposal to publish a newspaper for the village - "Earth". At one time he worked in the publishing house "World Literature", founded by Gorky.

Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin (August 26 (September 7), 1870 - August 25, 1938) was born in the county town of Narovchat, Penza province. Father, Ivan Ivanovich, a petty clerk who died in 1871, Kuprin did not remember. His first childhood memories are connected with widow's house in Moscow, in Kudrin. His mother Kuprina Lyubov Alekseevna, who came from the impoverished family of the Tatar princes Kulunchakov, settled there with her three-year-old son in 1873. In 1876, his mother gave Kuprin to the Moscow Razumovsky boarding school. The first poem composed by Kuprin belongs to the age of seven. Favorite reading in the early years were the novels of F. Cooper, G. Aimard, J. Verne.

The victory of the Russian army in the Russian-Turkish war aroused in the boy a desire to become a military man. In 1880, he passed the exam to the 2nd Moscow Military Academy, which was soon transformed into a cadet corps. Subsequently, in the story "At the Turn (Cadets)" Kuprin described the deformities of the system that prepares future officers. After graduating from the cadet corps, Alexander Ivanovich enters a military school. He will write more than once about his stay at the Moscow Alexander School (1888 - 1890). In the cadet and cadet years, Kuprin gradually matured the dream of becoming a poet and novelist. He meets the writer of the "Iskra" school L. I. Palmin, who advises him to turn to prose and promotes Kuprin's first appearance in print. Lieutenant Kuprin chose at random the 46th Dnieper Infantry Regiment, stationed in the Podolsk province, as the place of his army service.

Service in 1891 - 1894 in the provincial cities of Proskurov and Volochisk gave Kuprin the opportunity to thoroughly learn the everyday life of the tsarist army, which he subsequently described in many works. In 1893, he made an attempt to change the course of his life, to pass the exams at the Academy of the General Staff, but due to a clash with a police officer that occurred in Kiev, on his way to St. Petersburg, he was suspended from taking the exams. Kuprin no longer left his literary work. In the story "In the Dark", the stories "Psyche", " moonlit night”, written in these years, artificial plots and conventional devices still prevail. One of the first works based on personal experience and what he saw was a story from army life “From the Distant Past” (“Inquiry”), published in the St. Petersburg magazine “Russian Wealth” (1894). From the "Inquest" begins a chain of works by Kuprin related to the life of the Russian army.

In August 1894, Kuprin retired with the rank of lieutenant. In the following years (1894 - 1899) he tried many activities, wandering around the south of Russia. On Kiev wharves with an artel of loaders, he unloads barges with watermelons, organizes an athletic society in Kiev, makes a trip to the mines and factories of the Donbass in 1899 and works for several months at one of the factories, in 1897 in Volhynia he serves as a forest ranger, managing the estate, a psalmist, engaged in dental work, in 1899 he joined a provincial troupe for several months, worked as a land surveyor, and became close to circus performers. A huge reserve of observations Kuprin supplemented by stubborn self-education, reading.

It was during these years that Kuprin became a professional writer, since 1894 he has been collaborating in the newspapers Kievskoye Slovo, Life and Art, Kievlyanin. He fully understands the "black newspaper business", he had to write "notes about street incidents or funny scenes from the chambers of justices of the peace", reviews, feuilletons, essays. In December 1896, "Russian wealth" publishes Kuprin's story "Moloch", based on Donetsk impressions. This work became a milestone not only for Kuprin, but for all Russian literature. In 1897, a book of short stories by Kuprin “Miniatures” was published in Kiev. Many of them, initially published in newspapers, outlined themes that would become constant for the writer. In the military environment, the action of "Overnight" and "Breguet" takes place, the story "Allez!" is dedicated to the life of the circus, the story "Dog's Happiness" is one of Kuprin's first appeals to the life of animals. In 1898, the story Olesya was published in the Kievlyanin newspaper. Kuprin turned to memories of the years spent in the military gymnasium in the story “At the Beginning” (1990; later titled “At the Break (Cadets)”).

Kuprin's wanderings in the south continued. In Odessa in 1897, Kuprin met I. A. Bunin; two writers for many years linked a kind of friendship-rivalry in literature. In 1901 Kuprin met Chekhov.

In 1901, Kuprin moved to St. Petersburg, worked as the secretary of the Journal for All. In 1902 he marries Maria Karlovna Davydova, publisher of the magazine "The World of God", in 1903 their daughter Lydia is born.

An important milestone in the life of Kuprin was his acquaintance in 1902 with M. Gorky, rapprochement with the Gorky publishing house "Knowledge", which in 1903 released Kuprin's collection "Stories". At the suggestion of Kuprin, the third collection "Knowledge" (1905) was released in memory of Chekhov, and Kuprin's memoirs about Chekhov appeared in it. A dedication to Gorky was on the first page of Kuprin's story "The Duel", published in May 1905 in the fourth collection "Knowledge".

In the summer and autumn of 1905, Kuprin's story "The Duel" stirred up readers in the Russian army and throughout the country. Living in Balaklava near Sevastopol, Kuprin witnesses the uprising of sailors on the cruiser "Ochakov", helps many of them hide from the punishers. In response to the events of the revolution of 1905 - 1907. were Kuprin's essay "Events in Sevastopol" (1905), the prose poem "Art", the stories "River of Life" (1906), "Gambrinus", "Mechanical Justice", "Giants" (1907), "Wedding" (1908) and others. Lacking a definite political outlook, Kuprin stands firmly on general democratic positions.

In 1907, Kuprin marries (second marriage) sister of mercy Elizaveta Maritsevna Heinrich. In 1908, their daughter Xenia was born. The years of reaction, the dominance of decadence in Russian literature, introduced notes of pessimism and crude naturalism into some of Kuprin's stories ("Seasickness" (1908), "Temptation" (1910)) . The contradictions of Kuprin's work in the years between the revolutions were especially clearly manifested in the story "The Pit".

But on the whole, Kuprin's work was opposed to decadent literature, it is imbued with invariably democratic sympathies. A life-affirming, healthy beginning is present in the cycle of essays "Listrigons" (1907 - 1911). Attention to all manifestations of the living, vigilance of observations is distinguished by Kuprin's stories about animals: "Emerald" (1907), "Starlings" (1906 ), "Zavirayka" (1906). Kuprin writes about love in the stories "Shulamith" (1908), "Garnet Bracelet" (1911).

Kuprin's prose became one of the notable phenomena of Russian literature at the beginning of the century, its literary traditions innovatively, originally enriched by the writer. Compared with his predecessors, Kuprin noticeably strengthened the eventful, plot beginning in his works. The abundance and variety of plots suggested to the writer his life experience. A witness to the beginning of the era of aeronautics, he rises in a balloon, in 1910 he flies on one of the first airplanes in Russia, studies diving and descends to the seabed, is proud of his friendship with the Balaklava fishermen, he is invariably attracted by the magic of the circus. All this brings to the pages of his works a lot of bright colors, the spirit of healthy romance. Kuprin is a master of a fascinating plot, a portrayer of sometimes strange and unlikely events (“Headquarters Captain Rybnikov”, “Captain”, “Solomon's Star”).

From the middle of the 10th. in the work of Kuprin, a decline gradually sets in. Stylistic mastery was honed, the variety of his subjects, but, as a rule, they lack a deep insight into the essence of the rapidly changing historical reality. Since 1911, Kuprin and his family settled in Gatchina near St. Petersburg. In 1912 and 1914 he traveled to France and Italy. During the First World War, especially at its initial stage, Kuprin was possessed by jingoistic moods reflected in his journalism; it seems to the writer that the war helps to unite all classes of Russian society. In his Gatchina estate, he set up a soldier's hospital. Kuprin welcomes the February Revolution, edits the Socialist-Revolutionary newspaper Free Russia. Kuprin's articles written in the first months of October reflected the duality and contradictory nature of his attitude towards the revolution. He writes about the "crystal purity" of the leaders of the Bolsheviks, but opposes the concrete steps of the Soviet government. Kuprin came up with a plan to publish a newspaper for the peasantry, Zemlya, in connection with this, in December 1918, it was adopted by V. I. Lenin. The plan was not destined to materialize. In October 1919, Yudenich's troops occupied Gatchina. Kuprin was mobilized into the White Army and, together with the retreating White Guards, left his homeland. First, he ends up in Estonia, then in Finland, and since 1920, with his wife and daughter, he settled in Paris. In his emigrant years, Kuprin published several collections of prose: “The Dome of St. Isaac Dolmatsky", "Elan", "Wheel of Time", the story "Janeta", the novel "Junker" (1928 - 1933). The main content of the stories and the novel is memories of the Motherland.

Kuprin had a hard time enduring life in a foreign land, he was disgusted by the mores of the emigrant environment. In May 1937, Kuprin and his wife arrived in Moscow. He publishes the essay "Moscow is dear", new creative plans are ripening in him. However, his health was undermined, in August 1938 he died of cancer of the esophagus. Kuprin was buried in Leningrad on the Literary bridges of the Volkov cemetery.

Cheerfulness, humanism, the plastic power of descriptions, the richness of language make Kuprin one of the most widely read writers today. Many of his works have been staged and filmed; they have been translated into a number of foreign languages.

6. A. Kuprin's story "Duel": system of images, plot, composition

The Russian army has repeatedly become the object of the image of Russian writers. At the same time, many of them experienced all the "charms" of army life. Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin in this sense can give a hundred points ahead. Having spent his early childhood in an orphanage, the boy was so inspired by the victory of the Russian army in the Russian-Turkish war that he passed the exam for the Moscow Military Academy, which was soon transformed into a cadet corps. Then he will describe all the deformities of the system of education of future officers in the story “At the Turn (Cadets)”, and shortly before his death he will say: “I have memories of the rods in the cadet corps for the rest of my life.”

These memories were reflected in the further work of the writer, and in 1905 the story "Duel" was published, the features of which will be devoted to this analysis.

The story of A. Kuprin is not just sketches of the life of a provincial garrison: we have before us a huge social generalization. The reader sees the everyday life of the tsarist army, drill, pushing subordinates, and in the evening drunkenness and depravity among the officers, which, in fact, is a reflection of the whole picture of life tsarist Russia.

In the center of the story is the life of army officers. Kuprin managed to create a whole gallery of portraits. These are representatives of the older generation - Colonel Shulgovich, Captain Sliva and Captain Osadchy, who are distinguished by their inhumanity towards the soldiers and recognize exclusively cane discipline. There are also younger officers - Nazansky, Vetkin, Bek-Agamalov. But their life is no better: resigned to the despotic order in the army, they are drunkenly trying to escape from reality. A. Kuprin depicts how in the conditions of the army there is a “dehumanization of a person - a soldier and an officer”, how the Russian army is dying.

Main character story - Lieutenant Yuri Alekseevich Romashov. Kuprin himself will say about him: "He is my double." Indeed, this hero embodies the best features of Kuprin's heroes: honesty, decency, intelligence, but at the same time a certain dreaminess, a desire to change the world for the better. It is no coincidence that Romashov is lonely among officers, which gives Nazansky the right to say: “There is some kind of inner light in you. But in our lair they will extinguish it ".

Indeed, the words of Nazansky will become prophetic, just like the title of the story "Duel". At that time, duels for officers were again allowed as the only opportunity to defend honor and dignity. For Romashov, such a fight will be the first and last in his life.

What will lead the hero to this tragic denouement? Of course, love. Love for a married woman, the wife of a colleague, lieutenant Nikolaev, Shurochka. Yes, among the "boring, monotonous life", among the rude officers and their miserable wives, she seems to be the very perfection of Romashov. It has features that the hero lacks: purposefulness, willpower, perseverance in the implementation of their plans and intentions. Not wanting to vegetate in the provinces, i.e. “go down, become a regimental lady, go to these wild evenings, gossip, intrigue and get angry about various per diem and running ...”, Shurochka is making every effort to prepare her husband for admission to the Academy of the General Staff in St. Petersburg, because “twice they returned to the regiment in disgrace”, so this is the last chance to escape from here to shine with intelligence and beauty in the capital.

It is for this that everything is at stake, and Shurochka quite prudently uses Romashov's love for her. When, after a quarrel between Nikolaev and Romashov, a duel becomes the only possible form of preserving honor, she begs Yuri Alekseevich not to refuse the duel, but to shoot to the side (as Vladimir supposedly should do) so that no one gets hurt. Romashov agrees, and the reader will learn about the outcome of the duel from the official report. Behind the dry lines of the report lies the betrayal of Shurochka, so beloved by Romashov: it becomes clear that the duel was a rigged murder.

So Romashov, who seeks justice, lost in a duel with reality. Having forced his hero to see clearly, the author did not find a further path for him, and the death of an officer became a salvation from moral death.

In 1905, in the collection "Knowledge" (No. 6), the story "Duel", dedicated to M. Gorky, was published. It came out during the days of the Tsushima tragedy1 and immediately became a significant social and literary event. The hero of the story, Lieutenant Romashov, to whom Kuprin gave autobiographical features, also tried to write a novel about the military: “He was drawn to write a story or a long novel, the outline for which would be the horror and boredom of military life.”

An artistic story (and at the same time a document) about a stupid and rotten to the core officer caste, about an army that rested only on the fear and humiliation of the soldiers, was welcomed by the best part of the officers. Kuprin received grateful reviews from different parts of the country. However, most of the officers, typical heroes of the Duel, were outraged.

There are several thematic lines in the story: the officer environment, the military and barracks life of soldiers, personal relationships between people. “In their ... purely human qualities, the officers of the Kuprin story are very different people.<...>... almost each of the officers has the necessary minimum of "good feelings", whimsically mixed with cruelty, rudeness, indifference" (O.N. Mikhailov). Colonel Shulgovich, Captain Sliva, Captain Osadchy are different people, but they are all retrogrades of army upbringing and training. Young officers, in addition to Romashov, are Vetkin, Bobetinsky, Olizar, Lobov, Bek-Agamalov. As the embodiment of everything rude and inhuman among the officers of the regiment, Captain Osadchy stands out. A man of wild passions, cruel, full of hatred for everything, a supporter of cane discipline, he is opposed to the main character of the story, Lieutenant Romashov.

Against the background of degraded, rude officers and their wives, immersed in "cupids" and "gossip", Alexandra Petrovna Nikolaeva, Shurochka, seems unusual. For Romashov, she is ideal. Shurochka is one of the most successful female images at Kuprin. She is attractive, smart, emotional, but also reasonable, pragmatic. Shurochka seems to be truthful by nature, but lies when her interests require it. She preferred Nikolaev to Kazan, whom she loved, but who could not take her away from the outback. Close to her in his spiritual structure, "dear Romochka", who loves her passionately and disinterestedly, captivates her, but also turns out to be an unsuitable party.

The image of the protagonist of the story is given in dynamics. Romashov, being at first in the circle of book ideas, in the world of romantic heroism, ambitious aspirations, gradually begins to see clearly. In this image, the features of the Kuprin hero were embodied with the greatest completeness - a man with feelings of dignity and justice, he is easily vulnerable, often defenseless. Among the officers, Romashov does not find like-minded people, all of them are strangers to him, with the exception of Nazansky, in conversations with whom he takes his soul away. The painful emptiness of army life prompted Romashov to connect with the regimental "seductress", the wife of Captain Peterson Raisa. Of course, this soon becomes unbearable for him.

In contrast to other officers, Romashov has a humane attitude towards soldiers. He shows concern for Khlebnikov, who is constantly humiliated and downtrodden; he can, contrary to the charter, tell the senior officer about another injustice, but he is powerless to change anything in this system. The service oppresses him. Romashov comes to the idea of ​​denying the war: “Suppose, tomorrow, suppose, this second this thought came to everyone’s mind: Russians, Germans, British, Japanese ... and now there is no more war, there are no officers and soldiers, everyone has gone home ".

Romashov is a type of passive dreamer, his dream is not a source of inspiration, not a stimulus for direct action, but a means of escape, escape from reality. The attraction of this hero is in his sincerity.

Having survived a spiritual crisis, he enters a kind of duel with this world. The duel with the unlucky Nikolaev, which ends the story, becomes a private expression of Romashov's irreconcilable conflict with reality. However, the simple, ordinary, "natural" Romashov, out of his environment, with tragic inevitability turns out to be too weak and lonely to gain the upper hand. Betrayed by his beloved, charming in his own way, life-loving, but selfishly prudent Shurochka, Romashov dies.

In 1905, Kuprin witnessed the execution of rebellious sailors on the cruiser Ochakov, and helped hide several survivors from the cruiser. These events were reflected in his essay "Events in Sevastopol", after the publication of which a court case was opened against Kuprin - he was forced to leave Sevastopol within 24 hours.

1907-1909 was a difficult period in Kuprin's creative and personal life, accompanied by feelings of disappointment and confusion after the defeat of the revolution, family hardships, and a break with Knowledge. Changes occurred in the political views of the writer. The revolutionary explosion still seemed inevitable to him, but now it scared him a lot. "Disgusting ignorance will kill beauty and science..." - he writes ("Army and Revolution in Russia").

7.Romantic beginning in the early works of M. Gorky

The beginning of the 90s of the XIX century is a difficult and uncertain time. Chekhov and Bunin, Gorky's older contemporaries, depict this period with the utmost realistic truthfulness in their works. Gorky himself declares the need to search for new ways in literature. In a letter to Pyatnitsky dated July 25, 1900, he writes: “The task of literature is to capture in colors, words, sounds, and forms what is best, beautiful, honest, noble in a person. In particular, my task is to arouse in a person pride in himself, to tell him that he is the best, the most sacred in life, and that apart from him there is nothing worthy of attention. The world is the fruit of his creativity, God is a particle of his mind and heart...” The writer understands that in real modern life a person is oppressed and powerless, and therefore says: “The time has come for a romantic ...”
Indeed, the features of romanticism predominate in Gorky's early stories. First of all, because they depict a romantic situation of confrontation strong man(Danko, Larra, Sokol) with the world around him, as well as the problem of man as a person in general. The action of stories and legends is transferred to fantastic conditions (“He stood between the boundless steppe and the endless sea”). The world of works is sharply demarcated into light and darkness, and these differences are important in assessing the characters: after Larra, a shadow remains, after Danko, sparks.
Gorky uses elements of folklore. He animates nature (“The haze of the autumn night shuddered and fearfully looked around, revealing the steppe and the sea...”). Man and nature are often identified and can even talk (Ragim's conversation with a wave). Animals and birds acting in stories become symbols (Already and Falcon). The use of the legend genre allows the writer to most clearly express his thoughts and ideas in an allegorical form.
Gorky clearly prefers people who are free from the laws of society. His favorite characters are gypsies, beggars, thieves. It cannot be said that the writer idealizes thieves, but the same Chelkash, in terms of moral qualities, is incommensurably higher than the peasant. A man possessed by a dream, a man with a capital letter, is much more interesting for a writer. The central figure of Gorky's early romantic work is introduced in the poem "Man". Man is called to illuminate the whole world, to unravel the knots of all delusions, he is "tragically beautiful." Danko is also depicted in the same way: “I am going to burn as brightly as possible and to illuminate the darkness of life more deeply. And death for me is my reward.” The concepts of “people” and “man” are directly opposed by Gorky: “I want each of the people to be a “Man”!”
The question of human freedom is also fundamental for Gorky. The theme of a free man is the main theme of his first story "Makar Chudra", as well as many other works, including "Songs about the Falcon". The concept of "freedom" for the writer is associated with the concepts of "truth" and "feat". If in the story “Makar Chudra” Gorky is interested in freedom “from something”, then in “Old Woman Izergil” - freedom “in the name”. Larra, the son of an eagle and a woman, is not human enough to be with people, but not an eagle enough to do without people. His lack of freedom is in his selfishness, and therefore he is punished by loneliness and immortality, and after him only a shadow remains. Danko, on the contrary, turns out to be a freer person, because he is free from himself and lives for the sake of others. Danko's act can be called a feat, because a feat for Gorky is the highest degree of freedom from self-love.

In his early works, Gorky appears to readers as a romantic. Romanticism presupposes the assertion of an exceptional personality, acting one on one with the world, approaching reality from the standpoint of its ideal, making exceptional demands on the environment. The hero is head and shoulders above the people who are next to him, he rejects their society. This explains the loneliness typical of the romantic, because people do not understand him and reject his ideal. Therefore, the romantic hero finds an equal beginning only in communication with the elements, with the world of nature, ocean, sea, mountains, rocks. Creating images of such heroes, he was not afraid to embellish life, using artistic techniques, found by the romantics - predecessors: an exceptional personality in exceptional circumstances, an exotic landscape and portrait that emphasize this exclusivity, antithesis as the basis of the composition of the work, the proximity of the prose word to the poetic one, rhythm, saturation with paths, symbolism. The confrontation between romance and reality, romance and the surrounding world is a fundamental feature of this literary movement. Gorky turns to the search for a new hero - a man with a “thirst for the future”, capable of feats ... We need words that would sound like a tocsin bell, disturb everything and, shaking, push forward, ”Gorky wrote. That is why in his early stories he turns to heroes capable of over a boring monotonous existence (“Chelkash”, “Once Upon a Fall”, “Emelyan Pilyai”). Exceptional characters appear, with powerful, all-subduing impulses: to freedom (“Makar Chudra”, “Song of the Falcon”), love (“The Girl and Death”), to the fight (“Song of the Petrel”).

These are the heroes of the story "Makar Chudra" - Loiko and Rada, two beautiful, smart and strong, in love with human freedom, ready to die, but not to lose freedom, this precious gift of nature, even for the sake of another strong feeling - love.

In the work "Old Woman Izergil" the writer poses and solves the problem of purpose and meaning human life. Compositionally, the story is divided into three parts and a literary frame, which talks about the vicissitudes of the fleeting human existence, about the diversity of human nature. In the first part of the story, Larra's extreme individualism and egocentrism is denounced, for which life and immortality in solitude become torment. The tragedy of Larra is in alienation from her own kind, in the destruction of the connection between people, leading to the loss of the meaning of life. The wisest elders, who headed the clan, tried Larra for the murder of an innocent girl who had rejected his love. People understand that it is impossible to violate the sacred laws of humanity, love, unity, even if you are the son of an eagle and consider yourself superior to those around you. Life becomes meaningless for someone who is expelled from human society and withdrawn into himself, Larra "became like a shadow."

The second part of the story is the life story of the old woman Izergil. The writer calls this life "greedy". She was a rather selfish woman, indifferent to the suffering of others (her attitude to her beloved, to her daughter), only at the end of her life, having lost her former power over people and beauty, she begins to rethink what she did before, and remembers with gratitude those who loved her . She utters the phrase that "in life there is always a place for exploits." Everything in the image of Izergil reminds the author of Lara, first of all, her individualism, taken to extremes, almost approaching Larra's individualism, her antiquity, her stories about people who have long passed their circle of life. With the help of the portrait, the author achieves a convergence of two images - Larra and Izergil. Izergil herself cannot even think of such a rapprochement.

The third part of the story, the legend of Danko, is devoted to the affirmation of the idea of ​​high happiness to give one's life in the name of saving people, the affirmation of the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe high goal and the price of such a life. In an atmosphere of inertia, sleepy consciousness, selfishness, the hero wants to awaken bright impulses in the souls of miserable, cowardly fellow tribesmen. In anger and anger, people fall upon the one who undertook to lead them out of the Danko forest. And only love for the “lost”, the fire of the desire to save them, to lead them on an easy path, expels indignation from Danko’s heart, he chooses the only right path - forward. Danko's heart, torn out to save the people, "blazed as brightly as the sun, and brighter than the sun!" The darkness has been overcome, and cruel people do not even notice the death of Danko.

Each hero of the work - Larra, Danko, Izergil - is a bright personality, towering above the ordinary. But the presence of the qualities of a strong personality is still not enough for a positive attitude towards it. It is much more important to achieve what goals this force is directed to. In contrast and comparison of the heroes of the work, the idea of ​​a feat in the name of common happiness is affirmed.

The landscape in the story not only creates an atmosphere of "fabulousness", unusualness, but also serves as a way of expressing the generalized philosophical meaning of the work. There is a connection romantic works folklore writer. His heroes from the legend, even the very genre of the legend, fairy tale gives opportunities to Gorky's romantic pathos. The same traditions are associated with the reception of the literary framing of the story, when the narration is conducted not on behalf of the author, but on behalf of the narrator - the old woman Izergil, the old gypsy Makar Chudra. Gorky uses a special syntactic structure of the work - rhythmic, melodious, similar to poetry. Rhythm is achieved by a special selection of words, setting a definition after the word being defined, an abundance of colorful epithets and metaphors (proud, free, free, rebellious, great), repetitive images (the image of a burning heart and blood).

8. What is common between Foma Gordeev and the heroes of Gorky's early stories?

9. Gorky's autobiographical prose ("Childhood", "In People")

The life experience and work of AI Kuprin are extremely closely related to each other. The autobiographical element occupies an important place in the writer's books. For the most part, the author wrote about what he saw with his own eyes, experienced with his soul, but not as an observer, but as a direct participant in life's dramas and comedies. What was experienced and seen was transformed in different ways in creativity - these were both cursory sketches and exact description specific situations, and a deep socio-psychological analysis.

At the beginning of his literary activity the classic paid much attention to everyday color. But even then he showed a penchant for social analysis. In his entertaining book "Kiev Types" there is not only a picturesque everyday exotic, but also a hint of the all-Russian social environment. At the same time, Kuprin does not delve into the psychology of people. It was not until years later that he began to carefully and scrupulously study diverse human material.

This was especially clearly manifested in such a theme of his work as an army environment. It is with the army that the first realistic work writer - the story "Inquiry" (1894). In it, he described a type of person who suffers at the sight of injustice, but is spiritually restless, devoid of strong-willed qualities and unable to fight evil. And such an indecisive truth seeker begins to accompany all of Kuprin's work.

Army stories are notable for the writer's faith in the Russian soldier. She makes such works as "Army Ensign", "Night Shift", "Overnight" truly spiritualized. Kuprin shows the soldier as resilient, with a rude but healthy humor, intelligent, observant, inclined to original philosophizing.

The final stage of creative searches at an early stage of literary activity was the story "Moloch" (1896), which brought real fame to the young writer. In this story, at the center of the action is a humane, kind, impressionable person, reflecting on life. Society itself is shown as a transitional formation, that is, one in which changes are brewing, unclear not only actors but also to the author.

A great place in the work of A. I. Kuprin was occupied by love. The writer can even be called a singer of love. An example of this is the story "At the junction" (1894). The beginning of the story does not portend anything sublime. A train, a compartment, a married couple - an elderly boring official, his young beautiful wife and a young artist who happened to be with them. He is interested in the official's wife, and she is interested in him.

At first glance, the story of a banal romance and adultery. But no, the skill of the writer turns a trivial plot into a serious topic. The story shows how a chance meeting illuminates the lives of two good people with honest souls. Kuprin so psychologically verified built a small work that he was able to say a lot in it.

But the most remarkable work dedicated to the theme of love is the story "Olesya". It can be called a forest fairy tale, drawn with the authenticity and precision of details inherent in realistic art. The girl herself is a whole, serious, deep nature, there is a lot of sincerity and spontaneity in her. And the hero of the story is an ordinary person with an amorphous character. But under the influence of a mysterious forest girl, he brightens his soul and seems ready to become a noble and whole person.

The work of AI Kuprin conveys not only the concrete, everyday, visible, but also rises to symbolism, which implies the very spirit of certain phenomena. Such, for example, is the story "Swamp". The overall color of the story is heavy and gloomy, similar to the swamp fog in which the action takes place. This almost plotless work shows the slow dying peasant family in the forest shed.

The artistic means used by the classic are such that there is a feeling of a fatal nightmare. And the very image of a forest, dark and sinister swamp acquires an expanded meaning, creates the impression of some kind of abnormal swamp life, smoldering in the gloomy corners of a vast country.

In 1905, the story "Duel" was published, in which the methods of psychological analysis indicate Kuprin's connection with the traditions of Russian classics of the 19th century. In this work, the writer showed himself to be a first-class master of the word. He once again proved his ability to comprehend the dialectics of soul and thought, to paint typical characters and typical circumstances artistically.

A few words should also be said about the story "Staff Captain Rybnikov". Before Kuprin, no one in Russian and foreign literature did not create such a psychological detective story. The fascination of the story lies in the picturesque two-dimensional image of Rybnikov and the psychological duel between him and the journalist Shchavinsky, as well as in the tragic denouement that occurs under unusual circumstances.

The poetry of labor and the aroma of the sea are fanned with the stories of "Listrigons", which tell about Balaklava Greek fishermen. In this cycle, the classic showed in all its beauty the original corner Russian Empire. In the stories, the concreteness of the descriptions is combined with a kind of epic and ingenuous fabulousness.

In 1908, the story "Shulamith" appeared, which was called a hymn to female beauty and youth. This is a poem in prose, combining sensuality and spirituality. There is a lot of bold, bold, frank in the poem, but there is no falsehood. The work tells about the poetic love of the king and a simple girl, ending tragically. Shulamith becomes a victim of dark forces. The sword of the killer slays her, but he cannot destroy the memory of her and her love.

I must say that the classic has always been interested in "small", " ordinary people". Such a person he made a hero in the story "Garnet Bracelet" (1911). The meaning of this brilliant story is that love is as strong as death. The originality of the work lies in the gradual and almost imperceptible increase in the tragic theme. There is also a touch of Shakespeare. She breaks through the quirks of a funny official and conquers the reader.

The story "Black Lightning" (1912) is interesting in its own way. In it, the work of A. I. Kuprin opens from another side. This work depicts provincial provincial Russia with its apathy and ignorance. But it also shows those spiritual forces that lurk in provincial towns and show up from time to time.

During the First World War, from the pen of the classic came such a work as "Violets", glorifying the springtime in a person's life. And the continuation was social criticism, embodied in the story "Cantaloupe". In it, the writer draws the image of a cunning businessman and a hypocrite who profits from military supplies.

Even before the war, Kuprin began to work on a powerful and deep social canvas, which he called gloomily and briefly - "The Pit". The first part of this story was published in 1909, and in 1915 the publication of The Pit was completed. The work created true images of women who found themselves at the bottom of life. The classic masterfully portrayed personality traits characters and gloomy nooks and crannies of the big city.

Being in exile after the October Revolution and civil war, Kuprin began to write about old Russia, as about an amazing past that always pleased and amused him. Main essence of his works of this period was to reveal inner peace their heroes. At the same time, the writer often turned to the memories of his youth. This is how the novel "Junker" appeared, which made a significant contribution to Russian prose.

The classic describes the loyal mood of future infantry officers, youthful love, and such eternal theme how maternal love. And of course, the writer does not forget nature. It is communication with nature that fills the youthful soul with joy and gives impetus to the first philosophical reflections.

The "Junkers" masterfully and competently describe the life of the school, while it is not only informative, but also historical information. The novel is also interesting in the gradual formation of a young soul. A chronicle unfolds before the reader spiritual development one of the Russian youths of the late XIX - early XX century. This work can be called an elegy in prose with great artistic and cognitive merits.

The skill of the realist artist, sympathy for the ordinary citizen with his everyday worldly concerns were extremely clearly manifested in the miniature essays dedicated to Paris. The writer united them under one name - "Paris at Home". When the work of AI Kuprin was in its infancy, he created a cycle of essays about Kiev. And after many years in exile, the classic returned to the genre of urban sketches, only the place of Kiev was now taken by Paris.

French impressions were reunited in a peculiar way with nostalgic memories of Russia in the novel Janet. It was heartfeltly conveyed the state of restlessness, spiritual loneliness, unquenched thirst to find close soul. The novel "Janeta" is one of the most masterful and psychologically subtle works and, perhaps, the saddest creation of the classic.

Witty and original in its essence, the fabulously legendary work "The Blue Star" appears before the readers. In this romantic fairy tale the main theme is love. The action of the plot takes place in an unknown fantasy country, where an unknown people live with their own culture, customs, and mores. And a brave traveler, a French prince, penetrates this unknown country. And of course, he meets a fairy princess.

Both she and the traveler are beautiful. They fell in love with each other, but the girl considers herself an ugly girl, and all the people consider her ugly, although she loves her for her good heart. And the thing was that the people who inhabited the country were real freaks, but considered themselves handsome. The princess did not look like her compatriots, and she was perceived as an ugly woman.

A brave traveler takes the girl to France, and there she realizes that she is beautiful, and the prince who saved her is also beautiful. But she considered him a freak, like herself, and was very sorry. This work has entertaining good-natured humor, and the plot is somewhat reminiscent of good old fairy tales. All this made the "Blue Star" a significant phenomenon in Russian literature.

In exile, the work of A. I. Kuprin continued to serve Russia. The writer himself lived an intense fruitful life. But every year it became more and more difficult for him. The stock of Russian impressions was running out, and the classic could not merge with foreign reality. The concern for a piece of bread was also important. And therefore it is impossible not to pay tribute to the talented author. Despite the difficult years for himself, he managed to make a significant contribution to Russian literature..

In literature, the name of Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin is associated with an important transitional stage at the turn of two centuries. Not the last role in this was played by a historical breakdown in the political and public life of Russia. This factor undoubtedly had the strongest influence on the writer's work. A. I. Kuprin is a man of unusual fate and strong character. Almost all of his works are based on real events. An ardent fighter for justice sharply, boldly and at the same time lyrically created his masterpieces, which were included in the golden fund of Russian literature.

Kuprin was born in 1870 in the town of Narovchat, Penza province. His father, a small landowner, died suddenly when the future writer was only a year old. Left with his mother and two sisters, he grew up enduring hunger and all sorts of hardships. Experiencing serious financial difficulties associated with the death of her husband, the mother placed her daughters in a government boarding school, and together with little Sasha moved to Moscow.

Kuprin's mother, Lyubov Alekseevna, was a proud woman, as she was a descendant of a noble Tatar family, as well as a native Muscovite. But she had to make a difficult decision for herself - to give her son up for education in an orphanage school.

Kuprin's childhood years, spent within the walls of the boarding house, were bleak, and his inner state always seemed depressed. He felt out of place, felt bitterness from the constant oppression of his personality. After all, given the origin of the mother, which the boy was always very proud of, future writer as he matured and developed, he showed himself as an emotional, active and charismatic person.

Youth and education

After graduating from the orphan school, Kuprin entered a military gymnasium, which was later transformed into a cadet corps.

This event had a significant impact on further fate Alexander Ivanovich and, first of all, on his work. After all, it was from the beginning of his studies at the gymnasium that he first revealed an interest in writing, and the image of Lieutenant Romashov from the famous story “Duel” is the prototype of the author himself.

Service in an infantry regiment allowed Kuprin to visit many remote cities and provinces of Russia, to study military affairs, the basics of army discipline and drill. The theme of officer everyday life has taken a strong position in many works of art the author, which subsequently caused controversial disputes in society.

It would seem that a military career is the fate of Alexander Ivanovich. But his rebellious nature did not allow this to materialize. By the way, the service was completely alien to him. There is a version that Kuprin, being under the influence of alcohol, threw a police officer off the bridge into the water. In connection with this incident, he soon retired and left military affairs forever.

History of success

Leaving the service, Kuprin experienced an urgent need to obtain comprehensive knowledge. Therefore, he began to actively travel around Russia, get to know people, draw from communication with them a lot of new and useful things for himself. At the same time, Alexander Ivanovich sought to try his hand at various professions. He gained experience in the field of surveyors, circus artists, anglers, even pilots. However, one of the flights almost ended in tragedy: as a result of the plane crash, Kuprin almost died.

He also worked with interest as a journalist in various printed publications, wrote notes, essays, articles. The vein of an adventurer allowed him to successfully develop everything he started. He was open to everything new and absorbed what was happening around him like a sponge. Kuprin was a researcher by nature: he eagerly studied human nature, wanted to experience all the facets of interpersonal communication for himself. Therefore, during military service, faced with obvious officer promiscuity, hazing and humiliation of human dignity, the creator in a revealing manner formed the basis for writing his most famous works, such as "Duel", "Junkers", "At the Turn (Cadets)".

The writer built the plots of all his works, relying solely on personal experience and memories received by him during his service and travels in Russia. Openness, simplicity, sincerity of the presentation of thoughts, as well as the reliability of the description of the images of the characters became the key to the author's success in the literary path.

Creation

Kuprin yearned with all his heart for his people, and his explosive and honest nature, due to the Tatar origin of his mother, would not allow him to distort in writing those facts about the life of people whom he personally witnessed.

However, Alexander Ivanovich did not condemn all of his characters, even bringing their dark sides to the surface. Being a humanist and a desperate fighter for justice, Kuprin figuratively demonstrated this feature of his in the work "The Pit". It tells about the life of the inhabitants of brothels. But the writer does not focus on the heroines as fallen women, on the contrary, he invites readers to understand the prerequisites for their fall, in the torment of their hearts and souls, he offers to see in every whore, first of all, a person.

More than one of Kuprin's works is saturated with the theme of love. The most striking of them is the story "". In it, as in "The Pit", there is an image of a narrator, an explicit or implicit participant in the events described. But the narrator in Oles is one of the two main characters. This is a story about noble love, partly the heroine considers herself unworthy of it, whom everyone takes for a witch. However, the girl has nothing to do with her. On the contrary, her image embodies all possible female virtues. The ending of the story cannot be called happy, because the characters do not reunite in their sincere impulse, but are forced to lose each other. But happiness lies for them in the fact that they had a chance in life to experience the power of all-consuming mutual love.

Of course, the story "Duel" deserves special attention as a reflection of all the horrors of army customs that reigned then in tsarist Russia. This is a vivid confirmation of the features of realism in the work of Kuprin. Perhaps that is why the story caused a flurry of negative reviews from critics and the public. The hero of Romashov, in the same rank of second lieutenant as Kuprin himself, who once retired, like the author, appears before readers in the light of an extraordinary personality, whose psychological growth we have the opportunity to observe from page to page. This book brought wide fame to its creator and rightfully occupies one of the central places in his bibliography.

Kuprin did not support the revolution in Russia, although at first he met quite often with Lenin. Ultimately, the writer emigrated to France, where he continued his literary work. In particular, Alexander Ivanovich liked to write for children. Some of his stories ("White Poodle", "", "Starlings") undoubtedly deserve the attention of the target audience.

Personal life

Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin was married twice. The first wife of the writer was Maria Davydova, the daughter of a famous cellist musician. In marriage, a daughter, Lydia, was born, who later died during her birth. The only grandson of Kuprin, who was born, died from wounds received during the Second World War.

The second time the writer married Elizabeth Heinrich, with whom he lived until the end of his days. The marriage produced two daughters, Zinaida and Xenia. But the first one died early childhood from pneumonia, and the second became a famous actress. However, the continuation of the Kuprin family did not follow, and today he has no direct descendants.

The second wife of Kuprin survived him by only four years and, unable to withstand the ordeal of hunger during the siege of Leningrad, committed suicide.

1. Kuprin was proud of his Tatar origin, so he often put on a national caftan and skullcap, going out in such attire to people, went to visit.
2. Partly thanks to his acquaintance with I. A. Bunin, Kuprin became a writer. Bunin once turned to him with a request to write a note on a topic of interest to him, which marked the beginning of the literary activity of Alexander Ivanovich.
3. The author was famous for his sense of smell. Once, while visiting Fyodor Chaliapin, he shocked everyone present, overshadowing the invited perfumer with his unique flair, unmistakably recognizing all the components of the new fragrance. Sometimes, when meeting new people, Alexander Ivanovich sniffed them, thereby putting everyone in an awkward position. It was said that this helped him better understand the essence of the person in front of him.
4. Throughout his life, Kuprin changed about twenty professions.
5. After meeting A. P. Chekhov in Odessa, the writer went to St. Petersburg at his invitation to work in a well-known magazine. Since then, the author has acquired a reputation as a brawler and drunkard, as he often took part in entertainment events in a new environment for himself.
6. The first wife, Maria Davydova, tried to eradicate some disorganization inherent in Alexander Ivanovich. If he fell asleep during work, she deprived him of breakfast, or forbade him to enter the house if the new chapters of the work on which he was working at that time were not ready.
7. The first monument to A.I. Kuprin was erected only in 2009 in Balaklava in the Crimea. This is due to the fact that in 1905, during the Ochakov uprising of sailors, the writer helped them hide, thereby saving their lives.
8. There were legends about the drunkenness of the writer. In particular, the wits repeated the well-known saying: "If the truth is in wine, how many truths are there in Kuprin?"

Death

The writer returned from emigration to the USSR in 1937, but already in poor health. He had hopes that a second wind would open in his homeland, he would improve his condition and be able to write again. At that time, Kuprin's vision was rapidly deteriorating.

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Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin is a famous Russian writer and translator. He made a significant contribution to the fund of Russian literature. His works were particularly realistic, thanks to which he received recognition in various sectors of society.

Brief biography of Kuprin

Your attention is invited short biography Kuprin. She, like everything else, contains a lot.

Childhood and parents

Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin was born on August 26, 1870 in the city of Narovchat, in the family of a simple official. When little Alexander was only one year old, his father, Ivan Ivanovich, died.

After the death of her husband, the mother of the future writer, Lyubov Alekseevna, decided to go to Moscow. It was in this city that Kuprin spent his childhood and youth.

Education and the beginning of a creative path

When young Sasha was 6 years old, he was sent to study at the Moscow Orphan School, from which he graduated in 1880.

Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin

In 1887, Kuprin was enrolled in the Alexander Military School.

During this period of his biography, he had to face various difficulties, which he would later write about in the stories “At the Break (The Cadets)” and “Junkers”.

Alexander Ivanovich had a good ability to write poetry, but they remained unpublished.

In 1890, the writer served in an infantry regiment with the rank of second lieutenant.

While in this rank, he writes such stories as "Inquest", "In the Dark", "Night Shift" and "Campaign".

The heyday of creativity

In 1894, Kuprin decided to resign, being at that time already in the rank of lieutenant. Immediately after that, he begins to travel around, meeting different people and gaining new knowledge.

During this period, he manages to get acquainted with, Maxim Gorky and.

Kuprin's biography is interesting in that he immediately took all the impressions and experiences he received during his considerable travels as a basis for future works.

In 1905, the story "Duel" was published, which received real recognition in society. In 1911, his most significant work, The Garnet Bracelet, appeared, which made Kuprin truly famous.

It should be noted that it was easy for him to write not only serious literature, but also children's stories.

Emigration

One of the most important moments in Kuprin's life was the October Revolution. In a short biography it is difficult to describe all the experiences of the writer associated with this time.

Let us briefly note that he categorically refused to accept the ideology of war communism and the terror associated with it. Assessing the current situation, Kuprin almost immediately decides to emigrate to.

In a foreign land, he continues to write novels and short stories, as well as to engage in translation activities. For Alexander Kuprin it was unthinkable to live without creativity, which is clearly seen throughout his biography.

Return to Russia

Over time, in addition to material difficulties, Kuprin increasingly begins to experience nostalgia for his homeland. He manages to return back to Russia only after 17 years. Then he writes his last work, which is called "Moscow dear".

Last years of life and death

Soviet officials benefited from a well-known writer who returned to his homeland. From it they tried to create the image of a repentant writer who came from a foreign land to sing happy.

On the return of Kuprin to the USSR, 1937, Pravda

However, in the memos of the competent authorities, it was recorded that Kuprin was weak, ill, unable to work and, practically, unable to write anything.

By the way, that is why information appeared that "Moscow dear" does not belong to Kuprin himself, but to the journalist N.K. Verzhbitsky assigned to him.

August 25, 1938 Alexander Kuprin died of cancer of the esophagus. He was buried in Leningrad at the Volkovskoye cemetery, next to the great writer.

• When Kuprin was not yet famous, he managed to master a wide variety of professions. He worked in a circus, was an artist, teacher, surveyor and journalist. In total, he mastered more than 20 different professions.
• The writer's first wife, Maria Karlovna, did not like the unrest and disorganization in Kuprin's work. So, for example, having caught him sleeping at the workplace, she deprived him of breakfast. And when he did not write the necessary chapters for a story, his wife refused to let him into the house. How can one not recall an American scientist who is under pressure from his wife!
• Kuprin liked to dress in the national Tatar outfit, and walk in this form through the streets. On the maternal side, he had Tatar roots, which he was always proud of.
• Kuprin personally communicated with Lenin. He suggested that the leader create a newspaper for the villagers called "Earth".
• In 2014, the television series "Kuprin" was filmed, which tells about the life of the writer.
• According to the memoirs of his contemporaries, Kuprin was a truly very kind and indifferent person to the fate of others.
• Many settlements, streets and libraries are named after Kuprin.

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