Five Writers of the Golden Age of Russia
Five Writers of the Golden Age of Russia
Russian writers have a special place in the world of literature. Not only the literature of the whole world, but also politics, economy, and even society can see an influence of Russian literature. Almost every writer and reader, young and old, can be seen appreciating Russian literature. There is no other example of such an influence of writers from any one country. Long Russian literature reached the peak of its abundance in the nineteenth century. With new languages, new art, modernity and ornamentation, Russian literature then brought a revolution. The waves of the revolution reached beyond Russia to the entire world. The world is still enveloped in the fragrance of the Golden Age of Russian literature.
Many great writers have glorified this Golden Age. They have enriched it with their own qualities. Today's discussion is about five of them.
Alexander Pushkin
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin is called the Shakespeare of Russian literature. The golden age of Russian literature began with Pushkin. Although he is called the father of modern Russian poetry, he revived the entire Russian literature through plays, short stories and novels. Pushkin was born in 1799 and died in 1837. Pushkin was born into an aristocratic family ruled by the Tsar of Moscow. Although he was born into nobility, he lived a revolutionary and militant life. The father of Russian literature, he spoke mainly in French for the first ten years of his life. At the age of just 15, he impressed everyone by writing a completely new type of poetry. His poems are mainly romantic. 'Message of Europe', 'Ruslam and Ludman', 'The Bronze Horseman', 'Boris Godunov' are some of his famous literary works. The poetic novel 'Eugene Onegin', which he wrote throughout his life, is his most beloved literary work. Although it is so difficult to understand that two volumes were needed to translate the book of only 100 pages into English. Pushkin was influenced by the liberal philosophy of Kant and Voltaire. He was a reformist, constantly writing against the monarchy. He wrote revolutionary poems and read them repeatedly under the wrath of the government. He had to spend several years in exile. His poetry and life complemented each other. Pushkin was the first Russian writer whose writings have spread worldwide. Alexander Pushkin lived a crazy life. He was stubborn and wild. He fought numerous duels. The poet was shot in one such duel on the banks of the Black River. Two days later, the debt-ridden, eccentric Pushkin died at the age of 38, having changed the map of Russian literature by that time.
Nikolai Gogol
Pushkin's friend Gogol was born 10 years after Pushkin (in 1809), and died 15 years after (in 1852). That is, like Pushkin, Gogol also lived a short life, only 43 years. Gogol was born into a literary family in Ukraine, then in the Roman Empire. As the heir to a literary family, he was a lover of literature from childhood. He got involved in drama and poetry at a young age. Like Pushkin's friend Pushkin, he lived a crazy life. Gogol published his first book of poems at his own expense. When no one bought a copy of the book, he burned all the copies in a fit of rage. However, he did not stop writing. He wrote continuously. He traveled throughout the Soviet Union, Switzerland, Germany and Italy. He even went to Palestine. He made friends with all the philosophers, writers, and even some spiritual masters of the Soviet Union. He worked in several jobs, but could not settle on any of them. In his early life, Nikolai Gogol used to write poems and stories with the words of the Ukrainian village. Gradually, changes were seen in his writing. Especially his friendship with Pushkin enriched him as a writer, as it did Pushkin. His writings are marked by a mixture of reality and farce or satire, which set him apart from everyone else. It is believed that he satirized the tsarist regime in his writings. Among his many writings, the most famous are the short story The Overcoat, and the novel Myortvye Dushi or Dead Souls. It is mainly because of this novel that Gogol is called the pioneer of the modern Russian novel. After the death of his dear friend Pushkin in 1837, Gogol broke down. He gradually turned towards spirituality. Leaving everything behind, he continued to focus on spiritual practices. He began to feel that the devil was making him write sinful writings. As a result, he burned the second part of his last work Dead Souls. In this way, he completed a cycle by burning the first and last works of his life. After burning the last work, he became bedridden, stopped eating, and after 10 days of continuous torment, Nikolai Gogol, one of the greatest talents of modern Russian literature, left the world.
Fyodor Dostoevsky
1849 Russia was under the rule of the Tsar. A group of people were taken to the firing squad for running a progressive secret organization. The stage was set. The revolutionaries were to be shot. At the very last moment, a new order came, the prisoners were spared the death penalty. They were sent into exile. One of them lost his mind while crossing the long cold road. The rest went to Siberia, spent 4 years of hard exile. Then another five years of compulsory military life. One of this group was Fyodor Dostoevsky; novelist, short story writer and philosopher. A brilliant name in world literature. Fyodor Dostoevsky was born in Moscow in 1821. At the age of 24, his first novel, 'Poor Folk', was published, which is called the first social novel in Russia. His four main novels are 'Crime and Punishment', 'The Idiot', 'The Demons', and 'The Brothers Karamazov'. He is famous for using the Steam of Conscience in his novels, which was later made famous by James Joyce. His characters are tough, tough. The characters are tired and confused when they fall into a particular state of morality. His novels are, in James Joyce's words, full of 'violence'. Dostoevsky has influenced a large number of writers and philosophers with his writings and philosophy. For example, James Joyce got the idea for his 'Ulysses' from Dostoevsky's 'The Brothers Karamazov'. His writings have been greatly influenced by Albert Camus, Franz Kafka, Friedrich Nietzsche, Samuel Bucky, and even Albert Einstein. Dostoevsky was diagnosed with epilepsy at a young age, and suffered from this disease throughout his life. He was a terrible gambler. His statue is still installed in a casino in Germany. He lost all his savings by gambling, even all his food and lodging, brought back the money to save for his sick wife's treatment, and wrote a novel under contract to pay off his debts. Still, he continued to gamble. He was not happy with his first wife, and she also died of tuberculosis. He took the help of a stenographer to quickly write novels. He fell in love with Anna, a 25-year-old stenographer, again. They got married. Anna had put his life in order. In 1881, at the age of 59, 2 months before his death, Fyodor Dostoevsky finished one of his best novels, 'The Brothers Karamazov,' which he dedicated to his beloved wife Anna..
Leo Tolstoy
The biggest controversy of the Nobel Prize so far is the failure to award the Nobel Prize in Literature to Leo Tolstoy. The great Tolstoy died in 1910. Even then, the Nobel Committee could not award the Nobel Prize to Leo Tolstoy, the biggest name in world literature. Not only then, but Tolstoy is still a great figure in world literature. His works 'War and Peace' and 'Anna Karenina' are the two highest names on the list of the best novels in world literature. 'War and Peace' was written over a long period of 5 years, the novel is over a thousand pages long. The number of characters is over six hundred. Its story is about Napoleon Bonaparte's invasion of Russia and the game of destruction of several aristocratic families. 'Anna Karenina' is a novel written over 3 years. Anna Karenina, a story of the vast Russian society of that time and a simple and troubled love story, is also a huge novel. Although he wrote Resurrection, autobiography and several timeless stories, Leo Tolstoy is known for these two novels. Tolstoy was born in 1828 into a noble Russian family. He lost his parents at a young age. He was incredibly talented and hardworking from childhood. According to Maxim Gorky, Tolstoy was a world in himself. He learned Latin, English, Arabic, Italian, Hebrew and several other languages on his own. He read a lot of books, and whenever he felt the need to read a foreign book in its original language, he would try to read it after learning the original language. At a young age, he did not know whether he would enter the world of literature. Inspired by his close friend, another famous writer, Turgenev, he started writing. He wrote his first book, ‘Childhood’, and the other two volumes of his autobiography within a few years. Usually, people write autobiographies towards the end of their lives, but Tolstoy began his writing with autobiographies. His life was so eventful. After the death of his parents at a young age, his grandmother died, and later, while he was growing up under the shelter of an aunt, the aunt also died. Despite all this sorrow, he could not complete his studies. He became attracted to the philosophy of Montesco and Rousseau. When he returned home and tried to run a landownership, he failed again. He went on a tour of Europe. He went to fight in the Crimean War as a soldier. All this experience has only enriched Tolstoy as a good writer. He wrote a lot. Not only novels, but the stories he wrote are also invaluable literary treasures. He was also a philosopher. Mahatma Gandhi himself was inspired by his philosophy of non-violence. In the end, he focused on spirituality. He focused on religious practice like himself. He started giving away almost all his wealth. He left home at the age of 82, penniless, and contracted pneumonia. Leo Tolstoy, one of the brightest stars of world literature, died alone at a small station in Russia.
Anton Chekhov
Anton Chekhov, following the trend of timeless Russian writers, also lived a short life of 44 years. Chekhov grew up in a difficult family environment. In his words - he has his mother's heart and his father's talent. Chekhov was a doctor. However, he earned little from this profession. He went around for free and helped people.Helped. Built hospitals. Traveled all over Russia, Ukraine, and even Japanese prison camps. Treated those affected by cholera outbreaks. During this time, he wrote some letters, which are considered his best letters. Chekhov started writing to earn money. Suddenly, the responsibility of the entire family fell on his shoulders, so he started writing for newspapers in search of alternative income. Gradually, he realized that writing was his future. In his short life and even after his death, his writing took him to the highest places. Chekhov is called one of the greatest storytellers in world literature. His plays are on the list of the most performed plays in history. Among his best plays are ‘Three Sisters’, ‘The Seagull’, ‘The Cherry Orchard’. Although he did not receive much attention at the beginning, his popularity gradually increased. His best short stories include ‘The Lady with the Dog’, ‘The Chameleon’, ‘The Black Monk’, ‘The Step’, ‘A Dreary Step’ and many more. His stories were more violent than traditional stories. Like Dostoevsky, Chekhov was also famous for his Steam of Conscience. Chekhov, who suffered from a fear of marriage, got married 3 years before his death. He and his wife lived in two cities. His death also happened strangely. He was terribly ill and bedridden after suffering from tuberculosis for a long time. He suddenly got up from his bed and said in German, “I am dying”, although he did not know German well. He smiled softly and picked up a glass of champagne. He finished the whole glass in one gulp and fell into the arms of death. The time was 1904. One of the greatest storytellers and playwrights of world literature passed away.
