Marina Stepnova: biography, creativity, reviews

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Modern Russian literature is hard to imagine without the unique metaphorical prose that Marina Lvovna Stepnova presents to the reader. Today she is the editor-in-chief of the men's magazine XXL, a poet, prose writer, screenwriter and translator from Romanian. This woman is a real example of a purposeful creative person. Her genius and hard work brought her national fame and recognition in literary circles.

General biographical information

Marina Stepnova was born in the Tula region in the city of Efremov on September 2, 1971. The writer's maiden name is Rovner. Her father was a soldier and her mother was a doctor. When the girl was 10 years old, her family moved to the capital of Moldova, Chisinau, where in 1988 she graduated from the 56th secondary school and entered the Chisinau State University. For the first three years, Marina studied there at the Faculty of Philology, and then transferred to the Gorky Moscow Literary Institute to study as a translator. In 1994, the futurethe writer received a master's degree from the institute and a diploma with honors. After that, Marina went to study at graduate school, where she studied in depth the work of A. P. Sumarokov. For more than 10 years, Marina Lvovna worked as an editor of various glossy magazines, for example, Bodyguard. Since 1997, she has been the editor of the popular men's magazine XXL.

Marina Lvovna is fluent in two languages besides Russian: Romanian and English. Currently lives in Moscow. Marina Rovner's first husband was Arseny Konetsky (also a writer), whom she met while still a student at a literary institute. The writer even published some of her first works under the name Konetskaya. Subsequently, Marina Lvovna remarried and took the name of her new husband, becoming Marina Stepnova.

Sometimes Marina Stepnova regrets that she did not get the profession of a doctor, because she felt a vocation for this and always wanted to do something significant. However, the works of the writer convincingly prove that, having chosen the literary path, she did not make a mistake. The life that Marina Stepnova leads, the biography of her creative path and achievements in prose literature testify that success comes to those who are ready to work. In addition, thanks to the work of the writer, it becomes clear that Russian literature continues to live, that not everything has been said in it, but much remains to be said.

Creative activity of the author

In Stepnova's translation activities, one can single out the translation of the popularplay "Nameless Star" by the Romanian author Mihai Sebastian, who perfectly conveyed the author's idea without distorting the original originality of the text.

The writer began publishing her personal prose in 2000. For several years, she was published in such magazines as Znamya, Zvezda, Novy Mir. Her first major novel, The Surgeon, which appeared in 2005, made a splash, critics even compared it with P. Suskind's famous novel The Perfumer. Quite deservedly, "The Surgeon" was awarded the "National Bestseller" award. In 2011, another deep novel of the writer with a truly gripping plot was born - The Women of Lazarus, which received the third Big Book Award and was also shortlisted for the National Bestseller. In addition, Stepnova wrote the novel "Godless Lane", the story "Somewhere near Grosseto" and many others.

The first novel "The Surgeon"

As already mentioned, Marina Stepnova became famous as a modern Russian writer thanks to the novel "The Surgeon". According to the plot of the book, the fate of the plastic surgeon Khripunov is unexpectedly intertwined with the life of the founder of the Assassin sect, Hasan ibn Sabbah. This novel topped the book sales charts.

The Women of Lazarus novel

The author's next bestseller ("Women of Lazarus") finally convinced readers that Marina Lvovna's literary success is not accidental. The plot of the novel, according to the plan that Marina Stepnova had, is a biography of the brilliant scientist Lindt Lazar. The reader will recognize the excitinghis love story, empathizes with his loss and watches his genius develop. Such familiar concepts as home, family, happiness and love take on an unexpected and completely new meaning on the pages of this book. No wonder The Women of Lazarus is a book of the month novel that has set a real sales record in the major bookstore Moskva.

The Godless Lane Novel

The main character of the third novel, which Marina Stepnova delighted her fans with, was the doctor Ivan Ogaryov. From childhood, this man tried to live contrary to the will of his parents and conventional wisdom. The scenario given by someone and once - school-army-work, did not suit him. However, over time, Ivan nevertheless accepted the conditions under which a “normal” adult should live. He graduated from medical school, got married and started working in a private clinic. However, unexpectedly, Ogaryov's life is turned upside down by a meeting with a strange girl who loves freedom most of all.

New works

The novel "Lithopedion", which is still being worked on, also promises to make a lasting impression on the minds and imaginations of readers. Its plot will tell about people who kill their dreams with their own hands. The title of the novel is an apt metaphor, the word "lithopedion" is borrowed from medicine and translated from Latin means a fetus petrified in the womb.

Reviews of colleagues

Writer Zakhar Prilepin praises the vocabulary he uses in hisworks of the writer Marina Stepnova. He notes that the writer forms her thought with amazing ease, which can be equally compared with how a mother swaddles a child, and how an experienced warrior takes apart a weapon. Prilepin calls Stepnova's work not quivering female needlework, but truly muscular expressive prose.

Readers' Impressions

Many readers also note the unique style and inimitable style of the writer. The language of her books is called sharp, humorous and even brilliant. Many people say that Stepnova's novels are easy to read, almost in one breath, and their plots are very vital and make you think about many important philosophical things. Many agree that Marina Stepnova is a writer who has become a real discovery.

Certainly not without criticism. Some readers believe that the plots of Stepnova's novels are not fully thought out, that the author admits unnecessary meaningless details that only tire when reading them. Others criticize the writer's style, considering it sometimes too harsh, due to the presence of swear words in the text. Marina Stepnova appreciates the reviews of her readers, even critical ones, but she also knows how to defend her position, her perception of reality and how and what to talk about in the novel. The main thing the author tries to achieve is realism, when the characters of the novel look like real living people.

Of course, it is worth remembering that all people are different, and their perception of literature is fundamentally different. Before making your final opinion about the novels of Marina Stepnova, of course, you should read them personally. Perhaps you will discover something completely new and original, full of unexpectedly deep and subtle meaning.