Writer Dmitry Balashov: biography, creativity

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

Many brilliant literary works were written in the last century. And one of the significant figures in literary circles was the writer Dmitry Balashov. His works become classics, and to this day there are people who like his great work.

Parents

The real name given to Balashov at birth is Edward Mikhailovich Gipsi. His father was an actor, a poet published one collection of poems. In the famous film "Chapaev" the father of the future writer got a cameo role. The surname Gipsi was the pseudonym of Mikhail Mikhailovich Kuznetsov, he was born in 1891 and lived until the blockade in 1942.

The writer's mother's name was Anna Nikolaevna Vasilyeva, her profession is a decorator. In the middle of the war, the future writer and his brother Henryk were evacuated to the Altai Territory. When the hostilities ended, they decided to change their names, so they became Dmitry and Grigory, and the Balashovs took the surname, and they chose it in a regular telephone directory.

Studies and diplomas

Balashov Dmitry Mikhailovich graduated from the Leningrad TheaterInstitute named after A. Ostrovsky, became a candidate of philological sciences, writer, folklorist and historian. In 1967 he entered the graduate school of the Institute of Russian Literature, where he studied for four years. From 1961 to 1968 he worked in Petrozavodsk at the Karelian branch of the Institute of Literature, History and Language.

Expeditions and accommodation

At that time, Dmitry Balashov organized several expeditions to the northern part of the world, thanks to which he wrote his scientific collections: “Folk Ballads”, published in 1963, “Russian Wedding Songs” in 1969 and “Tales of the Tersky Coast of the White sea in a year. In addition, he was an activist in the community that protects ancient monuments.

In 1972, Dmitry Balashov, whose books were already published, settles in a house located in the village of Chebolaksha near Lake Onega. He lived there until 1983, but the house burned down, and the writer was forced to change his place of residence, so he moved and settled in Veliky Novgorod.

Beginning of literary works

Balashov Dmitry Mikhailovich published his first story in 1967 in the magazine "Young Guard". He called it "Mr. Veliky Novgorod", where he described the Novgorod society of the 18th century, taking into account the then dialect, life and spiritual development of the townspeople. It is believed that he very reliably and maturely recreated the real atmosphere of that time. This was the beginning of the literary career of the great writer, he actively begins to work in this direction, while not forgetting about scientific activity.

The first historical novel was a work called "Martha the Posadnitsa", which came out five years after the story. The novel is dedicated to the period when Novgorod was annexed to the Moscow principality. The basis of the novel was the works of the historian Yanin, thanks to which Dmitry managed to reflect the veche system and the crisis of that time. The basis of the plot was the tragic image of Martha, who entered the struggle against the future capital. Balashov succeeded in the impossible: he combined the documentary vision of the era with vivid dramatic images of the heroes. It is also worth noting that the author is more sympathetic to the heretics of Novgorod than to the leaders of the Moscow Orthodox Church.

Essential in fiction

If we consider Balashov as a representative of fiction, then his main creation can safely be called a cycle of novels called "The Sovereigns of Moscow". It includes ten works written from 1975 to 2000. The most popular among them is the novel, which between 1991 and 1997 was written by Dmitry Balashov - "Holy Russia". This is a unique epic historical chronicle that touches on Russian history from 1263 to 1425. The story begins with the death of Prince Alexander Nevsky. It was Dmitry who first managed to recreate the Russian Middle Ages so clearly and believably and fill fiction novels with historical authenticity and philosophy.

He described in sufficient detail, observing the chronology of time, not only the geopolitical situation of the country andthe main events of history, but also showed the fate, characters and images of hundreds of famous people. Balashov was able to combine epic and moral and psychological tension, and also introduced the spiritual plan of people into his works. In this regard, his novels are among the world's famous literary creations, which very realistically reflect the world in general and man in particular.

Death

Dmitry Balashov left this world before finishing his last novel from the cycle, in July 2000. He was killed in his own house, located in the village of Kozynevo. Law enforcement officials confirmed that this was a murder, as a head injury and signs of strangulation were found, and the corpse itself was wrapped in matting. The case was solved two years later, when Yevgeny Mikhailov, who lived in Novgorod, and Dmitry's son, Arseny, were convicted for the murder of the writer.

It is believed that he covered up the murder and stole his father's car. But a year later, the case was reviewed, and the criminals were released. At the moment, the son is not under investigation, he changed his name and surname. But Yevgeny was convicted again. The grave of the writer Balashov is located next to the grave of his mother near St. Petersburg at the Zelenogorsk cemetery.

Bibliography

Dmitry Mikhailovich wrote many historical novels, works of scientific literature and even poetry. Most of all, the attention of readers is attracted by the cycle of works written by Dmitry Balashov - “The Sovereigns of Moscow”. The first book tells about the struggle between the two sons of Nevsky for power. Detailed and cleartheir relationship with the Horde is shown, and much more about that time. The second book of the cycle called "The Great Table" tells about the tragic events that take place during the confrontation between Moscow and Tver. Almost all books from the cycle tell about the great princes and people who played their role in the history of Russia. The last novel called "Yuri" the author did not have time to finish.

In addition to fiction, his historical novels are also significant, of which there are three. Dmitry Balashov will forever be remembered by readers for the realism of the narrative and the depth of the images of his characters.