Biography and work of Evgeny Vodolazkin

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

Yevgeny Vodolazkin's bright and talented prose has become a real event in the world of contemporary Russian literature. A unique style, a peculiar sense of humor, an amazing style of the author - these are the main reasons for success. Our today's article will be devoted to the biography and work of the writer.

Biography

Yevgeny Germanovich Vodolazkin is a recognized connoisseur of ancient Russian literature, who has become the author of works shortlisted for the best literary awards in our country.

Yevgeny Germanovich was born in the Ukrainian capital on February 21, 1964. Almost nothing is known about the childhood of the future writer, since he himself is not particularly willing to share this information.

But it is known that Vodolazkin is very similar to his great-grandfather, who was the director of the St. Petersburg gymnasium. In 1919, he joined the White Army as a volunteer, and sent his family to Kyiv to protect them from danger. When the White Guards were defeated, he joined his family, realizing that returning to Northern Palmyra would be tantamount to a death sentence for him. That after 65years, his grandson managed to come to St. Petersburg, the author himself called "return home".

Yevgeny Vodolazkin in 1986 graduated from the philological faculty of Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. And immediately after that, he enters graduate school at the department of ancient Russian literature of the IRLI (Institute of Russian Literature). In 1990, he was enrolled in the staff of the IRLI Academic Council. In a few years, the writer will become one of the leading researchers at the institute, as well as a lecturer at St. Petersburg and Munich universities.

Vodolazkin was especially interested in the literature of Ancient Russia, the study of which he devoted most of his life. The result of these studies were about a hundred monographs and scientific articles. However, the writer draws a clear line between fiction and scientific work. In his opinion, these are two completely different, albeit interconnected, ways of knowing the world. Science feeds creativity with new ideas, and creativity helps to make science more harmonious. But in no case should these concepts be combined.

Little is known about Yevgeny Germanovich's personal life: only that he is married. Whether the writer has children is silent on the web and on the pages of magazines.

2013 was marked for the philologist and writer by the assignment of the Yasnaya Polyana book prize. On October 14 of the same year, he, as one of the leading Russian writers, took over the Olympic torch at the Leo Tolstoy Museum.

Now let's turn to the writer's work and get acquainted with his published works in more detailbooks.

Laurel

This novel is the most famous of all the works written by Evgeny Vodolazkin. "Laurel", reviews of which were stormy and approving, has become a kind of visiting card of the author.

The writer himself defines the genre of this work as a "life novel". Events unfold in the XV century in Russia. In the center of the story is the life of the herbalist Arseny, who inherited the profession from his grandfather. Even in his youth, he faces a difficult test - his beloved Ustinya dies during childbirth along with the child. Arseniy considers himself guilty of what happened to his wife and decides to dedicate his life to her memory. To do this, he becomes a wanderer, healing people. He comes as a pilgrim to Jerusalem, where he takes the vows as a monk and receives a new name - Laurus.

But the novel is remarkable not so much for its events as for its language. Vodolazkin masterfully managed to recreate Old Russian, Middle Soviet and "early post-intellectual" speech. His hero in his monologues freely moves from one era of the Russian language to another. This author's style can be safely called "word weaving".

The novel received critical acclaim and won two book awards in 2013: Yasnaya Polyana and Big Book. Moreover, the work is still among the nominees for various literary awards.

A very different time

The book is a collection of works. Evgeny Vodolazkin included in it a number of interesting stories and the story "Close Friends",telling about a German soldier who reached Stalingrad ten years ago, and who again has to overcome this path. The collection also included the novel "Soloviev and Larionov", previously published separately.

House and Island, or Instrument of Language

Yevgeny Vodolazkin's personality was most clearly manifested in the "Language Tool". The book is a collection of short sketches from the life of the author's colleagues and friends, sketches and essays. It is in these stories about people, completely outsiders for the reader, that the author himself, his worldview, life principles and guidelines are revealed.

"A Pair of Plays"/"Petersburg Drama"

In this book, published under two different titles, the playwright Yevgeny Vodolazkin shows himself. Reviews of critics, despite the change in role, pleasantly surprised admirers of the writer's talent. The book includes two plays, the action of which takes place on the banks of the Neva. But if "Parodist" describes the contemporary Northern Palmyra, then in the drama "Museum" the reader is transported to Leningrad in the 30s of the twentieth century.

Vodolazkin is very careful about historical details, not losing sight of speech, social realities, or the changing psychology of people. However, despite this, the main conflict of the plays does not take place in reality, but on a metaphysical level. However, this does not make the works heavy, less dramatic or boring. And the peculiar humor of Evgeny Vodolazkin will not let the reader get bored.

Soloviev andLarionov

The main characters of the novel are the modern historian Solovyov and the white general Larionov, whose life is surrounded by many secrets. It is for their solution that the scientist undertakes. Solovyov explores architecture, looks for eyewitness accounts, meets with the descendants of the general and opens the hunt for his papers. Carried away, the scientist does not see how the study turns into a dangerous adventure. Solovyov's life is filled with dangers and doubts.

This novel by Evgeny Vodolazkin almost immediately after its publication was included in the list of nominees for the Andrei Bely Literary Prize.