Korzhavin Naum Moiseevich, Russian poet and prose writer: biography, creativity

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

The poet Korzhavin is a unique and talented personality, which all connoisseurs of literature and high-class style should know about. Unfortunately, the poet is not very famous even in his homeland, although his contribution to the development of culture and literature is simply enormous. The reason is rather banal and well-traveled - tense relations with the authorities. Who is Korzhavin Naum Moiseevich? Today we will talk about a brilliant Russian poet, playwright, prose writer and translator. I would like to note that the main idea runs through all his work - about the freedom of the human person, about its morality and morality.

Introduction

Korzhavin Naum Moiseevich, whose biography will be sorted out a little lower, was born in 1925 in Kyiv. The real name of the poet is Mandel. He was born into a Jewish family. Almost nothing is known about the parents of a talented person. All important information has been erased from the pages of history… It is known that his mother was a dentist, and his grandfather was a tzadik (a pious person, practically a saint).

The boy, like all children, went to school. However, he did not like the metropolitan school, and before the war he was expelled from there. The poet himself in his memoirs says that the reason was a conflict with the director of the educationalestablishments.

Youth

Naum Korzhavin, whose poems are very popular in narrow circles at home and abroad, was a bright personality from his youth. Even in his youth, he was noticed by Nikolai Aseev, a famous poet, screenwriter and laureate of the Stalin Prize. It was this person who in the future introduced the Moscow literary environment to a talented, but unknown author. Nikolai Aseev was the first to see a future poet in a young and timid young man, whose style will impress everyone. In many ways, he served to ensure that Korzhavin fit as harmoniously and smoothly as possible into the literary environment of Moscow, which was full of not only gifted people, but also envious people. At the same time, it should be noted that Korzhavin Naum Moiseevich was never distinguished by timidity - he always boldly and openly answered his enemies. Of course, this was one of the reasons why he was not loved, but respected.

Admission to college

When the Great Patriotic War began, Mandel was evacuated from the capital. Service in the army was impossible for him, as he suffered from myopia. The young poet moved to Moscow in 1944. The first thing he did was to enter the Literary Institute named after A. M. Gorky. But the young man overestimated his strength and did not pass the exams. Despite the fact that the admission attempt was unsuccessful, this did not affect the fighting spirit of the young man. This did not upset him at all, as it simply meant that he would study harder and enter next year.

Fate obeys the persistent. The following year, 1945, Korzhavin Naum Moiseevich really enters an educational institution. An interesting fact is that his neighbors in the hostel were such people as Vladimir Tendryakov and Rasul Gamzatov.

Arrest

Soon began Stalin's campaign to combat cosmopolitanism, which also touched our hero. In 1947 the poet was arrested. He himself remembers it very clearly. It must be hard to forget the day when your life is turned upside down. From the poet's memoirs, it is known that it was earlier in the morning, Rasul Gamzatov was sound asleep after another drunkenness and only exclaimed in fright: "Where are you going?!".

More than 8 long and busy months Korzhavin Naum Moiseevich spent at the Institute. Serbsky and the Ministry of State Security of the USSR. As a result, the poet was convicted. A special meeting at the MGB sentenced him to exile as a socially dangerous element. Already in the autumn of 1948, Mandel was exiled to Siberia. There he lived in the village of Chumakovo. He spent three years in Karaganda, from 1951 to 1954. Despite the fact that life did not go at all the way the young man would like, he did not lose faith in himself, in life, and in a better future. Naum Moiseevich did not waste time in heavy and painful thoughts about why this happened to him, how to live after this, is there a future … He just lived and knew that his time would come. Interestingly, during his stay in Karaganda, he even managed to get the education of a foreman at a mining technical school.

After the amnesty that took place in 1954, the poet was able toreturn to Moscow. Two years later he was rehabilitated. Soon the poet was restored at the Literary Institute, from which he graduated in 1959.

After returning to Moscow, Mandel had to live on something. This issue was very acute, since there was no need to wait for help from somewhere else. At this time, he begins to earn his living by translations. Already during the "thaw" he published his poems in literary magazines. This does not bring him lightning-fast and dizzying success, but he is still read. Since publications in magazines were jerky and selective, it was difficult to achieve much popularity. The author became widely known after the publication of the collection of poems Tarusa Pages in 1961. Two years later, a new collection called "Years" is released. It contained the author's poems from 1941 to 1961. This time was very difficult, but also fruitful for Mandel. Interestingly, in 1967, based on his creation “Once Upon a Time in the Twentieth”, a play was staged at the Stanislavsky Theater.

Poet Korzhavin was not only an official poet. Many of his works were published in various samizdat lists. Soon, Korzhavin's publications became banned, and he himself served to do this: in the second half of the 1960s, he actively defended such "prisoners of conscience" as Galanskov, Ginzburg, Daniel and Sinyavsky.

Emigration

Naum Korzhavin, whose books were now banned, could not remain silent, and his conflict with the authorities only escalated. In 1973, at the next interrogation in the prosecutor's office, the poet wrote a statement about leavingcountries, citing "lack of air for life." Where did the poet go? He settled in Boston, USA. V. Maksimov included him in the list of members of the editorial board of the "Continent" - the creative path of Korzhavin and did not think of quitting. In 1976, in the Federal Republic of Germany, or rather, in Frankfurt am Main, the author's collection was published under the title "Times", and in 1981 - "Plexus".

After perestroika

After a period of perestroika, the author got the opportunity to visit Russia. And he came to hold poetry evenings and communicate with the literary creators of that time. The first visit to Moscow took place in the second half of the 1980s at the personal invitation of Bulat Okudzhava. The poet performed at the Cinema House, where a huge number of people gathered: the hall was overcrowded, additional chairs were placed on the side balconies. At that moment, when Okudzhava and Korzhavin took the stage together, the whole hall, as if by order of an invisible ruler, stood up and applauded. However, the poet's eyesight suffered greatly from his youth, so he could not see such a reception. Bulat whispered the reaction of the audience into his ear, after which Mandel became noticeably embarrassed. On this evening he read his poems and answered questions that poured from different parts of the hall, and to which there was no end. It is worth noting that he could not read his works from the book, so he did it from memory: the reason is the same - vision. When the need arose to read something from the collection, well-known actors rose to the stage and read the first verses that caught their eye. The first to express a desire to read the poems of the great master wasIgor Kvasha is an artist of the Sovremennik Theater. Others followed suit.

A couple of days after such a successful performance and a warm welcome, Korzhavin visited sports journalist Arkady Galinsky. They had a long conversation and were glad that the country was changing. Despite this, Mandel then said: "I do not believe them." Personal recollections and interviews of the author can be seen in the 2005 documentary "They Chose Freedom", directed by Vladimir Kara-Murza.

Political views

Korzhavin's memoirs and journalistic articles are full of the evolution of his political views. When he was young, he completely rejected the Stalinist system, while partially sharing the communist ideology. The latter belief was based on the opposition of real life and genuine communism. What the poet recalls with obvious annoyance and regret is that after the end of the Great Patriotic War, he tried to justify Stalin, found his actions correct. It is interesting that such views persisted even after the famous arrest. But during his stay in exile, Korzhavin again returned to communism and the rejection of Stalinism.

The author himself says that communist illusions left him in 1957. This was served by his emigration to the United States, when he found himself on the right side of the political spectrum (like most emigrants from the USSR). In his publications, the author frankly and boldly criticized communism, any form of socialismand revolutionary movements, and also opposed the Western "comrades of the USSR." He himself gave himself such a definition of "liberal conservative or ferocious liberal." At the same time, it should be understood that in the disputes between “Russophobes” and “Russophiles”, he took the position of the latter, defending the traditions of his homeland.

Already in 1990-2000, his articles are full of disdain and criticism of communism and radical liberalism. His literary works were full of Christian morality and features of native Russian culture. He insisted that culture should take not quantity, but quality. A work that does not have a deep human meaning does not have much weight, except for entertaining reading in the bathroom.

Naum Korzhavin, whose poems are amazing, was still against the romantic and avant-garde contempt for the little man. He insisted that literature is created for ordinary people and should appeal to them. Only that culture, which has harmony in itself, can be considered to satisfy the artistic needs of the reader. He insisted that if there is no desire for harmony, then this is a banal self-affirmation through a pen. Based on these positions, he revised the legacy of the Silver Age era. Even A. Blok and A. Akhamatova were subject to his criticism, but Brodsky resented him most of all. In his work The Genesis of the "Style of Outstripping Genius", or the Myth of the Great Brodsky, Korzhavin sharply criticized the cult of the poet. The prose of Naum Korzhavin requires special attention from admirers and researchers of his work. It is in prose that one can clearly see whatthe poet had a non-trivial mind.

Family

The writer's first wife was Valentina Mandel, who had a daughter, Elena. The second wife of the poet was the philologist Lyubov Vernaya, whose marriage lasted from 1965 to 2014, when old age ended the life of a woman. It is known that today Korzhavin lives with his daughter in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Awards

The works of Korzhavin (Mandel) Naum Moiseevich were awarded in 2006 with a special prize "For Contribution to Literature" of the Big Book Prize. Also in 2016, Mandel was awarded the National Poet Award.

Creativity Analysis

In this paragraph we will look at some of the poems that Naum Korzhavin gave us. "The Ballad of Historical Sleep Deprivation" tells in a very ironic way what caused Lenin's reforms. The poems are quite sharp and bold, so it is not surprising that the poet was forbidden to publish. At the same time, it is worth noting that the public reaction to this creation was excellent: everyone was in shock, because no one had ever allowed himself to laugh at the authorities so openly. Of course, for Naum Moiseevich, this sharpness of style turned into big problems, but his lines still live, and they will be read by the next generations, who will remember the most daring lines of Korzhavin. Despite the fact that at first the verse seems funny and satirical, after reading there is some “aftertaste” of all seriousness and tragedy. It is amazing that the poem is relevant for any time…

Naum Korzhavin (“I have loved the oval since childhood”) wrote not only serious lines, but also more understandable and simple ones. In the above poem, he seems to be saying banal things, and yet the obvious subtext is very felt. This characterizes all the work of the poet - simple words, a simple syllable, but what a deep and verified meaning is embedded in each line. Why corners, why complicated figures of life? Why all this, if there is an oval, if you can resolve issues calmly and without sacrifice? How to be a gentle and kind-hearted person in the cramped world of the Soviet Union and whether it is possible to remain human at the same time - that is the question Naum Korzhavin asks.

"Variations from Nekrasov" was included in the collection of the author's "Plexus", which was published in 1981 in Germany. Why do we put so much emphasis on a little verse? As mentioned earlier, Korzhavin is such a poet for whom the number of lines and letters plays absolutely no role. He can make a big point in a quatrain or "pack" his thought into a ballad. The poem tells about a Russian woman: simple, brave and strong. At the same time, her national character (“she will stop a galloping horse …”) is subtly ridiculed, showing that the years go by, but nothing changes. The woman, who should be the guardian of the hearth and home comfort, continues to "stop the horses and enter the burning hut." This verse was taken with surprising warmth even by the female audience, which received an extra reason to think about their role in society. The irony and simplicity of Korzhavin's style makes his poems easy to read, but touching.certain strings of the soul.

Naum Korzhavin wrote poems about women very carefully, realizing how fragile and sensitive women's nature is. At the same time, he cannot be accused of distorting some established vision of a woman in his works. He does not use his literary gift to hurt, offend or humiliate the female sex in any way. He only focuses on important points that should make women wake up and look at themselves with different eyes. Korzhavin Naum Moiseevich (poems in memory of Herzen confirm this as well as possible) through all his literary work he carries out a subtle idea of "sleep" as an inert and passive state of society. This parallel can be found in almost all of the author's works.

Some of the author's poems are slightly autobiographical. For example, the poem “You yourself showed laudable zeal …” tells about the author’s relationship with his first wife. It is very interesting that despite the fact that their marriage broke up, the man remembers his ex-wife, his “stupid girl” with tenderness and awe. Korzhavin Naum Moiseevich did not want to write love poems. Actually, there is nothing strange in this. But even when he writes about a woman, his lines are full of such tenderness and calm, quiet love that only the best men are capable of. The author did not devote so many lines to the image of a woman, but those poems that came into being are worthy of the highest praise.

The big advantage of this author is that he, unlike manyhis contemporaries and predecessors, strove for absolute harmony. He wrote in order to enrich the reader, to give him pearls of thought. I do not want to mention specific names, but many famous poets who are revered in Russian culture were only looking for self-expression. This is evidenced by the fact that their work was often self-destructive, humiliating women and destructive. Despite the fact that they owned the beautiful style and talent of the poet, they used it only to reflect their point of view on the world, while Naum Korzhavin created in order to fill the reader with light and energy. You can talk about this for a very long time and stubbornly, but it’s enough to take a collection of Korzhavin and another poet (especially from the Silver Age) and compare your own feelings after reading a couple of poems. Here is such a simple test in order to understand the significance of Naum Korzhavin's work, as well as to deeply feel his worldview.

Summing up some results of this article, I would like to say that Korzhavin (Mandel) Naum Moiseevich made a huge contribution to the development of literature and culture of his homeland. This is a man with a capital letter, who all his life went forward no matter what. As we learned from the article, he lived a rich and long life that beat him from year to year. Even omitting literary moments (although doing this is a crime), one can admire Korzhavin simply as a person who has passed such a difficult and thorny path with dignity. Taking into account his literary talent and rich cultural heritage for posterity, we can say that NahumMoiseevich is the person who would be an excellent example for the entire younger generation of the country, which wants to raise courageous, independent and free people.