Stanyukovich Konstantin Mikhailovich: biography, creativity

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

In Russian literature, this name is inextricably linked with the genre of seascapes. It has become almost banal to assert that in Russian art there are two unsurpassed singers of the sea element, equal in talent: in painting - Ivan Aivazovsky, in literature - Stanyukovich. Konstantin Mikhailovich came from a family of hereditary sailors.

It would seem, what else could he write about, having successfully started his career as a naval officer, when he felt a craving for literary creativity? Meanwhile, he did not immediately find his main theme.

Admiral's son

He was born in 1843 in the city that personified the maritime glory of Russia - in Sevastopol. Father - Admiral Mikhail Nikolayevich Stanyukovich - served as military governor and commandant of the Sevastopol military port. The "Terrible Admiral", as the writer's son would later call him, considered naval service the best thing for a man, strict military order - the most correct way.organization of life suitable for the family. A descendant of the ancient noble Polish-Lithuanian family Stankovich, he had an iron will and a strong character. Maritime business was an ancient family tradition: even his wife, Lyubov Fedorovna, was the daughter of a naval officer.

The dynasty must be continued - Admiral Stanyukovich was convinced of this. Konstantin Mikhailovich, who from childhood was a lively and quick-witted child, became in this respect his father's main hope. He took measures for the initial education of his son, assigning to him as a mentor and home teacher a well-educated Ippolit Matveyevich Deba, who came from the St. Petersburg intelligentsia. He was exiled to serve as an ordinary soldier, after serving the exile. The link was an alternative to the death pen alty in the case of the Petrashevites (1949) - a liberal circle of young socialists led by Mikhail Butashevich-Petrashevsky, where F. M. Dostoevsky was Deboux's ally in the circle. Debu did not instill his radical views in his ten-year-old student, but he instilled in him a taste for good literature.

Medal for the Defense of Sevastopol

In 1853, the Crimean War began, which became a symbol of the social problems accumulated in Russia associated with the mediocre policy of autocracy, which stifled the hopes of the advanced sections of the people for reforms expected even after the victory in the war of 1812. This would later lead to the revolutionary movement of the 1860s, the influence of which Stanyukovich would not escape. Konstantin Mikhailovich will sympathize with reformist ideas, but for now he is 11 years old, and he is watching the British approaching Sevastopol. French troops.

During the defense of the city, Konstantin is with his father and often performs the duties of a courier, delivers medicines to the dressing station, etc. He observes with his own eyes the heroism of Russian sailors and the tragedy of the surrender of the city, sees the legendary leaders of the defense - Admirals Kornilov and Istomin. When, after evacuation from the besieged base of the Black Sea Fleet in 1856, he was enrolled in the St. Petersburg Page Corps, he received the medals "In memory of the Eastern War" and "For the defense of Sevastopol" there. At the request of his father, who dreams of a naval career for his son, in 1857 Stanyukovich became a cadet of the Naval Corps.

The end of an officer's career

By the early 1860s, he was already infected with a passion for word creation. In 1859, the journal "Northern Flower" was published with its first publication - the poem "Retired Soldier". A year later, a conflict breaks out between Konstantin Mikhailovich and his father, which marked the beginning of coldness in their relationship, which will end after a while with a complete break. The son announces his decision to transfer to a civilian educational institution - to St. Petersburg University, against which Admiral Stanyukovich sharply objects. Konstantin Mikhailovich will be forced to travel around the world on the Kalevala corvette, in the crew of which he will be enrolled at the insistence of his father in the fall of 1860.

The old sailor hopes that on a strong ocean wind his son's head will be cleared of various nonsense, and the Stanyukovich dynasty of naval commanders will continue. But for Constantine, participation ina three-year trip around the world is just a way to gain new knowledge and impressions for your writing work. And it has already begun: the popular publication “Sea Collection” publishes articles and essays by midshipman Stanyukovich, and in his spare time he tirelessly writes down his impressions of what he saw and heard.

Retirement

In 1864 midshipman Stanyukovich, having overcome the active opposition of his father, was dismissed from the fleet. Starting a new life is not easy. He begins active cooperation with various publications - "Voice", "Petersburg Leaflet", "Alarm Clock", etc. The story "Storm" by Konstantin Stanyukovich was published in the "Sea Collection". But soon the marriage to Lyubov Nikolaevna Artseulova follows, then the birth of her first daughter, and the young writer faces the task of worthy financial support for the family. To do this, he several times enters the service in various departments.

In the creative plan for Stanyukovich, the search for style and the main theme continues. Although his impressions of the naval service, published as a separate book in 1867 under the title "From the circumnavigation of the world", were met with interest, he was increasingly imbued with a desire to write on social and political topics. He feels the correctness of the ideas expressed by the inspirers of the revolutionary movement, which is gaining more and more strength, especially its radical wing - populism. At one time, he even works as a teacher in an elementary school in a village in the Murom district.

Editor of Delo magazine

Gradually, the marine theme fades into the background. Since 1872, Stanyukovich began to work actively in the Delo magazine, and since 1877, his articles and feuilletons have been published in every issue. Among them are "Letters from a Noble Foreigner" and "Pictures of Public Life", which brought Stanyukovich fame as a harsh critic of Russian reality after the reforms of 1861. The novels "Omut" and "Two Brothers", published in the early 80s, are devoted to similar topics.

In 1880, Stanyukovich became one of the editors of "Delo", and three years later - its editor-in-chief. He already has a certain weight and authority among the supporters of revolutionary changes, and the official authorities and police agencies are characterized as "a person of an anti-government way of thinking."

Arrest and exile

In the early 80s, the writer went abroad several times due to the illness of his eldest daughter. There he meets with a group of political emigrants from Russia, including the most radical ones, among whom were members of the Narodnaya Volya - direct participants and organizers of terrorist attacks against prominent tsarist officials - S. Kravchinsky, V. Zasulich and others.

This could not escape the attention of the police, especially after the assassination attempt on March 1, 1881 on Alexander II, and in April 1884 Stanyukovich was arrested and placed in the casemates of the Peter and Paul Fortress. This happened when the writer returned from abroad, quite unexpectedly, and the family did not know about his whereabouts for some time. A long interrogation begins, ending only afteryear.

Rebirth

In 1885, the writer was sent to Siberia for three years under police supervision and settled in Tomsk. Here the real birth of the great seascape writer took place. He works a lot, and creates works with descriptions of Siberian life, but the main theme of his novels and stories is the life of military sailors.

His famous masterpieces from the collection "Sea Tales" appear: "Man Overboard!", "On the Stones", "Escape" and others. Readers and progressive critics noted that Stanyukovich's prose is captivating not only with the spirit of sea romance, accuracy and reliability in the smallest details, but also a humanistic character, the desire for justice, attention to the common man.

He not only felt, he lived marine life

After returning from exile in 1888, Stanyukovich received an enthusiastic reception in the capital, caused by the resounding success of his Sea Tales. Both professional sailors and writers speak positively about his collection. The former like the masterful depiction of difficult marine life, the latter - a clear and intelligible language, the amazing novelty of the plot moves. Such stories as "The Man Overboard!", "Between Friends", "The Death of the Hawk", etc., were noted for the accuracy of human characters, the truthfulness of actions determined by the complexity of life circumstances. They are living people whose significance does not depend on origin or education.

Positive feedback on the storiesStanyukovich were placed in publications of various political views. "Maximka", "American Duel", "A Truly Russian Man" and other works found understanding among the Slavophiles, who admired the pride found in them for the high moral qualities of Russian sailors. The kindness, courage and recklessness of their whole soul had clear national origins for them. "The Jack of Hearts", "To Faraway Lands", according to others, contained the heights of the spirit, which are of universal human value. The general opinion was about the educational and educational value of Stanyukovich's prose.

Heritage and memory

The last years of the writer's life were filled with hard work, respect from colleagues, love from readers, illness and loss of loved ones. Konstantin Mikhailovich Stanyukovich, whose biography remained closely connected with Russia from his first to his last breath, died in Naples, in 1903.

He is not considered a genius of Russian literature on the level of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky or Chekhov, but without Stanyukovich's sea-winded prose, Russian literature of the 19th century would have lost much of its breadth and versatility. And in our time, adults and children are fond of it, films are made based on the stories and novels of the great marine painter, and today they invite future sailors to the sea.