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

The poet Korzhavin is a unique and talented personality, which all connoisseurs of literature and high-class syllables should know about. Unfortunately, the poet is not very well known even in his homeland, although his contribution to the development of culture and literature is simply enormous. The reason is quite trivial and out-of-tense - tense relations with the authorities. Who is Korzhavin Naum Moiseyevich? Today we will talk about the brilliant Russian poet, playwright, prose writer and translator. I would like to note that through all of his work the main thread is a red thread - about the freedom of the human person, about her morals and morality.

Introduction

Korzhavin Naum Moiseyevich, whose biography will be spread out a little lower, was born in 1925 in Kiev. The real name of the poet is Mandel. He was born into a Jewish family. About the parents of a talented person, practically nothing is known. All important information is erased from the pages of history ... It is known that his mother was a dentist, and grandfather - a tzaddik (a pious man, almost a saint).

The boy, like all children, went to school. However, the capital's school did not suit him, 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 educational institution.

Youth

Naum Korzhavin, whose poems are very popular in narrow circles in the homeland and abroad, from youth was a bright personality. Even in his youth, Nikolai Aseev, a famous poet, screenwriter and laureate of the Stalin Prize, noticed him. It was this man who in the future introduced the Moscow literary environment to a talented but obscure author. Nikolai Aseev was the first to see a future poet in the young and timid youth, whose syllable will impress everyone. He largely served to ensure that Korzhavin as harmoniously and smoothly as possible entered the literary environment of Moscow, which was full of not only gifted people, but also envious. It should be noted that Korzhavin Naum Moiseevich never was timid - he always boldly and openly answered his enemies. Of course, this was one of the reasons why he was not loved, but respected.

University admission

When the Great Patriotic War began, Mandel was evacuated from the capital. Service in the army was impossible for him, since 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 AM Gorky. But the young man overestimated his strength and did not pass the exams. Despite the fact that the attempt at admission was unsuccessful, this did not affect the young man's morale. It did not upset him at all, since it simply meant that he would be more prepared to prepare and would do it next year.

Fate submits to persevering. In the following year, 1945, Korzhavin Naum Moiseevich really goes to the educational institution. An interesting fact is that his neighbors in the hostel were people like Vladimir Tendryakov and Rasul Gamzatov.

Arrest

Soon Stalin's campaign against cosmopolitanism began, which also touched our hero. In 1947 the poet was arrested. He himself recalls this very clearly. It's probably hard to forget the day when your life turns upside down. From the poet's memories it is known that it was earlier in the morning, Rasul Gamzatov slept strong after another booze and just scared exclaimed "Where are you ?!".

More than 8 long and strenuous months Korzhavin Naum Moiseevich spent at the Institute. Serbian 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 deported 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 was not going the way the young man would have liked, he did not lose faith in himself, in life, and in a better future. Naum Moiseyevich did not waste time in painful and painful reflections about why it happened to him, how to live after that, whether there is a future ... He just lived and knew that his time would come. It is interesting that during his stay in Karaganda he even managed to get the education of a stuiger in a mining technical school.

After the amnesty, which occurred in 1954, the poet was able to return to Moscow. Two years later he was rehabilitated. Soon the poet recovered at the Literary Institute, which he graduated in 1959.

After returning to Moscow Mandel had to live on something. This question was very acute, since there was no need to wait for help from somewhere. At this time, he begins to earn his living by translations. Already during the "thaw" he publishes his poems in literary magazines. This does not bring him a lightning-fast and dizzying success, but still read it. Since the publications in the journals were jerky and selective, it was difficult to achieve special popularity. Widespread fame to the author came after the publication of the poetic collection "Tarusskih pages" in 1961. Two years later, a new collection entitled "Years." It contained the author's poems from 1941 to 1961. This time was very difficult, but also fruitful for Mandel. It is interesting that in 1967, on his creation "Once in the Twentieth" a play was staged in the walls of the Stanislavsky Theater.

The poet Korzhavin was not only an official poet. Many of his creations were published in various samizdat lists. Shortly Korzhavin's publications became banned, and he himself served it: in the second half of the 1960s he actively took up the defense of 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 worsened. In 1973, at another interrogation in the prosecutor's office, the poet wrote a statement on leaving the country, explaining this as "lack of air for life". Where did the poet go? He settled in Boston, USA. V. Maximov included him in the list of members of the editorial board of the "Continent" - the creative path Korzhavin and did not think to throw. In 1976 in the Federal Republic of Germany, to be exact, in Frankfurt am Main, the author's collection entitled "The Times" was published, and in 1981 - "Plexus".

After the restructuring

After the perestroika period, the author was able to visit Russia. And he came to spend poetry evenings and to 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 in the House of Cinema, where a huge number of people gathered: the hall was crowded, additional chairs were displayed on the side balconies. At the moment when Okudzhava and Korzhavin took the stage together, the whole hall, as ordered by an invisible ruler, rose and applauded. However, the poet's vision suffered very much from his youth, so he could not see such a reception. Bulat whispered in his ear the reaction of the hall, after which Mandel was visibly embarrassed. On this evening he read his poems and answered questions that poured from different parts of the hall, and which had 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 there was a need to read something from the collection, famous actors appeared on the stage and read the first poems that were evident. The first to express the desire to read the poems of the great master was Igor Kvasha - the actor of the Sovremennik Theater. Then his example was followed by others.

A couple of days after such a successful speech and a warm welcome, Korzhavin visited sports journalist Arkady Galinsky. They had a long conversation and were happy that the country is changing. Despite this, Mandel then said: "I do not believe them." Personal memories 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 last conviction was based on the opposition of real life and genuine communism. What the poet remembers with obvious annoyance and regret is that after the end of the Great Patriotic War he tried to justify Stalin, found his actions right. It is interesting that such views persisted even after a certain arrest. But during his stay in exile Korzhavin again returned to the communism and rejection of Stalinism.

The author himself says that the Communist illusions left him in 1957. This was his emigration to the United States, when he was 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 forms of socialism and revolutionary currents, and also opposed the Western "comrades of the USSR". He himself gave himself such a definition of "liberal conservative or fierce liberal." It is worthwhile to understand that in the disputes of "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 neglect and criticism of communism and radical liberalism. His literary works were full of Christian morality and features of primordially Russian culture. He insisted that culture should take not by quantity, but quality. A work that does not have a deep human meaning, has no special weight, except as an entertaining reading in the bathroom.

Nahum Korzhavin, whose verses are amazing, was still against romantic and avant-garde contempt for the little man. He insisted that literature was created for ordinary people and should apply to them. Only that culture, which has a harmony in itself, can be considered satisfying the artistic need of the reader. He insisted that if there is no desire for harmony, then this is a banal self-assertion through the pen. Based on these positions, he reviewed the legacy of the era of the Silver Age. His criticism was even susceptible to A. Blok and A. Akhamatova, but most of all he was indignant with Brodsky. In his work "Genesis" style of advanced genius, "or the Myth of the Great Brodsky" Korzhavin sharply criticized the cult of the poet. Prose Naum Korzhavin requires special attention from admirers and researchers of his work. It is in prose that one can clearly see which non-trivial mind the poet had.

A family

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

Awards

Korzhavin (Mandel) Naum Moiseevich's works were awarded in 2006 with a special prize "For Contribution to Literature" of the "Big Book" award. Also in 2016 Mandel was awarded the national prize "Poet".

Analysis of creativity

In this paragraph we will look at some of the poems Nahum Korzhavin gave us. The "Ballad of Historical Failure" in a very ironic way tells about what the reforms of Lenin were called about. The poem is rather sharp and bold, so it is not surprising that it was forbidden to publish the poet. It should be noted that the public reaction to this creation was magnificent: everyone was shocked, because no one has ever allowed himself to openly chuckle at the authorities. Of course, for Naum Moiseevich this sharpness of the syllable turned out to be a big problem, but his lines still live, and the next generations will remember them, which will remember the most daring lines of Korzhavin. Despite the fact that at first the verse seems amusing and satirical, after reading there remains some "aftertaste" of all gravity and tragedy. It's amazing that the poem is relevant for any time ...

Naum Korzhavin ("I loved the oval from childhood") wrote not only serious lines, but also more understandable and simple. In the above poem, he seems to be saying banal things, and yet the overt context is very felt. This characterizes the entire work of the poet - simple words, simple syllables, but what a deep and verified meaning is embedded in each line. Why angles, why complex figures of life? Why is this all if there is an oval, if it is possible to resolve issues calmly and without sacrifice? How to be a gentle and kind-hearted person in the close world of the Soviet Union and whether it is possible to remain a human at the same time - that's what Nahum Korzhavin is asking.

"Variations from Nekrasov" were included in the collection of the author "Plexus", which was published in 1981 in Germany. Why do we pay so much attention to a little verse? As already mentioned earlier, Korzhavin is a poet whose number of lines and letters does not play any role at all. He can make a lot of sense in the quatrain or "pack" his thought into a ballad. The poem tells of a Russian woman: simple, courageous and strong. At the same time, her national character ("the horse at a stop will stop ...") is subtly ridiculed, showing that the years are on, but nothing changes. A woman who must be the keeper of the hearth and home comfort, continues to "stop horses and enter a burning hut." This verse was received surprisingly warmly even by the female audience, which received an extra reason to reflect on its role in the life of society. The irony and simplicity of the syllable Korzhavin makes his poems easy to read, but touching certain strings of the soul.

Naum Korzhavin wrote poems about the woman very carefully, understanding how fragile and sensitive is the woman's nature. At the same time, he can not be accused of distorting a certain vision of a woman in his works. He does not use the literary gift in order to offend, 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 Moiseyevich (Herzen's memory poems confirm this very well) through all her literary work she carries out the subtle thought of "dream" as an inert and passive state of society. This parallel can be found in almost all the author's works.

Some of the author's poems touch on autobiographical points a little. For example, the poem "You yourself showed a commendable zeal ..." tells of the author's relationship with his first wife. It is very interesting that despite the fact that their marriage has disintegrated, the man with tenderness and trembling recalls his ex-wife, his "stupid girl." Korzhavin Naum Moiseyevich did not want to write poetry about love. Actually, there is nothing strange about this. But even when he writes about a woman, his lines are full of such tenderness and calm quiet love, which only the best men can do. Not so many lines the author devoted to the image of a woman, but those poems that were born are worthy of the highest praise.

The great advantage of this author is that, unlike many of his contemporaries and predecessors, he aspired to absolute harmony. He wrote in order to enrich the reader, to give him the pearls of thought. I do not want to mention specific names, but many well-known poets who are revered in Russian culture sought only self-expression. This is indicated by the fact that their work was often self-destructive, degrading of women and destructive. Despite the fact that they owned a beautiful syllable and talent of the poet, they used it only to reflect their point of view on the world, while Naum Korzhavin worked to fill the reader with light and energy. It is possible to argue about this for a very long time and persistently, but it is enough to take Korzhavin's collection 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 importance of Naum Korzhavin's creativity, as well as deeply experience his worldview.

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