Writers of the Silver Age. Literature of the Silver Age in Russia

Literature of the Silver Age in Russia, created at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, is an important part of the artistic heritage of our country. For this time was characterized by the presence of many different trends and trends, ideological contradictions inherent not only to different authors, but also taking place even in the works of individual writers, composers, artists. During this period, there was an update, a rethinking of many types and genres of creativity. As M.V. Nesterov, there was a "universal revaluation of values."

Even among the foremost thinkers and cultural figures, there was a double attitude toward the creative heritage left by the revolutionary democrats.

Decadence

Art culture in general and the literature of the Silver Age in Russia in particular at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries were marked by a wide spread of decadence ("decadence"), proclaiming faith in reason, loss of civic ideals, withdrawal to personal, individual experiences. Thus, some part of the intelligentsia sought to "get away" from the difficulties of life in a world of unreality, dreams, and sometimes mystics. This process took place, because at that time there was a crisis in public life, and artistic creativity only reflected it.

Decadence captured even representatives of realistic trends in art. However, more often such ideas were still characteristic of representatives of modernist trends.

Modernism and realism in art

The term "modernism" is applied to many art forms of the 20th century. He appeared at the beginning of the century, and his predecessor was realism. However, the latter by that time was still in the past, thanks to the influence of modernism, new features arose in it: the "frames" of the vision of life were opened, the search for means of self-expression of the individual in artistic creation began.

The most important feature of the art of the early 20th century is the synthesis, the union of various forms.

Literature of the turn of the century

As far back as the 1990s, in the nineteenth century, Russian literature displayed trends opposing the prevailing realism at the time. The main one was modernism. Many writers of the Silver Age (the list, directions and their main representatives we will consider below) somehow came out of realism. They continued to create, creating new trends and trends.

Modernism

Literature of the Silver Age in Russia is opened by modernism. It was joined by various poets and writers, often very different in their ideological and artistic appearance. At that time, active modernist searches began, the inspiration of which was in many ways F. Nietzsche, as well as some Russian writers, for example AA. Kamensky, M.P. Artsybashev and others. They proclaimed the freedom of literary creativity, called themselves its priests, preached the cult of the "superman", renouncing social and moral ideals.

Symbolism

As a direction, symbolism in Russia took shape at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Highlight the "senior" Symbolists, which include V. Bryusov, F. Sologub, K. Balmont, Z. Gippius and others, who were the first to create in this direction. Among the younger representatives are the writers of the Silver Age A. Bely, V. Ivanov, S. Soloviev, A. Blok, and others. The theoretical, aesthetic and philosophical foundations of this trend were very diverse. For example, according to V. Bryusov, symbolism was a purely artistic direction, and Merezhkovsky took Christianity as the basis; Vyacheslav Ivanov relied on the aesthetics and philosophy of antiquity in the refraction of Nietzsche, and A. Bely was fond of the works of Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Kant, and V. Solovyov. The ideology of the "younger" symbolists is based on the philosophy of V. Solovyov with the idea of the coming of the Eternal Feminine and the Third Testament.

Symbolists left a legacy of both poetry and prose, drama. But poetry was the most typical, in many genres of which many writers of the Silver Age worked in this direction.

V.Ya. Bryusov

Creativity V.Ya. Bryusov (1873-1924 gg.) Marked by many ideological searches. The revolutionary events of 1905 aroused his admiration and marked the beginning of the poet's departure from symbolism. However, Bryusov chose a new direction not at once, as he formed his attitude to the revolution, which was very contradictory. The poet gladly welcomed the forces that, in his opinion, were to purge Russia of the old principles and beliefs and put an end to the old world. However, in his work he also noted that this elemental force bears in itself destruction. "Breaking - I'll be with you! Build - no!" - wrote V.Ya. Bryusov.

His creative work is characterized by a desire for a scientific understanding of life, a revival of interest in history, which was shared by other writers of the Silver Age (the list of representatives of symbolism was mentioned above).

Realism

The ideological contradictions characteristic of the era as a whole have also affected some realist writers. For example, in the works of LN. Andreev reflected a departure from realistic principles.

But in general, realism has not disappeared. The literature of the Silver Age, whose poets came out of realism, has preserved this trend. The fate of an ordinary person, various social problems, life in many of its manifestations, were still reflected in culture. One of the greatest representatives of realism at that time was the writer A. Bunin (1870-1953 gg.). In a difficult pre-revolutionary time, they created the story "Village" (in 1910) and "Sukhodol" (in 1911).

Acmeism

In 1910 there was a polemic around symbolism, and its crisis was outlined. This succession is gradually replaced by Acmeism ("acme" in translation from Greek - the highest degree, blooming time). The founders of the new current are usually NS. Gumilyov and S.M. Gorodetsky. This group also included writers of the Silver Age OE. Mandelshtam, MA Kuzmin, V. Khodasevich, A.A. Akhmatova, MA Zenkevich and others.

Unlike some obscurity, the nebulosity of symbolism, the Acmeists proclaimed their earthly existence as their support, "a clear view of life." In addition, the Acmeist literature of the Silver Age (whose poets and writers have just been listed) brought to the art an aesthetic-hedonistic function, trying to get away from social problems in poetry. In acmeism, decadent motifs are clearly heard, and the philosophical idealism became the theoretical support of this trend. Some Russian writers of the Silver Age went further in their work, which acquired new ideological and artistic qualities (for example, AA Akhmatova, MA Zenkevich, SM Gorodetsky).

In 1912 a collection of "Hyperboreys" appeared in the world, in which a new literary trend first appeared. The acmeists regarded themselves as successors to the symbolism, about which Gumilev said that he had "completed his circle of development," and proclaimed the renunciation of the rebellion, the struggle for changing the living conditions, which was often expressed in the literature of the Silver Age.

Writers - representatives of acmeism tried to revive the concreteness, the objectivity of the image, to purge it of mysticism. However, their images are very different from realistic, as S. Gorodetsky put it, they seem to be "... born for the first time" and appear as something hitherto unprecedented.

A.A. Akhmatova

In the work of this direction, AA takes a special place. Akhmatova. The first collection of her poems "Evening" appeared in 1912. It is characterized by restrained intonations, psychologism, chambered themes, emotionality and deep lyricism. A.A. Akhmatova was clearly based on the idea of the "primeval Adam," proclaimed by the Acmeists. For her work is characterized by love for man, faith in its capabilities and spiritual strength. The bulk of the work of this poetess falls on the Soviet years.

The first two collections of Akhmatova, the aforementioned "Evening" and "The Rosary" (1914), brought her great fame. They reflect an intimate, narrow world in which the notes of sadness and sadness are guessed. The theme of love here, the most important and unique, is closely connected with the suffering caused by biographical facts from the life of the poetess.

N.S. Gumilev

Great and significantly artistic heritage of NS. Gumilev. In the work of this poet, the main themes were historical and exotic, and he also sang "a strong personality." Gumilev developed the form of the verse, made it more precise and chased.

Creativity acmeists were not always opposed to the Symbolists, because in their works you can find "worlds different," longing for them. Gumilev, first welcoming the revolution, a year later is already writing poetry about the death of the world, the end of civilization. He suddenly understands the devastating consequences of the war, which can be disastrous for humanity. In his poem "Worker" he seems to foresee his demise from the shot of the proletarian, a bullet that "will tear me apart with the earth." Nikolai Stepanovich was shot for allegedly participating in a counter-revolutionary conspiracy.

Some poets and writers of the Silver Age - representatives of acmeism subsequently emigrated. Others have not been able to do this. For example, Anna Andreevna Akhmatova, wife of NS. Gumilev, did not accept the Great October Revolution, but refused to leave her native country. These events left a big trace in her soul, and the poetess could not immediately return to her work. However, the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War again aroused in her a patriot, a poet confident in the victory of his country (works "Courage", "Oath" and others).

Futurism

At the same time, as with acmeism (that is, in 1910-1912), futurism arises. He, like other areas, was heterogeneous, highlighting several currents. The largest of them, cubofuturism, united the poets V.V. Mayakovsky, V.V. Khlebnikov, D.D. Burliuk, V.V. Kamensky, A. Kruchenykh and others. Another type of futurism was ego-futurism, represented by the work of I. Severyanin. The group "Centrifuge" included beginners at that time poets NN. Aseev and B.L. Pasternak, as well as other writers and writers of the Silver Age.

Futurism has made a revolution of form that has now become independent of content, proclaimed freedom of speech, completely abandoning the literary continuity and traditions. Manifesto of the Futurists "Slap in the face of public taste," published in 1912, called for the overthrow of such great authorities as Tolstoy, Pushkin and Dostoevsky from the pedestal.

Writers of the Silver Age of Russian Literature Kamensky and V. Khlebnikov managed to conduct successful experiments with the word, which influenced the further development of Russian poetry.

V.V. Mayakovsky

In the midst of the futurists, the great poet V.V. Mayakovsky (1893-1930 gg.). In 1912 his first poems were published. Mayakovsky not only was against "all sorts of junk", but also proclaimed the need to create a new in public life. Vladimir Vladimirovich anticipated the October Revolution, denounced the realm of "fat", which was reflected in his poems War and Peace, Cloud in Pants, Man, Flute-Spine, in which the entire capitalist system was denied and belief in Rights.

Other poets and writers of the Silver Age

In the years preceding the revolution, there were other bright poets and writers of the Silver Age of Russian literature, which are difficult to attribute to this or that direction, for example, MA. Voloshin and M.I. Tsvetaeva. The creativity of the latter is characterized by demonstrative independence, as well as rejection of generally accepted behavioral norms and concepts.

Russian culture of this time was the result of a large and complex path. Its inherent features invariably remained high humanism, nationality and democracy, despite the high pressure of government reaction. More detailed information can be found in any textbook ("Literature", 11th grade), the Silver Age is necessarily included in the school curriculum.