Poets of the 20th century and their works. Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
The twentieth century is an era of social upheaval in Russian history, an era of hopes for a renewal of life and worries for the future of Russia. True artists, comprehending time, events and the person in them, bearing the burden of trials along with the people, reflected these new trends of the era in their books.
Ivan Alekseevich Bunin (1870 - 1953)
He was the first Russian writer to receive the Nobel Prize (1933). And although Bunin’s life ended in exile (he left his homeland in 1920), all his thoughts and all his books are about Russia. The author of “Sukhodol”, “Village”, “Teacher”, the novel “The Life of Arsenyev”, and far from his homeland struggled with eternal, “damned” questions: the connection between literature and reality, economics and enlightenment, morality, culture. Until the end of his days, he was tormented by the paradoxes of the Russian soul, which was still unsolved by many greats. In exile, he writes his famous autobiographical novel “The Life of Arsenyev” (1930), sharply dramatic books about love: “Mitya’s Love” (1925) and “ Dark alleys"(1943). These works, like his poems, opposed everything terrible, ugly, base in people that he was forced to observe in life.
Andrey Platonovich Platonov (1899 - 1951)
His real name is Klimentov. Platonov's prose is unique in style, and the world in it represents a contradictory, often tragic integrity of natural and human existence. His heroes are eternal wanderers, walkers for truth and soul, lonely, tired, naive, kind and eccentric people. But it is in them that Platonov sees the sprouts of new souls, in which beauty and goodness, solidarity and compassion arise. The author reflected the most acute contradictions of the era, his hopes and anxieties in his books: the story “Epiphanian Locks” (1927), the satirical story “City of Grads” (1928), the story “Dzhan” (1934), which can be considered a masterpiece not only of Soviet, but and world prose, numerous stories (“Potudan River” - 1937, “Fro” - 1936, “Return” - 1946, etc.) His books have always evoked controversial criticism. And the story “The Juvenile Sea” and the novels “Chevengur” and “Pit” were first published in 1987-88, although “Chevengur” was written in 1929, and “Pit” in 1930. The eternal Platonic theme of truth-seeking is revealed in the utopian city of Chevengur, where the experiment of the commune is taking place, and in the city of universal happiness under construction (“Pit”), where bright, naive, like children, inexperienced people, having only centuries of experience of slavery, disunity and ignorance, are trying to build a paradise, a city of happy communism, but they see a sad one, even a tragic outcome. It is not surprising that these books were published only in the era of “perestroika and glasnost.”
Boris Leonidovich Pasternak (1890 - 1960)
Another Russian poet and writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1958, which due to circumstances he was forced to refuse. Pasternak's poems, poems and stories were published from 1922 to 1959. And his novel “Doctor Zhivago” was first published abroad in 1957, and in our country in 1988. It tells about the tragic collisions of the revolution and Civil War. Main character Yuri Zhivago human history, set out in his poems - a peculiar lyrical diary, comprehends in the light of Christian ideals. Pasternak's hero does not just escape from everyday disorder, he takes a path on which he finds the truth about himself, about his purpose, finds love, discovers in himself creative gift and develops its own life philosophy. The novel contains deep and bold thoughts about collectivization, about repressions against peasants, about the fate of the intelligentsia, destroyed during wars, revolutions, emigrations, who died from hunger and disease, who perished without a trace in Stalin’s camps. The Shvonders who replaced them are hopelessly ordinary, wingless, cruel and stupid. They are opposed to " living life“- peasant work on the land, which is “imitation of the creator.”
Alexander Isaevich Solzhenitsyn (1918 - 2008)
Nobel laureate 1970. Solzhenitsyn is known throughout the world as a Russian writer who was the first to speak publicly about the fate of Russia during the Stalin's repressions. It was the story “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich” (1962), which opened camp theme in Russian literature. Then there were stories " Matrenin Dvor"(1963), novels "In the First Circle" (1958), "Cancer Ward" (1966). Both novels were first published abroad in 1968, and here only during the years of “perestroika”. Solzhenitsyn's documentary and journalistic work "The Gulag Archipelago", which became a real bomb in world literature, was also first published abroad (1973), and only many years later - in Russia. It was fundamental research the causes and consequences of the most brutal events of the era of Stalinism, the history of an entire generation that fell into the millstones of a totalitarian regime. The fate of Solzhenitsyn himself is the fate of a generation. A participant in the Great Patriotic War, he was arrested as a traitor to the motherland. Until 1957 (rehabilitation), he went through prisons, camps, exile, survived a fatal disease - cancer, and a miraculous healing. After receiving Nobel Prize was expelled from the Writers' Union, gained world fame and in 1974 he was expelled from the Soviet Union as a “sellout” and a “slanderer.”
Reviewing the twentieth century, it is impossible not to name the names of other writers who reflected this era: M.A. (Nobel laureate 1965, author of “ Quiet Don"), Varlam Shalamov ("Kolyma Tales"), M.A. (" White Guard", "The Master and Margarita"), Ch. Aitmatova ("The Block"), V. Astafieva ("Tsar Fish", "Sad Detective"), V. Bykova ("Obelisk", "Sotnikov", "Sign of Trouble" ), Y. Dombrovsky (“Faculty of Unnecessary Things”), etc.
At a time when Russia was solemnly celebrating the beginning of a new, 20th century, writers whose work reached its peak in the 19th century—L. Tolstoy, Chekhov, Korolenko—still continued their activities. The voice of Tolstoy the publicist sounded throughout the world, inspiring people with disgust for violence, lies, injustice and calling for love, mercy, and brotherhood. In 1903, at the age of 75, the writer created one of his best stories, “After the Ball,” and a year later he completed work on the story “Hadji Murat.” At the beginning of the 20th century, Chekhov wrote his famous plays, and today successfully moving on the stage - “Three Sisters” and “ The Cherry Orchard" Korolenko is working on “The History of My Contemporary”, on articles and memoirs.
But the poets and prose writers of new generations who were destined to connect their fate with the 20th century are becoming more and more noticeable - M. Gorky, L. Andreev, I. Bunin, A. Kuprin. A. Blok, A. N. Tolstoy, later - V. Mayakovsky, S. Yesenin, M. Tsvetaeva. M. Sholokhov comes to literature. K. Paustovsky, M. Bulgakov, A. Platonov, N. Zabolotsky, A. Tvardovsky, and finally - A. Solzhenitsyn, V. Rasputin and others.
20th century - time greatest tragedies and achievements in the history of Russia and humanity. It is not for nothing that Blok, in his poem “Retribution,” prophetically predicted that “black, earthly blood” promises “unprecedented revolts” and “unheard-of changes.”
And, indeed, less than four years after writing these lines, the First World War broke out, and three years later, two revolutions broke out - the February and October 1917 revolutions, which radically changed the life of the country: the great and tragic seventieth anniversary came Soviet power. 24 years after the revolution, an unprecedented war in the world began with Nazi Germany. How many dead literature has mourned, how many broken lives it has depicted! The people achieved victory, but at what cost! You will read (or re-read) Sholokhov’s story “The Fate of a Man.” His hero lost everything during the war and found some semblance of happiness only in an adopted boy. Everything significant that has been created in the literature about the Great Patriotic War bears reflections of the heroic and - we repeat - the tragic era.
The fates of writers of the 20th century were not easy. The martyrology, which was once compiled by A. I. Herzen, was continued in the twentieth century. At the age of forty, essentially broken by hardships and suffering, Blok died. Unable to find a place for himself in contemporary reality, Yesenin committed suicide at the age of thirty. Due to personal troubles, 37-year-old Mayakovsky shot himself. Unable to bear the difficulties of the war years and loneliness, M. Tsvetaeva, who had previously been in exile for many years, hanged herself at the age of 49. Were forced to leave home country during the Civil War, Bunin, Kuprin and many other writers. Kuprin returned to Soviet Union in 1937, shortly before his death, and Bunin died in a foreign land. A. I. Solzhenitsyn spent several years as a prisoner in the Gulag, and upon his release, he was soon deported outside the country.
But we would make an irreparable mistake if we presented all the literature of the 20th century in such gloomy tones. Even those writers who came into conflict with the authorities and Soviet reality did not give in to despair. From literature of the 19th century century Russian literature of the 20th century took up the baton high ideals, morality, humanism. This is easy to see by reading the stories and story “Childhood” by M. Gorky, the works of A. Kuprin, I. Bunin and other writers. “But still... still there are lights ahead!..” exclaimed Korolenko. “The clouds won’t hide the sun, no, they won’t!” - Gorky seemed to echo him. “Erase random features, / And you will see - the world is beautiful!” - these words belong to Blok, who created more than one sad, even pessimistic poem. Literature called on readers not to give up, to overcome the incredible trials that befell them. Bunin, who was in exile, highly appreciated war poem Tvardovsky's "Vasily Terkin", the hero of which is a resilient Russian soldier. Writers such as Mayakovsky, Sholokhov, Paustovsky, Tvardovsky, each in their own way participated in the transformations unfolding in the country, striving artistic words to instill in readers faith in the future, to increase their vital activity.
Both in the pre-war and during the war years, and in our days, Russian literature has done and is doing a lot to ensure that justice, purity of feelings and relationships triumph in the country, so that everything that is denoted by the short and succinct word “evil” goes into the irrevocable past, - political tyranny, rudeness of ball-bearers (" dog's heart"Bulgakov), veneration for rank, reaching the point of loss of human appearance, to self-abasement (Mayakovsky's satire), selfishness, self-interest, acquisitiveness (Thaddeus from Solzhenitsyn's story "Matrenin's Dvor"). Such heroes of 20th century literature as Andrei Sokolov from the story earned deep respect from the reader Sholokhov's "The Fate of a Man", a young teacher from V. Rasputin's story "French Lessons", Matryona from A. Solzhenitsyn's story "Matrenin's Dvor" and others.
Russian writers of the 20th century continue and develop the realistic traditions of their predecessors. At the same time, many of them write in a romantic manner: K. Paustovsky. M. Prishvin, K). Kazakov.
And what a variety of genres distinguishes Russian literature of the 20th century! Here are novels (Gorky, Sholokhov), and poems (Tvardovsky), short stories and tales - realistic (Bunin, Kuprin, Shukshin, Kazakov), satirical (Bulgakov), fantastic (Green); here and dramatic works(Marshak), and cycles of novels and short stories (V. Astafiev), and tales (Bazhov), and the richest lyrics.
Russian writers of the 20th century enriched the visual and expressive possibilities of literature with musicality, songlike verse (Blok, Yesenin), colloquial and oratorical verse (Mayakovsky), compressed, as if compressed to the limit, speech (Tsvetaeva), melted in the crucible of talent with folk speech (Sholokhov, Astafiev, Tvardovsky. Solzhenitsyn).
I won’t lie, I was amazed at the number of responses to my 50 list best writers XX century. Over a hundred responses on the Internet, letters from different corners countries, Andrey Vasilevsky gave a link in his LiveJournal, they posted it on other sites, and there were responses there. It’s not about my person, as Kleist writes on the Internet: “It’s not the author who is amazing with his list - after all, his list puts whoever he wants - but it’s the readers who are amazing...”
The newspaper "Zavtra" is still a purely political newspaper, it almost never writes about literature, it is not "Literary", and yet the readers of "Zavtra" still read art books. And they argue about books. So, put literature in a prominent place in society, and we will again get “the most reading country.” I am sure that our literary centricity is being consciously eliminated by our political elite. Reading people will never come up with anything, it’s better to let them drink their “Putinka”, or something worse. So, an alternative list suggested by readers:
1. Vladimir Korolenko."The History of My Contemporary" (1905-1910). The author took a long time to write this autobiographical book. Famous critic D. Ovsyaniko-Kulikovsky compared it with “Childhood” and “Adolescence” by L. Tolstoy, with Herzen’s reflections “The Past and Thoughts.” Of course, his “Children of the Dungeon” and “The Blind Musician” are more famous and artistically significant, but this is already the nineteenth century. His “Letters to Lunacharsky” (1922), condemning the violence of revolution and civil war, made a splash, but this was pure civil journalism.
2. Leonid Andreev."The Tale of the Seven Hanged Men" (1908). Nikolai Kuzin writes that he would choose the story “The Life of Vasily of Fiveysky” (1903) “about the quest for the human spirit.” It seems to me more significant, and, by the way, the gap in my first list is precisely the story about death and the death penalty as a tragic experience of all humanity. An assassination attempt on a tsarist official resulted in death penalty five at once. This is how the flow of violence grows.
3. Alexey Remizov. As Nikolai Kuzin writes: “His story” Cross Sisters" - psychological narrative about the fate of a little man - an eternal theme of Russian literature." But I would still choose "Swirled Russia" (1927), about the revolution, like a world fire, where everything old perishes and something new is born. At once there is crying and delight at the same time . We still have “Swirled Russia”, and again everything old is dying, and something new will be born there? Where are the new Remizovs? Only Prokhanov with the “Fifth Empire”.
4. Ivan Shmelev."Summer of the Lord" (started in 1927, completed in 1944). Vladimir Barakhnin writes: “I think it was only due to a misunderstanding that Ivan Shmelev from “The Summer of the Lord” was not included in the list. Suffice it to recall that Shmelev was nominated together with Bunin (and Merezhkovsky) for the Nobel Prize.” Kuzin agrees with him: “Without this writer it is impossible to imagine a list of the best books of the twentieth century.” I will add, and indeed all Russian literature. The entire layer of Russian folk life, living folk speech. However, I was shocked by him too" Sun of the dead", dedicated to the death of his son Sergei in Crimea.
5. Boris Shergin."Moscow Shish" (1930). Vladimir Lichutin criticized me for the absence of our northern fellow countryman. I repent, and choose from all his wonderful tales “a buffoon epic about pranks on the rich and powerful.” Folk satire, merciless and mischievous, rough and juicy. The most famous book of my Pomeranian fellow countryman.
6. Vladimir Arsenyev."Dersu Uzala" (1916, published in 1923). It would seem that, geographical descriptions traveler, travel chronicle, description of a meeting with the gold hunter Dersu Uzala, modestly published in Vladivostok in 1923, have long become a fact of world culture. And the Russian officer is one of the most secret natural writers. Mikhail Prishvin considered Dersu Uzal to be the author’s spiritual double, and Arsenyev’s own talent as a relic. It is no coincidence that the world-famous Japanese director Akiro Kurosawa made the film “Dersu Uzala” in the seventies, appreciating Vladimir Arsenyev’s ability to “penetrate deeply into human souls.”
7. Peter Krasnov. Epic novel "From the Double-Headed Eagle to the Red Banner" (1922). I don’t know what would have happened if death had overtaken the Cossack chieftain somewhere in the early thirties. I admit that, like Kuprin and Bunin, they would have started publishing him under Stalin. Especially the utopia "Beyond the Thistles". I wrote separately in Zavtra about the sad transformation of the Russian sovereign and monarchist, the most popular Russian fiction writer in emigration, into Hitler’s servant and fighter for a Cossacks independent from the Russians. But literature is so strong because it lives “above barriers.” “Above the barriers” Pyotr Krasnov valued his fellow countryman Mikhail Sholokhov. They were constantly compared in exile. By the way, I’m surprised that General Krasnov has not yet been ranked among the alleged authors of “Quiet Don”. Fyodor Kryukov will be more talented. Georgy Adamovich wrote: “The character of his writings is Sholokhov’s. Moreover, his talent cannot be denied...” Ivan Bunin: “I didn’t expect that he was so capable, knew so much, and was so entertaining.” Alexander Kuprin: “In war scenes he shows himself to be a real artist.” He worked on the epic novel for more than 20 years. The end of an empire and the beginning of a revolution, the first volume is especially good.
8. Isaac Babel."Cavalry" (The first version was published in 1926, then expanded, 37 short stories in total). As someone “from” writes on the Internet: “I still don’t understand: what about Babel?” It's just like the old joke. The opponent of the Cavalry, Semyon Budyonny, is asked: “How do you feel about Babel?” He, stroking his mustache, answers: “It depends on how big it is.” I myself would ask the “Froim”, why have you forgotten your Babel? Don't you like his Red Banner? Of course, the best written by Isaac Babel glorifies Bolshevism and revolution. Alas, today this is not fashionable among liberals, so they have thrown modernity off their board. Russian patriots, like Marshal Budyonny, also cannot raise their hands. And yet one of the best books about the civil war, the severity of the conflicts and the sophistication of the style. Pathos and irony - at the same time. Ironic romantic.
9. Boris Pilnyak."The Naked Year" (1921). The first novel about the revolution. Today it is firmly forgotten by everyone. He combined the stylistic intonations of Alexei Remizov and Andrei Bely with the poeticization of the KGB " leather jackets". For which he paid. And then, when the purge of the security officers began, and now, when they are trying to forget their actions. One of the most popular writers twenties.
10. Mikhail Zoshchenko."Stories ... of Mr. Sinebryukhov" (1922). This collection of stories already contained all of Zoshchenko, his style, his image of a tradesman trying to get used to and defeat Soviet reality with his adaptation. By the way, our party apparatchiks adapted to the Yeltsin regime in exactly the same way; our liberals are now adapting to Putin and Medvedev. Zoshchenko wrote biliously, mercilessly, “laughter through tears,” and despised the spiritual poverty of his heroes. No matter how he tried, he lacked his own serene adaptation to the living conditions that Ilf and Petrov possessed. That's why he was in disgrace.
11. Yuri Olesha."Envy" (1927). The writer rebelled against himself. He sang the hero of the Civil War, sausage maker Andrei Babichev, who was building a new food plant, and in every possible way belittled Nikolai Kavalerov, that is, himself, a subtle poet and writer. Kavalerov found himself with nothing to do with his metaphors and feelings in the new society, in the new construction. So Yuri Olesha fell silent, going into drunkenness. In fact, with all his powerful talent, he turned out to be only the author of the fairy tale “Three Fat Men” and the novel “Envy.” “Not a day without a line” is already some kind of postmodernism, hidden humor or hidden challenge. A writer who has been silent for 30 years writes the book “Not a Day Without a Line.” How great writer, Olesha did not take place, but the novel “Envy” can still arouse envy among the writing fraternity today. And the plot repeats itself, again the sausage makers are in business, and the poet Kavalerov is sick and disgusted. All their artistry is poverty, but how difficult is it for talent to become the new Minaev or Robski? It's time to write a new "Envy".
12. Konstantin Vaginov."The Works and Days of Svistonov" (1929). I fell in love with Vaginov’s prose while still a student in Leningrad, looking in used bookstores for his books published by IPL, a writers’ publishing house in Leningrad. This was our Russian surrealist, dissolving reality in antiquity, in the ancient past. He amazingly collects details of St. Petersburg life, not wanting to see a new whole, retreating into his inner life. At the same time, it is written plot-wise and enticingly. The son of a gendarme colonel and the daughter of large gold miners, Vaginov, I think, even in that tsarist life would have lived outside his environment, but in the new one with his biography, he really had to collect amazing details. Konstantin Vaginov was very lucky; he died of tuberculosis in 1934 in his bed. The newspapers wrote about the death of the most subtle and exquisite master. There is no one in Russian literature to even compare him with. A unique writer.
13. Konstantin Paustovsky."The Fate of Charles Lonseville" (1933). Great master Soviet novel teak. It is always interesting to read, but there is no one great book. There is no fascinating story. He is too literary for living characters and images. His prose is more interesting in detail and lacks main idea. But he wrote a lot and published well. And therefore, from his many stories, I chose the one closest to me in terms of the northern plot, “The Fate of Charles Lonseville.” In a cemetery in Petrozavodsk, he found the abandoned grave of the French engineer Charles Lonseville. During the era of Peter’s reforms, he built the Petrovsky plant here. Here he stayed forever. Everything in the story is romantic, especially during the years of its writing. A French engineer in the remote northern Russian province.
14. Vsevolod Vishnevsky."Optimistic Tragedy" (1933). One of the best plays of the Soviet era. Sailor and commissar, love and revolution. "Who else wants a commissar's body?" Moreover, the author himself is a nobleman, a front-line soldier, a holder of three St. George's crosses. In contrast to Babel, who was frightened by the war and saw nothing, Vishnevsky wrote his play “The First Horse”. And yet, only after assessing the importance of the image of the hero, as opposed to crowd scenes, he created a true masterpiece - "Optimistic Tragedy", written clearly taking into account ancient drama.
15. Alfred Haydock."Stars of Manchuria" (Harbin, 1934). Storybook. Svyatoslav Roerich once recommended me to read this collection during our conversation in Leningrad. Later, I myself met a powerful ancient bearded man who came to Moscow from Altai for Roerich’s anniversary. His mystical stories, a former white officer who served with Baron Ungern, who was friends with Nicholas Roerich during his Harbin period, captivated me. I wrote about them in the newspaper" Soviet Russia", in response to me there was a denunciation to the Central Committee of the CPSU for promoting White Guard romance. It helped me that the author was still alive, and by that time he was not living in exile, as the informer, Doctor of Sciences Leonid Reznikov, believed, and no longer in the camps, and in Kazakhstan, and was published in local newspapers. Unfortunately, his later prose, which he generously sent to me, already living in Kazakhstan, was much weaker. Haydock, a Latvian by birth, a brave officer who survived a lot amazing adventures, turned out to be the author of one book. But this is also a lot.
16. Alexander Belyaev."Amphibian Man" (1927). I didn’t consciously think about touching fiction. But many readers were outraged by such neglect. However, Alfred Haydock is already a kind of super-release, mystical fiction. So, let's continue. Moreover, “Chizh” writes to me on the Internet: “Belyaev’s “Amphibian Man” half of these books (from the first list. - V.B.) will survive. And “It’s hard to be God”…” Moreover, I myself have loved Alexander Belyaev since childhood, I consider him one of the world’s best science fiction writers.
17. Ivan Efremov."The Razor's Edge" (1963). This is not so much a science fiction writer as a philosopher. No worse than Stanislaw Lem. Moreover, “Artem” puts pressure on me: “Ivan Efremov with his “Andromeda Nebula” or “Hour of the Ox” is for some reason absent, although this is much more great literature, than two-thirds of the above." Readers today are categorical, everyone is ready to cross out half of someone else's list. But I still appreciate Ivan Efremov's "The Razor's Edge" above all. And the plot is fascinating, and the concept of the world is integral, and reflections on beauty.
18. Strugatsky brothers. Since the reader demands it, where would we be without them? But I think the most worthy for the list is “Snail on the Slope” (1966 and 1968, together in 1988). I read it back in 1966 in the magazine "Baikal". We still live in the same Forest, and Management is no better. Dystopia is just for our time.
19. Daniil Andreev."Rose of the World" (1950s). Since we have given space to mysticism and fantasy, we will conclude this topic with the philosophical mystery of Daniil Andreev, which he began in the camp in 1947 and completed after liberation. His mystical picture world is a kind of revelation that unites elements of all world cultures and religions.
20. Arkady Gaidar."Timur and his team" (1940). I didn’t even think about writing about children’s literature, but a persistent reader, who is always right, forced me to name at least a few of the main children’s books from three eras of the twentieth century. Of course, despite all the complexity own biography writer, and even more so - his destructive descendants, the book "Timur and his team" is a children's classic of the twentieth century. A writer with an amazing sense of rhythm, composition, and completeness of the plot. A hero who was caused by time - pre-war. However, “The Fate of the Drummer” is no weaker. But still, “Timur and his team” is a landmark book that will be in demand more than once.
21. Nikolay Nosov."The Adventures of Dunno" (1954). The same Vladimir Barakhnin writes: “Finally, “Dunno” by N. Nosov is the most outstanding (and, alas, almost the only) example of a Russian (precisely Russian) and at the same time Soviet fairy tale for children...” Barakhnin is right about this: the majority other fairy-tale heroes - Chipollino, Buratino, and even Murzilka - came to us from other countries, albeit in a Russified form. Dunno - even according to the etymology of the word, it was invented here and for our children.
22. Eduard Uspensky."Crocodile Gena and his friends" (1966). I’ll finish the list of our national fairy-tale heroes with Cheburashka. Also not borrowed from abroad. And by all his roots, even if someone is surprised, Eduard Uspensky is an absolutely natural Russian writer, whether anyone loves him or not. I know absolutely for sure. You can also bring the cat Matroskin and Uncle Fyodor into the campaign here. Eduard Uspensky has enough inventions for everyone.
23. Leonid Borodin."The Year of Miracle and Sorrow." I’ll finish the list of children’s books with my favorite book by Leonid Borodin - tender, lyrical, truly Siberian, with some even oriental elements, the story-fairy tale “The Year of Miracle and Sorrow.” I have already compared it more than once to “The Little Prince” by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry. The comparison stands. There is not enough fame, a good film should be made based on a fairy tale. More illustrated publications. And the way it was published in the emigrant “Posev” at one time, everything is published among serious books. As a kind of appendix to his “Third Truth”. But it needs to be published for children. Children will definitely love her.
24. Vyacheslav Shishkov."Gloomy River" (1933). I'm going back to pre-war times. A novel about Russian capitalism. The life of a whole family of Siberian entrepreneurs, the Gromovs, which ends in collapse and death of the entire family. Maybe new Gromovs will appear now? Not only thieves, but also creators. This book should be imposed on all Russian entrepreneurs, especially Siberians. And also books by Mamin-Sibiryak, Novikov-Priboy, Sergeev-Tsensky...
25. Sergey Sergeev-Tsensky."Sevastopol Strada" (1940). A wonderful historical epic. I have been fascinated by events since childhood Crimean War, my idols were admirals Nakhimov, Kornilov, Istomin... Then I bought and re-read “The Sevastopol Strada”. And why is it not being republished now, during a period of general enthusiasm for historical prose? Mediocrities are afraid of competition.
26. Dmitry Balashov."Sovereigns of Moscow". A series of novels. (1975-2000). I knew Dmitry Balashov personally very well since his Petrozavodsk times. And I love all his novels, starting with the first ones - “Mr. Velikiy Novgorod" and "Martha the Posadnitsa". But it is difficult to single out just one. Perhaps the best historical writer XX century. However, Negoro also writes, “I’m surprised. D. Balashov is not on the list. But there is nothing like this not only in the 20th century, but in all Russian historical prose, both in concept and in execution”...
27. Valentin Pikul. Of course, " Devilry"(1979). His most problematic novel is about the impending revolution, about the impotence of the monarchy.
28. Semyon Babaevsky."Gold Star Recipient" (1947). Let's go back to the post-war period. It was the most famous and beloved novel by readers. By the way, even today it is read with interest and masterfully written.
29. Ivan Stadnyuk."War" (1971-1974-1980). A bold combination of front-line trench truth with so-called strategic thinking, depicting the country's leadership during the war. It is completely in vain to classify it as so-called “secretary literature.” In some ways, Ivan Fotievich was bolder than many dissidents, and had a persistent character.
30. Konstantin Simonov.“The Living and the Dead.” (1959-1971) Most of all I got from the readers that Simonov did not give in the first list. Many people still love him. Surprisingly, both the right and the left. Both Bushin and Borshchagovsky will always stand up for him. A skilled writer. “Alexander” is surprised: “For some reason, one of the most talented and gifted writers of the 20th century, Konstantin Simonov, is not mentioned even indirectly. And this writer, I believe, is the most talented of those who worked in the 40s-50s. "I am sure that Simonov's work will outlive 80% of this list. And his novel "The Living and the Dead" is "War and Peace" about the mid-twentieth century." Adds NN: “Alexander. I agree with you about “The Living and the Dead”, this is truly a great work and should definitely be on the list.” That's it. But I wouldn’t compare it with “War and Peace”.
31. Valentin Kataev."Werther Already Written" (1979). This is someone who knew how to write for all times and for all readers. For children: “The Lonely Sail Whitens” or “Son of the Regiment” are amazing books from the Soviet era. For adults - from "The Embezzlers" to "Our Father". And suddenly, in his old age, he personally wrote his own work, piercing in its frankness and sincerity, “Werther has already been written.” The liberals grumbled: “Kataev is anti-Semitic,” but he simply wrote what he vividly remembered how Jewish commissars were shot in his Odessa Russian nobility. However, for some the best is “My Diamond Crown” or “Sukhoi Liman”.
32. Ilya Ehrenburg."People, Years, Life" (1961-1965) Although readers demanded "Julio Jurenito", I myself appreciate this witty, paradoxical book. But for many, many, the book of memoirs “People, Years, Life” determined their entire attitude to life, to the era, and to literature. The liberal intellectual forced the entire intelligentsia to look at the first half of the twentieth century with their own eyes.
33. Stanislav Kunyaev."Poetry. Fate. Russia" (1990-2000). But it was the soil poet who wrote most clearly about the second half of the 20th century, perhaps in opposition to Ehrenburg. A book about Russian fate and Russian literature. Still, there is a special gift of a memoirist, thousands of memories, but what remains are “The Past and Thoughts,” “People, Years, Life,” and Kunyaev’s three-volume work.
34. Vladimir Dudintsev."Not by Bread Alone" (1956). "Alexey ST": "Why isn't Dudintsev on the list. The novel "White Clothes" A very good and competently written novel that changed the idea of socialism... In terms of the power of influence on minds, you can put him on a par with Sholokhov..." Afanasy: "In Dudintsev not "White Robes", but the novel "Not by Bread Alone" - a powerful thing that stirred up public consciousness..." Rather, I agree with Afanasyev, strong social prose. No more.
35. Yuri Trifonov."House on the Embankment" (1976). In Stalin's time he made a splash with "Students", in the era of stagnation they were refuted by "House on the Embankment". Urban social prose. And now it’s as if he’s disappeared, no one needs him.
36. Vasily Aksenov."Island of Crimea" (1970). The reader demands "Star Boys" and "Colleagues", but they are hopelessly outdated. Although, I admit, in my youth everyone read them. His later prose is simply mediocre. That leaves either “Burn” or “Crimea Island”. The latter is at least more entertaining. A certain Russian island of Taiwan, preserved without reds. However, this is what it was - Russian Harbin, where tsarist time it seemed to continue until the end of the 30s. But it ended purely in Aksenov’s way. Those who did not go to Tubabao Island moved to Siberia.
37. Fazil Iskander."Sandro from Chegem" (1973). A picaresque novel about an Abkhaz village. “Dmitry” writes: “You are strange, however, if you didn’t notice “Sandro from Chegem”, and Bushin is more useful than Pasternak...” Our readers are strange, however, and simultaneously demand the ultra-liberal Iskander and the Stalinist Bushin. Or as Vladimir Beskrovny writes from Svetly Yar: “You have caved in to the Jewish lobby. Oh, you...” And then he asks to add Lazar Karelin, Svetlana Alexievich, Viktor Konetsky and other cool liberals to his list. It is for the sake of such confused writers that lists like mine are needed.
38. Victor Rozov."Forever Alive" (1956). This is his first play, written based on fresh front-line impressions. Later, already thoroughly reworked, it was published in 1956. The Sovremennik Theater began with the production of the drama "Eternally Alive". Based on the play “Eternally Living,” film director M. Kalatozov directed the film “The Cranes Are Flying.” Honest Russian realism.
39. Georgy Vladimov."Three minutes of silence" (1969). Actually, the prose of courageous men, he should have become a laureate, but he was driven into dissidents. But he did not abandon Russian realism in Germany either. The fight for a man disfigured by life. This is what “Faithful Ruslan” is about.
40. Alexander Zinoviev."Yawning Heights" (1976). This is Saltykov's satire of Soviet times. But his sociological concept of man is more important than satire. A brilliant sociologist of the twentieth century. From Stalinism to disaster.
41. Oleg Kuvaev."Territory" (1974). "The most in in a good way the Soviet novel is "Territory"..." writes "Volga"... The greatest imperial novel about construction and debt. "Where is Kuvaev's "Territory"?" - asks the reader. So I ask, where is our imperial Territory now, and who is building it ?
42. Mikhail Alekseev."Brawlers" (1981). Vladimir Barakhnin writes: “Mikhail Alekseev, “Brawlers” - the first in Soviet literature a work about the famine of the 30s. Suffice it to recall the public outcry caused by Lobanov’s article “Liberation” about this book, and the devastating resolution of the Central Committee. True, they were afraid to touch Lobanov and Alekseev; they simply didn’t give him the Lenin Prize.”
43. Fedor Abramov."Pryasliny" (1972). Nikolai Kuzin writes: “A book that cannot be removed from Russian literature.” The sharpest social hillbilly.
44. Viktor Likhonosov."Our little Paris." Big creative luck. The first post-war novel about the Kuban Cossacks. Nikolai Kuzin: “It is impossible to imagine modern Russian literature without Likhonosov.”
45. Anatoly Ivanov."Eternal Call" (1976). Vladimir Barakhnin writes: “Of course, not A.N. Tolstoy, but “Eternal Call” is no weaker than Kaverin, and the severity of the issues was very bold for the 70s. This is real, not “secretary” literature, compare the level of popularity “ Eternal call"and, say, "The Strogs" by G.M. Markov..."
46. Pyotr Proskurin."Destiny" (1972). An attempt at a Soviet epic, using the example of the fate of Zakhar Deryugin, the “peasant Prometheus.” Many of our elders wrote to me about Proskurin. But will young people read it?
47. Sergey Dovlatov."Suitcase" (1986). Variant of the emigrant Zoshchenko. He is merciless towards himself and towards the entire emigrant environment. Always read with interest.
48. Victor Pelevin.“Chapaev and Emptiness” (1996) Writes “going out”: “In general, normal list. Not without taste, of course... But he forgot Pelevin in vain. Early stories and "Chapaev..." - perhaps the best in last third XX century." Adds "tanulla": "...And Pelevin, yes, he was in vain..." And "Volga" adds: "Viktor Pelevin struck at the very lair of the enemy..."
49. Yuri Kozlov."Well of the Prophets" (1998). According to Lev Danilkin, this is the same Pelevin, but of a patriotic overflow. An intellectual, exciting thriller where all the characters philosophize. The theme of Russia dominates.
50. Dmitry Galkovsky."Endless Dead End" (1997). If we start with Vasily Rozanov and continue with Daniil Andreev and Alexander Zinoviev, then we must end with a philosophical literary work Galkovsky. As Evgeniy Konyushenko from Kemerovo writes: “This book (by Galkovsky - V.B.) is a real bundle of intellectual and emotional energy. Galkovsky’s merit is that he restored the tradition of Russian national philosophizing, artificially broken off in the twentieth century...”
Vladimir Bondarenko
Introduction. Russian literature of the twentieth century has an extremely complex, even tragic, history. This is due to fundamental changes in the life of the country that began at the turn of the century. Russia has experienced three revolutions: 1905, February and October 1917; Russian – Japanese war gg; First world war gg; Civil War The internal political situation in our country at that time was extremely difficult.
The turn of the century was marked by significant scientific discoveries. They revolutionized ideas about the knowability of the world. This led to the search for an explanation of new phenomena through religion and mysticism. Philosopher Nikolai Berdyaev characterized this time as follows: “It was the era of awakening in Russia to independent philosophical thought, the flourishing of poetry and the aggravation of aesthetic sensitivity, religious anxiety and quest, interest in mysticism and the occult. New souls appeared, new sources were discovered creative life..." So, one dominant worldview has been replaced by a diversity of opinions and ideas in all areas of life.
Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy L. N. Tolstoy. Portrait by I. E. Repin.
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov Main themes of creativity ideological quest intelligentsia, dissatisfaction with the philistine existence of some, spiritual “humility” before the vulgarity of the lives of others (“A Boring Story”, 1889; “Duel”, 1891; “House with a Mezzanine”, 1896; “Ionych”, 1898; “Lady with a Dog”, 1899 ).
Ivan Alekseevich Bunin BUNIN Ivan Alekseevich (), Russian writer, honorary academician of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1909). He emigrated in 1920.
Alexander Blok (symbolist) Alexander Blok. Portrait by I. K. Parkhomenko.
Andrey Bely (symbolism) BELY Andrey(pseud. Boris Nikolaevich Bugaev) (), Russian writer. One of the leading figures of symbolism. Early poetry is characterized by mystical motifs, a grotesque perception of reality (“symphonies”), and formal experimentation (the collection “Gold in Azure,” 1904). The collection “Ashes” (1909) contains the tragedy of rural Rus'. In the novel "Petersburg" (revised edition in 1922) symbolized and satirical image Russian statehood.
Nikolai Gumilyov and Anna Akhmatova (acmeists) Anna Akhmatova and Nikolai Gumilyov with their little son, the future famous historian L. N. Gumilyov
Khlebnikov Velimir (futurist) KHLEBNIKOV Velimir (real name Viktor Vladimirovich) (), Russian poet, one of the key figures of the avant-garde.
Vladimir Mayakovsky MAYAKOVSKY Vladimir Vladimirovich, Russian poet, one of the brightest representatives of avant-garde art of the 20s.
Marina Tsvetaeva TSVETAEVA Marina Ivanovna (), Russian poetess. Daughter of I.V. Tsvetaev. Romantic maximalism, motives of loneliness, the tragic doom of love, rejection of everyday life (collections “Versta”, 1921, “Craft”, 1923, “After Russia”, 1928; satirical poem"The Pied Piper", 1925, "Poem of the End", both 1926).
Sergei Yesenin (imagist) ESENIN Sergei Alexandrovich (), Russian poet. From his first collections (“Radunitsa”, 1916; “Rural Book of Hours”, 1918) he appeared as a subtle lyricist, a master of deeply psychologized landscapes, a singer of peasant Rus', an expert vernacular And people's soul. B was a member of the group of imagists
Alexey Remizov REMIZOV Alexey Mikhailovich (), Russian writer. Searches for an archaic style focused on literature and the spoken word of pre-Petrine Rus'. Book of legends, apocrypha (“Limonar, that is: Spiritual Meadow”, 1907), novels “Pond” (1908), “The Word of the Destruction of the Russian Land” (1918). In 1921 he emigrated.
Mark Aldanov ALDANOV Mark Alexandrovich (real name Landau), Russian writer; novelist and essayist; one of the most read (and translated into foreign languages) writers of the first Russian emigration, who gained fame thanks to his historical novels, covering the events of two centuries of Russian and European history(from the middle of the 18th century).
Maxim Gorky GORKY Maxim (real name and last name Alexey Maksimovich Peshkov) (), Russian writer, publicist.
Mikhail Sholokhov SHOLOHOV Mikhail Alexandrovich (), Russian writer, academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1939), twice Hero of Socialist Labor (1967, 1980).
Nikolai Ostrovsky OSTROVSKY Nikolai Alekseevich (), Russian writer. Civil War participant; was seriously wounded. Blind and bedridden, Ostrovsky created the novel “How the Steel Was Tempered” (some chapters were not passed by censorship) about the formation of Soviet power and the heroic life of Komsomol member Pavel Korchagin (an image that largely determined the type positive hero literature of socialist realism). The novel “Born of the Storm” (1936, unfinished).
Alexander Tvardovsky TVARDOVSKY Alexander Trifonovich (), Russian poet, Chief Editor magazine " New world"(,). The poem “Vasily Terkin” () is a vivid embodiment of the Russian character and popular feelings of the era of the Great Patriotic War
Konstantin Simonov SIMONOV Konstantin (Kirill) Mikhailovich (), Russian writer, public figure, Hero of Socialist Labor (1974).
Evgeniy Schwartz Evgeniy Lvovich SHVARTZ (), Russian playwright. Saturated with highly relevant social and political content, caustic irony, fairy tale plays based on the works of H. C. Andersen “The Naked King” (1934), “The Shadow” (1940); satirical plays"Dragon" (1944), " An ordinary miracle"(1956); plays for children, stories, scripts.
Vasily Shukshin SHUKSHIN Vasily Makarovich (October 1974), Russian writer, film director, actor. Honored Artist of Russia (1969). In stories (collection “Village Residents”, 1963, “There, Away”, 1968, “Characters”, 1973), the novel “Lubavins” (parts 1-2) and films (“There Lives Such a Guy”, 1964, “ Stoves and benches", 1972, "Kalina Krasnaya", 1974
Russian literature of the twentieth century has tragic story. In the 1920s, writers (Bunin, Kuprin, Shmelev) left Russia and were expelled. The destructive impact of censorship: public persecution of literary artists (Bulgakov, Pilnyak) Since the beginning of the 30s, the tendency to bring literature to a single artistic method – socialist realism. In the 30s, the process of physical destruction of writers began: N. Klyuev, O. Mandelstam, I. Babel, I. Kataev, B. Pilnyak were shot and died in the camps. Prezentacii.com
It is very nice to know that a good book can be found not only among the works of writers of the 18th and 19th centuries. Very often, in order to find worthy reading material, we turn to the works of the best writers of the 20th century.
20th century literature
Today it is possible to get acquainted with almost any book written by one of the most famous writers 20th century. Foreign literature attracts with its fantastic worlds and intriguing detective stories. At the same time, the works of domestic authors are more addressed to the soul. Many Russian writers of the 20th century have world name. Here are some of the foreign writers, whose contribution to the development of literature is worthily appreciated by readers.
Mark Millar
Mark Millar is the favorite writer of many teenagers around the world. This famous author comics. He has already pleased the world with his famous works: « iron Man", "Wanted", the "X-Men" series and many others. Almost all the results of his activities became stories for many modern films. Writers of the 20th century accepted this author into their ranks, and now he is one of the most successful writers of the 21st century.
Stephen King
Stephen King is one of the most recognizable horror authors. Of course this one American writer He was engaged in writing not only thrillers, but it was they that brought him world fame. Books written by King are easy to read and quickly draw you into their atmosphere. “Dream Catcher” alone is worth it. In any case, writers of the 20th century are glad to have such a sharp shooter with words in their ranks.
Winner of the 1954 Nobel Prize, Ernest Hemingway is a classic of the adventure genre. The author's masterpieces often appear in school curriculum, and books in considerable quantities decorate any library. He significantly influenced almost all the literature of our time. Many writers of the 20th century respect this author and often consider him their ideal.
Arthur Conan Doyle
Today we can enjoy reading the world masterpiece "Sherlock Holmes" thanks to the writer Arthur Conan Doyle. This brilliant master of the pen, according to many, is the best that English writers of the 20th century can imagine. The writer has published many of his books, among which are: famous works, like “Waterloo”, “Angels of Darkness” and many others. The writer was a friend of H.G. Wells, but perceived his genre as completely opposite to the one in which he himself worked. Nevertheless, the works of both great writers are considered world heritage.
Russians writers 20 century
Writers in Russia had a hard time in the 20th century. The era was not characterized by calm. She was filled with anxiety in anticipation of inevitable changes. Hard fates awaited almost all people of art, including writers. But even
this state of affairs was used to convey the experiences of readers. And it really worked. Today you can really enjoy the variety good books, the authors of which were writers of the 20th century who lived in Russia. The number of such writers is really large, and it is difficult to single out someone - after all, many of them wrote really good books.
Alexander Kuprin
I would like to dwell on the work of the famous Russian writer Alexander Kuprin. Big success had his story “The Duel,” which was published at the very beginning of the 20th century. Many of his works have been collected into collections. They are quite popular.
