Silver Age of Russian Literature block. Alexander Blok - poet of the "Silver Age"

Alexander Blok - favorite poet of the Silver Age

Plan

1. Biography and creative path of the poet

2. My favorite works of Blok

3. My impression of Blok and his work

My favorite poet of the Silver Age is Alexander Alexandrovich Blok. A talented man with a difficult fate, broken by war, revolution and illness, lived only 40 years. He became famous as a publicist, critic, playwright, but the most significant trace was left by a rich collection of poems. The poet knew how to bewitch with words, enveloping the prosaic and ordinary with mysticism, plunging into the mysterious depths of images and fantasies.

The poet was born in 1880 in St. Petersburg, in an intelligent family. Alexander received a decent education, having studied first at the Vvedensky gymnasium, and then at St. Petersburg University, first at the law, and then at the historical and philological faculty.

Years of student life bring him together with friends and future colleagues. Alexander's creative abilities manifested themselves very early: at the age of 5 he wrote his first poem, and from the age of 10 he began to conduct journalistic activities in magazines. In 1904, the first published collection “Poems about the Beautiful Lady” was published, dedicated to his beloved wife Lyubov Mendeleeva, feelings for which Blok would carry through his whole life, through the difficulties and temporary chills inherent in his rebellious soul.

In the future, Alexander continues to develop in the poetic field, travels around Europe, makes new acquaintances. These impressions had a productive effect on his career. The October Revolution gives him a new breath. Drawing inspiration from the popular revolt, Blok is engaged in journalistic activities and writes the famous poem "The Twelve", caustic, metaphorical and brilliant.

The end of the poet's life path is tragic: the Soviet government, to which he was completely devoted, did not spare him. In 1921, a heart disease ends the life of a young man. Until the last hour, his Beautiful Lady, the permanent muse Lyubov Mendeleev, remains by his side.

It is impossible not to mention the delightful "Stranger", one of the most recognizable works of the poet. Wallowed in the turmoil of life, Alexander sought consolation and found it in the form of a lady under a veil. The patriotic poem “On the Kulikovo Field” cannot but touch, where the poet expresses devotion to his long-suffering homeland with great trepidation.

The poem "Demon" (Come, follow me - submissive ...) captivates with frightening beauty, which, nevertheless, I really want to touch. The author lures and keeps the reader with a magnificent style as skillfully as a lyrical and dangerous hero - an unfortunate girl.

Alexander was a difficult, contradictory man, succumbing to passions. Personal characteristics and talent, given to him from above, made it possible to present ordinary problems and emotions familiar to every person in a new, unusual light. Blok's poetry is very complex: metaphors and symbols make you think about what exactly is meant, but this is its value and charm.

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Alexander Blok - the poet of the "Silver Age".

In the history of the formation of true true Russian culture, the "Silver Age" occupies one of the special places. Alexander Blok, in turn, is the brightest representative of this time.

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Oh, I WANT TO LIVE CRAZY!

ALL THAT IS TO PERMANENT,

IMPERSONAL - TO HUMAN,

THE UNCOMPLETED - REALIZE!

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BECAUSE WITH MOTHER'S MILK I HAVE ABSORBED THE SPIRIT OF RUSSIAN HUMANISM

The family of the rector of St. Petersburg University A.N. Beketov.

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First collection of poems

First volume

Cycle "Crossroads";

Cycle "Poems about the Beautiful Lady"

Third volume

"It's all about Russia"

Second volume

Cycle "Bubbles of the Earth";

Cycle "City"

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The block reveals the main meaning of the stages of the path he has traveled and the content of each of the books of the trilogy:

“...this is my path, now that it has been passed, I am firmly convinced that this is due and that all the verses together are the “trilogy of incarnation”

(from a moment of too bright light - through the necessary swampy forest - to despair, curses, “retribution * and ... - to the birth of a “public” person, an artist who courageously looks into the face of the world ..)".

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"Beautiful lady"

Dawn, star, sun, white color-?

Opening circles -?

Morning, spring -?

Winter, night - ?

Blue, purple world -?

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The story of earthly, quite real love is transformed into a romantic-symbolic mystical-philosophical myth.

It has its own plot and its own plot.

The basis of the plot is the opposition of the “earthly” (lyrical hero) to the “heavenly” (Beautiful Lady) and at the same time the desire for their connection, “meeting”, as a result of which the transformation of the world should come, complete harmony.

However, the lyrical plot complicates and dramatizes the plot. From poem to poem, there is a change in the mood of the hero: bright hopes - and doubts about them, the expectation of love - and the fear of its collapse, faith in the immutability of the appearance of the Virgin - and the assumption that it can be distorted (“But I’m scared: you will change your appearance” ).

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“I enter dark temples…”

What is the emotional atmosphere of the poem?

By what means is it created?

What are the subject matter of the poem, its colors?

What is the lyrical hero of the poem?

Is the appearance of the Beautiful Lady traced?

By what means is her image created?

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The name proposed by us - SYMBOLISM - is the only one suitable for the new school, only it conveys without distortion the creative spirit of contemporary art.

Paris. Newspaper "Figaro"

Jean Moreas "Manifesto of Symbolism"

The human perception of the world is imperfect, therefore the depicted reality is erroneous

The secrets of the world can only be comprehended emotionally and intuitively

A reflection of this "higher truth" and at the same time a way to comprehend it is a hint symbol

From the history of symbolism

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Poetics of hints, shades. The concept of a symbol as an image. Symbol as a polysemantic allegory

The Silver Age is a short period in the development of Russian literature. By the strength and energy of amazing creations, the poetry of that time was proclaimed a worthy successor to the greatest artistic discoveries of Russian classical literature of the 19th century. But the poets of the Silver Age not only developed the traditions of their predecessors, but also created unique masterpieces. The poetry of this period is amazing and unique.
Symbolism is one of the artistic movements of the Silver Age, which was followed by many poets. Speaking of symbolism, it is necessary

Note that he turned to eternal ideas that are important to man. Of all the symbolist poets, the work of Alexander Blok is closest to me. I consider him one of the brightest representatives of the Silver Age.
Blok is an outstanding phenomenon in Russian poetry. This is one of the most remarkable symbolist poets. He never retreated from symbolism: neither in youthful poems full of fogs and dreams, nor in more mature works. The literary heritage of Alexander Blok is extensive and diverse. It has become a part of our culture and life, helping to understand the origins of spiritual quests, to understand the past.
According to the poet himself, his lyrics in all its diversity is a single work. This work, created all his life, is a reflection of his creative path. "Collected Poems" in three volumes was compiled by Blok for many years. From this collection it is not difficult to trace the formation of Blok as a poet, the gradual transition from dreams to reality. The transition, of course, is very conditional, but noticeable.
The poems of the young Blok amaze with their purity and tenderness. Of course, he is not free from the influence of his predecessors and contemporaries, but this does not prevent him from creating his own, unique. The poet entered the world of people with love and faith in a bright and pure world. Love is one of the main motives of his lyrics. The path to the world, according to Blok, must be carried out with the help of love. And this is precisely what is traced in “Poems about a Beautiful Lady”. Blok is in search of an ideal, Eternal Femininity.
I anticipate you.
Years pass by
All in the guise of one I foresee You.
The whole horizon is on fire - and unbearably clear,
And silently I wait, yearning and loving.
In his dedications to the Beautiful Lady, he leaves the surrounding reality, locks himself in his thoughts.
From Blok's later work, I like the poem "The Stranger". At the first reading, you are simply amazed at the beauty and magnetism of the image of a mysterious stranger created by the poet:
And breathe ancient beliefs
Her elastic silks
And a hat with mourning feathers
And in the rings a narrow hand.
But dreams of the Beautiful Lady cannot protect Blok from real life.
Reality still penetrates his world. The verses “Factory”, “Fed”, “On the railway” and these lines appear:
How hard it is to walk among people
And pretend to be invincible
And about the game of tragic passions
To narrate to those who have not yet lived.
The events of the early twentieth century had a decisive influence on the revision of his life values.
We are the children of the terrible years of Russia -
Nothing can be forgotten.
Block moves away from dreams and increasingly looks into the eyes of reality. Youthful daydreaming is being replaced by a consciousness of one's civic duty, an understanding of responsibility to one's country. Alexander Blok feels for the Motherland, on the one hand, a feeling of love, longing for her, compassion, and on the other, faith in her beautiful future and a desire to change the life of her people for the better. It is this excitement for the future of the Motherland that overwhelms the lyrical hero in the poem "The Twelve". The poem is filled with symbols. It begins immediately with a sharp contrast: “Black evening. White snow". Black color - evil, storm, spontaneity, unpredictability, white - purity, spirituality, light. The color red is also found in the poem. This is not only the color of flags and slogans, it is the color of blood.
Blok has a cycle of poems “On the Kulikovo Field”, where in every word one feels great love for the Motherland. “Oh, my Russia! My wife!" - this is how the poet addresses her, that is, not only as a living thing, but as the closest being in the world. The image of Russia is imperceptibly intertwined with the female image all the time. For Blok, the Motherland is a woman; she is like the "beautiful stranger" to whom the poet refers in his early poems. Love for the motherland and love for a woman for Blok are inseparable and equally significant concepts.
Despite the fact that the work of Alexander Blok fell on a rather difficult period in the life of Russia, his searches and delusions in search of a bright, beautiful life, life in the name of man, humanity and love remain relevant to this day. His early dreams of the Beautiful Lady, of the quest for the Eternal Feminine, give food for thought to the present young generation. True love is to this day one of the driving forces in the life of mankind. Blok passed away early, but his poems excite people, they help us live.

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Essay on literature on the topic: My favorite poet of the Silver Age (A. A. Blok)

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My favorite poet of the Silver Age (A. A. Blok)

The Silver Age is the era of modernism, captured in Russian literature. This is the period when innovative ideas captured all spheres of art, including the art of the word. Although it lasted only a quarter of a century (starting from 1898, ending around 1922), its legacy is the golden ford of Russian poetry. Until now, the poems of that time do not lose their charm and originality, even against the background of modern creativity. As we know, the works of the Futurists, Imagists and Symbolists became the basis of many famous songs. Therefore, in order to understand the current cultural realities, it is necessary to know the primary sources that we have listed in this article.

The Silver Age is one of the main, key periods of Russian poetry, covering the period of the late XIX - early XX centuries. The debate about who was the first to use this term is still going on. Some believe that the "Silver Age" belongs to Nikolai Avdeevich Otsup, a well-known critic. Others are inclined to believe that the term was introduced thanks to the poet Sergei Makovsky. But there are also options regarding Nikolai Alexandrovich Berdyaev, a famous Russian philosopher, Razumnikov Vasilyevich Ivanov, a Russian literary critic, and the poet Vladimir Alekseevich Piast. But one thing is certain: the definition was coined by analogy with another, no less important period - the Golden Age of Russian literature.

As for the time frame of the period, they are arbitrary, since it is difficult to establish the exact dates for the birth of the Silver Age of poetry. The beginning is usually associated with the work of Alexander Alexandrovich Blok and his symbolism. The end is attributed to the date of the execution of Nikolai Stepanovich Gumilyov and the death of the previously mentioned Blok. Although echoes of this period can be found in the work of other famous Russian poets - Boris Pasternak, Anna Akhmatova, Osip Mandelstam.

Symbolism, Imagism, Futurism and Acmeism are the main currents of the Silver Age. All of them belong to such a direction in art as modernism.

The main philosophy of modernism was the idea of positivism, that is, hope and faith in the new - in a new time, in a new life, in the formation of the newest / modern. People believed that they were born for something high, they have their own destiny, which they must fulfill. Now culture is aimed at eternal development, constant progress. But all this philosophy collapsed with the advent of wars. It was they who forever changed the worldview and attitude of people.

Futurism

Futurism is one of the directions of modernism, which is an integral part of the Russian avant-garde. For the first time, this term appeared in the manifesto "Slap in the face of public taste", written by members of the St. Petersburg group "Gileya". It included Vladimir Mayakovsky, Vasily Kamensky, Velimir Khlebnikov and other authors, who were most often called "budetlyane".

Paris is considered the ancestor of futurism, but its founder comes from Italy. However, it was in France in 1909 that Filippo Tommaso Marinetti's manifesto was published, skimping on the place of this movement in literature. Further, futurism "came" to other countries. Marinetti has shaped attitudes, ideas and thoughts. He was an eccentric millionaire, most of all fond of cars and women. However, after the accident, when the man lay next to the pulsing heart of the engine for several hours, he decided to sing the beauty of an industrial city, the melody of a rumbling car, the poetics of progress. Now the ideal for man was not the surrounding natural world, but the urban landscape, the noise and roar of the bustling metropolis. The Italian also admired the exact sciences and came up with the idea of composing poetry using formulas and graphs, created a new “ladder” size, etc. However, his poetry turned out to be something like another manifesto, a theoretical and lifeless rebellion against old ideologies. From the point of view of artistry, a breakthrough in futurism was made not by its founder, but by the Russian admirer of his discovery - Vladimir Mayakovsky. In 1910, a new literary trend comes to Russia. Here it is represented by the four most influential groups:

Moscow group "Centrifuge" (Nikolai Aseev, Boris Pasternak, etc.);
The previously mentioned St. Petersburg group "Gileya";
Petersburg group "Moscow Egofuturists" under the control of the publishing house "Petersburg Herald" (Igor Severyanin, Konstantin Olimpov, etc.);
Moscow group "Moscow ego-futurists" under the control of the publishing house "Mezzanine of Art" (Boris Lavrenev, Vadim Shershenevich, etc.).

Since all these groups had a huge influence on futurism, it developed heterogeneously. There were such offshoots as egofuturism and cubofuturism.

Futurism influenced not only literature. He also had a great influence on painting. A characteristic feature of such canvases is the cult of progress and protest against traditional artistic canons. This trend combines the features of cubism and expressionism. The first exhibition took place in 1912. Then in Paris they showed pictures that depicted various means of transportation (cars, planes, etc.). Futurist artists believed that technology would take the lead in the future. The main innovative move was an attempt to depict movement in statics.

The main features of this trend in poetry are as follows:

the denial of everything old: the old way of life, the old literature, the old culture;
orientation to the new, the future, the cult of change;
feeling of imminent change;
creation of new forms and images, countless and radical experiments:
the invention of new words, speech turns, sizes.
desemantization of speech.

Vladimir Mayakovsky

Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky (1893-1930) is a famous Russian poet. One of the greatest representatives of futurism. He began literary experiments in 1912. Thanks to the poet, such neologisms as “nate”, “hollow-shtanny”, sickle” and many others were introduced into the Russian language. Vladimir Vladimirovich also made a huge contribution to versification. His "ladder" helps to correctly place accents when reading. And the lyrical lines in the creation “Lilichka! (Instead of a letter) "became the most poignant love confessions in the poetry of the 20th century. We have discussed it in detail in a separate article.

The most famous works of the poet include the following examples of futurism: the previously mentioned "", "V.I. Lenin", "", poems "I get out of wide trousers", "Could you? (Listen!) ”,“ Poems about the Soviet passport ”,“ Left March ”,“ ”, etc.

Mayakovsky's main themes include:

the place of the poet in society and his purpose;
patriotism;
glorification of the socialist system;
revolutionary theme;
love feelings and loneliness;
purposefulness on the way to a dream.

After October 1917, the poet (with rare exceptions) was inspired only by revolutionary ideas. He sings of the power of change, the Bolshevik ideology and the greatness of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin.

Igor Severyanin

Igor Severyanin (1887 - 1941) is a famous Russian poet. One of the representatives of egofuturism. First of all, he is known for his outrageous poetry, where his own personality is sung. The Creator was sure that he was a pure incarnation of genius, so he often behaved selfishly and arrogantly. But that was only in public. In ordinary everyday life, Severyanin was no different from others, and after emigrating to Estonia, he completely “tied up” with modernist experiments and began to develop in line with classical poetry. His most famous works are the poems "!", "Nightingales of the monastery garden", "Classic roses", "Nocturne", "A girl was crying in the park" and the collections "The Thundering Cup", "Victoria regia", "Zlatolira". We have covered it in detail in another article.

The main themes of Igor Severyanin's work:

technical progress;
own genius;
the poet's place in society;
love theme;
satire and scourging of social vices;
politics.

He was the first poet in Russia to boldly call himself a futurist. But in 1912, Igor Severyanin founded a new, own trend - ego-futurism, which is characterized by the use of foreign words and the presence of a sense of "selfishness".

Alexey Kruchenykh

Alexey Eliseevich Kruchenykh (1886 - 1968) - Russian poet, journalist, artist. One of the representatives of Russian futurism. The creator became famous for bringing “zaum” into Russian poetry. “Zaum” is an abstract speech, devoid of any meaning, which allows the author to use any words (strange combinations, neologisms, parts of words, etc.). Aleksey Kruchenykh even issues his own “Declaration of the abstruse language”.

The most famous poem of the poet is “Dyr bul schyl”, but there are other works: “Reinforced concrete weights - at home”, “Left”, “Rainforest”, “In the gambling house”, “Winter”, “Death of the artist, “Rus” other.

The main themes of Khlebnikov's work include:

the theme of love;
the theme of the language;
creation;
satire;
food theme.

Velimir Khlebnikov

Velimir Khlebnikov (1885 - 1922) - a famous Russian poet, one of the main figures of the avant-garde in Russia. He became famous, first of all, for being the founder of futurism in our country. Also, one should not forget that it was thanks to Khlebnikov that radical experiments began in the field of “creativity of the word” and the previously mentioned “zaumi”. Sometimes the poet was also called "the chairman of the globe." The main works are poems, poems, superstories, autobiographical materials and prose. Examples of futurism in poetry include:

"Bird in a cage";
"Vremysh - reeds";
"Out of the bag";
"Grasshopper" and others.

For poems:

"Menagerie";
"Forest longing";
“Love comes like a terrible whirlwind”, etc.

Super stories:

"Zangezi";
"War in the Mousetrap".

"Nikolai";
“Great is the day” (Imitation of Gogol);
"Cliff from the future".

Autobiographical materials:

"Autobiographical note";
"Answers to the questionnaire of S. A. Vegnerov."

The main themes of V. Khlebnikov's work:

the theme of the revolution and its glorification;
the theme of predestination, rock;
connection of times;
the theme of nature.

Imagism

Imagism is one of the currents of the Russian avant-garde, which also appeared and spread in the Silver Age. The concept comes from the English word "image", which translates as "image". This direction is an offshoot of futurism.

Imagism first appeared in England. The main representatives were Ezra Pound and Percy Wyndham Lewis. Only in 1915 did this trend reach our country. But Russian Imagism differed significantly from English. In fact, only the name remained from it. For the first time the Russian public heard the works of Imagism on January 29, 1919 in the building of the All-Russian Union of Poets in Moscow. It provides that the image of the word rises above the idea, the idea.

For the first time the term "Imagism" appears in Russian literature in 1916. It was then that Vadim Shershenevich's book "Green Street ..." was published, in which the author announced the emergence of a new trend. More extensive than futurism.

Just like Futurism, Imagism influenced painting. The most popular artists are: Georgy Bogdanovich Yakulov (avant-garde artist), Sergey Timofeevich Konenkov (sculptor) and Boris Robertovich Erdman.

The main features of Imagism:

dominance of the image;
extensive use of metaphors;
content of the work = development of the image + epithets;
epithet = comparisons + metaphors + antithesis;
poems perform, above all, an aesthetic function;
one work = one figurative catalogue.

Sergey Yesenin

Sergei Alexandrovich Yesenin (1895 - 1925) - a famous Russian poet, one of the most popular representatives of Imagism, an outstanding creator of peasant lyrics. we described in an essay about his contribution to the culture of the Silver Age.

During his short life, he managed to become famous for his outstanding creativity. Everyone read his heartfelt poems about love, nature, the Russian village. But the poet was also known for being one of the founders of Imagism. In 1919, he, along with other poets - V.G. Shershenevich and A.B. Mariengof - for the first time told the public about the principles of this movement. The main feature was that the poems of the Imagists can be read from the bottom up. At the same time, the essence of the work does not change. But in 1922, Sergei Alexandrovich realized that this innovative creative association was very limited, and in 1924 he wrote a letter announcing the closure of the Imagist group.

The main works of the poet (it should be noted that not all of them are written in the style of Imagism):

“Goy you, Russia, my dear!”;
"Letter to a woman";
"Hooligan";
“You don’t love me, you don’t regret ...”;
"I have one fun left";
Poem "";

The main themes of Yesenin's work:

theme of the Motherland;
the theme of nature;
love lyrics;
longing and spiritual crisis;
nostalgia;
rethinking the historical transformations of the 20th century

Anatoly Mariengof

Anatoly Borisovich Mariengof (1897 - 1962) - Russian imaginist poet, playwright, prose writer. Together with S. Yesenin and V. Shershenevich, he founded a new direction of avant-garde - imaginism. First of all, he became famous for his revolutionary literature, since most of his works praise this political phenomenon.

The main works of the poet include such books as:

"A novel without lies";
"" (1991 a film adaptation of this book was released);
"Shaved Man";
"Immortal Trilogy";
"Anatoly Mariengof about Sergei Yesenin";
"Without a fig leaf";
"Showcase of the Heart"

To poems-examples of Imagism:

"Meeting";
"Jugs of Memory";
"March of revolutions";
"Hands with a tie";
"September" and many others.

Themes of Mariengof's works:

revolution and its chanting;
the theme of "Russianness";
bohemian life;
socialist ideas;
anticlerical protest.

Together with Sergei Yesenin and other Imagists, the poet participated in the creation of issues of the magazine Hotel for Travelers in Beauty and the book The Imagists.

Symbolism

- a trend headed by an innovative image-symbol that replaced the artistic one. The term "symbolism" comes from the French "symbolisme" and the Greek "symbolon" - a symbol, a sign.

France is considered to be the ancestor of this trend. After all, it was there, in the 18th century, that the famous French poet Stéphane Mallarmé united with other poets to create a new literary movement. Then the symbolism "migrated" to other European countries, and already at the end of the 18th century it came to Russia.

For the first time this concept appears in the works of the French poet Jean Moreas.

The main features of symbolism include:

dual world - division into reality and the illusory world;
musicality;
psychologism;
the presence of a symbol as the basis of meaning and idea;
mystical images and motives;
reliance on philosophy;
cult of individuality.

Alexander Blok

Alexander Alexandrovich Blok (1880-1921) is a famous Russian poet, one of the most important representatives of symbolism in Russian poetry.

The block belongs to the second stage of development of this trend in our country. He is a "junior symbolist", who embodied in his works the philosophical ideas of the thinker Vladimir Sergeevich Solovyov.

The main works of Alexander Blok include the following examples of Russian symbolism:

"On the railway";
"Factory";
“Night, street, lamp, pharmacy…”;
"I enter dark temples";
"The girl sang in the church choir";
"I'm scared to meet you";
"Oh, I want to live crazy";
poem "" and much more.

Blok's themes:

the theme of the poet and his place in the life of society;
the theme of sacrificial love, love-worship;
the theme of the Motherland and understanding of its historical fate;
beauty as an ideal and the salvation of the world;
the theme of the revolution;
mystical and folklore motifs

Valery Bryusov

Valery Yakovlevich Bryusov (1873 - 1924) - Russian symbolist poet, translator. One of the most famous representatives of the Silver Age of Russian poetry. He stood at the origins of Russian symbolism along with A.A. Block. The success of the creator began with the scandal associated with the monostich "Oh, close your pale legs." Then, after the publication of even more defiant works, Bryusov finds himself at the epicenter of fame. He is invited to various secular and poetic evenings, and his name becomes a real brand in the art world.

Examples of symbolist verses:

"Its end";
"In past";
"Napoleon";
"Woman";
"Shadows of the Past";
"Mason";
"Tormenting gift";
"Clouds";
"Images of Time".

The main themes in the work of Valery Yakovlevich Bryusov:

mysticism and religion;
problems of personality and society;
departure to a fictional world;
the history of homeland.

Andrey Bely

Andrey Bely (1880 - 1934) - Russian poet, writer, critic. Just like Blok, Bely is considered one of the most famous representatives of symbolism in our country. It is worth noting that the creator supported the ideas of individualism and subjectivism. He believed that symbolism represents a certain worldview of a person, and not just a trend in art. He considered the language of signs to be the highest manifestation of speech. The poet was also of the opinion that all art is a kind of spirit, the mystical energy of higher powers.

He called his works symphonies, including "Dramatic", "Northern", "Symphonic" and "Return". Famous poems include: “And the water? The moment is clear ... "," Asya (Azure is pale), "Balmont", "Madman" and others.

Themes in the poet's work are:

the theme of love or passion for a woman;
struggle against petty-bourgeois vulgarity;
ethical and moral aspects of the revolution;
mystical and religious motives;

Konstantin Balmont

Konstantin Dmitrievich Balmont (1867 - 1942) - Russian symbolist poet, literary critic and writer. He became famous for his "optimistic narcissism". According to the famous Russian poet Anninsky, he raised the most important philosophical questions in his works. The main works of the poet are the collections "Under the Northern Sky", "We'll Be Like the Sun" and "Burning Buildings" and the well-known poems "Butterfly", "In the Blue Temple", "There is no day that I do not think about You ...". These are very illustrative examples of symbolism.

The main themes in the work of Balmont:

the sublime place of the poet in society;
individualism;
the theme of infinity;
questions of being and non-being;
beauty and mystery of the surrounding world.

Vyacheslav Ivanov

Vyacheslav Ivanovich Ivanov (1866 - 1949) - poet, critic, playwright, translator. Although he survived the heyday of symbolism much, he still remained true to his aesthetic and literary principles. The creator is known for his idea of Dionysian symbolism (he was inspired by the ancient Greek god of fertility and wine, Dionysus). His poetry was dominated by ancient images and philosophical questions posed by ancient Greek philosophers like Epicurus.

Ivanov's main works:

"Alexander Blok";
"The ark";
"News";
"Scales";
"Contemporaries";
"Valley - temple";
"The Sky Lives"

Topics of creativity:

the secret of natural harmony;
the theme of love;
the theme of life and death;
mythological motives;
true nature of happiness.

Acmeism

Acmeism is the last trend that made up the poetry of the Silver Age. The term comes from the Greek word "acme", which means the dawn of something, the peak.

As a literary manifestation, acmeism was formed at the beginning of the 20th century. Beginning in 1900, young poets began to gather in the apartment of the poet Vyacheslav Ivanov in St. Petersburg. In 1906-1907 a small group broke away from everyone and formed a "circle of young people". He was distinguished by the desire to move away from symbolism and form something new. Also, the literary group "Workshop of Poets" made a great contribution to the development of acmeism. It included such poets as Anna Akhmatova, Osip Mandelstam, Georgy Adamovich, Vladimir Narbut and others. The workshop was headed by Nikolay Gumilyov and Sergey Gorodetsky. After 5 - 6 years, another part separated from this group, which began to call themselves acmeists.

Acmeism is also reflected in painting. The views of such artists as Alexandre Benois (“Marquise’s Bath” and “The Venetian Garden”), Konstantin Somov (“The Mocked Kiss”), Sergei Sudeikin and Leon Bakst (all of whom were part of the art group of the late 19th century “The World of Arts”) were similar to the views of acmeist writers. In all the pictures we can see how the modern world is opposed to the world of the past. Each canvas is a kind of stylized decoration.

The main features of acmeism:

rejection of the ideas of symbolism, opposition to them;
return to the origins: connection with past poets and literary movements;
the symbol is no longer a way to influence / influence the reader;
the absence of everything mystical;
connection of physiological wisdom with the inner world of man.
Striving for simplicity and ultimate clarity of the image, theme, style.

Anna Akhmatova

Anna Andreevna Akhmatova (1889 - 1966) - Russian poetess, literary critic, translator. She is also a nominee for the Nobel Prize in Literature. As a talented poetess, the world recognized her in 1914. It was in this year that the collection "Rosary" was released. Further, her influence in bohemian circles only increased, and the poem "" provided her with scandalous fame. In the Soviet Union, criticism did not favor her talent, mainly her fame went underground, to samizdat, but the works from her pen were copied by hand and learned by heart. It was she who patronized Joseph Brodsky in the early stages of his work.

Significant creations include:

“I learned to live simply, wisely”;
“She clenched her hands over a dark veil”;
“I asked the cuckoo…”;
"Grey-eyed king";
"I'm not asking for your love";
“And now you are heavy and dull,” and others.

Poetry themes include:

the theme of conjugal and maternal love;
the theme of true friendship;
the theme of Stalinist repressions and the suffering of the people;
the theme of the war;
the place of the poet in the world;
reflection on the fate of Russia.

Basically, the lyrical works of Anna Akhmatova are written in the direction of acmeism, but sometimes there are manifestations of symbolism, most often against the background of some kind of action.

Nikolay Gumilyov

Nikolai Stepanovich Gumilev (1886 - 1921) - Russian poet, critic, prose writer and literary critic. At the beginning of the 20th century, he was already part of the “Workshop of Poets” already known to you. It was thanks to this creator and his colleague Sergei Gorodetsky that acmeism was founded. They spearheaded this pioneering separation from the general group. Gumilyov's poems are understandable and transparent, they do not contain pomposity and zaum, so they are still rehearsed and played on stages and music tracks. He speaks simply, but beautifully and sublimely about complex feelings and thoughts. For his connection with the White Guards, he was shot by the Bolsheviks.

The main works include:

"Giraffe";
"The Lost Tram";
“Remember more than once”;
"From a bouquet of a whole lilac";
"Comfort";
"The escape";
"I laughed at myself";
"My Readers" and much more.

The main theme of Gumilyov's poetry is overcoming life's failures and obstacles. He also touched upon philosophical, love, military topics. His view of art is curious, because for him creativity is always a sacrifice, always an anguish, to which you surrender without a trace.

Osip Mandelstam

Osip Emilievich Mandelstam (1891 - 1938) - a famous poet, literary critic, translator and prose writer. He is the author of original love lyrics, dedicated many poems to the city. His work is distinguished by a satirical and clearly oppositional orientation in relation to the current authorities at that time. He was not afraid to touch on topical issues and ask uncomfortable questions. For his caustic and insulting "dedication" to Stalin, he was arrested and convicted. The mystery of his death in the labor camp remains unsolved to this day.

Examples of acmeism can be found in his works:

Notre Dame;
“We live without feeling the country under us”;
"Insomnia. Homer. Tight sails…”;
Silentium;
"Self-portrait";
“The evening is gentle. Twilight is important…”;
"You smile" and much more.

Themes in the work of Mandelstam:

the beauty of Petersburg;
the theme of love;
the place of the poet in public life;
the theme of culture and freedom of creativity;
political protest;
poet and power.

Sergei Gorodetsky

Sergei Mitrofanovich Gorodetsky (1884 - 1967) - Russian poet - acmeist, translator. His work is characterized by the presence of folklore motifs, he was fond of folk epos and ancient Russian culture. After 1915 he became a peasant poet, describing the customs and life of the village. While working as a war correspondent, he created a cycle of poems dedicated to the Armenian genocide. After the revolution, he was mainly engaged in translations.

Significant works of the poet, which can be considered examples of acmeism:

"Armenia";
"Birch";
cycle "Spring";
"Town";
"Wolf";
“My face is a hiding place of births”;
"Remember, the blizzard came";
"Lilac";
"Snow";
"Series".

The main themes in the poems of Sergei Gorodetsky:

the natural splendor of the Caucasus;
the theme of the poet and poetry;
Armenian genocide;
the theme of the revolution;
the theme of the war;
love and philosophical lyrics.

Creativity of Marina Tsvetaeva

Marina Ivanovna Tsvetaeva (1892-1941) is a well-known Russian poetess, translator, prose writer. First of all, she is known for her love poems. She also tended to reflect on the ethical aspects of the revolution, and nostalgia for the old times was traced in her works. Perhaps that is why she was forced to leave the country of the Soviets, where her work was not appreciated. She knew other languages brilliantly, and her popularity spread not only to our country. The talent of the poetess is admired in Germany, France and the Czech Republic.

The main works of Tsvetaeva:

"Come, you look like me";
“I will win you back from all lands, from all heavens ..”;
"Homesickness! For a long time…";
“I like that you are not sick with me”;
"I would like to live with you";

The main themes in the work of the poetess:

theme of the Motherland;
the theme of love, jealousy, separation;
theme of home and childhood;
the theme of the poet and his significance;
the historical fate of the fatherland;
spiritual relationship.

One amazing feature of Marina Tsvetaeva is that her poems do not belong to any literary movement. All of them are outside any direction.

The work of Sofia Parnok

Sofia Yakovlevna Parnok (1885 - 1933) - Russian poetess, translator. She gained fame thanks to a scandalous friendship with the famous poetess Marina Tsvetaeva. The fact is that communication between them was attributed to something more than friendly relations. Parnok was also awarded the nickname "Russian Sappho" for her statements about the right of women to non-traditional love and equal rights with men.

Main works:

"White Night";
“In a barren land no grain can grow”;
“Not yet spirit, almost not flesh”;
"I love you in your space";
"How bright the light is today";
"Divination";
"The lips were too tight."

The main themes in the work of the poetess are prejudice-free love, spiritual connection between people, independence from public opinion.

Parnok does not belong to a certain direction. All her life she tried to find her special place in literature, not tied to a particular trend.

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List used literature 10

1. Milestones in the work of the poet of the "Silver Age"

BLOK Alexander Alexandrovich, Russian poet, was born on November 16 (28), 1880, in St. Petersburg.

He began his poetic activity in the spirit of symbolism (“Poems about the Beautiful Lady”, 1904), the feeling of the crisis of which he proclaimed in the drama “Puppet Show” (1906).

Blok's lyrics, close to music in their "spontaneity", were formed under the influence of the romance. Through the deepening of social trends (the cycle "City", 1904-1908), the comprehension of the "terrible world" (the cycle of the same name 1908-1916), the awareness of the tragedy of modern man (the play "Rose and Cross", 1912-1913) came to the idea of the inevitability of "retribution "(the cycle of the same name 1907-1913; the cycle "Yamba", 1907-1914; the poem "Retribution", 1910-1921). The main themes of poetry were resolved in the Motherland cycle (1907-1916).

He tried to comprehend the October Revolution in the poem "The Twelve" (1918), journalism. The rethinking of the revolutionary events and the fate of Russia was accompanied by a deep creative crisis and depression.

2. Family. Childhood and education

Father, Alexander Lvovich Blok, - lawyer, professor of law at Warsaw University, mother, Alexandra Andreevna, nee Beketova (in her second marriage Kublitskaya-Piottukh) - translator, daughter of the rector of St. Petersburg University A. N. Beketov and translator E. N. Beketova .

Blok's early years were spent in his grandfather's house. Among the brightest childhood and adolescent impressions are the annual summer months in the Beketovs' Shakhmatovo estate near Moscow. In 1897, during a trip to the resort of Bad Nauheim (Germany), he experienced the first youthful passion of K. M. Sadovskaya, to whom he dedicated a number of poems, which were then included in the Ante Lucem cycle (1898-1900) and in the collection Beyond the Past Days (1920 ), as well as the cycle "After twelve years" (1909-14). After graduating from the Vvedensky gymnasium in St. Petersburg, in 1898 he entered the law faculty of St. Petersburg University, but in 1901 he transferred to the historical and philological faculty (he graduated in 1906 in the Slavic-Russian department). Among the professors under whom Blok studied are F. F. Zelinsky, A. I. Sobolevsky, I. A. Shlyapkin, S. F. Platonov, A. I. Vvedensky, V. K. Ernshtedt, B. V. Warneke. In 1903 he married the daughter of D. I. Mendeleev, Lyubov Dmitrievna.

3. Creative debut

He began writing poetry at the age of 5, but conscious adherence to his vocation begins in 1900-01. The most important literary and philosophical traditions that influenced the formation of a creative individuality are the teachings of Plato, the lyrics and philosophy of V. S. Solovyov, and the poetry of A. A. Fet.

In March 1902, he met Z. N. Gippius and D. S. Merezhkovsky, who had an enormous influence on him; in their journal "New Way" (1903, No. 3) Blok made his creative debut as a poet and critic.

In January 1903 he entered into correspondence, in 1904 he personally met A. Bely, who became the poet closest to him from the younger symbolists. In 1903, the "Literary and Artistic Collection: Poems of Students of the Imperial St. Petersburg University" was published, in which three of Blok's poems were published; in the same year, Blok's cycle "Poems about the Beautiful Lady" (the title was proposed by V. Ya. Bryusov) was published in the 3rd book of the almanac "Northern Flowers".

In March 1904, he began work on the book "Poems about the Beautiful Lady" (1904, on the title page - 1905). The traditional romantic theme of love-service received in "Poems about the Beautiful Lady" that new content that was introduced into it by the ideas of Vl. Solovyov about merging with the Eternal Feminine in the Divine All-Unity, about overcoming the alienation of the individual from the world whole through a love feeling. The myth of Sophia, becoming the theme of lyrical poems, transforms beyond recognition in the inner world of the cycle the traditional natural, and in particular, the "lunar" symbolism and paraphernalia (the heroine appears above, in the evening sky, she is white, a source of light, scatters pearls, emerges, disappears after sunrise, etc.).

4. Participation in the literary process 1905-09

"Poems about the Beautiful Lady" revealed the tragic impracticability of "Soloviev's" life harmony (the motives of "blasphemous" doubts about one's own "vocation" and about her beloved, who is able to "change her appearance"), putting the poet before the need to search for other, more direct relationships with the world. The events of the 1905-07 revolution played a special role in shaping Blok's worldview, exposing the spontaneous, catastrophic nature of life. The theme of “elements” penetrates into the lyrics of this time and becomes the leading one (images of a snowstorm, blizzards, motifs of freemen, vagrancy).

The image of the central heroine changes dramatically: the Beautiful Lady is replaced by the demonic Stranger, the Snow Mask, the schismatic gypsy Faina. Blok is actively involved in literary everyday life, published in all symbolist magazines (“Questions of Life”, “Scales”, “Pass”, “Golden Fleece”), almanacs, newspapers (“Word”, “Speech”, “Hour”, etc. ), acts not only as a poet, but also as a playwright and literary critic (since 1907 he has been in charge of the critical department in the Golden Fleece), unexpectedly for fellow symbolists, revealing interest and closeness to the traditions of democratic literature.

Contacts in the literary and theatrical environment are becoming more and more diverse: Blok visits the “Club of the Young”, which united writers close to the “new art” (V. V. Gippius, S. M. Gorodetsky, E. P. Ivanov, L. D. Semenov, A. A. Kondratiev and others). Since 1905, he has been visiting "Wednesdays" on the "tower" of Vyach. I. Ivanov, since 1906 - "Saturdays" in the theater of V. F. Komissarzhevskaya, where V. E. Meyerhold staged his first play "Balaganchik" (1906). The actress of this theater N. N. Volokhova becomes the subject of his stormy passion, the book of poems "Snow Mask" (1907), the cycle "Faina" (1906-08) are dedicated to her; her features - a "tall beauty" in "elastic black silks" with "shining eyes" - determine the appearance of "natural" heroines in the lyrics of this period, in "The Tale of the One Who Would Not Understand Her" (1907), in the plays " Stranger", "King in the Square" (both 1906), "Song of Fate" (1908). Collections of poems (Unexpected Joy, 1907; Earth in the Snow, 1908), plays (Lyric Dramas, 1908) are published.

Blok publishes critical articles, makes presentations at the St. Petersburg Religious and Philosophical Society (Russia and the Intelligentsia, 1908, Elements and Culture, 1909). The problem of “the people and the intelligentsia”, which is key to the work of this period, determines the sound of all the topics developed in his articles and poems: the crisis of individualism, the place of the artist in the modern world, etc. His poems about Russia, in particular the cycle “On the Kulikovo Field” ( 1908), combine the images of the motherland and the beloved (Wife, Bride), imparting a special intimate intonation to patriotic motives. The controversy around articles about Russia and the intelligentsia, their generally negative assessment in criticism and journalism, the increasing realization by Blok himself that a direct appeal to a wide democratic audience did not take place, leads him in 1909 to a gradual disappointment in the results of journalistic activity.

5. The crisis of symbolism and creativity 1910-17

The period of “revaluation of values” becomes for Blok a trip to Italy in the spring and summer of 1909. Against the backdrop of political reaction in Russia and the atmosphere of complacent European philistinism, high classical art becomes the only saving value, which, as he later recalled, “burnt” him on an Italian trip. This set of moods is reflected not only in the Italian Poems cycle (1909) and the unfinished book of prose essays The Lightning of Art (1909-20), but also in the report On the Current State of Russian Symbolism (April 1910). Drawing a line under the history of the development of symbolism as a strictly defined school, Blok stated the end and exhaustion of a huge stage of his own creative and life path and the need for a “spiritual diet”, “courageous apprenticeship” and “self-deepening”.

The receipt of an inheritance after the death of his father at the end of 1909 freed Blok for a long time from worries about literary earnings and made it possible to concentrate on a few major artistic ideas. Having distanced himself from active publicistic activity and participation in the life of literary and theatrical bohemia, from 1910 he began to work on the great epic poem "Retribution" (which was not completed).

In 1912-13 he wrote the play The Rose and the Cross. After the publication of the collection Night Hours in 1911, Blok revised his five books of poetry into a three-volume collection of poems (vols. 1-3, 1911-12). Since that time, Blok's poetry exists in the reader's mind as a single "lyrical trilogy", a unique "novel in verse", creating a "myth about the path". During the life of the poet, the three-volume edition was reprinted in 1916 and in 1918-21. In 1921, Blok began preparing a new edition, but managed to finish only the 1st volume. Each subsequent edition includes everything significant that was created between editions: the cycle "Carmen" (1914), dedicated to the singer L. A. Andreeva-Delmas, the poem "The Nightingale Garden" (1915), poems from the collections "Yamba" (1919) , "Gray Morning" (1920).

Since the autumn of 1914, Blok has been working on the publication of Apollon Grigoriev's Poems (1916) as a compiler, author of an introductory article, and commentator. On July 7, 1916, he was drafted into the army, served as a timekeeper in the 13th engineering and construction squad of the Zemsky and City Unions near Pinsk. After the February Revolution of 1917, Blok returned to Petrograd and became a member of the Extraordinary Investigative Commission to investigate the crimes of the tsarist government as an editor of verbatim reports. The materials of the investigation were summarized by him in the book The Last Days of Imperial Power (1921, published posthumously).

6. Philosophy of culture and poetic creativity in 1917-21

After the October Revolution, Blok unambiguously declared his position by answering the questionnaire "Can the intelligentsia work with the Bolsheviks" - "Can and must", publishing in January 1918 in the Left Socialist-Revolutionary newspaper "Znamya Truda" a series of articles "Russia and the intelligentsia", which opened with the article "Intelligentsia and Revolution", and a month later - the poem "The Twelve" and the poem "Scythians". Blok's position provoked a sharp rebuke from Z. N. Gippius, D. S. Merezhkovsky, F. Sologub, Vyach. Ivanov, G. I. Chulkov, V. Piast, A. A. Akhmatova, M. M. Prishvin, Yu. I. Aikhenvald, I. G. Ehrenburg and others. , with noticeable caution spoke about the alienness of the poem to the Bolshevik ideas about the revolution (L. D. Trotsky, A. V. Lunacharsky, V. M. Friche). The greatest bewilderment was caused by the figure of Christ in the finale of the poem "The Twelve". However, contemporary criticism of Blok did not notice the rhythmic parallelism and the echo of motives with Pushkin's "Demons" and did not appreciate the role of the national myth of demonism for understanding the meaning of the poem.

After The Twelve and The Scythians, Blok wrote comic poems “just in case”, preparing the last edition of the “lyrical trilogy”, but did not create new original poems until 1921. At the same time, from 1918, a new upsurge in prose creativity began. The poet makes cultural-philosophical reports at meetings of Volfila - the Free Philosophical Association ("The collapse of humanism" - 1919, "Vladimir Solovyov and our days" - 1920), at the School of Journalism ("Katilina" - 1918), writes lyrical fragments (" Neither Dreams nor Reality”, “Confessions of a Pagan”), feuilletons (“Russian Dandies”, “Compatriots”, “Answer to the Question about the Red Seal”).

A huge amount of what was written is connected with Blok's service activities: after the revolution, for the first time in his life, he was forced to look not only for literary earnings, but also for public service.

In September 1917 he became a member of the Theatrical and Literary Commission, from the beginning of 1918 he collaborated with the Theater Department of the People's Commissariat for Education, in April 1919 he transferred to the Bolshoi Drama Theater. At the same time he became a member of the editorial board of the publishing house "World Literature" under the leadership of M. Gorky, from 1920 - chairman of the Petrograd branch of the Union of Poets.

Initially, Blok's participation in cultural and educational institutions was motivated by convictions about the duty of the intelligentsia to the people. However, the sharp discrepancy between the poet's ideas about the "cleansing revolutionary element" and the bloody everyday life of the advancing totalitarian bureaucratic regime led to increasing disappointment in what was happening and forced the poet to seek spiritual support again. In his articles and diary entries, the motive of the catacomb existence of culture appears. Blok's thoughts about the indestructibility of true culture and about the "secret freedom" of the artist, resisting the attempts of the "new mob" to encroach on it, were expressed in the speech "On the Appointment of the Poet" at the evening in memory of A. S. Pushkin and in the poem "Pushkin House" (February 1921), which became his artistic and human testament.

In April 1921, the growing depression turns into a mental disorder, accompanied by heart disease. On August 7, Blok died. In obituaries and posthumous memoirs, his words from a speech dedicated to Pushkin about the “lack of air” that kills poets were constantly repeated.

List of used literature

1. Anikeev A.P. Russian poets of the Silver Age. -M.: Thought, 2003

2. Magomedova D. M. Block Alexander Alexandrovich. -M.: Enlightenment, 1981

3. Russian literature. Encyclopedia for children. -M.: Avanta +, 2004

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