Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin. The childhood of Saltykov-Shchedrin

Saltykov-Shchedrin M.E. Biography.

Saltykov-Shchedrin, Mikhail Evgrafovich
(real name Saltykov, pseudonym N. Shchedrin) (1826 - 1889)
Saltykov-Shchedrin M.E.
Biography
Russian writer, publicist. Saltykov-Shchedrin was born on January 27 (old style - January 15) 1826 in the village of Spas-Ugol, Kalyazin district, Tver province. My father came from an old noble family. Mikhail Saltykov spent his childhood years on his father’s family estate. The first teachers were the serf painter Pavel and elder sister Mikhail. At the age of 10, Satlykov was admitted as a boarder to the Moscow Noble Institute, where he spent two years. In 1838, as one of the most excellent students, he was transferred as a government student to the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. At the Lyceum he began to write poetry, but later realized that he did not have a poetic gift and left poetry. In 1844 he completed a course at the Lyceum in the second category (with the rank of X class) and entered service in the office of the War Ministry. He received his first full-time position, assistant secretary, only two years later.
The first story (“Contradictions”) was published in 1847. On April 28, 1848, after the publication of the second story, “A Confused Affair,” Saltykov was exiled to Vyatka for “... a harmful way of thinking and a harmful desire to spread ideas that had already shaken up the whole Western Europe..." On July 3, 1848, Saltykov was appointed a clerical official under the Vyatka provincial government, and in November - a senior official special assignments under the Vyatka governor, then twice appointed to the post of ruler of the governor's office, and from August 1850 he was appointed adviser to the provincial government. Lived in Vyatka for 8 years.
In November 1855, after the death of Nicholas I, Saltykov received the right to “live wherever he wishes” and returned to St. Petersburg. In February 1856 he was assigned to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (served until 1858), in June he was appointed an official of special assignments under the minister, and in August he was sent to the Tver and Vladimir provinces “to review the paperwork of the provincial militia committees” (it was convened in 1855 on the occasion of the Eastern War ). In 1856, Saltykov-Shchedrin married 17-year-old E. Boltina, the daughter of the Vyatka vice-governor. In 1856, on behalf of the "court councilor N. Shchedrin", "Provincial Sketches" were published in the "Russian Bulletin". From that time on, N. Shchedrin became known throughout reading Russia, who named him Gogol’s heir. In 1857, "Provincial Sketches" was published twice (the next editions were published in 1864 and 1882). In March 1858, Saltykov was appointed vice-governor of Ryazan, and in April 1860 he was transferred to the same position in Tver. I always tried to surround myself at my place of work with honest, young and educated people, firing bribe-takers and thieves. In February 1862, Saltykov-Shchedrin retired and moved to St. Petersburg. Having accepted the invitation Nekrasov N.A. , is a member of the editorial board of the Sovremennik magazine, but in 1864, as a result of internal disagreements arising on issues of tactics of social struggle in new conditions, he parted with Sovremennik, returning to public service. In November 1864, Saltykov-Shchedrin was appointed manager of the treasury chamber in Penza, in 1866 he was transferred to the same position in Tula, and in October 1867 - in Ryazan. The frequent change of duty stations is explained by conflicts with the heads of the provinces, at whom the writer “laughed” in grotesque pamphlets. In 1868, after a complaint from the Ryazan governor, Saltykov was dismissed with the rank of full state councilor. Returning to St. Petersburg, in June 1868 Saltykov-Shchedrin accepted N.A.’s invitation. Nekrasov to become co-editor of the magazine " Domestic notes", where he worked until the magazine was banned in 1884. Saltykov-Shchedrin died on May 10 (Old Style - April 28) 1889 in St. Petersburg, shortly before his death he began work on a new work "Forgotten Words". He was buried on May 2 (Old Style) , according to his wishes, at the Volkov cemetery, next to I. S. Turgenev.
Among the works of Saltykov-Shchedrin are novels, short stories, fairy tales, pamphlets, essays, reviews, polemical notes, journalistic articles: “Contradictions” (1847: story), “A Confused Case” (1848; story), “Provincial Sketches” (1856- 1857), “Innocent Stories” (1857-1863; collection published in 1863, 1881, 1885), “Satires in Prose” (1859-1862; collection published in 1863, 1881, 1885), articles on peasant reform, “Testament to my children" (1866; article), "Letters about the province" (1869), "Signs of the times" (1870; collection), "Letters from the province" (1870; collection), "History of a city" (1869-1870; publication 1 and 2 - in 1870, 3 - in 1883), "Modern Idylls" (1877-1883), "Pompadours and Pompadourches" (1873; years of publication - 1873, 1877, 1882, 1886), "Gentlemen of Tashkent" (1873; years of publication - 1873, 1881, 1885), "Diary of a provincial in St. Petersburg" (1873; years of publication - 1873, 1881, 1885), "Well-intentioned speeches" (1876; years of publication - 1876, 1883), "In an environment of moderation and accuracy "(1878; years of publication - 1878, 1881, 1885), "Gentlemen Golovlevs" (1880; years of publication - 1880, 1883), "The Monrepos Shelter" (1882; years of publication - 1882, 1883), " All year round"(1880; years of publication - 1880, 1883), "Abroad" (1881), "Letters to Auntie" (1882), "Modern Idyll" (1885), "Unfinished Conversations" (1885), "Poshekhonsky Stories" ( 1883-1884), "Fairy Tales" (1882-1886; year of publication - 1887), "Little Things in Life" (1886-1887), "Poshekhon Antiquity" (1887-1889; separate publication - in 1890), translations of works by Tocqueville, Vivien , Sheruel. Published in the magazines "Russian Bulletin", "Sovremennik", "Atheneum", "Library for Reading", "Moscow Bulletin", "Time", "Domestic Notes", "Collection of the Literary Fund", "Bulletin of Europe".
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Information sources:
"Russian biographical dictionary"
Project "Russia Congratulates!" - www.prazdniki.ru

(Source: “Aphorisms from around the world. Encyclopedia of wisdom.” www.foxdesign.ru)

. Academician 2011.

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Saltykov Shchedrin, Mikhail Evgrafovich (real name Saltykov, pseudonym N. Shchedrin) (1826 1889) Russian writer. Aphorisms, quotes Saltykov Shchedrin M.E. Biography. Literature has been removed from the laws of decay. She alone does not recognize death. There are legions... ... Consolidated encyclopedia of aphorisms

Saltykov Shchedrin, Mikhail Evgrafovich Wikipedia has articles about other people with the surname Saltykov. Wikipedia has articles about other people with the last name Shchedrin. Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov Shchedrin ... Wikipedia

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Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov Shchedrin Portrait of Saltykov Shchedrin by Ivan Kramskoy Birth name: Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov Date of birth: January 27, 1826 Place of birth: village of Spas Ugol, Kalyazinsky district, Tver province ... Wikipedia

- (real surname Saltykov, pseudonym “N. Shchedrin”) (1826 1889). Outstanding Russian satirist writer and poet, classic of Russian literature. Genus. in the village of Spas Ugol (Kalyazin district, Tver province), studied in Moscow. Noble Institute, graduated... ... Big biographical encyclopedia

- (real name Saltykov, pseudonym N. Shchedrin) (1826, village of Spas Ugol, Kalyazin district, Tver province 1889, St. Petersburg), writer. Beginning in 1831, he often visited Moscow with his parents, who rented apartments in Arbat lanes and... ... Moscow (encyclopedia)

- (pseud. – N. Shchedrin), Mikhail Evgrafovich – Russian. satirist writer, revolutionary. democrat. Genus. in the village Spas Corner of Kalyazinsky U. Tver lips. in a landowner's family. Studied in Moscow. noble in those (1836–38),… … Philosophical Encyclopedia

Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov (who later added the pseudonym “Shchedrin”) was born on January 15 (27), 1826 in the Kalyazinsky district of the Tver province, in the village of Spas-Ugol. This village still exists today, but it belongs to the Taldomsky district of the Moscow region.

Study time

Mikhail's father was a collegiate adviser and hereditary nobleman Evgraf Vasilyevich Saltykov, his mother was nee Zabelina Olga Mikhailovna from a family of Moscow merchants who received nobility for large donations to the army during the War of 1812.

After retiring, Evgraf Vasilyevich tried not to leave the village anywhere. His main occupation was reading religious and semi-mystical literature. He considered it possible to interfere with church services and allowed himself to call the priest Vanka.

The wife was 25 years younger than her father and kept the entire farm in her hands. She was strict, zealous and even cruel in some cases.

Mikhail, the sixth child in the family, was born when she was not even twenty-five years old. For some reason, she loved him more than all the other children.

The boy grasped knowledge well and what other children learned with tears and beating with a ruler, he sometimes remembered simply by ear. From the age of four he was taught at home. At the age of 10, the future writer was sent to Moscow to enter the noble institute. In 1836, Saltykov was enrolled in the educational institution where Lermontov had studied 10 years before him. Based on his knowledge, he was immediately enrolled in the third class of the noble institute, but due to the impossibility of early graduation from the educational institution, he was forced to study there for two years. In 1838, Mikhail, as one of the best students, was transferred to the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum.

It was from this time that his first literary experiments. Saltykov became the first poet on the course, although both then and subsequently he understood that poetry was not his destiny. During his studies, he became close to M. Butashevich-Petrashevsky, who had a serious influence on Mikhail’s views. After the lyceum moved to St. Petersburg (after which it began to be called Aleksandrovsky), Saltykov began to attend a meeting of writers at Mikhail Yazykov, where he met V.G. Belinsky, whose views were closer to him than others.

In 1844, the Alexander Lyceum was completed. The future writer was awarded the rank of X class - collegiate secretary.

Office of the War Ministry. First stories

At the beginning of September of the same year, Saltykov signed an undertaking that he was not a member of any secret society and will not, under any circumstances, enter into any of them.

After this, he was accepted into service in the office of the War Ministry, where he was obliged to serve for 6 years after the lyceum.

Saltykov was burdened by the bureaucratic service; he dreamed of studying only literature. The theater becomes an “outlet” in his life, and in particular Italian opera. He “splashes out” his literary and political impulses at the evenings organized by Mikhail Petrashevsky in his home. His soul is aligned with the Westerners, but those who preach the ideas of the French utopian socialists.

Dissatisfaction with his life, the ideas of the Petrashevites and dreams of universal equality lead to the fact that Mikhail Evgrafovich writes two stories that will radically change his life and, perhaps, they will turn the writer’s work in the direction in which he remains known to this day. In 1847 he would write “Contradictions,” and the following year “A Confused Affair.” And although his friends did not advise the writer to publish them, they, one after another, appeared in the journal Otechestvennye zapiski.

Saltykov could not have known that in the days of preparation for the publication of the second story, the chief of gendarmes, Count A.F. Orlov, presented the tsar with a report specifically about the magazines “Sovremennik” and “Otechestvennye zapiski”, where he said that they had a harmful direction, to which the monarch ordered the creation of a special committee for strict supervision of these magazines.

The usually slow bureaucratic machine of autocratic power worked very quickly this time. Less than three weeks had passed (April 28, 1848) when a young official of the office of the War Ministry, a thinker full of joyful hopes, Saltykov was sent first to the St. Petersburg guardhouse, and then into exile in distant city Vyatka.

Vyatka link

In 9 days, Saltykov traveled more than one and a half thousand kilometers on horseback. Almost the entire way the writer was in a kind of stupor, completely not understanding where and why he was going. On May 7, 1848, a trio of post horses entered Vyatka, and Saltykov realized that there was no accident or mistake and he would remain in this city as long as the sovereign wished.

He begins his service as a simple scribe. The writer categorically cannot come to terms with his situation. He asks his mother and brother to intercede for him, writes letters to influential friends in the capital. Nicholas I rejects all requests from relatives. But thanks to letters from influential people from St. Petersburg, the governor of Vyatka takes a closer and more benevolent look at the exiled writer. In November of the same year, he was given the position of senior official for special assignments under the governor.

Saltykov is doing a great job helping the governor. He puts many complicated matters in order and is demanding of officials.

In 1849, he compiled a report on the province, which was presented not only to the minister, but also to the tsar. He writes a request for leave to his native place. His parents again sent a petition to the king. But everything turns out to be unsuccessful. Maybe even for the better. Because it was at this time that the trials of the Petrashevites took place, some of which ended in execution. And at the end of May, Saltykov, on the proposal of the governor, becomes the ruler of his office.

By the beginning of 1850, the writer received an order from the Minister of the Interior himself to conduct an inventory real estate cities of the Vyatka province and prepare their thoughts for improving public and economic affairs. Saltykov did everything possible. Since August 1850, he was appointed advisor to the provincial government.

In subsequent years, Saltykov himself, his family and friends, Vyatka governors (A.I. Sereda and N.N. Semenov, who followed him), Orenburg Governor-General V.A. Perovsky and even Governor-General Eastern Siberia N.N. Muravyov turned to the tsar with petitions to mitigate Saltykov’s fate, but Nicholas I was adamant.

During his Vyatka exile, Mikhail Evgrafovich prepared and held an agricultural exhibition, wrote several annual reports for governors, and conducted a number of serious investigations into violations of laws. He tried to work as hard as possible in order to forget the reality around him and the gossip of provincial officials. Since 1852, life became somewhat easier; he fell in love with the 15-year-old daughter of the vice-governor, who would later become his wife. Life is no longer presented in solid black. Saltykov even began to translate from Vivien, Tocqueville and Cheruel. In April of the same year, he received the title of collegiate assessor.

In 1853, the writer managed to get a short vacation to his native place. Arriving home, he realizes that family and friendly ties have been largely broken, and almost no one expects him to return from exile.

Nicholas I died on February 18, 1855. But no one remembers Mikhail Evgrafovich. And only chance helps him get permission to leave Vyatka. To the city by state affairs The Lansky family arrives, the head of which was the brother of the new Minister of the Interior. Having met Saltykov and, imbued with warm sympathy for his fate, Pyotr Petrovich writes a letter to his brother asking for intercession for the writer.

On November 12, Saltykov goes on another business trip around the province. On the same day, the Minister of Internal Affairs makes a report to the emperor about the fate of Saltykov.

Alexander II gives highest resolution- Saltykov to live and serve wherever he wishes.

Work in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. "Provincial Sketches"

In February of the following year, the writer was recruited to serve in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in June he was appointed as an official under the minister for special assignments, and a month later he was sent to the Tver and Vladimir provinces to check the work of the militia committees. The ministry at this time (1856-1858) also carried out big job on the preparation of peasant reform.

Impressions about the work of officials in the provinces, which is often not just ineffective, but also downright criminal, about the ineffectiveness of the laws regulating the economy of the village and the outright ignorance of the local “arbiters of destinies” were brilliantly reflected in Saltykov’s “Provincial Sketches”, published by him in the magazine “Russian Messenger”. "in 1856-1857 under the pseudonym Shchedrin. His name became widely known.

“Provincial Sketches” went through several editions and laid the foundation for a special type of literature called “accusatory”. But the main thing in them was not so much the demonstration of abuses in the service, but the “outlining” of the special psychology of officials, both in the service and in everyday life.

Saltykov-Shchedrin wrote essays during the era of Alexander II’s reforms, when the intelligentsia’s hope for the possibility of profound transformations in society and spiritual world person. The writer hoped that his accusatory work would serve to fight the backwardness and vices of society, and therefore help change life for the better.

Governor's appointments. Collaboration with magazines

In the spring of 1858, Saltykov-Shchedrin was appointed vice-governor in Ryazan, and in April 1860 he was transferred to the same position in Tver. Such a frequent change of place of service was due to the fact that the writer always began his work with the dismissal of thieves and bribe-takers. The local bureaucratic crook, deprived of his usual “feeding trough,” used all his connections to send slander to the Tsar against Saltykov. As a result, the undesirable vice-governor was appointed to a new duty station.

Working for the benefit of the state did not prevent the writer from working creative activity. During this period he wrote and published a lot. First in many magazines (Russky Vestnik, Sovremennik, Moskovsky Vestnik, Library for Reading, etc.), then only in Sovremennik (with a few exceptions).

From what Saltykov-Shchedrin wrote during this period, two collections were compiled - “Innocent Stories” and “Satires in Prose”, which were published separate publications three times. In these works of the writer, the new “city” of Flood appears for the first time, as a collective image of a typical Russian provincial town. Mikhail Evgrafovich will write his story a little later.

In February 1862, Saltykov-Shchedrin retired. His main dream is to found a biweekly magazine in Moscow. When this fails, the writer moves to St. Petersburg and, at the invitation of Nekrasov, becomes one of the editors of Sovremennik, which at this time is experiencing large personnel and financial difficulties. Saltykov-Shchedrin takes on a huge amount of work and carries it out brilliantly. The magazine's circulation is rising sharply. At the same time, the writer organizes the publication of the monthly review “Our public life”, which becomes one of the best journalistic publications of that time.

In 1864, due to internal disagreements on political topics Saltykov-Shchedrin is forced to leave the editorial office of Sovremennik.

He re-enters the service, but in a department less “dependent” on politics.

At the head of the State Chambers

In November 1864, the writer was appointed manager of the Penza Treasury Chamber, two years later - to the same position in Tula, and in the fall of 1867 - to Ryazan. The frequent change of duty stations is due, as before, to Mikhail Evgrafovich’s passion for honesty. After he began to conflict with provincial leaders, the writer was transferred to another city.

During these years, he worked on “Foolish” images, but published practically nothing. In three years, only one of his articles, “Testament to My Children,” was published, published in 1866 in Sovremennik. After a complaint from the Ryazan governor, Saltykov was offered to resign, and in 1868 he ended his service with the rank of full state councilor.

Next year, the writer will write “Letters about the Province,” which will be based on his observations of life in the cities where he served in the State Chambers.

"Domestic Notes". The best creative masterpieces

After retiring, Saltykov-Shchedrin accepts Nekrasov’s invitation and comes to work for the journal Otechestvennye Zapiski. Until 1884 he wrote exclusively for them.

The best was written in 1869-70 satirical work Mikhail Evgrafovich - “The History of a City.” The following were also published in “Domestic Notes”: “Pompadours and Pompadourches” (1873), “Gentlemen of Tashkent” (1873), “Cultural People” (1876), “Gentlemen Golovlevs” (1880), “Abroad” (1880-81 ) and many other famous works.

In 1875-76, the writer spent time in Europe for treatment.

After Nekrasov's death in 1878, Saltykov-Shchedrin became the editor-in-chief of the magazine and remained so until the publication was closed in 1884.

After the closure of Otechestvennye Zapiski, the writer began publishing in Vestnik Evropy. They go out here latest masterpieces of his works: “Fairy Tales” (the last of those written, 1886), “Motley Letters” (1886), “Little Things in Life” (1887) and “Poshekhon Antiquity” - completed by him in 1889, but published after the death of the writer.

Last reminder

A few days before his death, Mikhail Evgrafovich began writing a new work, “Forgotten Words.” He told one of his friends that he wanted to remind people of the words “conscience”, “fatherland” and the like that they had forgotten.

Unfortunately, his plan was unsuccessful. In May 1889, the writer once again fell ill with a cold. The weakened body did not resist for long. On April 28 (May 10), 1889, Mikhail Evgrafovich died.

The remains of the great writer still rest in the Volkovskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg.

Interesting Facts from the life of the writer:

The writer was an ardent fighter against bribe-takers. Wherever he served, they were expelled mercilessly.

Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin is a famous Russian writer, journalist, editor, and government official. His works are included in the required school curriculum. It’s not for nothing that the writer’s fairy tales are called that - they contain not only caricature ridicule and grotesquery, thereby the author emphasizes that man is the arbiter of his own destiny.

Childhood and youth

The genius of Russian literature comes from a noble family. Father Evgraf Vasilyevich was a quarter of a century older than his wife Olga Mikhailovna. The daughter of a Moscow merchant got married at the age of 15 and followed her husband to the village of Spas-Ugol, which was then located in the Tver province. There, on January 15, 1826, according to the new style, the youngest of six children, Mikhail, was born. In total, three sons and three daughters grew up in the Saltykov family (Shchedrin is part of the pseudonym that followed over time).

According to the descriptions of researchers of the writer's biography, the mother, who over time turned from a cheerful girl into an imperious mistress of the estate, divided the children into favorites and hateful ones. Little Misha was surrounded by love, but sometimes he also got whipped. There was constant screaming and crying at home. As Vladimir Obolensky wrote in his memoirs about the Saltykov-Shchedrin family, in conversations the writer described his childhood in gloomy colors, once saying that he hated “this terrible woman,” talking about his mother.

Saltykov knew French and German languages, received an excellent primary education at home, which allowed him to enter the Moscow Noble Institute. From there, the boy, who showed remarkable diligence, ended up on full state support at the privileged Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, where education was equal to that of a university, and graduates were awarded ranks according to the Table of Ranks.

Both educational institutions were famous for producing the elite of Russian society. Among the graduates are Prince Mikhail Obolensky, Anton Delvig, Ivan Pushchin. However, unlike them, Saltykov turned from a wonderful, smart boy into an unkempt, foul-mouthed boy who often sat in a punishment cell and never made any close friends. It’s not for nothing that Mikhail’s classmates nicknamed him “The Gloomy Lyceum Student.”

The atmosphere within the walls of the lyceum promoted creativity, and Mikhail, in imitation of his predecessors, began to write freethinking poetry. This behavior did not go unnoticed: a graduate of the lyceum, Mikhail Saltykov, received the rank of collegiate secretary, although for his academic success he was given a higher rank - titular adviser.

After graduating from the lyceum, Mikhail got a job in the office of the military department and continued composing. In addition, I became interested in the works of French socialists. The themes raised by the revolutionaries were reflected in the first stories, “Entangled Affair” and “Contradictions.”

It’s just that the novice writer didn’t guess right with the source of publication. The magazine “Otechestvennye zapiski” at that time was under unspoken political censorship and was considered ideologically harmful.

By decision of the supervisory commission, Saltykov was sent into exile to Vyatka, to the office of the governor. In exile, in addition to official affairs, Mikhail studied the history of the country, translated the works of European classics, traveled a lot and communicated with the people. Saltykov almost remained to vegetate in the provinces forever, even though he had risen to the rank of adviser to the provincial government: in 1855 he was crowned on the imperial throne, and they simply forgot about the ordinary exile.

Pyotr Lanskoy, a representative of a noble noble family and second husband, came to the rescue. With the assistance of his brother, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mikhail was returned to St. Petersburg and given a position as an official of special assignments in this department.

Literature

Mikhail Evgrafovich is considered one of the brightest satirists of Russian literature, masterfully speaking the Aesopian language, whose novels and stories have not lost their relevance. For historians, the works of Saltykov-Shchedrin are a source of knowledge of morals and customs common in Russian Empire 19th century. The writer is the author of such terms as “bungling”, “soft-bodied” and “stupidity”.

Upon returning from exile, Saltykov reworked his experience of communicating with officials of the Russian hinterland and, under the pseudonym Nikolai Shchedrin, published a series of stories “Provincial Sketches,” recreating the characteristic types of Russian residents. I was waiting for essays big success, the name of the author, who subsequently wrote many books, will primarily be associated with the “Essays”; researchers of the writer’s work will call them a landmark stage in the development of Russian literature.

The stories describe ordinary hard-working people with particular warmth. Creating images of nobles and officials, Mikhail Evgrafovich spoke not only about the foundations of serfdom, but also focused on the moral side of representatives of the upper class and moral principles statehood.

The pinnacle of the Russian prose writer’s work is considered to be “The History of a City.” Satirical story, full of allegory and grotesquery, was not immediately appreciated by his contemporaries. Moreover, the author was initially accused of mocking society and trying to denigrate historical facts.

The main characters, the mayors, show a rich palette human characters and social foundations - bribe takers, careerists, indifferent, obsessed with absurd goals, outright fools. The common people appear as a blindly submissive gray mass, ready to endure everything, which acts decisively only when it finds itself on the brink of death.

Saltykov-Shchedrin ridiculed such cowardice and cowardice in “The Wise Piskar.” The work, despite the fact that it is called a fairy tale, is not addressed to children at all. The philosophical meaning of the story about the fish endowed human qualities, lies in the fact that a lonely existence, focused only on one’s own well-being, is insignificant.

Another fairy tale for adults - “ Wild landowner", a lively and cheerful work with a slight touch of cynicism, in which the simple working people are openly opposed to the tyrant landowner.

Literary creativity Saltykov-Shchedrin received additional support when the prose writer began working in the editorial office of the journal Otechestvennye zapiski. The general management of the publication since 1868 belonged to the poet and publicist.

By personal invitation the last Mikhail Evgrafovich headed the first department dealing with the publication of fiction and translated works. The bulk own compositions Saltykova-Shchedrin also appeared on the pages of Notes.

Among them are “The Monrepos Refuge,” according to literary scholars, a tracing of the family life of the writer who became the vice-governor, “The Diary of a Provincial in St. Petersburg,” a book about adventurers that are not translated into Rus', “Pompadours and Pompadours,” and “Letters from the Province.”

In 1880, the epoch-making highly social novel “The Golovlevs” was published as a separate book - a story about a family in which the main goal is enrichment and an idle lifestyle, children have long turned into a burden for the mother, in general the family does not live according to God’s law and, without noticing moreover, moving towards self-destruction.

Personal life

Mikhail Saltykov met his wife Elizaveta in exile in Vyatka. The girl turned out to be the daughter of the writer’s immediate superior, Vice-Governor Apollo Petrovich Boltin. The official made a career in education, economic, military and police departments. At first, the experienced campaigner was wary of the freethinker Saltykov, but over time the men became friends.

Lisa's family name was Betsy; the girl called the writer, who was 14 years older than her, Michel. However, Boltin was soon transferred for service to Vladimir, and his family left for him. Saltykov was forbidden to leave the Vyatka province. But, according to legend, he twice violated the ban in order to see his beloved.

The writer’s mother, Olga Mikhailovna, categorically opposed the marriage to Elizaveta Apollonovna: not only is the bride too young, but the dowry given for the girl is not substantial. The difference in years also raised doubts among the Vladimir vice-governor. Mikhail agreed to wait one year.

The young people got married in June 1856, but the groom’s mother did not come to the wedding. Relationships in new family Things were complicated, the spouses often quarreled, the difference in character was evident: Mikhail was straightforward, quick-tempered, and people in the house were afraid of him. Elizabeth, on the contrary, is soft and patient, not burdened with knowledge of science. Saltykov did not like his wife’s affectation and coquetry; he called his wife’s ideals “not very demanding.”

According to the memoirs of Prince Vladimir Obolensky, Elizaveta Apollonovna entered the conversation at random and made comments that were not relevant to the matter. The nonsense uttered by the woman baffled the interlocutor and angered Mikhail Evgrafovich.

Elizabeth loved beautiful life and required appropriate financial support. The husband, who had risen to the rank of vice-governor, could still contribute to this, but he constantly got into debt and called the acquisition of property a careless act. From the works of Saltykov-Shchedrin and studies of the writer’s life, it is known that he played the piano, knew about wines and was known as an expert in profanity.

However, Elizabeth and Mikhail lived together all their lives. The wife copied her husband’s works, turned out to be a good housewife, and after the writer’s death she wisely managed the inheritance, thanks to which the family did not experience need. The marriage produced a daughter, Elizabeth, and a son, Konstantin. The children did not show themselves in any way, which was upsetting famous father, who loved them endlessly. Saltykov wrote:

“My children will be unhappy, no poetry in their hearts, no bright memories.”

Death

Health is not young writer, who suffered from rheumatism, was greatly undermined by the closure of Otechestvennye Zapiski in 1884. In a joint decision of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Justice and Public Education, the publication was recognized as a disseminator of harmful ideas, and the editorial staff were recognized as members of a secret society.

Last months Saltykov-Shchedrin spent his life in bed, asking his guests to tell them: “I’m very busy - I’m dying.” Mikhail Evgrafovich died in May 1889 from complications caused by a cold. According to his will, the writer was buried next to his grave at the Volkovskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg.

According to one source, Mikhail Evgrafovich does not belong to the aristocratic boyar family of the Saltykovs. According to others, his family are descendants of an untitled branch of the family.
Mikhail Saltykov - Shchedrin coined the word “softness”.
Children appeared in the writer’s family after 17 years of marriage.

There are several versions of the origin of the pseudonym Shchedrin. First: many peasants with that last name lived on the Saltykov estate. Second: Shchedrin is the name of a merchant, a participant in the schismatic movement, whose case the writer investigated due to his official duties. “French” version: one of the translations of the word “generous” into French is libéral. It was precisely the excessive liberal chatter that the writer exposed in his works.

Bibliography

1857 – “Provincial Sketches”
1869 – “The Tale of How One Man Fed Two Generals”
1870 – “The History of a City”
1872 – “Diary of a provincial in St. Petersburg”
1879 – “Asylum of Monrepos”
1880 – “Gentlemen Golovlevs”
1883 – “The Wise Minnow”
1884 – “Crucian idealist”
1885 – “Horse”
1886 – “The Raven Petitioner”
1889 – “Poshekhon antiquity”

Prosecutor of Russian public life
I. Sechenov

M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin was born on January 27 (January 15), 1826 in the village of Spas-Ugol, Kalyazin district, Tver province. His parents were wealthy landowners. Their possessions, although located on inconvenient lands, among forests and swamps, brought significant income.

Childhood

The writer’s mother, Olga Mikhailovna, ruled the estate; Father Evgraf Vasilyevich, a retired collegiate adviser, had a reputation as an impractical person. The mother directed all her worries towards increasing her wealth. For the sake of this, not only the courtyard people, but also their own children fed from hand to mouth. Any pleasures and entertainment in the family were not accepted. Continuous enmity reigned in the house: between parents, between children, whom the mother, without hiding, divided into “favorites and hateful ones,” between masters and servants.

A smart and impressionable boy grew up amid this home hell.

Lyceum

For ten years, Saltykov entered the third grade of the Moscow Noble Institute, and two years later, along with other best students, he was transferred to the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, which in those years was far from what it was under Pushkin. The lyceum was dominated by a barracks regime, where “generals, equestrians... children were raised who were fully aware of the high position that their fathers occupied in society,” Saltykov recalled about his spiritual loneliness in “the years of his early youth.” The Lyceum gave Saltykov the necessary amount of knowledge.

Since January 1844, the lyceum was transferred to St. Petersburg, and it began to be called Alexandrovsky. Saltykov was a graduate of the first St. Petersburg course. Each new generation of lyceum students pinned their hopes on one of the students as a successor to the traditions of their famous predecessor. One of these “candidates” was Saltykov. Even in his lyceum years, his poems were published in magazines.

Years of service

In the summer of 1844 M.E. Saltykov graduated from the Lyceum and entered service in the Chancellery of the War Ministry.

In 1847, the young author wrote his first story, “Contradictions,” and the following year, “A Tangled Affair.” The young writer’s stories responded to topical socio-political issues; their heroes were looking for a way out of the contradictions between ideals and the life around them. For publishing the story “A Confused Affair,” which revealed, as War Minister Prince Chernyshev wrote, “a harmful way of thinking” and “a disastrous direction of ideas,” the writer was arrested and exiled by order of the Tsar to Vyatka.

“Vyatka captivity,” as Saltykov called his seven-year stay there in the service, became for him a difficult test and at the same time a great school.

After Petersburg life I felt uncomfortable among friends and like-minded people young man in the alien world of provincial officials, nobility and merchants.

The writer's love for the daughter of Vice-Governor E.A. Boltina, whom he married in the summer of 1856, brightened last years Saltykov's stay in Vyatka. In November 1855, by the “highest command” of the new Tsar Alexander II, the writer received permission to “live and serve wherever he wishes.”

Literary work and the vicissitudes of public service

M.E. Saltykov moved to St. Petersburg, and from August 1856, “Provincial Sketches” (1856–1857) began to be published in the magazine “Russian Bulletin” on behalf of a certain “retired court councilor N. Shchedrin” (this surname became the writer’s pseudonym). They reliably and poisonously depicted the omnipotence, arbitrariness and bribery of “sturgeon officials”, “pike officials” and even “minnow officials”. The book was perceived by readers as one of the " historical facts Russian life" (in the words of N.G. Chernyshevsky), who called for the need for social change.

The name of Saltykov-Shchedrin is becoming widely known. They started talking about him as Gogol's heir, who boldly exposed the ulcers of society.

At this time, Saltykov combined his literary work with public service. For some time in St. Petersburg, he held a position in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, then was vice-governor in Ryazan and Tver, and later - chairman of the state chambers (financial institutions) in Penza, Tula and Ryazan. Implacably fighting bribery and staunchly defending peasant interests, Saltykov looked like a black sheep everywhere. His words were passed from mouth to mouth: “I won’t hurt a man! It will be enough for him, gentlemen... It will be very, very much so!”

Denunciations rained down on Saltykov, he was threatened with trial “for abuse of power,” provincial wits nicknamed him “Vice Robespierre.” In 1868, the chief of gendarmes reported to the Tsar about Saltykov as “an official imbued with ideas that do not agree with the types of state benefit and legal order,” which was followed by his resignation.

Collaboration with Sovremennik magazine

Returning to St. Petersburg, Mikhail Evgrafovich devotes all his enormous energy to literary activity. He planned to publish a magazine in Moscow, but, without receiving permission, in St. Petersburg he became close to Nekrasov and from December 1862 became a member of the editorial board of Sovremennik. Saltykov came to the magazine at the most difficult time, when Dobrolyubov died, Chernyshevsky was arrested, government repressions were accompanied by the persecution of “nihilistic boys” in the “well-intentioned” press. Shchedrin boldly spoke out in defense of democratic forces.

Next to journalistic and critical articles he placed and works of art- essays and stories, the acute social content of which was clothed in the form of Aesopian allegories. Shchedrin became a true virtuoso of “Aesopian language,” and only this can explain the fact that his works, rich in revolutionary content, could, albeit in a truncated form, pass through the fierce tsarist censorship.

In 1857–1863, he published “Innocent Stories” and “Satires in Prose,” in which he took major royal dignitaries under satirical fire. On the pages of Shchedrin's stories, the city of Foolov appears, personifying a poor, wild, oppressed Russia.

Work in Otechestvennye zapiski. "Pompadours and pompadours"

In 1868, the satirist joined the updated edition of Otechestvennye zapiski. For 16 years (1868–1884) he headed this magazine, first together with N.A. Nekrasov, and after the poet’s death he becomes the executive editor. In 1868–1869, he published programmatic articles “Vain Fears” and “Street Philosophy,” in which he developed the views of revolutionary democrats on public importance art.

Basic form literary works Shchedrin chose cycles of stories and essays, combined common theme. This allowed him to respond vividly to events in public life, giving their deep meaning in a vivid, figurative form. political characterization. One of the first Shchedrin collective images became the image of a “pompadour” from the series “Pompadours and Pompadours,” published by the writer during 1863–1874.

Saltykov-Shchedrin called the tsarist administrators who operated in post-reform Russia “pompadours.” The name “pompadour” itself is derived from the name of the Marquise of Pompadour, the favorite of the French King Louis XV. She loved to interfere in the affairs of the state, distributed government positions to her associates, she squandered the state treasury for the sake of personal pleasure.

The writer's work in the 1870s

In 1869–1870, “The History of a City” appeared in “Notes of the Fatherland.” This book was the most daring and evil satire on the administrative arbitrariness and tyranny that reigned in Russia.

The work takes the form of a historical chronicle. It is easy to recognize specific characters in individual characters historical figures, for example, Gloomy-Burcheev resembles Arakcheev, in Intercept-Zalikhvatsky contemporaries recognized Nicholas I.

In the 70s, Saltykov-Shchedrin created whole line literary cycles in which he widely covered all aspects of life in post-reform Russia. During this period, Well-Intentioned Speeches (1872–1876) and The Refuge of Mon Repos (1878–1880) were written.

In April 1875, doctors sent the seriously ill Saltykov-Shchedrin abroad for treatment. The result of the trips was a series of essays “Abroad”.

Fairy tales

80s XIX century- one of the most difficult pages in the history of Russia. In 1884, Otechestvennye zapiski was closed. Saltykov-Shchedrin was forced to handle his works in the editorial offices of magazines, whose position was alien to him. During these years (1880–1886), Shchedrin created most of his fairy tales - unique literary works in which, thanks to the highest perfection of Aesopian style, he was able to carry out the harshest criticism of the autocracy through censorship.

In total, Shchedrin wrote 32 fairy tales, reflecting all the essential aspects of life in post-reform Russia.

Last years. "Poshekhon antiquity"

The last years of the writer’s life were difficult. Government persecution made it difficult to publish his works; he felt like a stranger in the family; numerous illnesses forced Mikhail Evgrafovich to suffer painfully. But until the last days of his life, Shchedrin did not give up literary work. Three months before his death, he finished one of his best works, the novel “Poshekhon Antiquity.”

In contrast to the idyllic pictures of noble nests, Shchedrin resurrected in his chronicle the true atmosphere of serfdom, drawing people into “a pool of humiliating lawlessness, all sorts of twists of slyness and fear of the prospect of being crushed every hour.” Pictures of the wild tyranny of the landowners are complemented by scenes of retribution befalling individual tyrants: the tormentor Anfisa Porfiryevna was strangled by her own servants, and another villain, the landowner Gribkov, was burned by the peasants along with the estate.

This novel is based on an autobiographical beginning. Shchedrin’s memory picks out individuals in whom “slave” protest and faith in justice matured (“the girl” Annushka, Mavrusha the Novotorka, Satyr the Wanderer).

The seriously ill writer dreamed of finishing his work as quickly as possible. last piece. He “felt such a need to get rid of “Old Things” that he even crumpled it up” (from a letter to M.M. Stasyulevich dated January 16, 1889). The "Conclusion" was published in March issue magazine "Bulletin of Europe" for 1889.

The writer lived out his last days. On the night of April 27-28, 1889, he suffered a blow from which he never recovered. Saltykov-Shchedrin died on May 10 (April 28), 1889.

Literature

Andrey Turkov. Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin // Encyclopedia for children “Avanta+”. Volume 9. Russian literature. Part one. M., 1999. pp. 594–603

K.I. Tyunkin. M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin in life and work. M.: Russian word, 2001

Saltykov-Shchedrin (pseudonym N. Shchedrin) Mikhail Evgrafovich (1826 1889), prose writer.

Born on January 15 (27 NS) in the village of Spas-Ugol, Tver province in the ancient noble family. His childhood years were spent on his father's family estate in "... the years... of the very height of serfdom", in one of the remote corners of "Poshekhonye". Observations of this life will subsequently be reflected in the writer’s books.

Having received a good education at home, Saltykov at the age of 10 was accepted as a boarder at the Moscow Noble Institute, where he spent two years, then in 1838 he was transferred to the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. Here he began to write poetry, having experienced big influence articles by Belinsky and Herzen, works by Gogol.

In 1844, after graduating from the Lyceum, he served as an official in the office of the War Ministry. “...Everywhere there is duty, everywhere there is coercion, everywhere there is boredom and lies...” - this is the description he gave of bureaucratic Petersburg. Another life was more attractive to Saltykov: communication with writers, visiting Petrashevsky’s “Fridays,” where philosophers, scientists, writers, and military men gathered, united by anti-serfdom sentiments and the search for the ideals of a just society.

Saltykov's first stories "Contradictions" (1847), "Confused Affair" (1848) with their acute social issues attracted the attention of the authorities, frightened French revolution 1848. The writer was exiled to Vyatka for “... a harmful way of thinking and a destructive desire to spread ideas that have already shaken the whole of Western Europe...”. For eight years he lived in Vyatka, where in 1850 he was appointed to the position of adviser to the provincial government. This made it possible to frequently go on business trips and observe the bureaucratic world and peasant life. The impressions of these years will influence the satirical direction of the writer’s work.

At the end of 1855, after the death of Nicholas I, having received the right to “live wherever he wishes,” he returned to St. Petersburg and resumed his literary work. In 1856 1857, “Provincial Sketches” were written, published on behalf of the “court adviser N. Shchedrin,” who became known throughout reading Russia, which named him Gogol’s heir.

At this time, he married the 17-year-old daughter of the Vyatka vice-governor, E. Boltina. Saltykov sought to combine the work of a writer with public service. In 1856 1858 he was an official of special assignments in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where work on preparing the peasant reform was concentrated.

In 1858 1862 he served as vice-governor in Ryazan, then in Tver. I always tried to surround myself at my place of work with honest, young and educated people, firing bribe-takers and thieves.

During these years, stories and essays appeared (“Innocent Stories”, 1857㬻 “Satires in Prose”, 1859 62), as well as articles on the peasant question.

In 1862, the writer retired, moved to St. Petersburg and, at the invitation of Nekrasov, joined the editorial staff of the Sovremennik magazine, which at that time was experiencing enormous difficulties (Dobrolyubov died, Chernyshevsky was imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress). Saltykov took on a huge amount of writing and editing work. But he paid most attention to the monthly review “Our Social Life,” which became a monument to Russian journalism of the 1860s.

In 1864 Saltykov left the editorial office of Sovremennik. The reason was internal disagreements on the tactics of social struggle in the new conditions. He returned to government service.

In 1865 1868 he headed the State Chambers in Penza, Tula, Ryazan; observations of the life of these cities formed the basis of “Letters about the Province” (1869). The frequent change of duty stations is explained by conflicts with the heads of the provinces, at whom the writer “laughed” in grotesque pamphlets. After a complaint from the Ryazan governor, Saltykov was dismissed in 1868 with the rank of full state councilor. He moved to St. Petersburg, accepted N. Nekrasov’s invitation to become co-editor of the journal Otechestvennye zapiski, where he worked in 1868 1884. Saltykov now completely switched to literary activity. In 1869 he wrote "The History of a City" - the pinnacle of his satirical art.

In 1875 1876 he was treated abroad, visited countries Western Europe V different years life. In Paris he met with Turgenev, Flaubert, Zola.

In the 1880s, Saltykov's satire reached its climax in its anger and grotesquery: "Modern Idyll" (1877 83); "Messrs. Golovlevs" (1880); "Poshekhonsky stories" (1883㭐).

In 1884, the journal Otechestvennye zapiski was closed, after which Saltykov was forced to publish in the journal Vestnik Evropy.

In the last years of his life, the writer created his masterpieces: “Fairy Tales” (1882 86); "Little things in life" (1886 87); autobiographical novel "Poshekhon Antiquity" (1887 89).

A few days before his death, he wrote the first pages of a new work, “Forgotten Words,” where he wanted to remind the “motley people” of the 1880s about the words they had lost: “conscience, fatherland, humanity... others are still out there...”.