Kuprin's autobiography for children is a summary. Brief biography of Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin, interesting facts for children

Ivan Bunin was one of the greatest writers in Russian literature.

The childhood of the writer, who was born in Voronezh, in 1870, passed on the Butyrki farm, near Yelets. Due to a complete inability to do arithmetic and general ill health, Ivan could not study at the gymnasium and after spending 2 years in the 3rd grade, he receives a home education. His teacher was an ordinary student of Moscow University.

From the late 1880s, he began to publish his provincial poems. The very first story sent to the journal Russkoye Bogatstvo made admiration for the publisher Mikhailovsky, the author of one of the classic articles about Leo Tolstoy. Bunin is again studying at the gymnasium, but in 1886 he was expelled because he did not have time. For the next 4 years, he lives on his estate, where he is taught by his older brother. In 1889, fate throws him to Kharkov, where he has a rapprochement with the populists. In 1891, his first work, Poems 1887-1891, was published. And at the same time, I begin to publish his works, which have gained immense popularity. In 1900, the story "Antonov apples" appeared, which depicts Russian estates with their own way of life. This work has become a masterpiece of modern prose. Literally 3 years later, Bunin was awarded the Pushkin Prize of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Having been unsuccessfully married 2 times, the writer meets Vera Nikolaevna Muromtseva in St. Petersburg, who was his wife until his last breath. The honeymoon trip, which took place in the eastern countries, was the result of the release of a cycle of essays “The Shadow of a Bird”. When Bunin became a well-known and wealthy gentleman in literary circles, he began to constantly travel and spent almost all the cold season traveling around Turkey, Asia Minor, Greece, Egypt, and Syria.

1909 was a special year for Ivan Alekseevich. He was elected an honorary academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences. A year later, his first serious work, The Village, was born, where the writer spoke tragically about catastrophic modernity. Hardly survived the October Revolution, the Bunins go to Odessa, and then emigrate to Constantinople. At first, the life of the writer did not develop in the best way. He was gradually running out of money. In 1921, the work “The Gentleman from San Francisco” was published, where Bunin shows the meaninglessness of material human existence. But there were also bright days in his life.

Literary fame in Europe increased, and when once again the question arose of which of the Russian writers would be the first to enter the ranks of Nobel laureates, his name surfaced by itself. On November 9, 1933, Bunin received this award. The financial problem is gone. Reissues followed. Before the war, the writer lived quietly, but in 1936 he was arrested in Germany and soon released. In 1943, his famous "Dark Alleys" came out. Ivan Alekseevich in the last years of his life worked on the book "Memoirs". The writer never finished this work. Bunin died on November 8, 1953 in Paris.

Very briefly

On September 7, 1870, the remarkable writer Kuprin Alexander Ivanovich was born. Immediately after birth, he was left without a father who died of a terrible disease. After 4 years, my mother is forced to move to Moscow. Despite strong love, she sends him to an orphanage school, due to the difficult financial situation.

Later, Kuprin is accepted into a military gymnasium, and he remains to live in Moscow. His talent for writing began to unfold during his school years, and he released his first work in 1889, entitled "The Last Debut", but not everyone approved of it and he receives a reprimand.

In In 1890-1894. he goes to serve near Podolsk. Having finished, he begins to move from city to city and stops at Sevastopol. He did not have a job, so very often there was nothing to eat, despite his service and rank. Despite this, Kuprin at that time was formed as a writer, thanks to good relations with I. A. Bunin, A. P. Chekhov and M. Gorky. And he writes several stories that are in great demand and he is awarded the Pushkin Prize.

When the war began, he did not hesitate to volunteer. In 1915 he was forced to leave due to poor health. But even here he managed to do a useful thing by organizing a hospital at home. After he supported the revolution in 1917 and collaborated with the Socialist-Revolutionary Party. But for unknown reasons, he decides to leave for France and continues his activities there. Then he returns to the USSR, where he was not welcomed so well. On August 25, 1938 he dies in Leningrad.

For children

Biography of Kuprin Alexander Ivanovich

Alexander Kuprin, one of the most famous writers in Russia, was born in a family far from literature, from the capital. His father, a petty official, died when his son was barely a year old. Together with his mother, the family moved to Moscow, where the future prose writer spent his childhood and youth.

Petersburg Slava Kuprin

In St. Petersburg, Alexander Kuprin was too late for this city to fall at his feet at once. The writer was a little over 30. Behind him was not a very successful military career, which ended in the rank of lieutenant, and seven years of ordeal in Kyiv. There Kuprin, who did not have any civilian specialty, tried many professions and settled on literature.

Kuprin practically did not write major works in terms of the number of pages. But he always managed to depict the whole world in a story from a couple of book sheets. The writer's plots are original and dramaturgically tightly tailored: no superfluous words or characters. The reading public immediately noticed the accuracy in everything: in descriptions, epithets, meaning. And Petersburg instantly accepted Kuprin.

At the beginning of the 20th century, he was called everywhere, just to recite his stories. And the enthusiastic audience flooded the stage with flowers, where Alexander Ivanovich read his stories. Kuprin became a literary star. His St. Petersburg seems simple and ordinary, but in Kuprin's stories the city is just a scene. The people who live and work in the northern capital come to the fore.

The main hit of St. Petersburg literary salons at the beginning of the 20th century was the spy story “Staff Captain Rybnikov”. Kuprin read this work for an encore everywhere: in salons, restaurants, student audiences. Actual themes and impeccable dramatic plot riveted the attention of the public. Kuprin was especially pleased. It was at this time that the writer, who lived in St. Petersburg for about a week, became a candidate for deputies of the first State Duma of the Russian Empire.

Relations with Kuprin's authorities

Kuprin loved his homeland. But the World War that began in 1914 changed him. Now patriotism has become the meaning of his whole life. In the newspapers, the writer campaigned for war loans. And at home, in the Gatchina house, he opened a small military hospital. Kuprin was even called up for war, but he was already weak in health then. Soon he was commissioned.

Returning from the front, Kuprin again began to write a lot. There is more of Petersburg in his stories. Bolsheviks Alexander Kuprin did not accept. They, with their animal desire for power and bestial cruelty, were disgusting to him. According to his views, Kuprin was close to the Socialist-Revolutionaries: not to those who were part of military organizations, but to peaceful socialist revolutionaries.

Kuprin worked as a journalist in Gatchina, but often visited Petrograd. He came to Lenin's reception with a proposal to publish a special newspaper for the village called "Earth". However, the problems of the village interested the Bolsheviks only in words. The newspaper was not established, and Kuprin was imprisoned for 3 days. Having released, they were included in the list of hostages, that is, on any day they could put a bullet in the forehead. Kuprin did not wait and went to the whites.

Kuprin's emigration

There he did not fight, but was engaged in journalism. But he never stopped writing stories. He settled his characters in Petrograd, which was close to him. Kuprin did not accept the new government at all, he called it the Soviet of Deputies, and in the end he was forced to emigrate.

Soviet propaganda destroyed the emigrant Kuprin. Political literary critics close to the Kremlin wrote that abroad, the once talented Russian writer went downhill: all he does is drink heavily and write nothing. It wasn't true. Kuprin wrote just as much, but the Petersburg scenery in his stories became less and less.

After 15 years, he wrote a petition to be allowed to return to the USSR. Stalin gave such consent, and Kuprin returned to those places from which he fled during the civil war. In 1937, suffering from cancer, Kuprin returned to his homeland to die. He died a year later, and the authorities of the country of the Soviets began posthumously to make the writer their own.

It wasn't easy. Petersburg Kuprin with his people did not overlap like a transparent tracing paper on the appearance of the city of three revolutions with the name of Lenin. These were two different cities. Whether he recognized Soviet power is definitely difficult to say. But Kuprin could not live without Russia.

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  • Russian writer, translator

    Alexander Kuprin

    short biography

    Born on September 7, 1870 in the county town of Narovchat (now the Penza region) in the family of an official, hereditary nobleman Ivan Ivanovich Kuprin (1834-1871), who died a year after the birth of his son. Mother - Lyubov Alekseevna (1838-1910), nee Kulunchakova, came from a family of Tatar princes (a noblewoman, she did not have a princely title). After the death of her husband, she moved to Moscow, where the early years and adolescence of the future writer passed. At the age of six, the boy was sent to the Moscow Razumov School, from where he left in 1880. In the same year he entered the Second Moscow Military Gymnasium.

    In 1887 he was enrolled in the Alexander Military School. Subsequently, he will describe his military youth in the stories "At the Turning Point (Cadets)" and in the novel "Junkers".

    Kuprin's first literary experience was poetry, which remained unpublished. The first printed work is the story "The Last Debut" (1889).

    In 1890, Kuprin, with the rank of second lieutenant, was released into the 46th Dnieper Infantry Regiment, stationed in the Podolsk province, in Proskurov. He served as an officer for four years, military service gave him rich material for future works.

    In 1893-1894, his story "In the Dark", the stories "Moonlight Night" and "Inquiry" were published in the St. Petersburg magazine "Russian Wealth". On the army theme, Kuprin has several stories: "Overnight" (1897), "Night Shift" (1899), "Campaign".

    In 1894, Lieutenant Kuprin retired and moved to Kyiv, having no civilian profession. In the following years, he traveled a lot around Russia, having tried many professions, eagerly absorbing life experiences that became the basis of his future works.

    During these years, Kuprin met I. A. Bunin, A. P. Chekhov and M. Gorky. In 1901 he moved to St. Petersburg, began working as a secretary for the Journal for All. Kuprin's stories appeared in St. Petersburg magazines: "Swamp" (1902), "Horse thieves" (1903), "White Poodle" (1903).

    In 1905, his most significant work, the story "Duel", was published, which was a great success. The writer's speeches with the reading of individual chapters of the "Duel" became an event in the cultural life of the capital. His other works of this time: the stories "Staff Captain Rybnikov" (1906), "The River of Life", "Gambrinus" (1907), the essay "Events in Sevastopol" (1905). In 1906 he was a candidate for deputies of the State Duma of the first convocation from the St. Petersburg province.

    In the years between the two revolutions, Kuprin published a series of essays "Listrigons" (1907-1911), the stories "Shulamith" (1908), "Garnet Bracelet" (1911) and others, the story "Liquid Sun" (1912). His prose became a prominent phenomenon in Russian literature. In 1911 he settled with his family in Gatchina.

    After the outbreak of the First World War, he opened a military hospital in his house and campaigned in the newspapers of citizens to take military loans. In November 1914, he was mobilized and sent to the militia in Finland as the commander of an infantry company. Demobilized in July 1915 for health reasons.

    In 1915, Kuprin completed work on the story "The Pit", in which he tells about the life of prostitutes in brothels. The story was condemned for excessive naturalism. Nuravkin's publishing house, which published the Pit in the German edition, was brought to justice by the prosecutor's office "for the distribution of pornographic publications."

    Kuprin met the abdication of Nicholas II in Helsingfors, where he was undergoing treatment, and accepted it with enthusiasm. After returning to Gatchina, he worked as an editor of the newspapers Svobodnaya Rossiya, Volnost, Petrogradsky Leaf, and sympathized with the Social Revolutionaries.

    In 1917, he completed work on the story "The Star of Solomon", in which, having creatively reworked the classic story about Faust and Mephistopheles, he raised questions about free will and the role of chance in human destiny.

    After the October Revolution, the writer did not accept the policy of war communism and the terror associated with it, Kuprin emigrated to France. He worked in the publishing house "World Literature", founded by M. Gorky. At the same time, he translated F. Schiller's drama Don Carlos. In July 1918, after the murder of Volodarsky, he was arrested, spent three days in prison, was released and put on the list of hostages.

    In December 1918, he had a personal meeting with V. I. Lenin on the organization of a new newspaper for the peasants, Zemlya, who approved the idea, but the project was “hacked to death” by the chairman of the Moscow Council, L. B. Kamenev.

    On October 16, 1919, with the arrival of the Whites in Gatchina, he entered the rank of lieutenant in the North-Western Army, was appointed editor of the army newspaper "Prinevsky Territory", which was headed by General P. N. Krasnov.

    After the defeat of the Northwestern Army, he was in Revel, from December 1919 - in Helsingfors, from July 1920 - in Paris.

    In 1937, at the invitation of the USSR government, Kuprin returned to his homeland. Kuprin's return to the Soviet Union was preceded by an appeal by the Plenipotentiary of the USSR in France, V.P. Potemkin, on August 7, 1936, with a corresponding proposal to I.V. Stalin (who gave a preliminary "go-ahead"), and on October 12, 1936, with a letter to the People's Commissar of Internal Affairs N.I. Ezhov. Yezhov sent Potemkin's note to the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, which on October 23, 1936 decided: "to allow the writer A. I. Kuprin to enter the USSR" (voted "for" I. V. Stalin, V. M. Molotov, V. Ya. Chubar and A. A. Andreev; K. E. Voroshilov abstained).

    Soviet propaganda tried to create the image of a repentant writer who returned to sing of a happy life in the USSR. According to L. Rasskazova, in all the memos of Soviet officials it is recorded that Kuprin is weak, sick, unable to work and unable to write anything. Presumably, the article “Moscow dear” published in June 1937 in the Izvestia newspaper signed by Kuprin was actually written by the journalist N.K. Verzhbitsky assigned to Kuprin. An interview was also published with Kuprin's wife Elizaveta Moritsevna, who said that the writer was delighted with everything he saw and heard in socialist Moscow.

    Kuprin died on the night of August 25, 1938 from cancer of the esophagus. He was buried in Leningrad on the Literary bridges of the Volkovsky cemetery next to the grave of I. S. Turgenev.

    Bibliography

    Works by Alexander Kuprin

    Editions

    • A. I. Kuprin. Complete works in eight volumes. - St. Petersburg: Edition of A. F. Marx, 1912.
    • A. I. Kuprin. Complete works in nine volumes. - St. Petersburg: Edition of A. F. Marx, 1912-1915.
    • A. I. Kuprin. Favorites. T. 1-2. - M.: Goslitizdat, 1937.
    • A. I. Kuprin. Stories. - L .: Lenizdat, 1951.
    • A. I. Kuprin. Works in 3 volumes - M .: Goslitizdat, 1953, 1954.
    • A. I. Kuprin. Collected works in 6 vols. - M.: Fiction, 1957-1958.
    • A. I. Kuprin. Collected works in 9 vols. - M.: Pravda, 1964.
    • A. I. Kuprin. Collected works in 9 vols. - M.: Fiction, 1970-1973.
    • A. I. Kuprin. Collected works in 5 vols. - M.: Pravda, 1982.
    • A. I. Kuprin. Collected works in 6 vols. - M.: Fiction, 1991-1996.
    • A. I. Kuprin. Collected works in 11 vols. - M.: Terra, 1998. - ISBN 5-300-01806-6.
    • A. I. Kuprin. Paris is intimate. - M., 2006. - ISBN 5-699-17615-2.
    • A. I. Kuprin. Complete works in 10 vols. - M.: Sunday, 2006-2007. - ISBN 5-88528-502-0.
    • A. I. Kuprin. Collected works in 9 vols. - M .: Knigovek (Literary supplement "Spark"), 2010. - ISBN 978-5-904656-05-8.
    • A. I. Kuprin. Garnet bracelet. Tales. / Comp. I. S. Veselova. Intro. Art. A. V. Karaseva. - Kharkiv; Belgorod: Family Leisure Club, 2013. - 416 p.: ill. - (Series "Great masterpieces of world classics"). - ISBN 978-5-9910-2265-1
    • A. I. Kuprin. Voice from there // "Roman-gazeta", 2014. - No. 4.

    Movie incarnations

    • Garnet Bracelet (1964) - Grigory Gai
    • Balloonist (1975) - Armen Dzhigarkhanyan
    • White Snow of Russia (1980) - Vladimir Samoilov
    • Kuprin (2014) - Mikhail Porechenkov

    Memory

    • In Russia, 7 settlements and 35 streets and lanes in cities and villages of Russia are named after Kuprin, 4 of them in the Penza region (in Penza, Narovchat, Nizhny Lomov and Kamenka).
    • In the village of Narovchat in the Penza region, in the homeland of Kuprin, on September 8, 1981, the only Kuprin house-museum in the world was opened and the first monument to the writer in Russia was erected (a marble bust by sculptor V. G. Kurdov). The writer's daughter, Ksenia Alexandrovna Kuprina (1908-1981), took part in the opening of the museum and the monument.
    • In the Vologda region, the village of Danilovsky, Ustyuzhensky district, there is a museum-estate of the Batyushkovs and Kuprin, where there are several authentic things of the writer.
    • In Gatchina, the central city library (since 1959) and one of the streets of the Marienburg microdistrict (since 1960) bear the name of Kuprin. Also in 1989, a bust-monument to Kuprin by the sculptor V.V. Shevchenko was erected in the city.
    • In Ukraine, large streets in the cities of Donetsk, Mariupol, Krivoy Rog, as well as streets in the cities of Odessa, Makeevka, Khmelnitsky, Sumy and some others are named after A.I. Kuprin.
    • In Kyiv, at house number 4 on the street. Sahaydachnogo (Podil, former Aleksandrovskaya), where the writer lived in 1894-1896, a memorial plaque was opened in 1958. A street in Kyiv is named after Kuprin.
    • In St. Petersburg, on the site of the restaurant "Vienna", which A. I. Kuprin often visited, there is a mini-hotel "Old Vienna", one of the rooms of which is completely dedicated to the writer. There are also rare pre-revolutionary editions of his books and many archival photographs.
    • In 1990, a memorial sign was installed in Balaklava in the area of ​​Remizov's dacha, where Kuprin lived twice. In 1994, the Balaklava Library No. 21 on the embankment received the name of the writer. In May 2009, a monument to Kuprin by sculptor S. A. Chizh was unveiled.
    • A memorial plaque was erected to the writer in Kolomna.
    • In 2014, the Kuprin series was filmed (directed by Vlad Furman, Andrey Eshpay, Andrey Malyukov, Sergey Keshishev).
    • One of the alleys of the city of Rudny (Kostanay region, Kazakhstan) is named after Alexander Kuprin.

    Objects associated with the name of A. I. Kuprin in Narovchat

    Family

    • Davydova (Kuprina-Jordanskaya) Maria Karlovna(March 25, 1881-1966) - the first wife, the adopted daughter of cellist Karl Yulievich Davydov and the publisher of the magazine "The World of God" Alexandra Arkadyevna Gorozhanskaya (the wedding took place on February 3, 1902, the divorce was in March 1907, however, the divorce papers were officially received only in 1909). Subsequently - the wife of the statesman Nikolai Ivanovich Jordansky (Negorev). She left memoirs “Years of Youth” (including the time of living together with A.I. Kuprin) (M .: “Fiction”, 1966).
      • Kuprina, Lidia Alexandrovna(January 3, 1903 - November 23, 1924) - daughter from his first marriage. Graduated from high school. At the age of sixteen she married a certain Leontiev, but divorced a year later. In 1923 she married Boris Yegorov. At the beginning of 1924, she gave birth to a son, Alexei (1924-1946), and soon separated from her husband. She died when her son was ten months old. Alexei was brought up by his father, later participated in the Great Patriotic War with the rank of sergeant, died of heart disease, which was a consequence of a shell shock received at the front.
    • Heinrich Elizaveta Moritsovna(1882-1942) - second wife (since 1907, married on August 16, 1909). Daughter of Permian photographer Moritz Heinrich, younger sister of actress Maria Abramova (Heinrich). She worked as a nurse. She committed suicide during the siege of Leningrad.
      • Kuprina Ksenia Alexandrovna(April 21, 1908 - November 18, 1981) - daughter from his second marriage. Model and actress. She worked at the Paul Poiret Fashion House. In 1958 she moved from France to the USSR. Played in the theater

    In literature, the name of Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin is associated with an important transitional stage at the turn of two centuries. Not the last role in this was played by a historical breakdown in the political and public life of Russia. This factor undoubtedly had the strongest influence on the writer's work. A. I. Kuprin is a man of unusual fate and strong character. Almost all of his works are based on real events. An ardent fighter for justice sharply, boldly and at the same time lyrically created his masterpieces, which were included in the golden fund of Russian literature.

    Kuprin was born in 1870 in the town of Narovchat, Penza province. His father, a small landowner, died suddenly when the future writer was only a year old. Left with his mother and two sisters, he grew up enduring hunger and all sorts of hardships. Experiencing serious financial difficulties associated with the death of her husband, the mother placed her daughters in a government boarding school, and together with little Sasha moved to Moscow.

    Kuprin's mother, Lyubov Alekseevna, was a proud woman, as she was a descendant of a noble Tatar family, as well as a native Muscovite. But she had to make a difficult decision for herself - to give her son up for education in an orphanage school.

    Kuprin's childhood years, spent within the walls of the boarding house, were bleak, and his inner state always seemed depressed. He felt out of place, felt bitterness from the constant oppression of his personality. Indeed, given the origin of the mother, which the boy was always very proud of, the future writer, as he grew up and became, showed himself as an emotional, active and charismatic person.

    Youth and education

    After graduating from the orphan school, Kuprin entered a military gymnasium, which was later transformed into a cadet corps.

    This event largely influenced the further fate of Alexander Ivanovich and, first of all, his work. After all, it was from the beginning of his studies at the gymnasium that he first revealed an interest in writing, and the image of Lieutenant Romashov from the famous story “Duel” is the prototype of the author himself.

    Service in an infantry regiment allowed Kuprin to visit many remote cities and provinces of Russia, to study military affairs, the basics of army discipline and drill. The theme of officer everyday life has taken a strong position in many works of art by the author, which subsequently caused controversial debates in society.

    It would seem that a military career is the fate of Alexander Ivanovich. But his rebellious nature did not allow this to materialize. By the way, the service was completely alien to him. There is a version that Kuprin, being under the influence of alcohol, threw a police officer off the bridge into the water. In connection with this incident, he soon retired and left military affairs forever.

    History of success

    Leaving the service, Kuprin experienced an urgent need to obtain comprehensive knowledge. Therefore, he began to actively travel around Russia, get to know people, draw from communication with them a lot of new and useful things for himself. At the same time, Alexander Ivanovich sought to try his hand at various professions. He gained experience in the field of land surveyors, circus performers, fishermen, even pilots. However, one of the flights almost ended in tragedy: as a result of the plane crash, Kuprin almost died.

    He also worked with interest as a journalist in various print media, wrote notes, essays, articles. The vein of an adventurer allowed him to successfully develop everything he started. He was open to everything new and absorbed what was happening around him like a sponge. Kuprin was a researcher by nature: he eagerly studied human nature, wanted to experience all the facets of interpersonal communication for himself. Therefore, during military service, faced with obvious officer licentiousness, hazing and humiliation of human dignity, the creator in a revealing manner formed the basis for writing his most famous works, such as "Duel", "Junkers", "At the Turn (Cadets)".

    The writer built the plots of all his works, relying solely on personal experience and memories received by him during his service and travels around Russia. Openness, simplicity, sincerity of the presentation of thoughts, as well as the reliability of the description of the images of the characters became the key to the author's success in the literary path.

    Creation

    Kuprin wholeheartedly yearned for his people, and his explosive and honest nature, due to the Tatar origin of his mother, would not allow him to distort in writing those facts about the life of people whom he personally witnessed.

    However, Alexander Ivanovich did not condemn all of his characters, even bringing their dark sides to the surface. Being a humanist and a desperate fighter for justice, Kuprin figuratively demonstrated this feature of his in the work "The Pit". It tells about the life of the inhabitants of brothels. But the writer does not focus on the heroines as fallen women, on the contrary, he invites readers to understand the prerequisites for their fall, in the torment of their hearts and souls, he offers to see in every whore, first of all, a person.

    More than one of Kuprin's works is saturated with the theme of love. The most striking of them is the story "". In it, as in "The Pit", there is an image of a narrator, an explicit or implicit participant in the events described. But the narrator in Oles is one of the two main characters. This is a story about noble love, partly the heroine considers herself unworthy of it, whom everyone takes for a witch. However, the girl has nothing to do with her. On the contrary, her image embodies all possible female virtues. The ending of the story cannot be called happy, because the characters do not reunite in their sincere impulse, but are forced to lose each other. But happiness lies for them in the fact that they had a chance in life to experience the power of all-consuming mutual love.

    Of course, the story "Duel" deserves special attention as a reflection of all the horrors of army customs that reigned then in tsarist Russia. This is a vivid confirmation of the features of realism in the work of Kuprin. Perhaps that is why the story caused a flurry of negative reviews from critics and the public. The hero of Romashov, in the same rank of second lieutenant as Kuprin himself, who once retired, like the author, appears before readers in the light of an extraordinary personality, whose psychological growth we have the opportunity to observe from page to page. This book brought wide fame to its creator and rightfully occupies one of the central places in his bibliography.

    Kuprin did not support the revolution in Russia, although at first he met quite often with Lenin. Ultimately, the writer emigrated to France, where he continued his literary work. In particular, Alexander Ivanovich liked to write for children. Some of his stories ("White Poodle", "", "Starlings") undoubtedly deserve the attention of the target audience.

    Personal life

    Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin was married twice. The first wife of the writer was Maria Davydova, the daughter of a famous cellist musician. In marriage, a daughter, Lydia, was born, who later died during her birth. The only grandson of Kuprin, who was born, died from wounds received during the Second World War.

    The second time the writer married Elizabeth Heinrich, with whom he lived until the end of his days. The marriage produced two daughters, Zinaida and Xenia. But the first died in early childhood from pneumonia, and the second became a famous actress. However, the continuation of the Kuprin family did not follow, and today he has no direct descendants.

    The second wife of Kuprin survived him by only four years and, unable to withstand the ordeal of hunger during the siege of Leningrad, committed suicide.

    1. Kuprin was proud of his Tatar origin, so he often put on a national caftan and skullcap, going out in such attire to people, went to visit.
    2. Partly thanks to his acquaintance with I. A. Bunin, Kuprin became a writer. Bunin once turned to him with a request to write a note on a topic of interest to him, which marked the beginning of the literary activity of Alexander Ivanovich.
    3. The author was famous for his sense of smell. Once, while visiting Fyodor Chaliapin, he shocked everyone present, overshadowing the invited perfumer with his unique flair, unmistakably recognizing all the components of the new fragrance. Sometimes, when meeting new people, Alexander Ivanovich sniffed them, thereby putting everyone in an awkward position. It was said that this helped him better understand the essence of the person in front of him.
    4. Throughout his life, Kuprin changed about twenty professions.
    5. After meeting A. P. Chekhov in Odessa, the writer went to St. Petersburg at his invitation to work in a well-known magazine. Since then, the author has acquired a reputation as a brawler and drunkard, as he often took part in entertainment events in a new environment for himself.
    6. The first wife, Maria Davydova, tried to eradicate some disorganization inherent in Alexander Ivanovich. If he fell asleep during work, she deprived him of breakfast, or forbade him to enter the house if the new chapters of the work on which he was working at that time were not ready.
    7. The first monument to A.I. Kuprin was erected only in 2009 in Balaklava in the Crimea. This is due to the fact that in 1905, during the Ochakov uprising of sailors, the writer helped them hide, thereby saving their lives.
    8. There were legends about the drunkenness of the writer. In particular, the wits repeated the well-known saying: "If the truth is in wine, how many truths are there in Kuprin?"

    Death

    The writer returned from emigration to the USSR in 1937, but already in poor health. He had hopes that a second wind would open in his homeland, he would improve his condition and be able to write again. At that time, Kuprin's vision was rapidly deteriorating.

    Interesting? Save it on your wall!

    Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin is one of the most famous classics of Russian literature, working as a translator. The most outstanding works of the writer are such works as "Junkers", "Duel", "Pit" and "Garnet Bracelet".

    Childhood and youth

    The birthplace of Alexander Kuprin is the county city ​​of Narovchat. Childhood and youthful years of the future writer were held in Moscow. This was due to the fact that the father of the classic died at the age of one year of his son. He was a nobleman who chose Lyubov Alekseevna, a noble Tatar by birth, as his wife.

    After the death of her husband, she decided to move to a larger city, since in this case he would have more opportunities to provide a proper education for her first child.

    At the age of 6, Alexander was assigned to a boarding house who worked on the principle of a boarding school. At the age of 10, Kuprin enters a cadet school, after which he goes to serve in the army. After graduation, Nikolai falls into the infantry regiment of the Dnieper.

    Adulthood

    At 24 Kuprin resigned. After that, he began to travel to different cities in search of work. This was due to the fact that the future writer did not have a civilian profession.

    He managed to get a permanent position only after meeting Bunin, who helped him arrange "A Magazine for Everyone". After some time, Nikolai Nikolaevich moved to Gatchina. It was here that he ran the hospital during the war.

    Kuprin took the news of the abdication of Nicholas II quite positively. When Vladimir Lenin came to power, the writer personally approached him about the possibility of publishing the Zemlya newspaper, whose potential readers were rural residents. After some time, noticing the first signs of dictatorship in the country, Kuprin was completely disappointed with the Bolshevik regime.

    Nikolai Nikolaevich was the author of the derogatory name for the Soviet Union, which is still used today. This is about the term "Sovdepiya". When the Civil War began, Kuprin joined the White Army. As soon as she suffered a massive defeat, the writer left the country, emigrated to Finland, and then to France.

    At the end of the 30s of the last century, Kuprin could not support his family abroad as a result of which he began to drink alcohol more and more. The only way out of this situation is to move to Russia. This decision of the writer was supported by Stalin himself.

    Literary activity

    Kuprin made his first attempts at writing poetry in the senior courses of the cadet corps. Poetry of Nikolai Nikolaevich never published during his lifetime. His first published work was a story called "The Last Debut". For several years, the writer published his novels and military stories in magazines.

    In the early creative activity of Kuprin army theme was one of the key Subsequently, he often returned to her. This is evidenced by such works of the writer as "Junkers", "At the Break" and "The Cadets".

    The classical period of Kuprin's work dates back to the 20s of the last century. The most popular story of the writer was the story "Duel". In addition to her, readers well received the following works:

    • "White Poodle";
    • "Gambrinus";
    • "Liquid Sun";
    • "Garnet bracelet".

    Kuprin's story "The Pit" gained considerable resonance. He was dedicated life of Russian prostitutes in the early twentieth century. Many criticized this work of the writer, calling it overly realistic and naturalistic. As a result, the publication was even withdrawn from print. The reason for this was the pornographic nature of what was written.

    While in exile, Kuprin created a fairly large number of works, almost all of which had considerable popularity among readers.

    Writer's personal life

    The first wife of Nicolas Kuprin was called Maria Davydova. They were married for only 5 years, during which a daughter named Lydia was born. At the age of 21, she died immediately after giving birth to her own son.

    The wedding with the second wife of Nikolai Kuprin took place in 1901. His chosen one was Elizabeth Heinrich. In this marriage, the writer had 2 daughters. One of them died in childhood from lung problems. The other became an actress and model.

    The writer's wife lived 4 years longer than her own husband. She committed suicide staying during the Second World War in Leningrad.

    The only grandson of Nikolai Kuprin was seriously injured while performing combat missions. As a result, there are currently no direct descendants of the writer.

    Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin and Russian literature of the early 20th century are inseparable. This happened because the writer in his own works covered contemporary life, discussed topics and sought answers to questions that are usually classified as eternal. All his work is based on life prototypes. Alexander Ivanovich drew stories from life, he only refracted this or that situation in artistic terms. According to the generally accepted opinion, the work of this author belongs to the literary direction of realism, but there are pages that are written in the style of romanticism.

    In 1870, a boy was born in one of the cities of the Penza province. They named him Alexander. Sasha's parents were poor nobles.

    The boy's father served as a secretary in court, and his mother was engaged in housekeeping. Fate decreed that after Alexander was one year old, his father died suddenly from an illness.

    After this sad event, the widow with children goes to live in Moscow. The further life of Alexander, one way or another, will be connected with Moscow.

    Sasha studied at a cadet boarding school. Everything indicated that the fate of the boy would be connected with military affairs. But in reality it turned out to be completely different. The theme of the army has firmly entered the literary work of Kuprin. Military service is devoted to such works as "Army Ensign", "Cadets", "Duel", "Junkers". It is worth noting that the image of the main character of "Duel" is autobiographical. The author admits that he created the image of a second lieutenant, based on the experience of his own service.

    The year 1894 was marked for the future prose writer by his resignation from military service. This happened due to his explosive nature. At this time, the future prose writer is looking for himself. He tries to write, and the very first experiments become successful.

    Some of the stories written by him are published in magazines. This period until 1901 can be called the fruitful period of Kuprin's literary work. The following works have been written: "Olesya", "Lilac Bush", "Wonderful Doctor" and many others.

    In Russia, during this period of time, popular unrest is brewing due to opposition to capitalism. The young author reacts creatively to these processes.

    The result was the story "Moloch", where he refers to ancient Russian mythology. Under the guise of a mythological creature, he shows the spiritual power of capitalism.

    Important! When "Moloch" saw the light, its author began to communicate closely with the luminaries of Russian literature of that period. These are Bunin, Chekhov, Gorky.

    In 1901, Alexander met his only one and tied the knot. After the marriage, the couple moved to St. Petersburg. At this time, the writer is active both in the literary field and in public life. Written works: "White Poodle", "Horse Thieves" and others.

    In 1911 the family moved to live in Gatchina. At this time, a new theme appears in creativity - love. He writes "Shulamith".

    A. I. Kuprin "Garnet bracelet"

    In 1918, the couple emigrated to France. Abroad, the writer continues to work fruitfully. Written over 20 stories. Among them are "Blue Star", "Yu-Yu" and others.

    1937 became a landmark in the sense that Alexander Ivanovich was allowed to return to his homeland. The sick writer returns to Russia. He lives in his homeland for only a year. The ashes rest at the Volkovsky cemetery in Leningrad.

    The most important thing you need to know about the life and work of this outstanding author is placed in the chronological table:

    dateEvent
    September 26 (August 7), 1870Birth of Kuprin
    1874Moving with mother and sisters to Moscow
    1880–1890Education in military schools
    1889Publication of the first story "The Last Debut"
    1890–1894Service
    1894–1897Moving to Kyiv and writing
    1898"Polesye stories"
    1901–1903Marriage and moving to St. Petersburg
    1904–1906Printing of the first collected works
    1905"Duel"
    1907–1908Addresses the love theme in creativity
    1909–1912Received the Pushkin Prize. "Garnet Bracelet" published.
    1914Military service
    1920Emigration to France with family
    1927–1933A fruitful period of creativity abroad
    1937Return to Russia
    1938Death in Leningrad

    The most important thing about Kuprin

    Briefly, the biography of the writer can be summarized in several key milestones of his life. Alexander Ivanovich comes from an impoverished noble family. It so happened that the boy was left without a father early. For this reason, the formation of personality was quite difficult. After all, as you know, a boy needs a father. The mother, having moved to Moscow, decides to assign her son to study at a military school. Therefore, the army way of life had a strong influence on Alexander Ivanovich, his worldview.

    Main stages of life:

    • Until 1894, that is, before retiring from military service, the aspiring author tried his hand at writing.
    • After 1894, he realized that writing was his vocation, so he devoted himself entirely to creativity. Reduces acquaintance with Gorky, Bunin, Chekhov and other writers of that time.
    • The revolution of 1917 approved Kuprin in the idea that they might be right in their views on power. Therefore, the writer with his family cannot stay in Russia and is forced to emigrate. For almost 20 years, Alexander Ivanovich has been living in France and working fruitfully. A year before his death, he is allowed to return to his homeland, which he does.
    • In 1938, the writer's heart stopped beating forever.

    Useful video: the early period of creativity of A. I. Kuprin

    Biography for children

    The guys get acquainted with the name of Kuprin while studying in elementary school. Below is the biographical information about the writer that students need.

    It is important for children of primary school age to know that Alexander Ivanovich turned to the topic of children and childhood for a reason. He writes on the subject simply and naturally. In this cycle, he creates a large number of stories about animals. In general, in the works of this direction, Kuprin expresses a humane attitude towards all living things.

    In the stories, the heroes of which are children, the theme of orphanhood is sharply expressed. Perhaps this is due to the fact that their author himself was left without a father early. But it is worth noting that he shows orphanhood as a social problem. The works about children and for children include “The Wonderful Doctor”, “Yu-Yu”, “Taper”, “Elephant”, “White Poodle” and many others.

    Important! Undoubtedly, the contribution of this outstanding writer to the development and formation of children's literature is extremely great.

    A. I. Kuprin in Gatchina

    Kuprin's last years

    In Kuprin's childhood, there were many difficulties, and there were no less problems in the last years of his life. In 1937 he was allowed to return to the Soviet Union. He was greeted solemnly. Among those welcoming the famous prose writer were many famous poets and writers of that time. In addition to these people, there were a lot of admirers of Alexander Ivanovich's work.

    By this time, Kuprin had been diagnosed with cancer. This disease greatly undermined the resources of the writer's body. Returning to his homeland, the prose writer hoped that staying in his native land would only benefit him. Unfortunately, the hopes of the writer were not destined to come true. A year later, the talented realist was gone.

    last years of life

    Kuprin in video footage

    In the modern world of informatization, a lot of biographical information about creative people has been digitized. The TV channel “My Joy” broadcasts a series of programs “My Live Journal” on its air. In this cycle there is a program about the life and work of Alexander Kuprin.

    On the TV channel "Russia. Culture” broadcasts a series of lectures about writers. The duration of the video is 25 minutes. Moreover, lectures about Alexander Ivanovich also constitute a cycle. There are those that tell about childhood and youth and about the period of emigration. Their duration is about the same.

    On the Internet there are collections of videos about Kuprin. Even a whole virtual page is dedicated to the famous Russian writer. On the same page there are links to audiobooks. At the very end are reader reviews.

    Homecoming

    Wikipedia about Kuprin

    The electronic encyclopedia Wikipedia contains a voluminous informational article about Alexander Ivanovich. It tells in detail about the life path of the prose writer. Detailed descriptions of his main works are given. The information concerning the writer's family is quite fully covered. This text is accompanied by personal photographs of Kuprin.

    After the main information, the author's bibliography is presented, and almost all books have electronic links. Anyone who is truly interested in his work can read their interest. There are also links to videos with screened works of Alexander Ivanovich. At the end of the article, memorable places associated with the name of Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin are listed, many of which are illustrated with photographs.

    Useful video: biography of A.I. Kuprin

    Conclusion

    70 years have passed since the death of Kuprin. This is a fairly large time span. But, despite this, the popularity of the works of Alexander Ivanovich does not decrease. This is due to the fact that they contain things that are clear to everyone. The works of Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin must be read by anyone who wants to better understand the nature of relationships and the motives that drive different people. They are a kind of encyclopedia of moral qualities and deep feelings of any person.

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