In his views, the poet considered himself a democrat, but his contemporaries were ambivalent about his ideas and views. Despite this, the great poet and publicist left behind a poetic legacy that allows him to be placed on a par with the greatest classical writers. Nekrasov’s creativity is highly appreciated all over the world, and his works have been translated into many languages.
Origin of the poet
It is known that Nikolai Alekseevich came from a family of nobles who once lived in the Yaroslavl province, where the poet’s grandfather Sergei Alekseevich Nekrasov lived for many years. But he had a slight weakness, which, unfortunately, was later passed on to the poet’s father - a love of gambling. So easily Sergei Alekseevich was able to lose most of the family’s capital, and his children were left with a modest inheritance.
This led to the fact that Alexei Nekrasov, the poet’s father, became an army officer and wandered around the garrisons. One day he met Elena Zakrevskaya, a rich and very pretty girl. He called her Polish. Alexey made an offer, but was refused, as the parents were preparing a more reliable and secure future for their daughter. But Elena Andreevna fell in love with a poor officer, so she did not accept her parents’ decision and got married secretly from them. Alexey Sergeevich was not rich, but he and his entire large family were not poor.
When in 1821 the regiment of Lieutenant Alexei Nekrasov was stationed in the Podolsk province, in the city of Nemirov, a boy Nikolai was born into the family. This event occurred on November 28th.
It must be said that the parents’ marriage was unhappy, so the child also suffered. When the poet subsequently recalls his childhood years, the image of his mother for him will always be sacrificial and suffering. Nikolai saw his mother as a victim of the rough and even depraved environment in which his father lived. Then he would dedicate many poetic works to his mother, because it was something bright and tender in his life. Nikolai's mother gave a lot to her children, of whom she had thirteen. She tried her best to surround them with warmth and love. All surviving children owe their education to her.
But there were other bright images in his childhood life. So, his reliable friend was his sister, with a fate similar to that of her mother. Nekrasov also dedicated his poems to her.
Childhood years
Little Nikolai Nekrasov spent his entire childhood in the village of Greshnevo near Yaroslavl. The family settled on his grandfather's estate when the poet was barely three years old.
From an early age, the future poet saw how cruelly his father treated the peasants, how rude he was to his wife, and how often his father’s mistresses—serf girls—passed and changed before the boy’s eyes.
But his father’s hobbies for women and cards forced him to take the place of police officer. Traveling around villages and hamlets to extract arrears from the peasants, my father took Nikolai with him. Therefore, from early childhood the poet saw injustice and the great grief ordinary people were experiencing. This would later become the main theme for his poetic works. Nikolai never betrayed his principles, did not forget the environment in which he grew up.
Nikolai Nekrasov had barely turned eleven years old when he was sent to a gymnasium in the city of Yaroslavl, where he studied for five years. But unfortunately, his studies were not good for him, he did not do well in many subjects, and he also did not show good behavior. He had many conflicts with teachers, as he wrote his short satirical poems on them. At the age of sixteen, he decided to write down these poetic samples of his in a thin notebook at home.
Education
In 1838, Nikolai Nekrasov, who was barely seventeen years old, was sent by his father to St. Petersburg so that he could serve in a regiment for nobles. But here the wishes of the son and father diverged. The father dreamed of military service for his son, and the poet himself thought about literature, which fascinated him more and more every day.
One day Nikolai Nekrasov met his friend, Glushitsky, who was a student at that time. After talking with a friend who told Nikolai about student life and education, the young man finally decided not to connect his life with military affairs. Then Glushitsky introduced his friend to his other friends, the same students, and soon the poet had a great desire to study at the university. Although his father was categorically against studying at the university, Nikolai disobeyed.
But, unfortunately, he failed the exams. This could not stop him, and he decided to become a free student who simply came to lectures and listened. He chose the Faculty of Philology and attended it persistently for three years. But every year it became more and more difficult for him, since his father nevertheless fulfilled the threats and deprived him of financial support. Therefore, most of Nikolai Nekrasov’s time was spent finding at least some small work or even a part-time job. Soon the need turned out to be very strong, he could not even have lunch, and he could no longer pay for the rented small room. He got sick, lived in slums, ate in the cheapest canteens.
Writing activity
After hardships, the life of the young poet gradually began to improve. At first he began to give private lessons, and this brought him a small but stable income, and then he began to publish his articles in literary magazines. In addition, he was given the opportunity to write vaudevilles for the theater. At this time, the young poet enthusiastically works on prose, sometimes writing poetry. Journalism became his favorite genre at this time. Then he will say about himself:
“How long have I worked!”
His early works show romanticism, although later all of Nekrasov’s works were classified by critics and writers as realism. The young poet began to have his own savings, which helped him publish his first book of poetry. But critics did not always praise his poetic works. Many mercilessly scolded the young poet and shamed him. For example, the most respected critic Belinsky reacted very coldly and disdainfully to Nekrasov’s work. But there were also those who praised the poet, considering his works to be real literary art.
Soon the writer decides to turn to the humorous direction and writes several poems. And new successful changes take place in his life. Nikolai Nekrasov becomes an employee of one of the magazines. He becomes close to Belinsky's circle. It was the critic who had the strongest influence on the inexperienced publicist.
Publishing becomes his life and source of income. At first, he published various almanacs, in which both young, aspiring poets and writers, and real sharks of the pen were published. He became so successful in his new business that, together with Panaev, he acquired the popular magazine Sovremennik and became its editors. At that time, writers who later became famous began to publish in it: Turgenev, Ogarev, Goncharova, Ostrovsky and others.
Nikolai Nekrasov himself published his poetic and prosaic works on the pages of this literary magazine. But in 1850 he fell ill with a throat disease and was forced to leave for Italy. And when he returned, he saw that changes were coming in an enlightened society. As a result of all this, the writers who published in magazines were divided into two groups. Censorship restrictions have also intensified.
Because of the bold publications, the magazine was given a warning. The authorities were afraid of the activities of writers. A real disgrace was organized against the most dangerous masters of the pen. Many ended up in exile. The activities of Sovremennik were initially suspended. Then, in 1866, the magazine was closed for good.
Nekrasov goes to work for the journal Otechestvennye zapiski. He begins to publish a supplement to the magazine, which has satirical content.
Personal life of the poet
In his personal life, the poet had three women whom he loved and whom he mentioned in his will:
A. Panaeva.
S. Lefren
Z.N. Nekrasova
Avdotya Panaeva was married to a friend of Nikolai Nekrasov. Their meeting took place at literary evenings. Then the poet was 26 years old. Avdotya, although not immediately, noticed Nikolai Nekrasov and reciprocated. They began to live together, and even in the house where her legal husband lived. This union lasted for 16 years. In this strange union, a child is born, but he dies in his early years, and discord begins between the lovers and soon Avdotya leaves for another revolutionary poet.
Nikolai Nekrasov met Selina Lefren by chance, since his sister lived in her apartment. The poet also stayed in this apartment for the summer. There was a small romance between the young people.
At the age of 48, he met Fekla Viktorova, who later became his wife. At the time we met, Fekla was only twenty-three years old, and she was from a simple village family. Nekrasov was involved in her education, and over time the girl changed her name and began to call herself Zinaida Nikolaevna.
Last years of life
In his last days and years, the publicist and poet worked a lot. In 1875, he fell ill and upon medical examination it turned out that he had cancer, which could not be cured.
After this, Nikolai Alekseevich was confined to bed rest for two years. When the literary community learned about the serious illness of the writer, interest in him increased and his works began to enjoy success, fame and popularity. Many colleagues tried to support him with kind words, he received letters and telegrams from all over Russia.
The poet died at the end of 1877 according to the old style. About eight o'clock in the evening of December 27th. A large number of people attended his funeral. Everyone who could attend the funeral wished to pay tribute to the great writer and poet.
The work of the classic, appreciated during his lifetime, remains an invaluable gift after almost 140 years, and some works amaze with their relevance, modernity and significance.
(453 words) Nikolai Nekrasov cannot be attributed to a single profession; in his work he was multifaceted: he was fond of prose, poetry, and journalism. Therefore, his personality is very multifaceted, and his life path is thorny and varied.
The writer was born on November 28, 1821 in the Podolsk province in the city of Nemirov. His parents - Alexey Nekrasov and Elena Zakrevskaya - had different social status and financial situation, so their marriage was not blessed by their parents. However, this did not stop them from creating a large family, in which the future writer and 13 more children were born.
Life in the house could not be called carefree and happy. The father’s cruelty and despotism ran counter to the mother’s tenderness and complaisance; conflicts arose that left a mark on the poet’s life and work.
Youth and education
Nekrasov's education began at the age of 11 with admission to the gymnasium. Within a couple of years, he begins to compose his first satirical poems. However, the gymnasium did not accept such creativity, so in 1837 Nekrasov was forced to leave the institution and move to St. Petersburg.
There the writer was faced with a choice: education or military service. Nekrasov's father, being a military man himself, insisted on a military career and gave his son an ultimatum - either military service or deprivation of financial assistance. My son chose education. As promised, the poet lost financial support and, moreover, did not enter the university. Then he became a volunteer student at the Faculty of Philology.
Success story
Finding himself in a difficult financial situation, Nekrasov is forced to find ways to ensure his existence. So he begins to write petitions and complaints to order in order to have at least some funds.
After such a difficult period of life, luck still smiles on the poet. In 1846, Nekrasov, together with his friend I. Panaev, bought the Sovremennik magazine, where I. Goncharov, I. Turgenev, F. Dostoevsky and others began their journey. The unstable situation in the country, changes in the censorship format and the assassination of Emperor Alexander II inexorably led the magazine to closure.
The author's next refuge was Otechestvennye zapiski. During this period, the writer’s famous works were published - “Who Lives Well in Rus'”, “Russian Women”, “Grandfather”, in which the author raises such pressing issues as devotion, love for the Motherland, the values of freedom and happiness.
Personal life
Three women left their mark in the writer’s personal life. It is believed that he had the strongest love for Ivan Panaev’s wife, Avdotya Panaeva. The couple Avdotya and Nikolai had a son, who soon died. After this tragedy, the lovers separated. Then Nekrasov went to Paris with actress Celine Lefren, but after some time he left her and returned to his homeland.
Later, a simple village girl Fyokla Viktorova appears in his life, who becomes his only legal wife.
Death
In 1875, Nekrasov was diagnosed with a serious illness - intestinal cancer. In 1877, on January 8, the writer dies in the city of St. Petersburg.
Nikolai Nekrasov made a truly significant contribution to Russian literature. As a witness to peasant life, he was able to describe the events taking place in the country as truthfully as possible. Thanks to this, he received the unofficial status of the writer closest to the people.
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Biography - Nekrasov Nikolai Alekseevich
The great national poet Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov was born on November 28 (December 10), 1821 in the town of Nemirov, Vinnitsa district, Podolsk province.
Childhood years
Kolya spent his childhood on the Nekrasov estate - the village of Greshnev in the Yaroslavl province. It was not easy to support 13 (three survived) children, and the father of the future poet also took the position of police officer. The work was not fun; Alexei Sergeevich often had to take his son with him. Therefore, from an early age, Nikolai saw all the problems of ordinary people and sympathized with them.
At the age of 10, Nekrasov was sent to study at a gymnasium in Yaroslavl, where he only completed his studies until the 5th grade. Some biographers of the poet say that the boy studied poorly and was kicked out, others - that his father simply stopped paying fees for his education. Most likely, in reality there was something in between - perhaps the father considered it useless to teach his son further, who was not particularly diligent. He decided that his son should make a military career. For this purpose, Nekrasov, at the age of 16, was sent to St. Petersburg to enter a noble regiment (military school).
Time of hardship
The poet could have become an honest servant, but fate decreed otherwise. In St. Petersburg, he met students who so awakened Nekrasov’s desire to study that he dared to go against his father’s will. The poet began to prepare to enter the university. It was not possible to pass the exams, but Nekrasov went to the Faculty of Philology as a volunteer student (he stayed from 1839 to 1841). His father did not give Nikolai a penny and for three years he lived in terrible poverty. He constantly felt hungry and went so far as to spend the night in homeless shelters. In one of these “institutions” Nekrasov found his first income - he wrote a petition to someone for 15 kopecks.
The difficult financial situation did not break the poet. He vowed to himself to overcome all adversity and achieve recognition.
Literary life
Portrait of N.A. Nekrasov. 1872, work of the artist N.N.Ge. |
Gradually life began to improve. Nekrasov found a job as a tutor, began to compose alphabet books and fairy tales for popular print publishers, submitted articles to Literaturnaya Gazeta and Literary Supplement to the Russian Invalid. Several vaudevilles composed by him (under the pseudonym “Perepelsky”) were staged on the Alexandria stage. Using the accumulated funds in 1840, Nekrasov published his first collection of poems, “Dreams and Sounds.”
Critics reacted differently to it, but Belinsky’s negative opinion upset Nekrasov so much that he bought up most of the circulation and destroyed it. The collection remained interesting because it represented the poet in a work completely uncharacteristic of him - a writer of ballads, which never happened in the future.
In the 40s, Nekrasov first came to the journal Otechestvennye Zapiski as a bibliographer. This is where his friendship with Belinsky begins. Soon Nikolai Alekseevich began to be actively published. He publishes almanacs “Physiology of St. Petersburg”, “April 1”, “Petersburg Collection” and others, where, in addition to him, the best authors of that time are published: F. Dostoevsky, D. Grigorovich, A. Herzen, I. Turgenev.
Publishing business was going well and at the end of 1846 Nekrasov, together with several friends, acquired the Sovremennik magazine. A whole “team” of the best writers goes to this magazine together with Nikolai Alekseevich. Belinsky makes a huge “gift” to Nekrasov by donating to the magazine a large amount of material that he had previously “accumulated” for his own publication.
After the onset of the reaction, Sovremennik becomes more “obedient” to the authorities, it begins to publish more adventure literature, but this does not prevent the magazine from remaining the most popular in Russia.
In the 50s, Nekrasov went to Italy for treatment for a throat disease. Upon his return, both his health and his affairs improved. He ends up in the advanced stream of literature, among people of high moral principles. Chernyshevsky and Dobrolyubov work with him in the magazine. The best sides of Nekrasov’s talent are also revealed.
When Sovremennik was closed in 1866, Nekrasov did not give up, but rented Otechestvennye zapiski from his old “competitor,” which he elevated to the same literary heights as Sovremennik.
During his work with the two best magazines of our time, Nekrasov wrote and published many of his works: the poems “Sasha”, “Peasant Children”, “Frost, Red Nose”, “Who Lives Well in Rus'” (finished in 1876), “Russian Women ”, poems “Knight for an Hour”, “Railroad”, “Prophet” and many others. Nekrasov was at the zenith of his fame.
At the last line
At the beginning of 1875, the poet was diagnosed with intestinal cancer. His life turned into a series of sufferings, and only the general support of his readers gave him any strength. The poet received telegrams and letters of support from all over Russia. Inspired by the support of people, Nekrasov, overcoming pain, continues to write. In recent years, the following have been written: the satirical poem “Contemporaries”, the poem “Sowers” and the cycle of poems “Last Songs”, unsurpassed in sincerity of feelings. The poet remembers his life and the mistakes he made in it and at the same time sees himself as a writer who lived his years with dignity. On December 27, 1877 (January 8, 1878) in St. Petersburg, Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov ended his earthly journey. He was only 56 years old at that time.
Despite the severe cold, a crowd of thousands escorted the poet to his final resting place at the Novodevichy cemetery in St. Petersburg.
Interesting about Nekrasov:
There were three women in Nekrasov’s life:
Avdotya Yakovlevna Panaeva, with whom he lived without marriage for 15 years.
Frenchwoman Selina Lefren, who abandoned the poet, having squandered a fair portion of his money.
Fyokla Anisimovna Viktorova, with whom Nekrasov married 6 months before his death.
Nekrasov, in modern terms, was a real manager and entrepreneur - he managed to make two magazines the best, which before him were in a rather difficult financial situation.
Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov is a Russian poet, born on November 22, 1821 in the Podolsk province in the family of an officer. The poet spends his childhood on the family estate in Greshnev, where he observes cruel treatment of serfs by his domineering father, which gives rise to revolutionary thoughts in the boy’s soul about the freedom of the peasants.
In 1832, the future poet entered the Yaroslavl gymnasium, and in 1836 he moved to St. Petersburg with the goal of enlisting in a noble regiment. However, a meeting with comrades who have become students changes Nekrasov’s plans, and he begins to prepare for the entrance exams to St. Petersburg University. Alas, he does not pass the exam and is enrolled as a volunteer student at the Faculty of Philology. Having lost his father’s financial support, the young man spends almost all his time looking for work and suffers dire need. He ends up in a shelter, where he begins to write petitions for money. In this, Nekrasov finds a source of income - he gives lessons, writes articles for newspapers, composes poetry and fairy tales. In 1840, he published a collection of poetry, “Dreams and Sounds,” which Belinsky spoke of in a derogatory manner. The upset author buys and destroys almost all copies of the collection.
In 1843-1846, Nekrasov published several collections of poetry, his publishing business was going well, and in 1846, together with Panaev, he bought out the magazine Sovremennik, in which he published poems and novels. The main figures of the magazine are the poet’s friends – Chernyshevsky and Dobrolyubov. Later, in 1858, the author created a satirical supplement to Sovremennik - “The Whistle”. The popularity of Sovremennik is constantly growing, but the difficult social situation in the country makes the government necessary to censor printed publications. A dark streak begins for the magazine - Dobrolyubov dies, Chernyshevsky is exiled to Siberia. In 1862, the authorities suspended the publication of the magazine for 8 months, and in 1866 they finally banned the magazine.
In 1868, Nekrasov rented the magazine “Domestic Notes” and worked as an editor. The magazine publishes works by democratic populist authors. The poems of the last years of the poet's life contain elegiac moods caused by the loss of friends and serious illness.
Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov (1821─1877) - an outstanding Russian poet, writer and publicist, who became a classic of Russian literature. The most famous were his works “Who Lives Well in Rus'”, “Troika”, “Poet and Citizen”, “Grandfather Mazai and the Hares”. For a long time he was engaged in active social activities, directing the magazines Sovremennik and Otechestvennye zapiski.
Nikolai Alekseevich became famous as an apologist for popular suffering, trying to show through his works the true tragedy of the peasantry. He is also known as an innovative poet who actively introduced folk prose and speech patterns into Russian poetry.
Childhood and youth
Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov was born on November 22, 1821 in the Vinnitsa district of the Podolsk province in the family of a large Yaroslavl landowner Alexei Nekrasov. At this time, the regiment in which he served was quartered in these places. The mother of the great poet was a Polish woman, Elena Zakrevskaya. Soon after the birth of his son, the father quit military service, and the family moved near Yaroslavl to the family estate Greshnevo.
The future poet early became acquainted with the realities of the Russian serf village and the difficult life of a peasant. All this made a depressing impression and left a deep imprint on his soul. The gloomy and dull life in these places will be echoed in the poet’s future poems “Motherland”, “The Unhappy”, “In the Unknown Wilderness”.
The harsh realities were complicated by the poor relationship between mother and father, which had a detrimental effect on the life of a large family (Nekrasov had 13 sisters and brothers). It was there, in his native land, that Nekrasov first fell ill with poetry. He was inspired by his beloved mother, who was well educated, to love art. After her death, the poet found many books in Polish, in the margins of which she left notes. Little Kolya also dedicated his first poems, written at the age of seven, to his mother:
Dear mother, please accept
This weak work
And consider
Is it suitable anywhere?
After entering the gymnasium, Nekrasov left his homeland and enjoyed freedom. He lived in the city in a private apartment with his younger brother and was left to his own devices. This is probably why he did not study well, and he often got into verbal altercations with teachers and wrote satirical poems about them.
At the age of 16, Nikolai moved to St. Petersburg. The change of circumstances was forced, since after expulsion from the gymnasium he was threatened with a military career with a barracks spirit intolerable to the freedom-loving Kolya. In 1838, he arrived in the capital with a letter of recommendation to enter the cadet corps, but instead began preparing to enter the university. Emphasizing his desire to break with the hated past, in which the only bright spot were memories of his mother, the poet writes the poem “Thought.”
Nekrasov’s first collection of poetry, entitled “Dreams and Sounds,” was not accepted either by critics or by the author himself. After this, he withdrew from poetry for a long time, and immediately destroyed all copies of the book that came into his hands. Until his death, Nikolai Alekseevich did not like to remember these plays and poems.
In the literary field
After such a turn, his father refused material support, so Nekrasov was forced to do odd jobs and even risked starvation. Nevertheless, he firmly believed in literature as the most perfect form of free and rational activity. Even the most severe need did not force him to leave this field. In memory of this period, he began to write, but never finished, the novel “The Life and Adventures of Tikhon Trostnikov.”
In the period from 1840 to 1843, Nikolai Alekseevich began writing prose, while simultaneously collaborating with the journal Otechestvennye zapiski. Many stories came from his pen - “Morning in the Editorial Office”, “Carriage”, “Landowner 23 Years Old”, “Experienced Woman” and many others. Under the pseudonym of Perepelsky, he writes dramas “The Husband Is Out of Place”, “Feokfist Onufrievich Bob”, Grandfather’s Parrots”, “Actor”. At the same time, he became known as the author of numerous reviews and feuilletons.
In 1842, the long-awaited reconciliation with his father took place, which opened the way for him home. “With a tired head, neither alive nor dead,” is how he describes his return to Greshnevo. By that time, the already elderly father had forgiven him and was even proud of his son’s ability to overcome difficulties.
The next year, Nekrasov met V. Belinsky, who at first did not take his literary gift very seriously. Everything changed after the appearance of the poem “On the Road,” which forced the famous critic to call him a “true poet.” Belinsky admired the famous “Motherland” even more. Nekrasov did not remain in debt and called the meeting with him his salvation. As it turned out, the poet with his enormous talent really needed a person who would enlighten him with his ideas.
Singer of the folk soul
After writing the poem “On the Road,” which exposed the soul of an intelligent man who was no stranger to people’s suffering, he created about a dozen more works. In them, the author accumulates all his hatred for the meaningless opinion of the crowd, ready to brand any victim of a hard life with false and empty chatter. His poems “When from the darkness of delusion” became one of the first attempts by Russian authors to show a bright image of a woman who was dying from poverty and misfortune.
In the period from 1845 to 1854, the poet did not write much, creating the immortal poems “In Memory of Belinsky”, “Muse”, “Masha”, “Uncompressed Strip”, “Wedding”. It is difficult not to notice in them the calling that the great poet found in his destiny. True, he still followed this path with extreme caution, which was also facilitated by the difficult years for literature associated with the strengthening of the reactionary Nikolaev regime.
Social activities
Beginning in 1847, the poet took the helm of the Sovremennik magazine, becoming its publisher and editor. Under his leadership, the publication became a full-fledged organ of the revolutionary-democratic camp; the most advanced literary minds in Russia collaborated with him. Despite desperate attempts to save the magazine, when Nekrasov recited his poems at a dinner in honor of the famous Count N. Muravyov (“the hangman”), Sovremennik was closed in 1866. The reason for such a decisive step by the authorities was Karakozov’s shots in the Summer Garden, which almost cost the emperor his life. Until his last days, the poet regretted his action, calling it “the wrong sound.”
Two years later, Nekrasov returned to publishing, acquiring the right to publish Otechestvennye Zapiski. This magazine will be the last brainchild of Nikolai Alekseevich. On its pages he published chapters of the famous poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”, as well as “Russian Women”, “Grandfather” and a number of satirical works.
Late period
Much more fruitful was the period from 1855 to 1864, which began with the accession of the new Emperor Alexander II. During these years, Nekrasov appears as a true creator of poetic pictures of folk and social life. The first work in this series was the poem “Sasha”. It so happened that at this time there was a social upsurge, including the birth of the populist movement. The response of this concerned poet and citizen was the writing of the poem “Peddlers”, “Songs to Eremushka”, “Reflections at the Main Entrance” and, of course, “Poet and Citizen”. In an effort to support the impulse of the revolutionary intelligentsia, he calls for heroism and self-sacrifice for the sake of people's happiness in the poem “To the Sowers.”
The late creative period is characterized by the presence of elegiac motifs in poetry. They found expression in such poems as “Morning”, “Elegy”, “Three Elegies”, “Despondency”. Standing apart is the poet’s most famous work, “Who Lives Well in Rus',” which became the crown of his creative activity. It can be called a real guide to people's life, where there was a place for the people's ideals of freedom, the exponent of which was the hero of the work, Grisha Dobrosklonov. The poem contains a large layer of peasant culture, conveyed to the reader in the form of beliefs, sayings, and colloquial folk language.
In 1862, after reprisals against many radical friends, Nekrasov returned to his native place in the Yaroslavl region. His stay in his small homeland inspired the poet to write the poem “A Knight for an Hour,” which the author especially loved. Soon he bought his own estate, Karabikha, where he came every summer.
Poet and citizen
Nikolai Nekrasov has taken his own, very special place in Russian literature. He became a real people's poet, an exponent of their aspirations and sufferings. Denouncing the vices of those in power, he, as best he could, stood up for the interests of the village oppressed by serfdom. Close communication with his colleagues at Sovremennik helped him develop deep moral convictions associated with his active civic position. In his works “About the Weather”, “Crying Children”, “Reflections at the Front Entrance”, he shares with readers his revolutionary ideas, born in the name of people's happiness.
In 1856, the literary collection “Poems” was published, which became a kind of manifesto of progressive literature, which dreamed of forever removing the shackles of serfdom. All this contributed to the growth of the authority of Nikolai Alekseevich, who became a moral guide for many representatives of the youth of that time. And it is no coincidence that he was proudly called the most Russian poet. In the 1860s, the concept of the “Nekrasov School” was established, which “enrolled” poets of the real and civil school, who wrote about the people and spoke to their readers in their language. Among the most famous authors of this movement are D. Minaev and N. Dobrolyubov.
A distinctive feature of Nekrasov’s work was its satirical orientation. In his poems “Lullaby” and “Modern Ode” he ridicules noble hypocrites and bourgeois philanthropists. And in “The Court” and “Song of Free Speech” a bright, sharply satirical political subtext is visible. The poet exposes censorship, feudal landowners and the illusory freedom given by the emperor.
In the last years of his life, Nekrasov suffered from severe stomach cancer. He agreed to have an operation performed by the famous Dr. Billroth, but it was unsuccessful. A trip to Crimea did not save him from a serious illness - on December 27, 1877, Nikolai Alekseevich passed away. His funeral turned into an unprecedented expression of popular sympathy among thousands of people who came on a frosty winter day to honor the memory of the great poet.
Personal life
In the most difficult times of lack of money, Nekrasov was helped by the well-known holder of a literary salon in St. Petersburg, Ivan Panaev. In his house, the poet met many outstanding literary figures - Dostoevsky, Turgenev, Saltykov-Shchedrin. What stood out was the acquaintance with the beautiful Avdotya Panayeva, Ivan’s wife. Despite her strong character, Nekrasov managed to win the woman’s favor. After the success that came, Nikolai Alekseevich purchased a large apartment on Liteiny, where the Panaev family also moved in. True, the husband had long lost interest in Avdotya and did not have any feelings for her. After Panaev's death, the long-awaited marriage with Avdotya did not take place. She quickly married Sovremennik secretary A. Golovachev and moved out of the apartment.
Tormented by unrequited love, Nekrasov, together with his sister Anna, goes abroad, where he meets a new passion - the Frenchwoman Sedina Lefren. For five years they would maintain a long-distance relationship, however, having received a lot of money from a successful publisher, she disappeared from his life forever.
At the end of his life, Nekrasov became close to Fekla Viktorova, whom, according to legend, he won at cards. She was a girl of humble origin and was often embarrassed by her presence among educated society. Experiencing more paternal feelings for her, the poet awarded the girl his patronymic and contributed to the acquisition of a new name - Zinochka. Indirect proof of this is the fact that he dedicated all his later poems to A. Panaeva.
Nevertheless, shortly before his death, already very weak and exhausted, the poet decided to marry Thekla, which took place in a temporary temple built right in the dining room of his house.
