The famous symbolist poet of the Silver Age,struck everyone with his indefatigable faith in the future of Russia and people. A loving and suffering person to grasp the immensity, a man with a broad soul and a tragic life. The life and work of Blok deserve attention with its fullness and touchingness.
Biography of the poet
Bloc Alexander Alexandrovia, year of birth 1880,November 28. Place of birth - Petersburg. His parents: father - A.L. Blok, worked as a lawyer at the university in Warsaw, mother - A.A. Beketova, daughter of a famous botanist scientist.
The boy's parents divorced before his birth,therefore, he did not succeed in growing up in a complete family. However, maternal grandfather A.N. Beketov, in whose family Alexander grew up, surrounded the child with due care and attention. Gave him a good education and a start in life. Sam A.N. Beketov was the rector of the university in St. Petersburg. The highly moral and cultural atmosphere of the environment left its mark on the formation of worldviews and the upbringing of the Bloc.
Since childhood, he laid the love forthe classics of Russian literature. Pushkin, Apukhtin, Zhukovsky, Fet, Grigoriev - these are the names on whose works little Blok grew up and joined the world of literature and poetry.
Poet training
The first stage of education for the Blockbecame a gymnasium in St. Petersburg. After graduation in 1898, he entered the St. Petersburg University law department. Finishes legal studies in 1901 and changes direction on the historical and philological.
It is at the university that he finally takesthe decision to delve into the world of literature. Also, this desire is supported by the beautiful and picturesque nature, among which the estate of his grandfather is located. Growing up in such an environment, Alexander forever absorbed the sensitivity and subtlety of the world, and reflected this in his poems. Since then, begins the work of Blok.
With his mother, Block maintains a very warm relationship, his love and reverence for her is limitless. Until his mother’s death, he constantly sent her his works.
Appearance
MA wrote about his appearance. Voloshin.He called the face of Alexander Blok clear and cold, very calm, compared with a marble Greek mask. He pointed to the correctness and severity of the features of the face, to the thinly defined forehead, to the bending of the mouth. He put in dignity beautiful winding hair of the poet.
Andrei Bely very similarly describes the appearanceThe block also emphasizes a healthy complexion, beautiful and thick hair, a spectacular and stately body, strong and attractive. He also emphasizes the naivety and immediacy in Blok’s look, his unusual and bright eyes. Often his appearance in his youth was compared with the image of Apollo. In his mature years - with Dante.
Family life
By virtue of their ardent nature, striving for the ideal,to the beautiful, Blok was in constant search for a beautiful woman who would be able to become for him a reflection of all the power and thoughts of love. For which he could write his works, which would be his muse.
And in 1898, he found one. His only wife in all his life and the first strong love is the daughter of the chemist Mendeleev, Lyubov Dmitrievna Mendeleeva (Blok).
Lifetime work
The life and work of Blok took shape in such a way that he, in addition to literature, took part in quite mundane affairs. For example:
He was an active participant in drama productions in the theater and even saw himself as an actor, but his literary career attracted him more;
two years in a row (1905-1906) the poet is a direct witness and participant of the revolutionary meetings and demonstrations;
leads his literature review column in the Golden Fleece newspaper;
from 1916-1917 gives the debt to the Motherland, while serving under the Pinsk (engineering and construction team);
part of the leadership of the Bolshoi Drama Theater;
on arrival from the army, he gets a job in the Investigation Commission of extraordinary character on the affairs of the tsarist ministers. He worked there as editor of the verbatim report until 1921.
Blok's early work
Little Sasha wrote his first verse at the age of five. Even then, it showed the makings of talent, which had to be developed. What Block and engaged.
Love and Russia are two favorite themes of creativity.Bloc wrote a great deal about both. However, at the initial stage of development and realization of his talent, he was most attracted to love. The image of the beautiful lady who he was looking for everywhere captured his whole being. And he found the earthly embodiment of his ideas in Lyubov Mendeleeva.
The theme of love in Blok’s work is revealedso full, clear and beautiful that it is difficult to challenge. Therefore, it is not surprising that his first child, a collection of poems, is called Poems about the Beautiful Lady, and it is dedicated to his wife. A great influence in writing this collection of poems on Blok was made by the poetry of Solovyov, of which he is considered a student and follower.
In all the poems there is a feeling of eternalfemininity, beauty, naturalness. However, all expressions and phrases used in writing are allegorical, unreal. The block is carried away in a creative rush to the "other worlds".
Start of frustration
Revolutionary events, discord in familyrelations, miserably falling dreams of a clear and bright future for Russia make Blok's creative work undergo obvious changes. His next collection is called "Unexpected Joy" (1906).
More and more, he makes fun of the Symbolists, to whomhe no longer considers himself; he is more and more cynical about his hopes for the best ahead. He is a participant in the revolutionary events, which is completely on the side of the Bolsheviks, considering their cause to be right.
During this period (1906) his trilogydramas First “Balaganchik”, after some time “King on the square”, and this trio is completed by “The Stranger”. The bloc experiences bitter disappointment from the imperfections of the world, from its deluded hopes. In the same period, he is fond of actress N.N. Volokhovoy. However, reciprocity does not receive, which adds bitterness, irony and skepticism to his poems.
Andrei Bely and other previously like-minded poetry do not accept the changes in Blok and criticize his current work. Blok Alexander remains adamant. He is disappointed and deeply saddened.
The Trilogy of Incarnation
In 1909, Blok’s father died, with whom he did notmanages to say goodbye. This imposes an even greater imprint on his state of mind, and he decides to combine his most brilliant in his opinion works into one poetic trilogy, which gives the name "Trilogy of Incarnation".
So the work of Blok in 1911-1912 was marked by the appearance of three collections of poems, which have poetic titles:
"Poems about the Beautiful Lady";
"Unexpected Joy";
"Snowy night".
A year later, he publishes a cycle of love poems "Carmen", writes the poem "The Nightingale Garden", devoted to his new hobby - the singer L.А. Delmas.
Homeland in the work of Blok
Since 1908, the poet has positioned himself no longer as a lyricist, but as a glorifier of his homeland. During this period he writes poems such as:
"Autumn Wave";
"Autumn love";
"Russia";
"On the field Kulikovo".
All these works are imbued with love for the motherland,to your country. The poet at the same time shows the two sides of life in Russia: poverty and hunger, pilgrimage, but at the same time, wildness, riot and freedom.
The theme of Russia in the work of Blok, the theme of the motherland -one of the most fundamental in all his poetic life. For him, Motherland is something living, breathing and feeling. Therefore, the events of the October Revolution are too hard for him, for he is overwhelming.
The theme of Russia in the work of Blok
After the revolutionary trends capturehis whole spirit, the poet almost completely loses the lyrics and love in his works. Now the whole point of his works is directed to Russia, his homeland.
Blok personifies his country in verses witha woman, he makes her almost tangible, real, as if humanizes. Motherland in the work of Blok takes on such a large scale that he never writes more about love.
Believing in the Bolsheviks and their truth, he is experiencingcruel, almost disastrous for him, when he sees the results of the revolution. Hunger, poverty, defeat, mass extermination of the intelligentsia - all this forms in the consciousness of Blok an acute hostility towards the symbolists, to the lyrics and makes from now on create works only with a satirist, poisonous mockery of faith in the future.
However, his love for Russia is sogreat that he continues to believe in the power of his country. In that it rises, shakes off and will be able to show its power and glory. Creativity Blok, Mayakovsky, Yesenin in this similarity.
In 1918, Blok wrote the poem "The Twelve", the mostscandalous and loud of all his works, caused a lot of misinterpretation and talk about it. But the poet’s critic leaves him indifferent, the emerging depression begins to absorb his whole being.
Poem "Twelve"
The author began to write his work "The Twelve"at the beginning of January. On the first day of work, he did not even take a break. His notes say: “It trembles inside.” Then the writing of the poem stopped, and the poet managed to finish it only on January 28.
After the publication of this work, Blok's work changed dramatically. This can be briefly described as follows: the poet has lost himself, a creative crisis has come, and stagnation.
The main idea of the poem each recognizeddifferently. Someone saw in it the support of the revolution, a mockery of symbolistic views. Someone, on the contrary, satirical bias and mockery of the revolutionary order. However, Blok himself, when creating the poem, had in mind both. She is controversial, like his mood at that time.
In Balmont by the time he is disappointed himself. Thus, the Block is almost alone.
Post-revolutionary creativity
Only three works were written by the author after the revolution:
"Scythians";
"Motherland";
"Retribution", which he never finished writing.
The revolution has passed, and the bitterness of disappointmentBolshevik politics grew and intensified. This cut between what was promised and what was done as a result of the revolution became unbearable for Blok. One can characterize Blok's work briefly during this period: nothing is written.
How will write later about the death of the poet,"he was killed by the Bolsheviks". And indeed it is. Blok failed to overcome himself and accept such a discrepancy between the word and the deed of the new government. He failed to forgive himself the support of the Bolsheviks, his blindness and short-sightedness.
The block is experiencing the strongest discord within itself,completely goes into their inner feelings and torments. The consequence of this is a disease. From April 1921 to early August, the illness does not let go of the poet, tormenting him more and more. Only occasionally coming out of semi-forgetfulness, he tries to console his wife, Lyubov Mendeleev (Blok). On August 7th, Blok passed away.
Where the poet lived and worked
Today, Blok’s biography and creativity are captivating andinspires many. And the place where he lived and composed his poems and poems, turned into a museum. From the photographs we can judge the situation in which the poet worked.
The appearance of the estate, in which the poet spent his time, you can see in the photo on the left.
The room in which the poet spent the last bitter and bitter moments of life (photo below).
In St. Petersburg, a monument has been erected, perpetuating the name of the author in history and paying due respect to his undeniable talent.
