Literary and historical notes of a young technician. Russian writer Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin: life and work, interesting facts

Kuprin Alexander Ivanovich (1870 - 1938) - Russian writer. Social criticism marked the story “Moloch” (1896), in which industrialization appears in the image of a monster factory that enslaves a person morally and physically, the story “The Duel” (1905) - about spiritual death pure hero in the deadening atmosphere of army life and the story “The Pit” (1909 - 15) is about prostitution. The variety of finely outlined types, lyrical situations in the stories and short stories “Olesya” (1898), “Gambrinus” (1907), “ Garnet bracelet"(1911). Cycles of essays (“Listrigons”, 1907 - 11). In 1919 - 37 in exile, in 1937 he returned to his homeland. Autobiographical novel"Junker" (1928 - 32).

Big encyclopedic Dictionary, M.-SPb., 1998

Biography

Kuprin Alexander Ivanovich (1870), prose writer.

Born on August 26 (September 7, new year) in the city of Narovchat, Penza province, in the family of a minor official who died a year after the birth of his son. Mother (from ancient family Tatar princes Kulanchakov) after the death of her husband moved to Moscow, where the future writer spent his childhood and youth. At the age of six, the boy was sent to the Moscow Razumovsky boarding school (orphanage), from where he left in 1880. In the same year he entered the Moscow military academy, transformed into the Cadet Corps.

After completing his studies, he continued his military education at the Alexander Junker School (1888 - 90). Subsequently he will describe his “ military youth"in the stories "At the Turning Point (Cadets)" and in the novel "Junkers". Even then he dreamed of becoming “a poet or novelist.”

Kuprin's first literary experience was poetry that remained unpublished. The first work to see the light was the story “The Last Debut” (1889).

In 1890, having graduated military school, Kuprin, with the rank of second lieutenant, was enlisted in an infantry regiment stationed in the Podolsk province. The life of an officer, which he led for four years, provided rich material for his future works. In 1893 - 1894, the St. Petersburg magazine “Russian Wealth” published his story “In the Dark” and the stories “ Moonlit night" and "Inquiry". A series of stories are dedicated to the life of the Russian army: “Overnight” (1897), “Night Shift” (1899), “Hike”. In 1894, Kuprin retired and moved to Kyiv, without any civilian profession and having a small life experience. IN next years He traveled a lot around Russia, trying many professions, greedily absorbing life experiences that became the basis of his future works. In the 1890s, he published the essay “Yuzovsky Plant” and the story “Moloch”, the stories “Wilderness”, “Werewolf”, the stories “Olesya” and “Kat” (“Army Ensign”). During these years, Kuprin met Bunin, Chekhov and Gorky. In 1901 he moved to St. Petersburg, began working for the “Magazine for Everyone,” married M. Davydova, and had a daughter, Lydia. Kuprin's stories appeared in St. Petersburg magazines: “Swamp” (1902); "Horse Thieves" (1903); "White Poodle" (1904). In 1905, his most significant work was published - the story "The Duel", which had big success. The writer’s performances with the reading of individual chapters of “The Duel” became an event cultural life capital Cities. His works of this time were very well-behaved: the essay “Events in Sevastopol” (1905), the stories “Staff Captain Rybnikov” (1906), “River of Life”, “Gambrinus” (1907). In 1907 he married his second wife, sister of mercy E. Heinrich, and had a daughter, Ksenia. Kuprin's work in the years between the two revolutions resisted the decadent mood of those years: the cycle of essays "Listrigons" (1907 - 11), stories about animals, the stories "Shulamith", "Garnet Bracelet" (1911). His prose became a notable phenomenon of Russian literature at the beginning of the century. After October revolution The writer did not accept the policy of military communism, the “Red Terror”; he feared for the fate of Russian culture. In 1918 he came to Lenin with a proposal to publish a newspaper for the village - “Earth”. At one time he worked in the publishing house " World literature", founded by Gorky. In the fall of 1919, while in Gatchina, cut off from Petrograd by Yudenich's troops, he emigrated abroad. The seventeen years that the writer spent in Paris were an unproductive period. Constant material need and homesickness led him to the decision to return to Russia. In the spring of 1937, the seriously ill Kuprin returned to his homeland, warmly received by his admirers. Published the essay “Native Moscow”. However, the new creative plans were not destined to come true. In August 1938, Kuprin died in Leningrad from cancer.

Brief biography of A.I. Kuprina - option 2

Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin (1870-1938) - famous Russian writer. His father, a small official, died a year after the birth of his son. His mother, originally from the Tatar princes Kulanchakov, after the death of her husband moved to the capital of Russia, where Kuprin spent his childhood and youth. At the age of 6, Alexander was sent to an orphanage, where he stayed until 1880. And immediately upon leaving, he entered the Moscow Military Academy.

Afterwards he studied at the Alexander School (1888-90). In 1889, his first work, “The Last Debut,” saw the light of day. In 1890, Kuprin was assigned to an infantry regiment in the Podolsk province, life in which became the basis for many of his works.

In 1894 the writer resigns and moves to Kyiv. The following years were devoted to wandering through Russia.

In 1890, he introduced readers to many publications - “Moloch”, “Yuzovsky Plant”, “Werewolf”, “Olesya”, “Kat”.

In 1901, Kuprin moved to St. Petersburg and worked as secretary of the “Magazine for Everyone.” In the same year he marries Davydova M. and life gives him a daughter.

Two years later, Kuprin marries a second time. His chosen one is sister of mercy E. Heinrich, who gave birth to the writer’s daughter.

In 1918, Kuprin comes to Lenin and offers to publish a newspaper for village residents - “Earth”. In 1919 the author emigrated abroad. But the period when he stayed in Paris - 17 years - was unproductive. The reason for this is the material side, longing for the homeland. And as a result, the decision to return to Russia.

Already in 1937, Kuprin returned to Russia and published the essay “Native Moscow.” Death from cancer overtakes the author in 1938.

Biography of A.I. Kuprin |

Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin is a famous realist writer whose works resonated in the hearts of readers. His work was distinguished by the fact that he strove not only to accurately reflect events, but most of all by the fact that Kuprina inner world the person was interested in much more than just a reliable description. A brief biography of Kuprin will be described below: childhood, youth, creative activity.

The writer's childhood

Kuprin's childhood could not be called carefree. The writer was born on August 26, 1870 in the Penza province. Kuprin's parents were: hereditary nobleman I. I. Kuprin, who held the position of official, and L. A. Kulunchakova, who came from a family of Tatar princes. The writer was always proud of his origins on his mother’s side, and Tatar features were visible in his appearance.

A year later, Alexander Ivanovich’s father died, and the writer’s mother was left with two daughters and a young son in her arms without any financial support. Then the proud Lyubov Alekseevna had to humiliate herself in front of senior officials in order to place her daughters in a government boarding school. She herself, taking her son with her, moved to Moscow and got a job in the Widow's House, in which the future writer lived with her for two years.

Later he was enrolled in the state account of the Moscow Guardianship Council in an orphan school. Kuprin's childhood there was joyless, full of sorrow and reflections on the fact that they are trying to suppress a person's sense of self-worth. After this school, Alexander entered a military gymnasium, which was later transformed into a cadet corps. These were the prerequisites for the development of an officer's career.

The writer's youth

Kuprin’s childhood was not easy, and his studies in the cadet corps were also not easy. But it was then that he first had a desire to engage in literature and he began to write his first poems. Of course, the strict living conditions of the cadets and military drill tempered the character of Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin and strengthened his will. Later his memories of childhood and youth will be reflected in the works “Cadets”, “Brave Fugitives”, “Junkers”. It’s not for nothing that the writer always emphasized that his works are largely autobiographical.

Kuprin's military youth began with his admission to the Moscow Alexander Military School, after which he received the rank of second lieutenant. Then he went to serve in an infantry regiment and visited small provincial towns. Kuprin not only performed his official duties, but also studied all aspects of army life. Constant drill, injustice, cruelty - all this was reflected in his stories, such as, for example, “The Lilac Bush”, “The March”, the story “The Last Duel”, thanks to which he gained all-Russian fame.

Beginning of a literary career

His entry into the ranks of writers dates back to 1889, when his story “The Last Debut” was published. Kuprin later said that when he left military service, the most difficult thing for him was that he did not have any knowledge. Therefore, Alexander Ivanovich began to thoroughly study life and read books.

The future famous Russian writer Kuprin began to travel throughout the country and tried himself in many professions. But he did this not because he could not decide on his future type of activity, but because he was interested in it. Kuprin wanted to thoroughly study the life and everyday life of people, their characters, in order to reflect these observations in his stories.

In addition to the fact that the writer studied life, he took his first steps in the literary field - he published articles, wrote feuilletons, and essays. A significant event in his life was his collaboration with the authoritative magazine “Russian Wealth”. It was there that “In the Dark” and “Inquiry” were published in the period from 1893 to 1895. During the same period, Kuprin met I. A. Bunin, A. P. Chekhov and M. Gorky.

In 1896, Kuprin’s first book, “Kyiv Types,” a collection of his essays, was published, and the story “Moloch” was published. A year later, a collection of short stories, “Miniatures,” was published, which Kuprin presented to Chekhov.

About the story "Moloch"

Kuprin's stories were distinguished by the fact that the central place was given not to politics, but to the emotional experiences of the heroes. But this does not mean that the writer was not concerned about the plight of the ordinary population. The story “Moloch,” which brought the young writer fame, tells of difficult, even disastrous, working conditions for workers at a large steel mill.

It is no coincidence that the work received this name: the writer compares this enterprise with pagan god, Moloch, demanding constant human sacrifices. Exacerbation social conflict(the rebellion of workers against the bosses) was not the main thing in the work. Kuprin was more interested in how the modern bourgeoisie can have a detrimental influence on a person. Already in this work one can notice the writer’s interest in a person’s personality, his experiences, and thoughts. Kuprin wanted to show the reader how a person feels when faced with social injustice.

A Tale of Love - "Olesya"

Not fewer works was written about love. Love occupied a special place in Kuprin’s work. He always wrote about her touchingly and reverently. His heroes are people who are capable of experiencing, experiencing sincere feelings. One of these stories is “Olesya,” written in 1898.

All created images have a poetic character, especially the image main character Olesya. The work talks about tragic love between the girl and the narrator, Ivan Timofeevich, an aspiring writer. He came to the wilderness, to Polesie, to get acquainted with the way of life of inhabitants unknown to him, their legends and traditions.

Olesya turned out to be a Polesie witch, but she has nothing in common with the usual image of such women. It combines beauty with inner strength, nobility, a little naivety, but at the same time one can feel a strong will and a little bit of authority in her. And her fortune telling is not connected with cards or other forces, but with the fact that she immediately recognizes the character of Ivan Timofeevich.

The love between the characters is sincere, all-consuming, noble. After all, Olesya does not agree to marry him, because she considers herself no equal to him. The story ends sadly: Ivan did not manage to see Olesya a second time, and he only had red beads as a memory of her. And all other works on love theme are distinguished by the same purity, sincerity and nobility.

"Duel"

A work that brought fame to the writer and won important place in Kuprin's work, became "The Duel". It was published in May 1905, already at the end Russo-Japanese War. A.I. Kuprin wrote the whole truth of army morals using the example of one regiment located in a provincial town. The central theme of the work is the formation of personality, its spiritual awakening using the example of the hero Romashov.

The “duel” can also be explained as a personal battle between the writer and the stultifying everyday life tsarist army who destroy all the best that is in a person. This work has become one of the most famous, despite the fact that the ending is tragic. The ending of the work reflects the realities that existed at that time in the tsarist army.

Psychological side of works

In the stories, Kuprin appears as an expert psychological analysis precisely because he always sought to understand what motivates a person, what feelings control him. In 1905, the writer went to Balaklava and from there traveled to Sevastopol to take notes on the events that took place on the mutinous cruiser Ochakov.

After the publication of his essay "Events in Sevastopol", he was expelled from the city and forbidden to come there. During his stay there, Kuprin creates the story “The Listriginovs,” where the main characters are simple fishermen. The writer describes their hard work and character, which were close in spirit to the writer himself.

In the story "Staff Captain Rybnikov" the writer's psychological talent is fully revealed. A journalist wages a hidden struggle with a secret agent of Japanese intelligence. And not for the purpose of exposing him, but in order to understand what a person feels, what motivates him, what internal struggle happens in it. This story was highly appreciated by readers and critics.

Love theme

Works on a love theme occupied a special place in the works of writers. But this feeling was not passionate and all-consuming; rather, he described selfless, selfless, faithful love. Among the most famous works are "Shulamith" and "Garnet Bracelet".

It is this kind of selfless, perhaps even sacrificial love that is perceived by the heroes as the highest happiness. That is, a person’s spiritual strength lies in the fact that one must be able to put the happiness of another person above one’s own well-being. Only such love can bring true joy and interest in life.

Writer's personal life

A.I. Kuprin was married twice. His first wife was Maria Davydova, the daughter of a famous cellist. But the marriage lasted only 5 years, but during this time they had a daughter, Lydia. Kuprin’s second wife was Elizaveta Moritsovna-Heinrich, whom he married in 1909, although before this event they had already lived together for two years. They had two girls - Ksenia (in the future - famous model and artist) and Zinaida (who died at the age of three.) The wife outlived Kuprin by 4 years and committed suicide during the siege of Leningrad.

Emigration

The writer took part in the war of 1914, but due to illness he had to return to Gatchina, where he made a hospital for wounded soldiers from his house. Kuprin was waiting for the February Revolution, but, like the majority, he did not accept the methods that the Bolsheviks used to assert their power.

After the White Army was defeated, the Kuprin family went to Estonia, then to Finland. In 1920 he came to Paris at the invitation of I. A. Bunin. The years spent during emigration were fruitful. The works he wrote were popular with the public. But, despite this, Kuprin became increasingly homesick for Russia, and in 1936 the writer decided to return to his homeland.

The last years of the writer's life

Just as Kuprin’s childhood was not easy, so last years his life was not easy. His return to the USSR in 1937 caused a lot of noise. On May 31, 1937, he was met by a solemn procession, which included famous writers and admirers of his work. Already at that time Kuprin had serious problems with health, but he hoped that in his homeland he would be able to regain his strength and continue to study literary activity. But on August 25, 1938, Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin passed away.

A.I. Kuprin was not just a writer who talked about various events. He studied human nature and sought to understand the character of every person he met. Therefore, reading his stories, readers empathize with the characters, feel sad and rejoice with them. Creativity of A.I. Kuprin occupies a special place in Russian literature.

The writer’s personal life is very interesting and will reveal the inner world of this creative person.

Alexander Kuprin personal life

The writer loved two charming beauties in his life - Maria Davydova and her friend Lisa Rotoni. It so happened that the first marriage ended without a “happy ending”. Maria Davydovna had a reputation socialite and dreamed of making her husband a fashionable writer in a suit, but such a lifestyle was alien to Alexander Ivanovich because of his proud disposition and impatience of flattery. They had a daughter, Lydia.

Although, literary career Kuprin - in some part the merit of his first wife Maria. The writer preferred to spend time in taverns and walking along Nevsky Prospekt. But Maria was dissatisfied with this outcome and kicked her husband out of the house to the hotel with the demand not to return until he wrote a new chapter. This is exactly how the work “The Duel” was written, which made Kuprin a world writer!

Once, during the illness of her daughter Lyulusha, Maria invited her friend Elizaveta to look after the child for a small fee.
Over time, Kuprin fell passionately in love with Lisa Rotoni, but the woman proudly left her friend’s house so as not to destroy the family. Only Kuprin did not accept such a fate, broke up with Maria and fell into drunkenness.

After some time, Elizabeth finally gave in and also admitted her feelings for the writer, and this is how the lovers lived their whole lives. They had two daughters, Ksenia and Zinaida.

After World War I, Kuprin took his family to France with hope for a bright future. But the writer’s work was not successful abroad, his earnings were negligible, and out of despair, Kuprin increasingly fell into drunkenness. The family returned to Russia only 20 years later, but home country the writer, emaciated from cancer, could not live even a year; he died on August 25, 1938 in Leningrad, and was buried near Turgenev’s grave. Kuprin's wife Elizaveta died during the siege of Leningrad 5 years after the death of the writer.


Many literary critics They believe that Alexander Kuprin never became a “great writer,” but readers do not agree with them - Kuprin remains one of the most read and republished Russian authors today. A man of difficult fate, he tried many professions: he was a fisherman, a circus wrestler, a land surveyor, a fireman, a military man, a fisherman, an organ grinder, an actor and even a dentist. We want to tell our readers about the main passions in the life of this wonderful writer.

The First Passion - Maria Davydova

For the first time, Alexander Kuprin married his 20-year-old daughter at the age of 32.
the famous publisher of the magazine "World of God" and the late director of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, Masha Davydova. She was witty, bright, noisy and always claimed the first roles. Kuprin adored his young wife passionately, was in awe of her literary taste and always listened to her opinion. Maria, in turn, did everything possible to curb her husband’s violent temper and make him a salon writer. But noisy taverns were closer to him.


Maria fought with her husband’s disorganization and restlessness using rather harsh methods. Because of his drinking spree, Kuprin could not finish finishing his story “The Duel,” then his wife forced him to rent an apartment, sending him out of the house. He could visit his wife and daughter only if he brought new pages of the manuscript. But somehow Kuprin brought an old chapter. Maria was offended by the deception and stated that from now on she would only take the pages of the manuscript through the door that was ajar with a chain.

In May 1905, the story was finally published. This work brought Kuprin not only an All-Russian, but also world fame. But the family did not become happier. The couple sometimes separated, then came together, and as a result they became strangers and separated peacefully.

Second Passion - Elizaveta Heinrich


Lisa Heinrich was born in Orenburg into the family of a Hungarian, Moritz Heinrich Rotoni, who married a Siberian woman. She lived with the Kuprin family for several years and, for a fairly modest remuneration, helped with the housework and nursed their daughter. But Kuprin drew attention to her a few years later at a fashion party where the future famous actor Kachalov.

Kuprin confessed his love to Lisa, and she, in order not to destroy the family, left the Kuprins’ house and got a job at a hospital. However, this did not save the family, in which discord already reigned. Kuprin left home and began living at the Palais Royal hotel, and then bought a house in Gatchina in installments, where he lived with Lisa for eight years full of serenity.


Elizaveta Moritsovna was modest, flexible and, unlike Kuprin’s first wife, did not aspire to the first roles. Vera Nikolaevna Muromtseva, the wife of Ivan Bunin, recalled one episode when her husband and Kuprin once stopped briefly at the Palais Royal, where “they found Elizaveta Moritsovna on the landing... of the third floor. She was in a wide house dress (Liza was expecting a child at that time )". Having said a few words to her, Kuprin and the guests went on a hike through the night hangouts. This did not last an hour or two, and all this time the pregnant woman stood waiting on the landing.

Sometimes the Kuprins separated for a short time: Elizaveta Moritsovna, denying herself everything and carving out the required amount of money from the meager family budget, sent her husband to the south to rest. Kuprin was traveling alone - there was not enough money for his wife’s vacation. True, after living with Elizaveta Moritsovna for 22 years, he wrote to her: “There is no one better than you, no beast, no bird, no man!”

The third passion is alcohol

Kuprin, of course, loved women, but he also had a truly destructive passion - alcohol. He was already famous writer, and the newspapers were full of stories about his drunken antics: the writer poured hot coffee on someone, threw him out of the window, threw him into a pool with sterlet, stuck a fork in someone’s stomach, painted his head oil paint, set fire to a dress, got drunk in a restaurant, inviting the entire male choir of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra; sometimes he would disappear for three days with the gypsies, or sometimes he would bring home a drunken, undressed priest.


Those who knew Kurin said that one glass of vodka was enough for him to run into a quarrel with everyone he met. There were even epigrams about Kuprin: “If truth is in wine, how many truths are there in Kuprin” and “Vodka is uncorked, splashing in the decanter. Should I call Kuprin for this reason?

Once his 4-year-old daughter from his first marriage read a poem to the guests own composition:
I have a father,
I have a mother.
Dad drinks a lot of vodka
His mother beats him for this...

And Ksenia Kuprina, his daughter from his second marriage, as an adult, recalled: “Father traveled to St. Petersburg regularly, but sometimes he was stuck there for weeks, falling under the influence of literary and artistic bohemia. Mother selflessly fought against her father’s bad environment, protected his peace, pulled him out of bad companies, and kicked some literary “bugs” out of the house. But too many powerful, contradictory vital forces were fermenting within my father at that time. Even a small amount of alcohol turned the kindest Kuprin into a violent, mischievous person, with furious outbursts of anger.”

The Fourth Passion - Russia

In 1920, after the end of the First World War and the defeat, the whites civil war, Kuprin leaves Russia. He lived in France for 20 years, but was never able to adapt to a foreign country. The financial situation of the spouses was very difficult. Kuprin’s own earnings were casual in nature, and commercial enterprises Elizaveta Moritsovna did not succeed. She translated into French famous works Kuprin, but it was becoming more and more difficult for him to write new ones. He was constantly oppressed by longing for Russia. The only thing major work, written in emigration - the novel "Junker", in which the "absurd, sweet country" appears before us so bright, cleared of everything unimportant, secondary...

The life and work of Kuprin present an extremely complex and motley picture. It is difficult to summarize them briefly. All life experience taught him to call for humanity. All Kuprin's stories and stories have the same meaning - love for a person.

Childhood

In 1870 in the dull and waterless town of Narovchat, Penza province.

Orphaned very early. When he was one year old, his father, a small clerk, died. There was nothing remarkable in the city, except for the artisans who made sieves and barrels. The baby’s life went on without joy, but there were plenty of grievances. He and his mother visited acquaintances and obsequiously begged for at least a cup of tea. And the “benefactors” stuck their hand in for a kiss.

Wanderings and studies

Three years later, in 1873, the mother and her son left for Moscow. She was taken to a widow's house, and her son from the age of 6, in 1876, to an orphanage. Kuprin would later describe these establishments in the stories “The Runaways” (1917), “Holy Lies,” and “At Rest.” These are all stories about people whom life has mercilessly thrown out. This is how the story about the life and work of Kuprin begins. It's difficult to talk about this briefly.

Service

When the boy grew up, he was able to be placed first in a military gymnasium (1880), then in a cadet corps and, finally, in a cadet school (1888). The training was free, but painful.

So the long and joyless 14 war years dragged on with their senseless drills and humiliations. The continuation was adult service in the regiment, which was stationed in small towns near Podolsk (1890-1894). The first story that A. I. Kuprin will publish, opening military theme, - “Inquiry” (1894), then “Lilac Bush” (1894), “Night Shift” (1899), “Duel” (1904-1905) and others.

Years of wandering

In 1894, Kuprin decisively and dramatically changed his life. He retires and lives very meagerly. Alexander Ivanovich settled in Kyiv and began writing feuilletons for newspapers, in which he depicts the life of the city with colorful strokes. But knowledge of life was lacking. What did he see except military service? He was interested in everything. And Balaklava fishermen, and Donetsk factories, and the nature of Polesie, and unloading watermelons, and a flight to hot-air balloon, and circus performers. He thoroughly studied the life and way of life of the people who made up the backbone of society. Their language, jargons and customs. It is almost impossible to briefly convey Kuprin’s life and work, rich in impressions.

Literary activity

It was during these years (1895) that Kuprin became a professional writer, constantly publishing his works in various newspapers. He meets Chekhov (1901) and everyone around him. And earlier he became friends with I. Bunin (1897) and then with M. Gorky (1902). One after another, stories come out that make society shudder. “Moloch” (1896) is about the severity of capitalist oppression and the lack of rights of workers. "The Duel" (1905), which is impossible to read without anger and shame for the officers.

The writer chastely touches on the theme of nature and love. “Olesya” (1898), “Shulamith” (1908), “Garnet Bracelet” (1911) is known throughout the world. He also knows the life of animals: “Emerald” (1911), “Starlings”. Around these years, Kuprin can already support his family on literary earnings and gets married. His daughter is born. Then he gets divorced, and in his second marriage he also has a daughter. In 1909 Kuprin was awarded Pushkin Prize. Kuprin's life and work, briefly described, can hardly fit into a few paragraphs.

Emigration and return to homeland

Kuprin did not accept the October Revolution with the instinct and heart of an artist. He is leaving the country. But, publishing abroad, he yearns for his homeland. Age and illness fail. Finally, he finally returned to his beloved Moscow. But, after living here for a year and a half, he, seriously ill, died in 1938 at the age of 67 in Leningrad. This is how Kuprin’s life and work end. Summary and the description does not convey the bright and rich impressions of his life, reflected on the pages of books.

About the prose and biography of the writer

The essay briefly presented in our article suggests that everyone is the master of their own destiny. When a person is born, he is caught up in the flow of life. It carries some people into a stagnant swamp and leaves them there, some flounder, trying to somehow cope with the current, and some simply float with the flow - wherever it takes them. But there are people, like Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin, who stubbornly row against the tide all their lives.

Born in a provincial, unremarkable town, he will love it forever and will return to this simple, dusty world of harsh childhood. He will love the bourgeois and meager Narovchat inexplicably.

Maybe for the carved frames and geraniums on the windows, maybe for the vast fields, or maybe for the smell of dusty earth washed down by the rain. And maybe this poverty will draw him in his youth, after the army drill that he experienced for 14 years, to recognize Rus' in all the fullness of its colors and dialects. Wherever his paths will take him. And to the Polesie forests, and to Odessa, and to metallurgical plants, and to the circus, and to the skies on an airplane, and to unload bricks and watermelons. Everything is learned by a person full of inexhaustible love for people, for their way of life, and he will reflect all his impressions in novels and stories that will be read by his contemporaries and that are not outdated even now, a hundred years after they were written.

How can the young and beautiful Shulamith, the beloved of King Solomon, become old, how can the forest witch Olesya stop loving the timid townsman, how can Sashka the musician from “Gambrinus” (1907) stop playing. And Artaud (1904) is still devoted to his owners, who love him endlessly. The writer saw all this with his own eyes and left it to us on the pages of his books, so that we could be horrified by the heavy tread of capitalism in Moloch, nightmare life young women in "The Pit" (1909-1915), terrible death beautiful and innocent Emerald.

Kuprin was a dreamer those who love life. And all the stories passed through his attentive gaze and sensitive, intelligent heart. While maintaining friendship with writers, Kuprin never forgot workers, fishermen, or sailors, that is, those who are called ordinary people. They were united by inner intelligence, which is given not by education and knowledge, but by the depth of human communication, the ability to sympathize, and natural delicacy. He took emigration hard. In one of his letters he wrote: “What more talented person, the more difficult it is for him without Russia.” Without considering himself a genius, he simply missed his homeland and, upon returning, died after a serious illness in Leningrad.

Based on the presented essay and chronology, you can write short essay“The life and work of Kuprin (briefly).”

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