Biography. The Crimean tragedy through the eyes of the Russian classic Sergeev Tsensky biography

Russian Soviet writer

Sergey Sergeev-Tsensky

short biography

Sergei Nikolaevich Sergeev-Tsensky(1875-1958) - Russian Soviet writer. Winner of the Stalin Prize, first degree (1941). Academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1943).

Born on September 18 (30), 1875 in the village of Babino (now the village of Preobrazhenye, Rasskazovsky district, Tambov region) in the family of a teacher. From the age of five he lived in Tambov. In 1890 he graduated from the district school, entered the preparatory class of the Catherine Teachers' Institute, and began writing poetry. In 1892, his first prose experience, “The Kochetov Dam,” was published in the Tambov Provincial Gazette. At this time he added a pseudonym to his last name Tsensky, which the writer took from the name of the Tsna River, on the banks of which he spent his childhood. In 1895 he graduated from the Glukhov Teachers' Institute. The first literary publications date back to 1898. He was a teacher until 1904. In 1904-1905 he took part in the Russian-Japanese War. In 1914-1915 he was again called up for military service as an officer. Reserve lieutenant.

Since the end of the First World War he lived in Crimea. In 1943 he received the degree of Doctor of Philology for his works on Russian classics.

Creation

Since 1900, Sergeev-Tsensky began writing stories, and in 1901, the poetry collection “Thoughts and Dreams” was published in Pavlograd.

In 1907, the novel “Babaev”, which brought literary fame, was published.

The most famous works of the writer include the historical epic novel “The Sevastopol Battle” (1937-1939), dedicated to the first defense of Sevastopol in 1854-1855.

For more than 40 years, Sergeev-Tsensky has been creating his epic cycle “The Transfiguration of Russia” (1914-1958), which includes twelve novels, three stories and two sketches. The duration of the entire cycle is from the beginning of the First World War to the February Revolution; All works included in the cycle are united by several characters. At the same time, five novels written in 1934-1944 and telling about the events of the war are distinguished by the fact that they contain various historical documents, excerpts from newspapers and comments.

Sergeev-Tsensky's style is distinguished by vivid imagery; his descriptions of nature, depictions of character, and battle scenes are rich in similes and metaphors.

Wolfgang Kazak

Film adaptations

In 1980, at the request of Central Television at the Kievnauchfilm film studio, a feature television film of the same name was shot based on Sergeev-Tsensky’s story “Bear Cub”. This was the first film adaptation of the writer’s works. Written by and directed by Vyacheslav Prokopenko

Awards and prizes

• Stalin Prize, first degree (1941) - for the epic novel “Sevastopol Tragedy”
• Order of Lenin (30.09.1955)
• two Orders of the Red Banner of Labor (11/12/1945; 1950)
• Order of the Badge of Honor (01/31/1939)

Memory

Monument to S. N. Sergeev-Tsensky in Tambov opposite the Tambov hotel on a high steep bank, against the backdrop of the picturesque Tsninsky expanses, which the writer sang in his work.

Alushta Literary and Memorial Museum of S. N. Sergeev-Tsensky.

The Glukhov State Pedagogical Institute was named after S. N. Sergeev-Tsensky.

One of the streets in the Leninsky district of Tambov bears the name of the writer.

One of the streets in the Central district of Simferopol bears the name of the writer.

One of the streets in the Leninsky district of the city of Sevastopol bears the name of the writer.

Bibliography

Essays

• Garden, 1906
• Babaev, 1908
• Cruelty // “New World”, 1926, No. 2-3 (a story about the times of revolution)
• Transformation of Russia, 1914-1958
• Doomed to Death, 1927
• Zauryad-regiment, 1934
• Search, always search, 1935
• Fierce winter, 1936
• Brusilov breakthrough, 1943
• The guns are moving forward, 1944
• Morning Explosion, 1952
• Transfiguration of Man, 1955
• The guns started talking, 1956
• Sevastopol march, 1939-40
• Motherland. Poems, 1958

Collected works in 10 volumes (Moscow, “Fiction”, 1955)

Editions until the mid-1930s.

• Stories, vol. I-VII, St. Petersburg - M., 1907-1916; Complete collection works, ed. "Thought", L., 1928;
• Babaev, Roman, ed. "Thought", L., 1928;
• In a Thunderstorm, [Stories], ed. "Federation", L., 1928;
• The poet and the mob. (Lermontov's Duel). Tale, ed. "Proletary", Kharkov, ;
• The Sorrow of the Fields, ed. 4, Moscow Writers' Union, [M., 1929];
• Transfiguration. Epic, part 1. Valya. Novel, ed. 3, book. II. Doomed to Perish, Novel, ed. the same [M., 1929];
• Poet and poetess, ed. "Federation", M., 1930;
• Gogol goes into the night, ed. "Soviet Literature", M., 1933;
• Selected works, GIHL, [M.], 1933;
• Movement, [Stories], ed. Moscow t-va writers, [M., 1933];
• Michel Lermontov, Novel in 3 parts, ed. the same, [M., 1933];
• Near the sea [Stories], GIHL [M. - L.], 1934;
• Pushkin's Bride, Novel in 2 parts, ed. "Soviet Literature", M., 1934;
• Zauryad-regiment, Roman, Goslitizdat, M., 1935;
• Lighthouse in the Fog, Stories, ed. “Soviet Writer”, M., 1935.

Collected Works (1967)

S. N. Sergeev-Tsensky. Collected works in twelve volumes. (Library "Ogonyok".) M.: Pravda, 1967.

• Volume 1. Works of 1902-1909: “Tundra”, “Graveyard”, “Happiness”, “I Believe!”, “Mask”, “Diphtheria”, “Flap of Wings”, “Glade”, “Delight”, “Garden” ", "Murder", "The Silent Ones", "Forest Swamp", "Babaev", "Military Chief", "Sadness of the Fields".
• Volume 2. Works of 1909-1926: “Smile”, “Movements”, “Fright”, “Snow”, “Slow Sun”, “Bear Cub”, etc.
• Volume 3. Works of 1927-1936: “Water of Life”, “Old Runner”, “High Water”, “Vulture and Count”, “Small Owner”, “Plums, Cherries, Sweet Cherries”, etc.
• Volume 4. Works of 1941-1943: “The Fleet and the Fortress”, “The Battle of Sinop”, “In the Snows”, “The Old Doctor”, “The Bustards”, “The Cunning Girl”, “At the Edge of the Funnel”; epic “The Sevastopol Battle” (parts 1 and 2); “My correspondence and acquaintance with A. M. Gorky.”
• Volume 5. The epic “Sevastopol Horde” (3, 4 and 5 parts).
• Volume 6. The epic “Sevastopol Horde” (parts 6, 7 and 8).
• Volume 7. The epic “Sevastopol Horde” (part 9); epic “Transfiguration of Russia” - part 1 (“Valya”).
• Volume 8. The epic “Transfiguration of Russia” - parts 2 and 3 (“Doomed to Perish” and “Transfiguration of Man”).
• Volume 9. The epic “Transfiguration of Russia” - parts 4, 5 and 6 (“Bailiff Deryabin”, “The guns are moving forward” and “The guns are talking”).
• Volume 10. The epic “Transfiguration of Russia” - parts 7, 8 and 9 (“Morning Explosion”, “Zauryad Regiment” and “Fierce Winter”).
• Volume 11. The epic “Transfiguration of Russia” - parts 10 and 11 (“Stormy Spring” and “Hot Summer”).
• Volume 12. The epic “Transfiguration of Russia” - parts 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 (“Lenin in August 1914”, “Captain Konyaev”, “Lions and the Sun”, “Spring in Crimea”, “Search, always look!”, “Date”).

About the writer

• Kranichfeld V., Poet of Colorful Spots, “Modern World”, 1910, VII (reprinted in his book “In the World of Ideas and Images”, vol. II, St. Petersburg, 1912);
• Morozov M., Poet of Lack of Will, in the author’s book “Essays on the History of Modern Literature”, St. Petersburg, 1911;
• Gornfeld A., The Path of Sergeev-Tsensky, “Russian Wealth”, 1913, XII;
• Bochacher M., Singer of the “doomed”, “Russian language in the Soviet school”, 1931, IV;
• Vorovsky V., Something about the city of Sergeev-Tsensky, Works, vol. II, M.-L., 1931;
• Hoffenschaefer M., Movement in Place, Literary Critic, 1933, III;
• Usievich E., The creative path of Sergeev-Tsensky, “Literary Critic”, 1935, No. 3;
• Pluksh P.I. Sergeev-Tsensky - writer, person. M.: Sovremennik, 1975;
• Shevtsov I.M. Feat of a hero: (about Sergeev-Tsensky). Tambov: Tambov Book Publishing House, 1960.

S.N. Sergeev-Tsensky - st. Sergeeva-Tsensky, 5. Open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Sunday and Monday.

The museum opened on May 6, 1962 in the house where the outstanding master of Russian Soviet prose, academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences Sergei Nikolaevich Sergeev-Tsensky (1875-1958) lived from 1906 to 1941 and from 1946 to 1958.

Arriving in Alushta in 1905, the writer purchased a plot of land on the slope of a mountain, a few kilometers from Alushta, “at the junction of two elements”: the sea and the coast. According to his design, he built a writer's workshop - a house of three rooms and a veranda, and subsequently planted fruit trees and cypress alleys.

During the Great Patriotic War, the archive and part of the writer’s library were taken to Germany, the house was destroyed, and the garden was almost completely cut down. In August 1944, S. N. Sergeev-Tsensky returned to Alushta and began restoring the house, adding two additional rooms and two verandas. Within two years, a new garden and three cypress alleys were planted, which have survived to this day.

The most significant works included in the treasury of Soviet literature were written in this house on Mount Orlina: the epics “The Transfiguration of Russia” and “The Sevastopol Tragedy” (for which the writer was awarded the USSR State Prize in 1941), as well as novels, stories, plays, essays, literary criticism and journalistic articles, poems and fables.

S. N. Sergeev-Tsensky lived in Alushta for almost half a century. The writer is buried in the park, not far from his home. A monument made of Crimean diabase was erected on the grave. The authors are sculptors N. Petrova and II. Kachanov.

The museum's holdings include 20 thousand museum items: manuscripts, documents, archival materials, books, magazines, personal belongings of the writer and his family.

The house-museum is an architectural monument of the early 20th century. and a historical memorial building. In 1965, a memorial plaque was installed on its facade.

The museum's exhibition consists of two sections: literary and memorial. The literary exhibition is located on the western and eastern verandas, it introduces visitors to the life and work of S. N. Sergeev-Tsensky, talks about his literary environment, friends and students, about the meetings that took place in this house with A. Kuprin, K. Chukovsky , A. Novikov-Priboy, N. Nikandrov, S. Marshak, P. Pavlenko, A. Peregudov, A. Perven-pen, E. Popovkin, K. Trenev, I. Shmelev...

Almost all publications of the works of S. N. Sergeev-Tsepsky are exhibited, as well as books translated into many foreign languages, starting with the novel “Babaev” (1910) and ending with the latest translation of the novel “Valya” (1979).

In the rooms of the house (library, office, dining room, the room of Kh. M. Sergeeva-Tsenskaya’s wife, living room), on the southern veranda, called “chagalny” by L. Kuprin, the furnishings that were during the writer’s lifetime have been completely preserved - the memorial department of the museum. In a small room (former kitchen) there is part of a study from a Moscow apartment.

Currently, the library of S. N. Sergeev-Tsensky contains more than 10 thousand books and magazines: works by V. I. Lenin with notes from the writer, K. Marx and F. Engels, books on philosophy, art, literature, medicine, military affairs, agronomy, history of Russia, Crimean, World War I and civil wars, unique publications of the 18th-19th centuries.

In the writer’s office on the desktop there are things that he used in the last days of his life: books, a notebook, a pen, a Dan Wesson pneumatic revolver, glasses and a calendar with the date - December 3, 1958 - the day of Sergei Nikolaevich’s death. In recent years, the office served as the writer's bedroom. Hanging above the bed is a watercolor sketch of “Cossack,” donated by I. E. Repin in 1926 with a dedicatory inscription. By the bed there is a wardrobe with books presented to S.N. Sergeev-Tsensky by friends. One of them says: “To my favorite artist of words. M. Gorky, 15.V1II.1927. Sorrento."

The family usually gathered at the dining table in the spacious dining room. Here they received guests, cordially treated them to fruits from the garden, and had a casual conversation over a cup of tea. The attention of visitors is attracted by the portrait of S. N. Sergeev-Tsensky, painted by the Sevastopol sailor Yu. Bolshakov.

An antique carved oak set adds coziness to the room. Almost the entire wall is occupied by the artist S. Kolesnikov’s painting “Spring Plowing” (1915), which the writer really liked.

The house of S. N. Sergeev-Tsensky in Alushta is the only museum in our country where almost all materials related to the life and work of this writer are collected

The museum hosts conferences and literary readings with the participation of scientists and writers from many cities of the country. Open days (September 30), literary evenings, a “musical lounge,” and meetings with those who personally knew the writer are traditional.

Sergey Nikolaevich Sergeev-Tsensky (Sergey Nikolaevich Sergeev)

Born in the village of Preobrazhenskoye, Tambov province, into the family of a zemstvo teacher, a retired captain, and participant in the Sevastopol defense in 1854-1855. My father had a rich library. He read Krylov, Lermontov, Pushkin, wrote poetry, which his father looked through with approval. Then, after graduating from the teacher's institute in Glukhov with a gold medal, he was appointed to the Nemirovsky gymnasium of the Kyiv province as a teacher of Russian language and literature, taught for almost ten years and, starting in 1898, simultaneously wrote and published his first stories. He served for a whole year in the 19th Kostroma Infantry Regiment, received the rank of reserve ensign and again began teaching in Kamenets-Podolsk, then moved to Kupyansk as a teacher of history and geography. He entered Kharkov University as a volunteer student, working part-time for wealthy families by teaching lessons, but soon Kharkov University was closed due to student strikes, and the documents were returned. Then he received his first literary fee for a fairy tale published in the children's magazine “People's School Reading Room” (December 1898). The stories “Forgot”, “Bell”, “Synopsis of History” appeared in print, then in Spassk, Ryazan province, Sergeev, a teacher at a city school, published the story “Tundra”, in which he showed the tragic love of a deceived woman. “Tundra” appeared in the January issue of Russian Thought, and the story “Fate is Lying!” – in the January issue of Russian Messenger. S.N. Sergeev taught physics and natural science, read Chekhov’s works in class, was interested in almost all branches of knowledge and spoke about it with enthusiasm and passion. At the same time, his works began to appear more and more often. S.N. Sergeev-Tsensky was so in love with the beautiful Tsna River that he made its name part of his literary surname.

On the eve of the revolution of 1905, Sergeev-Tsensky wrote and published the story “Father,” in which he spoke about the company commander sent to pacify the striking workers and refused to shoot at them. The story accidentally caught the eye of Leo Tolstoy, he read it with approval and recommended publishing it to the publisher I. Gorbunov-Posadov as a separate edition, which happened in 1906. At the same time, Sergeev-Tsensky completed work on the story “The Garden,” which revealed the new artist as a bright painter and one of the creators of a full-fledged hero from the people, fighting for the people’s truth and justice with the rich owners of the land.

On February 20, 1905, Sergeev-Tsensky wrote to the publisher and critic V.S. Mirolyubov about the sad fate of his works:

“It seems that the editorial office of your magazine had my story “Father” (the theme is a revolt of workers and its pacification with volleys), but they sent it back, citing the fact that at the present time “there is no point in thinking about publishing it.” With the same success, “Father” went through several more editions and now rests in the table or basket of “Our Life”. This was a “protesting” story, but, unfortunately, the fate of such protests has long been known to me, and protesting within the framework of what is allowed by censorship is somehow even funny.

Currently, in the editorial office of “God’s World” there is my rather large one – 31/2 oven. sheet - the story "Garden"; I must admit, I don’t particularly hope to see it in print, and only because the hero himself protests.

God grant that we someday stop stuttering and laugh at our tongue-tiedness” (Head of Department of IRLI. Archives of V.S. Mirolyubov. F. 185. Op. 1. No. 1051).

Alexey Shevardin - the hero of the story "The Garden" - is a strong, literate man, loves the land, graduated from an agricultural school, but the land is owned by a count, "small" and "annoyingly unnecessary", "he interfered with life all around." How can we turn around so that people stop being slaves? Shevardin more than once appeals to people: “How long – a hundred years, a thousand years – will you remain silent? You are a million-pound bell! What kind of lever can you swing and grab at the sides with your tongue so that the air around it trembles?” All life, in his opinion, could be “one luxurious garden,” but there is nothing of this, “no schools, no hospitals, no beauty, no meaning - just one continuous “no.” Alexei Shevardin kills the count and calls for a fight, but remains alone, he sees the count in the royal crown, which means that tsarism has outlived its usefulness.

But soon these calls to fight by Alexei Shevardin seemed to S. Sergeev-Tsensky “tongue-tied”; he did not laugh at it, but bitterly regretted that life did not respond to his calls. The writer became interested in modernism, which was popular at that time, joined “Rosehip”, and began to write in a mannered and pretentious manner, imitating the Symbolists.

In a letter to Mirolyubov, feeling that he was betraying realism, he wrote: “I am a sinner,” I love the balancing act of moods, the glow of metaphors, the leap over the obstacles of everyday life. I can’t stand simplicity...

And in such terrible turmoil, when there is nothing simple left in life... You talk about simplicity” (Ibid.).

In the first issue of the almanac “Rosehip” (1907), S. Sergeev-Tsensky published the story “Forest Swamp”, at the same time the novel “Babaev” appeared in the magazine “Russian Thought” (1907. No. 1, 2, 12). These works reflected pictures of living reality, full of popular protest and patience: Lieutenant Babaev, sent with a detachment to pacify the rebellious peasants, fell into a hysterical fit at the sight of the flogged men, and the just punished “huge man” carefully grabbed him and sympathetically said to him: “Master! Our dove is gray! Killed like... Nothing! Listen, nothing! We will endure..."

Babaev can reproach his company commander for his rough treatment of the soldiers, but he will flog the rebel peasants; may fall into hysterics at the sight of the peasants punished by him and may shoot three workers captured at the barricades. He is complex and contradictory, and there is no place for him in life: he is killed by a protesting girl who believed in the renewal of life.

S.N. Sergeev-Tsensky did not belong to any party, including the literary one, and therefore criticism was heard from both realists and symbolists. He sharply spoke out against critical attacks that did not understand his beliefs: “I’m just an artist - moreover, I’m just studying art, and I consider myself an artist relatively - but may I be allowed to escape the tutelage of political parties... Every magazine and every newspaper why -they considered it their duty to acquire hooligan reviewers who have teeth (they must be chosen based on their teeth) - and I personally speak only for myself - I absolutely don’t understand who needs this. One writer I respect told me: it’s still good that they scold you, but when they are completely silent, then it’s bad” (Lebed. 1908. No. 1. P. 33). And in a letter to V.S. To Mirolyubov, Sergeev-Tsensky only confirmed his creative position: “You read newspapers and don’t believe your eyes. How many of our mutual acquaintances have flashed and are still flashing in roles unusual for them, how life has broken and broken everyone, how disgusting it has become to live in the world in general and in liquidated Russia in particular” (Head of Department of IRLI. Archive of V.S. Mirolyubov. F. 185 . Op. 1. No. 1051).

In 1908, Sergeev-Tsensky wrote the story “The Sadness of the Fields” (Rosehip. 1909. Book 9), in which the image of the good-natured hero Nikita is remembered, he is “a powerful, dark creature, plowing, sowing, reaping crops, the fruitmaker of the fields”, here sympathy for the village and faith in the future of Russia emerged.

“The Sorrow of the Fields” attracted the attention of Maxim Gorky, and from then on he carefully observed the work of S.N. Sergeev-Tsensky, noting the “beautiful and rapid growth” of the writer, calling him “a very great writer”, “the largest, most interesting and reliable person” in Russian literature. At this time, such works of Sergeev-Tsensky appeared in print as the stories “Movements” (Northern Thought. 1910. No. 1-3, 6), “Inclined Elena”, “Bear Cub”, in which the writer returned to realistic writing, to social motives, the language became a pure and full-fledged Russian language, “without the balancing act of moods” and the “glow of metaphors” that captivated him quite recently.

We paid attention to the works of S. Sergeev-Tsensky and critics of different directions; in almost every article they asked themselves: who is this new, such a controversial writer? And everyone answered in their own way - A.G. Gornfeld, A. Derman, Y. Aikhenvald, K. Chukovsky. In 1910 Vl. P. Kranichfeld (1865-1918; from a noble family) wrote in the article “In the World of Ideas and Images”:

“With the appearance of Sergeev-Tsensky’s story “Movement”, we can say with confidence that the “student years” of its gifted author are over... Even so recently and so often surprising readers with the playful extravagance of his creative techniques, now Sergeev-Tsensky stands before us as a fully established great and an original artist, whose magnificently developed talent cannot be ignored by criticism... In “Movements” Sergeev-Tsensky for the first time showed himself to be a well-defined great artist in all respects, with a subtle sense of life and the poetry of nature and with bold, original techniques of creativity... Sergeev-Tsensky visited, of course, before there were things that attracted attention with their artistic merits. Even from his early stories, some already testified to the remarkable talent of the beginning writer... It can be said that even the unsuccessful works of Sergeev-Tsensky... “Beregovoe”, the play “Death” - were always marked with the stamp of great talent, greedily searching, but in the data, according to at least in cases of not finding...

This imbalance of the artist, from whom in each of his new works one could expect some new, completely unexpected extravagance, must have served as the reason why criticism until recently kept silent about his work. An entire critical literature has already been created about many of Sergeev-Tsensky’s young and incomparably weaker associates in the field of Russian literary expression, while about Sergeev-Tsensky it is hardly possible to mention more than three or four serious articles, and even those evaluate only individual works of his. The artist in all his spiritual appearance, in his quests and achievements, is completely unappreciated by criticism” (Modern World. 1911. No. 1).

Vl. Kranichfeld realized that the writer had taken a new path, and was especially good when he painted landscapes; He showed a great desire for painting, because even as a child the boy admitted to his father that he was drawn to writing and painting. “Unrestrained in his search for new colors, new lines and forms,” wrote Vl. Kranichfeld, - Sergeev-Tsensky, with all his deviations to the sides, managed to achieve amazing results. In landscape painting, he has no rival among our contemporary fiction writers. His landscapes express in full brilliance his amazing sensitivity to colors, to their mysterious combinations and transitions. There is so much air and sky in them that they seem saturated with light, and each colorful spot, in complete harmonious consistency with the entire picture, lives its own special, integral and complete life. Here, among this rich, unique life of colors, a miraculous rebirth of man himself takes place.”

In the book “Critical Studies” (St. Petersburg, 1912) E.A. Koltonovskaya (1870-1952) attributed the work of Sergeev-Tsensky, like the work of B. Zaitsev, A. Tolstoy, A. Remizov, to “lyrical realism”, to “neorealism”, in contrast to the work of L. Tolstoy and F. Dostoevsky, whom she listed as representatives of “everyday”, “material” realism, noting in the work of Sergeev-Tsensky: “The growth is heroic. The progress in the artist’s ability to use his own resources is amazing.” D. Filosofov in the article “Dead Men and Beasts” calls on Sergeev-Tsensky, “overcoming naturalism,” to move “to real, i.e., symbolic realism.” A.G. Gornfeld (1867-1941) in 1913 gave a detailed report on the work of Sergeev-Tsensky, who soon responded to the critic with a letter: “Your article is the only thing what has been said about me essentially…»

Sergeev-Tsensky settled in Alushta, met Kuprin, Gorky, Repin, Chukovsky and many prominent figures of literature and art.

But the main thing is that Sergeev-Tsensky conceived and began collecting materials for the “Transfiguration” series of novels. The poem “Valya” (“Transfiguration”) was written in 1912, in which, without any “extravagance,” the artist declared that it was impossible to live like this any longer, changes were needed, new people were needed who could change living conditions.

Sergeev-Tsensky wrote the poem “The Subsoil”, the stories “Nearby”, “Near the Sea”, “The Leisurely Sun”, “Bell”, the story “Lerik”, and his thoughts revolved around the theme of the second novel - to write about the miners, about their dramatic fate. This is how the novels “Tilted Helen” and “The Trial” arose.

During the outbreak of the First World War, S. Sergeev-Tsensky was mobilized as a reserve ensign, but a year later, in 1915, he was sent on leave, but upon returning to Alushta, he fell silent, the war that had broken out seemed to him “an unheard-of and disgusting massacre.” , “utter nonsense, the game of two-year-old babies.” The year was 1917, and in a letter to Gorky he wrote that this was not a war, but “some kind of continuous suffocating gas”, “everything in the world is too disgusting.”

Biographers have calculated that S.N. Over many years of his life, Sergeev-Tsensky, working on the epic “Transfiguration of Russia,” wrote 17 novels and stories: “Valya”, “Bailiff Deryabin”, “Transfiguration of Man”, “Doomed to Perish”, “Zauryad Regiment”, “ Lenin in August 1914”, “The guns are moving forward”, “The guns are talking”, “Fierce winter”, “Stormy spring”, “Hot summer”, “Morning explosion”, “Captain Konyaev”, “Lions and the sun”, “Spring” in Crimea”, “Search, always search!”, “Date” - three generations of Russian characters over thirty years of the twentieth century participated in the changes in Russian life, political, social, economic...

Gorky, having read several books in the epic cycle after the revolution, wrote to Sergeev-Tsensky:

“I read “Transfiguration”, I was delighted, excited - you wrote a very good book, S.N., very! It powerfully touches the soul and outrages the mind, like everything good, truly Russian. It always has this effect on me: my heart is happy to the point of tears, it rejoices: oh, how good it is and how ours, Russian, mine. And the mind gets angry, screams fiercely: but this is a formless confusion of blind feelings, the most absurd squalor, you can’t live with this, you won’t create any “progress”!.. In your book, every page and even phrase is exactly like this: it’s as if saturated and excessively, over the edge, and their content spills into the reader’s soul with caustic moisture, cruelly exciting. You read as if listening to music, you admire your lyrical, multi-colored painting, and something very large rises in your soul, in its memory, like a high, hot wave.

In the past, I read your books very carefully, it seems that I well felt the honest and bold intensity of your quest for form, but I can’t say that V.’s word completely reached me, I didn’t understand a lot and some of it made me angry, it seemed like deliberate shocking. And in this book, not finished, requiring five books of continuation, but as if played on a pipe, you stood before me, the reader, a tremendous Russian artist, the lord of verbal secrets, an insightful spiritual seer and landscape painter - a painter such as we do not have today. Your landscape is the most magnificent news in Russian literature. I can say this because I saw the places you painted well. Probably, smart people and “red-cheeked” people will tell you: “This is panpsychism.” Don't believe it. This is simply real, genuine art... Will you write a book next? This is absolutely necessary. The beginning obliges you to continue this epic to the extent of “War and Peace.” I wish you cheerfulness, I shake your hand tightly. You are a very great writer, very..."

In the 20s, Sergeev-Tsensky was criticized by Proletkultists, Napostovites, and official communist criticism for his stories, novels and novels. It was with difficulty that his novels and stories made their way into print; critics, reviewers, and publishers stood in their way to reach the reader. The Izvestia newspaper published a short review of the first book of the epic “The Transfiguration of Russia”: “A boring, unnecessary novel about boring people. The author places his heroes outside of society, outside of life. These are little people with little interests, or rather, without them, they simply “vegetate” on earth. Complete absence of rich strokes and vibrant colors. And who could possibly need such “works” (1926. November 18). In the magazine “On a Literary Post,” critic J. Elsberg in the article “Counter-revolutionary allegorical everyday life. Creativity S.N. Sergeev-Tsensky" wrote: "In the person of S.N. Sergeev-Tsensky, we have a writer who is an exponent of naked counter-revolutionary sentiments” (1927. No. 22-23). And this sounded almost everywhere, which played its natural prohibitive role in the publication of the second book of the epic, “Doomed to Perish.”

Sergeev-Tsensky turned to A.M. for help. Gorky: in December 1926, due to the fact that Gosizdat refused to publish the novel, he wrote: “The fact is that the 1st part was published by one editor, a certain Nikolaev, and now there is another one - a certain Beskin, and the first was so kind , so Olympicly unattainable and second only... Obviously, under the influence of your opinion about my book in No. 12 “New. world" an article by Zamoshkin appeared, who reacted to "Transfiguration" quite tolerantly and even with praise." The novel lay dormant for three years. Sergeev-Tsensky sent a telegram to Gorky in Moscow: “Dear Alexey Maksimovich. I kindly ask you to facilitate the release of my novel “Doomed to Perish” in the MTP (Moscow Writers’ Association), detained by Kerzhentsev’s assistant Rosenthal, as well as another book “Poet and Poetess”, detained in the “Federation”. In a letter to Gorky, Sergeev-Tsensky described in detail his publishing history and the persecution raised by “Mashbitz, Gelfond, Elsberg, Rosenthal and others who sign only letters or do not sign at all, who themselves are clearly ashamed of their attacks...”.

Gorky and Sergeev-Tsensky overcame the attacks of critics and publishers, and the novels “Doomed to Perish” (1927), “Zauryad Regiment” (1934), “Search, Always Search!” (1935), “Fierce Winter” (1936) with the blessing of A.M. Gorky were published.

But the “attacks” continued. On May 24, 1935, the Literaturnaya Gazeta published an article by A. Kotlyar, “The Philosophy of Philistinism,” in which the novels, stories, and stories of S.N. were completely destroyed. Sergeev-Tsensky, as if continuing to dismantle the newspaper Izvestia and the magazine At the Literary Post.

In the 30s, the writer, having visited Sevastopol again, looked with interest at the Malakhov Kurgan, at Korabelnaya and on the Northern side, visited the Historical Boulevard, the cathedral where admirals Kornilov, Istomin, Nakhimov were buried, the museum, and the library. I read materials about the Battle of Sevastopol, and the Crimean War in all its richness entered the writer’s soul, he decided to write about the heroic days of the people’s battle. Sergeev-Tsensky remembered Pushkin’s words from a letter to Gnedich: “ The shadow of Svyatoslav wanders unsung, you wrote to me once. And Vladimir? And Mstislav? And Donskoy?

And Ermak? And Pozharsky? The history of the people belongs to the poet.” This is how the “Sevastopol Battle” began, and admirals, sailors, officers, and civilians came to life in the eyes of the author, who began collecting documents, books, maps, and reports.

Sergeev-Tsensky worked hard, but difficulties with publication began again. The archive contains a recording of S.N. Sergeev-Tsensky: “Work on the epic “Sevastopol Strada” began in 1936. During this year, the author wrote over 40 author's sheets, but what he wrote turned out to be very difficult to print. At the Soviet Writer publishing house, where the author applied, the manuscript was decisively rejected by editors Bas, Gus and Chechenovsky as a “red-patriotic” work. All members of the editorial board, with the exception of F. Panferov, categorically spoke out against the publication of the epic in the magazine “October”.

This was largely facilitated by E. Petrov’s article “The Writer’s Reply” (Literaturnaya Gazeta. 1938. No. 44), in which there are such encouraging lines about Sergeev-Tsensky:

“In the “family tree of literature”, which, obviously, to intimidate Soviet writers, was drawn in the magazine “At the Literary Post”, S. Sergeev-Tsensky was drawn as a hanged man, and under him there was a playful inscription: “a living corpse.”

The mark was set. In some way, an “exhaustive description” was given... Sergeev-Tsensky was thrown to the mercy and beaten with stones and quotes from critics... He was teased in some dark corners by very small and cowardly critics and critics, who, of course, would never have dared to attack him attack if he didn’t have that terrible Rappian stamp on him - “a living corpse.” Sergeev-Tsensky’s willpower, writing discipline and love of work are amazing. Finding almost no serious and meaningful criticism of his works, all bitten by evil critical mosquitoes, he not only remained one of the most prolific Soviet writers, but also continuously improved his great talent. After the excellent novel “Mass, Machines, Elements” (in my opinion, this is the best that was created by Soviet literature about the war of 1914-1918), S. Sergeev-Tsensky came up with a great historical novel “Sevastopol Strada”.

But the inertia of the “living corpse” continues to some extent even now... What author would they allow themselves to write about with such extraordinary ease that his new work is just a “pseudo-historical novel” and not even a novel at all, but a “fictionalized chronicle” , while only the beginning of this work was published in the magazine. But about Sergeev-Tsensky, everything is allowed. He is still working, and his unfinished work has already received a “failure” mark.

Issue No. 41 of Literaturnaya Gazeta contains an article by Comrade Mironov “On Historical and Pseudo-Historical Novels.” In the text of the article itself, the novel is called “fundamental” in quotation marks. Meanwhile, “The Sevastopol Tragedy” is a fundamental novel without any quotation marks. Moreover. The fundamental nature of the novel is the first thing I would like to note after reading the first four parts in the magazine “October” (the entire novel will be in nine parts). The novel amazes with its conscientiousness, abundance of facts and magnificent details, broad historical picture, depth of depiction of the main characters and the brilliant skill with which all incidental characters are written without exception... The main and main advantage of the published four parts is that they are imbued with truly popular patriotism ... The conclusion about the heroic people that Sergeev-Tsensky makes is not unsubstantiated and hasty, which would be natural for a pseudo-historical novel...

Here we are faced with a completely exceptional phenomenon, which needs to be understood as deeply as possible. While rude and vulgar criticism only spoiled the artist’s life, Soviet reality itself, the deep nationality of Soviet power, the will of the Soviet people to defend the fatherland and to fight fascism breathed new life into the artist and helped him create a work whose historicity is extremely modern... Before us is a real epic of the Sevastopol events. And if this is not a novel, Comrade Mironov, then what is called a novel?”

In 1941 S.N. Sergeev-Tsensky received the highest award for his novel “The Sevastopol Tragedy” - the Stalin Prize of the first degree, as did Mikhail Sholokhov for “Quiet Don”, as did Alexei Tolstoy for “Walking in Torment”, as did Galina Ulanova for her artistic activity.

During the Great Patriotic War, S.N. Sergeev-Tsensky and his wife Khristina Mikhailovna were forced to leave Alushta, leaving behind a huge archive, a library, and everything they had acquired over many years. We were in Kerch, Krasnodar, Moscow, Kuibyshev, Alma-Ata. But the work continued, dozens of articles were written, published in Pravda and Red Star, war stories and short stories about military duty, patriotism, and military feats. In 1943, the novel “Brusilovsky Breakthrough” was published, then the novel “The Guns Are Pushing Out” (1944), and the novel “The Guns Started Talking” was written.

In 1943 S.N. Sergeev-Tsensky was elected a full member of the USSR Academy of Sciences. But the persecution continued: Novy Mir refused to publish the novel “The Guns Started Talking” and returned the manuscript. Only in 1956 the novel was published as a separate edition.

“Sergei Nikolaevich was a strong man. It seemed that over the years of a difficult literary fate, he had to get used to both silence and unfair, unsubstantiated criticism, wrote I.M. Shevtsov in the book “The Eagle Looks at the Sun” (M., 1963. P. 261). -

But there is a limit to everything; Obviously, age also made itself felt. When the postman brought a thick package with the novel “The Guns Started Talking,” Sergei Nikolaevich flared up: he rushed around the “walking lane” like an angry lion...” And he stopped writing.

In 1955, Russia celebrated the 80th anniversary of S.N. Sergeev-Tsensky, the government awarded the Order of Lenin for outstanding services, there were many meetings and congratulatory telegrams. But one of them was the most expensive:

“I read “Morning Explosion” with true pleasure. I marvel and bow my head in gratitude before your mighty, ageless Russian talent.

Your Sholokhov».

About S.N. Sergeev-Tsensky has written many books and articles. But let us quote one of them in conclusion: “Sergeev-Tsensky’s style is distinguished by vivid imagery; his descriptions of nature, depictions of characters and battle scenes are rich in similes and metaphors" ( Kazak V. Lexicon of Russian literature of the twentieth century. M., 1996. P. 377).

Sergeev-Tsensky S.N. Collection cit.: In 12 volumes. M., 1967.

Shevtsov I. The feat of a hero. Tambov, 1960.