Kuprin's childhood and adolescence. Russian writer Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin: childhood, youth, biography

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

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

Kuprin’s mother, Lyubov Alekseevna, was a proud woman, as she was a descendant of a noble Tatar family, as well as a native Muscovite. But she had to make a difficult decision for herself - to send her son to be raised in an orphan school.

Kuprin's childhood years, spent within the boarding school walls, were joyless, and internal state always seemed depressed. He felt out of place, felt bitterness from the constant oppression of his personality. After all, given the origin of his mother, of which the boy was always very proud, future writer As he grew up and matured, he showed himself to be an emotional, active and charismatic person.

Youth and education

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

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

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

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

History of success

After leaving the service, Kuprin experienced urgent need in obtaining comprehensive knowledge. Therefore, he began to actively travel around Russia, meet people, and learn a lot of new and useful things from communicating with them. At the same time, Alexander Ivanovich sought to try his hand at different professions. He gained experience in the field of surveyors, circus performers, fishermen, even pilots. However, one of the flights almost ended in tragedy: as a result of the plane crash, Kuprin almost died.

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

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

Creation

Kuprin was eager for his people with all his soul, and his explosive and honest character, due to Tatar origin mother, would not allow those facts about the lives of people that he personally witnessed to be distorted in writing.

However, Alexander Ivanovich did not condemn all of his characters, even bringing their dark sides to the surface. Being a humanist and a desperate fighter for justice, Kuprin figuratively demonstrated this feature of his in the work “The Pit”. It tells about the life of brothel dwellers. But the writer does not focus on the heroines as fallen women; on the contrary, he invites readers to understand the prerequisites for their fall, the torment of their hearts and souls, and invites them to discern in each libertine, first of all, a person.

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

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

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

Personal life

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

The second time the writer married Elizaveta Heinrich, with whom he lived until the end of his days. The marriage produced two daughters, Zinaida and Ksenia. But the first died in early childhood from pneumonia, and the second became famous actress. However, there was no continuation of the Kuprin family, and today he has no direct descendants.

Kuprin’s second wife survived him by only four years and, unable to bear it, ordeal starvation during the siege of Leningrad, she committed suicide.

1. Kuprin was proud of his Tatar origin, so he often put on a national caftan and skullcap, going out to people in such attire and going to visit people.
2. Partly thanks to his acquaintance with I. A. Bunin, Kuprin became a writer. Bunin once approached him with a request to write a note on a topic that interested him, which marked the beginning literary activity Alexander Ivanovich.
3. The author was famous for his sense of smell. Once, while visiting Fyodor Chaliapin, he shocked everyone present, eclipsing the invited perfumer with his unique flair, unmistakably recognizing all the components of the new fragrance. Sometimes, when meeting new people, Alexander Ivanovich sniffed them, thereby putting everyone in an awkward position. They said that this helped him better understand the essence of the person in front of him.
4. Throughout his life, Kuprin changed about twenty professions.
5. After meeting A.P. Chekhov in Odessa, the writer went at his invitation to St. Petersburg to work in a famous magazine. Since then, the author acquired a reputation as a rowdy and drunkard, as he often took part in entertainment events in a new environment.
6. The first wife, Maria Davydova, tried to eradicate some of the disorganization inherent in Alexander Ivanovich. If he fell asleep while working, she deprived him of breakfast, or forbade him to enter the house unless new chapters of the work he was working on at that time were ready.
7. The first monument to A.I. Kuprin was erected only in 2009 in Balaklava in Crimea. This is due to the fact that in 1905, during the Ochakov uprising of sailors, the writer helped them hide, thereby saving their lives.
8. There were legends about the writer's drunkenness. In particular, the wits repeated famous saying: “If truth is in wine, how many truths are there in Kuprin?”

Death

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

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Crossword AiF 21 2017 answers

Horizontally:
1. Culinary exam. 10 letter answer: TASTING
6. What can cause you to burn, but not fire? 4 letter answer: SHAME
9. From what historical battle Is the death of ten thousand horses connected? 8 letter answer: WATERLOO
10. “Having trusted in everything, you will endure...” 4 letter answer: CRASH
11. What citrus do American oncologists urge their patients to categorically refuse? 9 letter answer: GRAPEFRUIT
14. Which museum is located directly opposite the Comédie Française? 4 letter answer: Louvre
16. Advisory. 5 letter answer: ADVICE
17. English puppeteer. 5 letter answer: DROL
18. "... Hamlet's father." 4 letter answer: SHADOW
19. Which diva named her daughter after the movie Chastity, in which she starred? 3 letter answer: CHER
20. Muse of Anton Chekhov. 7 letter answer: KNIPPER
21. Beast from chess. 4 letter answer: ELEPHANT
23. Symbol of life for Zarathustra. 4 letter answer: SCALES
25. Computer adventures. 5 letter answer: QUEST
29. Where does Leonid Yakubovich regularly ask to bring money, prizes and gifts? 6 letter answer: STUDIO
31. Island with a lagoon. 5 letter answer: ATOLL
32. “Air space” of a clock pendulum. 9 letter answer: AMPLITUDE
34. Last... fashion. 4 letter answer: SQUEEK
37. “Everywhere.” 7 letter answer: LOVELACE
38. Note connection. 6 letter answer: CHORD
40. Which silent film star was Rudolph Valentino engaged to? 5 letter answer: NEGRI
42. Who defeated the ruthless robbers Periphetus, Sinis and Sciron? 5 letter answer: THESEUS
44. Exercises for the singer. 7 letter answer: VOCALISE
45. “Energy source” for cartoon Monstropolis. 4 letter answer: SCREAM
46. ​​“The eternal and only refuge of humanity.” 5 letter answer: EARTH
47. “Solicitor in the kitchen.” 7 letter answer: COOKING
48. Antioxidant in watermelon juice. 7 letter answer: LYCOPINE
49. Foreign corn. 4 letter answer: MAIS
50. The art of miracles. 5 letter answer: MAGIC
51. An inexhaustible source of adrenaline. 7 letter answer: EXTREME
52. The only one among metals that can remain liquid at room temperature. 5 letter answer: MERCURY
53. Ladder in the service of aviators. 4 letter answer: TRAP
54. Car shell. 5 letter answer: GARAGE

Vertically:
1. Romantically minded altruism. 12 letter answer: KINDNESS
2. “It’s scary when... suddenly it turns out to be a dream.” 3 letter answer: REALITY
3. Direct speech. 13 letter answer: FRANCISITY
4. Which Colonel General did Adolf Hitler appoint as commander of the Air Force instead of Hermann Goering? 5 letter answer: GRAME
5. Who introduced Peter Kapitsa Nobel laureate Ernest Rutherford? 5 letter answer: IOFFE
7. Anniversary “candlestick” from the pastry chef. 4 letter answer: CAKE
8. Gift with notes. 4 letter answer: PERFUME
10. What does a circus have in common with a parachute? 5 letter answer: DOME
12. Musician of the “violin type”. 7 letter answer: VIOLIST
13. What gives power to a yacht’s sail? 5 letter answer: WIND
15. Lexicon of a rude person. 5 letter answer: ABUSE
16. The illness of the opera Iolanta. 7 letter answer: BLINDNESS
19. On the bank of which river did Alexander Kuprin spend his childhood? 7 letter answer: SHELDAIS
22. What do you infuse with vodka to treat hives? 5 letter answer: DUMPENA
24. “I was wrong!” 11 letter answer: SELF-CRITICISM
26. Blocking within the UN. 4 letter answer: VETO
27. Where did the heroes of the series “Lost” fly from? 6 letter answer: SYDNEY
28. World singer... John believes the Internet should be "closed down immediately because it is destroying quality music." 5 letter answer: ELTON
30. Love “aperitif”. 5 letter answer: FLIRT
33. The most popular flower in Belgium. 7 letter answer: BEGONIA
34. A great tenor who sang a duet with Celine Dion and Joe Cocker. 9 letter answer: PAVAROTTI
35. “Cashier” for credit cards. 8 letter answer: ATM
36. “Iron Al” of American athletics. 5 letter answer: ORTER
39. Who accompanies the hero of the fairy-tale film “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” during the excursion? 7 letter answer: GRANDFATHER
40. What kind of riffraff does everyone dress up as for Halloween? 7 letter answer: UNCLEAN
41. Industry boss. 7 letter answer: MINISTER
43. Masterpiece o Trojan War. 6 letter answer: ILIAD
46. ​​Lip for a geographer. 5 letter answer: BAY
48. Highest. 4 letter answer: LEAGUE

“Writer of Balaklava fishermen,
Friend of silence, comfort, sea, villager,
Shady Gatchina homeowner,
He is dear to us with the simplicity of his heartfelt words..."
From a poem by Igor Severyanin in memory of Kuprin

"But quietly from heaven
He looks at us all...
He is with us.
We are together
In "paradise lost"..."
From a poem by Tatyana Perova in memory of Kuprin

Biography

The small town of Proskurov in the Podolsk province, where the young lieutenant Alexander Kuprin was serving, was full of melancholy and boredom. In order to somehow embellish the dull everyday life, Kuprin plunges headlong into cards, carousing and love affairs. Nothing and no one can curb his hot temper... no one except his first love - a timid orphan girl, definitely the most charming in the entire province. Kuprin is ready to quit wild life and even get married, but there is one “but”: they agree to give the girl to him only if Alexander graduates from the Academy of the General Staff. Well, the young man packs his bags and goes to St. Petersburg to take his exams. True, he fails to reach his destination safely. In Kyiv, Kuprin meets friends and goes with them to a floating restaurant. There the guys quarrel on such a scale that they attract the attention of the police supervisor. He makes a remark to the noisy company, for which he is immediately thrown out the window. Such behavior by a future officer is not according to his rank: Kuprin is prohibited from entering the Academy. Now one can only dream about a military career and the hand of one’s beloved, but life, meanwhile, goes on.

Having no civilian profession, Kuprin wanders around the south of Russia, testing himself as a fisherman, circus wrestler, bailiff, actor, journalist, digger, psalm-reader, hunter... The motto of Kuprin’s life actually becomes the words of one of the characters he created from the story “The Pit” : “By God, I would like to become a horse, a plant or a fish for a few days, or be a woman and experience childbirth; I would like to live inner life and see the world through the eyes of every person I meet.” In a word, Alexander experiences life in all its manifestations, not forgetting, by the way, about literary activity. True, Kuprin does not spend a long time at his pen, but works only according to his mood, from time to time. However, the writer’s creative vocation intensifies with his move to St. Petersburg and his acquaintance with the local bohemia - Bunin, Chaliapin, Averchenko.

Kuprin's second marriage turned out to be much more successful. WITH new love- Elizaveta Heinrich - Kuprin got together before he received a divorce from Davydova. However, in the person of his second wife, Alexander Ivanovich finds true love and a faithful life partner. Only now does he realize the delights of quiet family happiness: a cozy house with five rooms, children’s laughter, gardening in the summer, skiing in the winter... Kuprin gives up drinking and brawls, writes a lot and, it would seem, now nothing can prevent his happiness. But war breaks out in the world, and then October Revolution, which force the Kuprins to leave their cozy family nest and go in search of happiness to distant Paris.

The Kuprins lived in France for seventeen long years and, in the end, homesickness took its toll. Alexander Ivanovich, already a gray-haired old man and, obviously, anticipating imminent death, once declared that he was ready to go to Moscow even on foot. Meanwhile, his health was seriously deteriorating. “Elizaveta Moritsovna Kuprina took her sick old husband home. She was exhausted, looking for ways to save him from hopeless poverty... The most respected, beloved, famous Russian writer could no longer work because he was very, very sick, and everyone knew about it,” the Russian poetess Teffi would later write . A year after returning to Russia, the writer died. The cause of Kuprin's death was acute pneumonia, contracted while watching the parade on Red Square. “Kulunchakovskaya Tatar blood” has cooled forever. Kuprin's death was reported by TASS and a number of popular newspapers. The funeral of Alexander Kuprin took place on the Literary Bridge of the Volkovsky Cemetery in St. Petersburg. Kuprin's grave is located near the resting places of Turgenev, Mamin-Sibiryak and Garin-Mikhailovsky.

Life line

September 7, 1870 Date of birth of Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin.
1876 Young Alexander is placed in the Moscow Razumovsky orphanage.
1880 Kuprin enters the Second Moscow Cadet Corps.
1887 The young man is enrolled in the Alexander Military School.
1889 The writer's first story, “The Last Debut,” appears.
1890 Alexander Kuprin was released into the 46th Dnieper Infantry Regiment with the rank of second lieutenant.
1894 Kuprin resigns and moves to Kyiv.
1901 The writer moves to St. Petersburg and receives the position of secretary at the “Magazine for Everyone.”
1902 Alexander Kuprin marries Maria Davydova.
1905 The output is the most significant work Kuprin - the story “The Duel”.
1909 Kuprin receives a divorce from Davydova and marries Elizaveta Heinrich.
1919 The writer and his wife emigrate to Paris.
1937 At the invitation of the USSR government, Kuprin and his wife return to their homeland.
August 25, 1938 Date of death of Kuprin.
August 27, 1938 Date of Kuprin's funeral.

Memorable places

1. The city of Narovchat, where Alexander Kuprin was born.
2. Alexander Military School (now the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces), where Alexander spent his military youth.
3. The city of Proskurov (now Khmelnitsky), where Kuprin served his military service.
4. House on Podol in Kyiv, where Alexander Kuprin lived in 1894-1896.
5. Restaurant “Vena” in St. Petersburg (now the mini-hotel “Old Vienna”), where Kuprin loved to spend time.
6. The city of Gatchina, where Alexander Kuprin lived with his wife Elizaveta Heinrich and children.
7. The city of Paris, where the Kuprins lived in 1919-1937.
8. Monument to Kuprin in Balaklava.
9. Kuprin’s sister’s house in Kolomna, where Alexander Ivanovich often visited.
10. Literary bridges at the Volkovsky cemetery in St. Petersburg, where Kuprin is buried.

Episodes of life

In 1905, Alexander Kuprin witnessed the suppression of the Sevastopol uprising. The burning cruiser "Ochakov" was shot from guns, and the sailors fleeing by swimming were mercilessly showered with lead hail. On that sad day, Kuprin managed to help several sailors who miraculously reached the shore. The writer got them civilian clothes and even diverted the attention of the police so that they could freely get out of the danger zone.

One day, having received a large advance, Alexander Ivanovich began to drink heavily. In a drunken stupor, he dragged a dubious group of drinking buddies into the house where his family lived, and, in fact, the fun continued. Kuprin's wife endured the revelry for a long time, but a flaming match dropped on her dress was the last straw. In a fit of fury, Davydova broke a carafe of water on her husband’s head. The husband could not bear the insult. He left the house, scribbling on a piece of paper: “It’s all over between us. We won't see each other again."

Covenant

“Language is the history of a people. Language is the path of civilization and culture. That’s why studying and preserving the Russian language is not an idle activity because there is nothing better to do, but an urgent necessity.”

Documentary film “Kuprin’s Ruby Bracelet” from State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company “Culture”

Condolences

“Kuprin is a bright, healthy talent.”
Maxim Gorky, writer

“By the scope of his talent, by his living language, Kuprin graduated not only from the ‘literary conservatory’, but also from several literary academies.”
Konstantin Paustovsky, writer

“He was a romantic. He was the captain of juvenile novels, sea ​​wolf with a snorkel in his teeth, a regular at the port pubs. He felt brave and strong, rough in appearance and poetically tender in spirit.”
Teffi, poetess

Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin is a famous Russian writer and translator. He made a significant contribution to the fund of Russian literature. His works were particularly realistic, thanks to which he received recognition in various strata of society.

Brief biography of Kuprin

We present to your attention short biography Kuprina. It, like everything else, contains many interesting facts.

Childhood and parents

Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin was born on August 26, 1870 in the city of Narovchat, in the family of a simple official. When little Alexander was only one year old, his father, Ivan Ivanovich, died.

After the death of her husband, the mother of the future writer, Lyubov Alekseevna, decided to go to Moscow. It was in this city that Kuprin spent his childhood and youth.

Training and the beginning of a creative path

When young Sasha was 6 years old, he was sent to study at the Moscow Orphan School, from which he graduated in 1880.

Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin

In 1887, Kuprin was enrolled in the Alexander Military School.

During this period of his biography, he had to face various difficulties, which he would later write about in the stories “At the Turning Point (Cadets)” and “Junkers”.

Alexander Ivanovich had good ability to write poetry, but they remained unpublished.

In 1890, the writer served in an infantry regiment with the rank of second lieutenant.

While in this rank, he writes such stories as “Inquiry”, “In the Dark”, “Night Shift” and “Hike”.

Creativity flourishes

In 1894, Kuprin decided to resign, being at that time already in the rank of lieutenant. Immediately after this, he begins to travel around, meeting different people and gaining new knowledge.

During this period, he manages to meet Maxim Gorky and.

Kuprin’s biography is interesting in that he immediately took all the impressions and experiences he received during his considerable travels as the basis for future works.

In 1905, the story “The Duel” was published, which received real recognition in society. In 1911 his very meaningful work « Garnet bracelet", which made Kuprin truly famous.

It should be noted that it was easy for him to write not only serious literature, but also children's stories.

Emigration

One of the most important moments The October Revolution became the life of Kuprin. In a short biography it is difficult to describe all the writer’s experiences associated with this time.

Let us briefly note that he flatly refused to accept the ideology of war communism and the terror associated with it. Having assessed the current situation, Kuprin almost immediately decides to emigrate to France.

In a foreign land, he continues to write novels and short stories, as well as engage in translation activities. For Alexander Kuprin it was unthinkable to live without creativity, which is clearly visible throughout his biography.

Return to Russia

Over time, in addition to financial difficulties, Kuprin is increasingly beginning to feel nostalgia for his homeland. He manages to return back to Russia only after 17 years. Then he writes his last piece, which is called “Native Moscow”.

Last years of life and death

Soviet officials benefited from a famous writer returning to his homeland. They tried to create from him the image of a repentant writer who came from a foreign land to sing the praises of the happy.

However, the internal memos of the competent authorities record that Kuprin is weak, ill, incapacitated and, practically, unable to write anything.

By the way, this is why information appeared that “Native Moscow” belongs not to Kuprin himself, but to the journalist assigned to him, N.K. Verzhbitsky.

On August 25, 1938, Alexander Kuprin died of esophageal cancer. He was buried in Leningrad at the Volkovsky cemetery, next to the great writer.

• When Kuprin was not yet famous, he managed to master many different professions. He worked in a circus, was an artist, a teacher, a land surveyor and a journalist. In total, he mastered more than 20 different professions.
• The writer's first wife, Maria Karlovna, really did not like the unrest and disorganization in Kuprin's work. For example, having caught him sleeping at work, she deprived him of breakfast. And when he didn't write necessary chapters for some story, his wife refused to let him into the house. How can one not remember the American scientist who was under pressure from his wife!
• Kuprin loved to dress in national Tatar attire and walk the streets like that. On his mother's side he had Tatar roots, which he was always proud of.
• Kuprin personally communicated with Lenin. He suggested that the leader create a newspaper for villagers called “Earth”.
• In 2014, the television series “Kuprin” was filmed, telling about the life of the writer.
• According to the recollections of his contemporaries, Kuprin was truly a very kind person who was not indifferent to the destinies of others.
• Many are named after Kuprin settlements, streets and libraries.

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Kuprin Alexander Ivanovich is one of the most prominent figures Russian literature 1st half of the 20th century. He is the author of such famous works, like “Olesya”, “Garnet Bracelet”, “Moloch”, “Duel”, “Junkers”, “Cadets”, etc. Alexander Ivanovich an unusual, worthy life. Fate was sometimes harsh to him. Both the childhood of Alexander Kuprin and mature years marked by instability in various fields life. He had to fight alone for financial independence, fame, recognition and the right to be called a writer. Kuprin went through many hardships. His childhood and youth were especially difficult. We will talk about all this in detail.

The origin of the future writer

Kuprin Alexander Ivanovich was born in 1870. His hometown- Narovchat. Today it is located in the House where Kuprin was born, which is currently a museum (its photo is presented below). Kuprin's parents were not wealthy. Ivan Ivanovich, the father of the future writer, belonged to a family of impoverished nobles. He served as a minor official and drank often. When Alexander was only in his second year, Ivan Ivanovich Kuprin died of cholera. The childhood of the future writer thus passed without a father. His only support was his mother, which is worth talking about separately.

Mother of Alexander Kuprin

Lyubov Alekseevna Kuprina (nee Kulunchakova), the boy’s mother, was forced to settle in the Widow’s House in Moscow. It is from here that the first memories flow that Ivan Kuprin shared with us. His childhood is largely connected with the image of his mother. She played the role of a supreme being in the boy’s life and was the whole world for the future writer. Alexander Ivanovich recalled that this woman was strong-willed, strong, strict, similar to an eastern princess (the Kulunchaks belonged to an old family of Tatar princes). Even in the squalid surroundings of the Widow's House, she remained like this. During the day, Lyubov Alekseevna was strict, but in the evening she turned into a mysterious sorceress and told her son fairy tales, which she rewrote in her own way. These interesting stories Kuprin listened with pleasure. His childhood, which was very harsh, was brightened up by tales of distant lands and unknown creatures. While still being Ivanovich was faced with a sad reality. However, difficulties did not prevent such a person from realizing himself as a writer. talented person like Kuprin.

Childhood spent in the Widow's House

Alexander Kuprin's childhood was spent far from the comfort of noble estates, dinner parties, his father's libraries, where he could sneak quietly at night, Christmas gifts, which he so delightfully looked for under the tree at dawn. But he knew well the drabness of orphans’ rooms, the meager gifts given out on holidays, the smell of government clothes and slaps from teachers, which they did not skimp on. Of course, his personality was left imprinted early childhood His subsequent years were marked by new difficulties. We should briefly talk about them.

Kuprin's military drill childhood

There weren't many options for kids in his position. future fate. One of them is a military career. Lyubov Alekseevna, taking care of her child, decided to make her son a military man. Alexander Ivanovich soon had to part with his mother. A dull military drill period began in his life, which continued Kuprin’s childhood. His biography from this time is marked by the fact that he spent several years in government institutions in Moscow. First there was the Razumovsky orphanage, after a while - the Moscow Cadet Corps, and then the Alexander Military School. Kuprin hated each of these temporary shelters in his own way. The future writer was equally irritated by the stupidity of his superiors, the institutional environment, spoiled peers, the narrow-mindedness of educators and teachers, the “cult of the fist,” the same uniform for everyone and public flogging.

This was how difficult Kuprin’s childhood was. It is important for children to have loved one, and in this sense, Alexander Ivanovich was lucky - he was supported by a loving mother. She died in 1910.

Kuprin goes to Kyiv

Kuprin Alexander, after graduating from college, spent another 4 years at military service. He retired at the first opportunity (in 1894). Lieutenant Kuprin took off his military uniform forever. He decided to move to Kyiv.

The real test for the future writer was Big city. Kuprin Alexander Ivanovich spent his entire life in government institutions, so he was not adapted to independent life. On this occasion, he later ironized that in Kyiv it was like a “Smolyanka institute” who was taken into the wilds of the forests at night and left without a compass, food and clothing. It was not easy for such a great writer as Alexander Kuprin at this time. Interesting Facts about him during his stay in Kyiv are also connected with what Alexander had to do in order to earn his living.

How Kuprin made a living

In order to survive, Alexander took on almost any business. He is in short time I tried myself as a shag seller, a construction foreman, a carpenter, an office worker, a factory worker, a blacksmith's assistant, and a psalm-reader. At one time, Alexander Ivanovich even seriously thought about entering a monastery. Kuprin’s difficult childhood, briefly described above, probably forever left a mark on the soul of the future writer, who youth I had to face harsh reality. Therefore, his desire to retire to a monastery is understandable. However, Alexander Ivanovich was destined for a different fate. He soon found himself in the literary field.

Important literary and life experience became a reporter in Kyiv newspapers. Alexander Ivanovich wrote about everything - about politics, murders, social problems. He also had to fill out entertainment columns and write cheap, melodramatic stories, which, by the way, enjoyed considerable success among the unsophisticated reader.

First serious works

Little by little, serious works began to emerge from Kuprin’s pen. The story "Inquiry" (another title is "From the Distant Past") was published in 1894. Then the collection “Kyiv Types” appeared, in which Alexander Kuprin included his essays. His work from this period is marked by many other works. After some time, a collection of stories called "Miniatures" was published. The story "Moloch", published in 1996, made a name for the aspiring writer. His fame was strengthened by the subsequent works “Olesya” and “Cadets”.

Moving to St. Petersburg

In this city a new one began for Alexander Ivanovich, bright life with many meetings, acquaintances, carousings and creative achievements. Contemporaries recalled that Kuprin loved to have a good walk. In particular, Andrei Sedykh, a Russian writer, noted that in his youth he lived wildly, was often drunk and at that time became scary. Alexander Ivanovich could do reckless things and sometimes even cruel ones. And Nadezhda Teffi, a writer, recalls that he was a very complex person, by no means the kind-hearted and simpleton that he might seem at first glance.

Kuprin explained that creative activity took a lot of energy and strength from him. For every success, as well as for failure, I had to pay with my health, nerves, and my own soul. But gossips they saw only unsightly tinsel, and then there were invariably rumors that Alexander Ivanovich was a reveler, a rowdy and a drunkard.

New works

No matter how Kuprin splashed out his ardor, he always returned to his desk after another drinking session. During the wild period of his life in St. Petersburg, Alexander Ivanovich wrote his now iconic story “The Duel.” His stories “Swamp”, “Shulamith”, “Staff Captain Rybnikov”, “River of Life”, “Gambrinus” belong to the same period. After some time, already in Odessa, he completed the “Garnet Bracelet” and also began creating the “Listrigons” cycle.

Personal life of Kuprin

In the capital, he met his first wife, Davydova Maria Karlovna. From her Kuprin had a daughter, Lydia. Maria Davydova gave the world a book called “Years of Youth.” After some time, their marriage broke up. Alexander Kuprin married 5 years later to Heinrich Elizaveta Moritsovna. He lived with this woman until his death. Kuprin has two daughters from his second marriage. The first is Zinaida, who died early from pneumonia. The second daughter, Ksenia, became famous Soviet actress and a model.

Moving to Gatchina

Kuprin, tired of the tension metropolitan life, left St. Petersburg in 1911. He moved to Gatchina (a small town located 8 km from the capital). Here, in his “green” house, he settled with his family. In Gatchina, everything is conducive to creativity - the silence of a dacha town, a shady garden with poplars, a spacious terrace. This city today is closely associated with the name of Kuprin. There is a library and a street named after him, as well as a monument dedicated to him.

Emigration to Paris

However, sedate happiness came to an end in 1919. At first, Kuprin was mobilized into the army on the side of the whites, and a year later the whole family emigrated to Paris. Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin will return to his homeland only after 18 years, already at an advanced age.

IN different time The reasons for the writer's emigration were interpreted differently. As Soviet biographers claimed, he was almost forcibly taken away by the White Guards and all subsequent long years, until his return, he languished in a foreign land. Ill-wishers sought to prick him, presenting him as a traitor who exchanged his homeland and talent for foreign benefits.

Return to homeland and death of the writer

If you believe numerous memoirs, letters, diaries, which became available to the public a little later, then Kuprin objectively did not accept the revolution and the established government. He called her familiarly "scoop."

When he returned home as a broken old man, he was driven through the streets to demonstrate the achievements of the USSR. Alexander Ivanovich said that the Bolsheviks - wonderful people. One thing is unclear - where they get so much money from.

Nevertheless, Kuprin did not regret returning to his homeland. For him, Paris was a beautiful city, but alien. Kuprin died on August 25, 1938. He died of esophageal cancer. The next day, a crowd of thousands surrounded the Writers' House in St. Petersburg. Both famous colleagues of Alexander Ivanovich and loyal fans of his work came. They all gathered to send to last way Kuprina.

The childhood of the writer A.I. Kuprin, unlike the youth of many other literary figures of that time, was very difficult. However, it was largely thanks to all these difficulties he experienced that he found himself in creativity. Kuprin, whose childhood and youth were spent in poverty, acquired both material well-being and fame. Today we get acquainted with his work back in our school years.