The main works of Saltykov Shchedrin list. Saltykov-Shchedrin: list of fairy tales. Satire in the fairy-tale works of Saltykov-Shchedrin

Saltykov-Shchedrin (pseudonym - N. Shchedrin) Mikhail Evgrafovich (1826 - 1889), prose writer.

Born on January 15 (27 NS) in the village of Spas-Ugol, Tver province, into an old noble family. His childhood years were spent on his father's family estate in "... the years... of the very height of serfdom", in one of the remote corners of "Poshekhonye". Observations of this life will subsequently be reflected in the writer’s books.

Having received a good education at home, Saltykov at the age of 10 was accepted as a boarder at the Moscow Noble Institute, where he spent two years, then in 1838 he was transferred to the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. Here he began to write poetry, having been greatly influenced by the articles of Belinsky and Herzen, and the works of Gogol.

In 1844, after graduating from the Lyceum, he served as an official in the office of the War Ministry. “...Everywhere there is duty, everywhere there is coercion, everywhere there is boredom and lies...” - this is how he described bureaucratic Petersburg. Another life was more attractive to Saltykov: communication with writers, visiting Petrashevsky’s “Fridays,” where philosophers, scientists, writers, and military men gathered, united by anti-serfdom sentiments and the search for the ideals of a just society.

Saltykov’s first stories, “Contradictions” (1847), “A Confused Affair” (1848), with their acute social problems, attracted the attention of the authorities, frightened by the French Revolution of 1848. The writer was exiled to Vyatka for “... a harmful way of thinking and a destructive desire to spread ideas that have already shaken the whole of Western Europe...". For eight years he lived in Vyatka, where in 1850 he was appointed to the position of adviser to the provincial government. This made it possible to often go on business trips and observe the bureaucratic world and peasant life. The impressions of these years will influence the satirical direction of the writer’s work.

At the end of 1855, after the death of Nicholas I, having received the right to “live wherever he wishes,” he returned to St. Petersburg and resumed his literary work. In 1856 - 1857, “Provincial Sketches” were written, published on behalf of the “court adviser N. Shchedrin,” who became known throughout reading Russia, which named him Gogol’s heir.

At this time, he married the 17-year-old daughter of the Vyatka vice-governor, E. Boltina. Saltykov sought to combine the work of a writer with public service. In 1856 - 1858 he was an official of special assignments in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where work on preparing the peasant reform was concentrated.

In 1858 - 1862 he served as vice-governor in Ryazan, then in Tver. I always tried to surround myself at my place of work with honest, young and educated people, firing bribe-takers and thieves.

During these years, stories and essays appeared (“Innocent Stories”, 1857㬻 “Satires in Prose”, 1859 - 62), as well as articles on the peasant question.

In 1862, the writer retired, moved to St. Petersburg and, at the invitation of Nekrasov, joined the editorial staff of the Sovremennik magazine, which at that time was experiencing enormous difficulties (Dobrolyubov died, Chernyshevsky was imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress). Saltykov took on a huge amount of writing and editing work. But he paid most attention to the monthly review “Our Social Life,” which became a monument to Russian journalism of the 1860s.

In 1864 Saltykov left the editorial office of Sovremennik. The reason was internal disagreements on the tactics of social struggle in the new conditions. He returned to government service.

In 1865 - 1868 he headed the State Chambers in Penza, Tula, Ryazan; observations of the life of these cities formed the basis of “Letters about the Province” (1869). The frequent change of duty stations is explained by conflicts with the heads of the provinces, at whom the writer “laughed” in grotesque pamphlets. After a complaint from the Ryazan governor, Saltykov was dismissed in 1868 with the rank of full state councilor. He moved to St. Petersburg and accepted N. Nekrasov’s invitation to become co-editor of the journal Otechestvennye zapiski, where he worked from 1868 to 1884. Saltykov now switched entirely to literary activity. In 1869 he wrote “The History of a City” - the pinnacle of his satirical art.

In 1875 - 1876 he was treated abroad, visiting Western European countries in different years of his life. In Paris he met with Turgenev, Flaubert, Zola.

In the 1880s, Saltykov's satire reached its climax in its anger and grotesquery: "Modern Idyll" (1877 - 83); "Messrs. Golovlevs" (1880); "Poshekhonsky stories" (1883㭐).

In 1884, the journal Otechestvennye zapiski was closed, after which Saltykov was forced to publish in the journal Vestnik Evropy.

In the last years of his life, the writer created his masterpieces: “Fairy Tales” (1882 - 86); "Little things in life" (1886 - 87); autobiographical novel "Poshekhon Antiquity" (1887 - 89).

A few days before his death, he wrote the first pages of a new work, “Forgotten Words,” where he wanted to remind the “motley people” of the 1880s about the words they had lost: “conscience, fatherland, humanity... others are still out there...”.

Saltykov-Shchedrin's fairy tales combine folklore motifs and satire, inherent in all literary activities of the Russian writer. Most of them were created in the late period of this author’s work. What works did Saltykov-Shchedrin write? A list of fairy tales and their brief analysis are presented in the article.

Social satire

Saltykov-Shchedrin turned to this genre more than once. The list of fairy tales does not include such works as “The History of a City”, “A Modern Idyll”, “Abroad”. But they also contain fantastic motives.

It is no coincidence that the writer often resorted to the fairy tale genre in the eighties. It was during this period that the socio-political situation in Russia became so aggravated that it became increasingly difficult for the writer to use his satirical potential. Folklore stories, the heroes of which are often animals and other living creatures, have become one of the ways to circumvent censorship restrictions.

Fiction and reality

What did Saltykov-Shchedrin rely on to create his small works? The list of fairy tales is a list of works, each of which is based on folk art and satire in the spirit of Krylov's fables. In addition, the writer’s work was influenced by the traditions of Western European romanticism. But, despite the borrowing of various motifs, the short works created by Saltykov-Shchedrin are completely original in genre.

List of fairy tales

"Bogatyr".
"Hyena".
"Wild landowner."
"Conscience is gone."
"The wise minnow."
"Poor wolf."
"Selfless hare."
"Kissel".
"Horse".
"Watching Eye"
"Idle talk."
"Liberal".
"By the way."
"Christ's Night".

Heroes

In the fairy-tale works of Saltykov-Shchedrin there are two forces, depicted not without a hint of social inequality. One of them is the people. The second is, of course, the elements that exploit ordinary workers. The people, as a rule, were symbolized by birds and defenseless animals. Idle but dangerous landowners were personified by predators.

The above list includes the fairy tale “The Horse”. In this work, the main image symbolizes the Russian peasantry. Thanks to the work of the Konyagas, grain is harvested in the endless fields of the country. But he has neither rights nor freedom. His lot is endless hard labor.

A generalized image of the Russian peasant is also present in the work “The Wild Landowner”. One of the most striking images in Russian literature of the 19th century is the simple, humble worker - a character who can so often be met while reading short tales by Saltykov-Shchedrin. The list should be supplemented with the following works:

"Idle talk."
"Village Fire"
"The Raven Petitioner."
"Christmas tale".
"Eagle Patron".

Saltykov-Shchedrin (pseudonym - N. Shchedrin) Mikhail Evgrafovich- Russian satirist writer.

Born in the village of Spas-Ugol, Tver province, into an old noble family. His childhood years were spent on his father's family estate in "... the years... of the very height of serfdom", in one of the remote corners of "Poshekhonye". Observations of this life will subsequently be reflected in the writer’s books.

In 1858 - 1862 he served as vice-governor in Ryazan, then in Tver. I always tried to surround myself at my place of work with honest, young and educated people, firing bribe-takers and thieves.

During these years, stories and essays appeared (“Innocent Stories”, 1857㬻 “Satires in Prose”, 1859 - 62), as well as articles on the peasant question.

In 1864 Saltykov left the editorial office of Sovremennik. The reason was internal disagreements on the tactics of social struggle in the new conditions. He returned to government service.

In 1875 - 1876 he was treated abroad, visiting Western European countries in different years of his life. In Paris he met with Turgenev, Flaubert, Zola.

In the 1880s, Saltykov's satire reached its climax in its anger and grotesquery: "Modern Idyll" (1877 - 83); "Messrs. Golovlevs" (1880); "Poshekhonsky stories" (1883㭐).

In 1884, the journal Otechestvennye zapiski was closed, after which Saltykov was forced to publish in the journal Vestnik Evropy.

In the last years of his life, the writer created his masterpieces: “Fairy Tales” (1882 - 86); "Little things in life" (1886 - 87); autobiographical novel "Poshekhon Antiquity" (1887 - 89).

M. Saltykov-Shchedrin died in St. Petersburg.

Years of life: from 01/15/1826 to 04/28/1889

Russian writer, publicist. Both the satirical works of Saltykov-Shchedrin and his psychological prose are known. Classic of Russian literature.

M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin (real name Saltykov, pseudonym N. Shchedrin) was born in the Tver province, on the estate of his parents. His father was a hereditary nobleman, his mother came from a merchant family. Saltykov-Shchedrin was the sixth child in the family; he received his initial education at home. At the age of 10, the future writer entered the Moscow Noble Institute, from where two years later he was transferred to the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum as one of the best students. At the Lyceum, Saltykov-Shchedrin’s literary passions began to manifest themselves; he wrote poems that were published in student publications, but the writer himself did not feel a poetic gift in himself, and subsequent researchers of his work do not rate these poetic experiments highly. During his studies, Saltykov-Shchedrin became close to the lyceum graduate M.V. Butashevich-Petrashevsky, who had a serious influence on the worldview of the future writer.

After graduating from the Lyceum in 1844, Saltykov-Shchedrin was enlisted in the office of the Minister of War and only two years later received his first full-time position there - assistant secretary. At that time, literature interested the young man much more than service. In 1847-48, the first stories by Saltykov-Shchedrin were published in the journal Otechestvennye zapiski: “Contradictions” and “A Confused Affair.” Shchedrin’s critical statements towards the authorities came precisely at the time when the February Revolution in France was reflected in Russia by tightening censorship and punishments for “free thinking.” For the story “A Confused Affair,” Saltykov-Shchedrin was actually exiled to Vyatka, where he received a position as a clerical official under the Vyatka provincial government. During his exile, Saltykov-Shchedrin served as a senior official for special assignments under the Vyatka governor, held the position of ruler of the governor's office, and was an adviser to the provincial government.

In 1855, Saltykov-Shchedrin was finally allowed to leave Vyatka; in February 1856 he was assigned to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and then appointed an official of special assignments under the minister. Returning from exile, Saltykov-Shchedrin resumes literary activity. Written based on materials collected during his stay in Vyatka, “Provincial Sketches” quickly gained popularity among readers, Shchedrin’s name became famous. In March 1858, Saltykov-Shchedrin was appointed vice-governor of Ryazan, and in April 1860 he was transferred to the same position in Tver. At this time, the writer works a lot, collaborating with various magazines, but mainly with Sovremennik. In 1958-62, two collections were published: “Innocent Stories” and “Satires in Prose,” in which the city of Foolov first appeared. In the same 1862, Saltykov-Shchedrin decided to devote himself entirely to literature and resigned. For several years, the writer took an active part in the publication of Sovremennik. In 1864, Saltykov-Shchedrin returned to service again, and until his final retirement in 1868, practically no works of his appeared in print.

Nevertheless, Shchedrin’s craving for literature remained the same, and as soon as Nekrasov was appointed editor-in-chief of Otechestvennye Zapiski in 1868, Shchedrin became one of the main employees of the magazine. It was in “Notes of the Fatherland” (of which Saltykov-Shchedrin became the editor-in-chief after Nekrasov’s death) that the writer’s most significant works were published. In addition to the well-known “The History of a City,” which was published in 1870, a number of collections of Shchedrin’s stories were published during the period 1868–1884, and in 1880, the novel “The Golovlev Gentlemen” was published. In April 1884, Otechestvennye zapiski was closed by personal order of the chief censor of Russia, head of the Main Directorate for Press Affairs, Evgeniy Feoktistov. The closure of the magazine was a big blow for Saltykov-Shchedrin, who felt that he was deprived of the opportunity to address the reader. The writer’s health, already not brilliant, was completely undermined. In the years following the ban on Otechestvennye Zapiski, Saltykov-Shchedrin published his works mainly in Vestnik Evropy; in 1886-1887, the last collections of the writer’s stories during his lifetime were published, and after his death, the novel Poshekhon Antiquity was published. Saltykov-Shchedrin died on April 28 (May 10), 1889 and was buried, according to his wishes, at the Volkovsky cemetery, next to I. S. Turgenev.

Bibliography

Stories and novels
Controversies (1847)
Entangled Case (1848)
(1870)
(1880)
Monrepos Asylum (1882)
(1890)

Collections of stories and essays
(1856)
Innocent Tales (1863)
Satires in Prose (1863)
Letters from the Province (1870)
Signs of the Times (1870)