Representative of the conservative Christian direction of Russian literature.
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Shmelev's first literary experiments date back to his time studying at the Moscow gymnasium. His first published work was the sketch "At the Mill" in 1895 in the magazine "Russian Review"; in 1897, a collection of essays “On the Rocks of Valaam” appeared in print, which was soon banned by tsarist censorship.
In 1907, Shmelev, then an official in the Vladimir province, was in active correspondence with Maxim Gorky and sent him his story “Under the Mountains” for review. After a positive assessment of the latter, Shmelev completed the story “To the Sun”, begun back in 1905, followed by “Citizen Ukleikin” (1907), “In the Hole” (1909), “Under the Sky” (1910), “Treacle” ( 1911). The writer's works of this period are characterized by a realistic style and the theme of the “little man”.
In 1909, Shmelev joined literary circle"Wednesday". In 1911, his story “The Man from the Restaurant” appeared in print. Since 1912, Shmelev has been collaborating with Bunin, becoming one of the founders of the “Book Publishing House of Writers in Moscow,” with which his subsequent work was associated for many years.
In 1912-14, several of his novellas and short stories were published: “Grapes”, “The Wall”, “Shy Silence”, “Wolf Roll”, “Rosstani”, dedicated to describing the life of the merchants, peasants, and the emerging bourgeoisie. Subsequently, two collections of prose were published, “The Hidden Face” and “Carousel,” as well as a collection of essays “Harsh Days” (1916); they were followed by the story “How It Was” (1919), telling about the events Civil War, and the story “Alien Blood” (1918-23).
Creativity of 1920-1930
A new period in the writer’s work begins after his emigration from Russia in 1922.
"Sun of the Dead" (1923).
The work of the first years of emigration is represented mainly by pamphlet stories: “The Stone Age” (1924), “Two Ivans” (1924), “On the Stumps” (1925), “About an Old Woman” (1925); These works are characterized by motives for criticism of the “lack of spirituality” of Western civilization and pain for the fate that befell the writer’s homeland after the Civil War.
In works written a few years later: “Russian Song” (1926), “Napoleon. My Friend's Story" (1928), "Lunch for Different People" - pictures of the "old life" in Russia in general and Moscow in particular come to the fore. They are characterized by colorful descriptions of religious festivals and rituals, glorification of Russian traditions. In 1929, the book “Entry into Paris” was published. Stories about foreign Russia”, dedicated to the difficult fate of representatives of the Russian emigration. In 1930, Shmelev’s popular popular novel “Soldiers” was published, the plot of which was the events of the First World War.
Shmelev’s greatest fame was brought to him by the novels “Pilgrim” (1931) and “Summer of the Lord” (1933-1948), which give a broad picture of the life of old, “patriarchal” Russia, Moscow and the writer’s favorite Zamoskvorechye region. These works were very popular among Russians abroad.
The last period of creativity
The last period of Shmelev’s life was characterized by homesickness and a craving for monastic solitude. In 1935, his autobiographical essay “Old Valaam” about his long-time trip to the island of Valaam appeared in print; a year later, the novel “Nanny from Moscow” (1936), based on the “tale,” was released, written on behalf of an elderly Russian woman Daria Stepanovna Sinitsina.
In the 1948 post-war novel “Heavenly Paths” about the destinies real people, engineer V.A. Weidenhammer, a religious skeptic, and novice of the Holy Monastery Daria Koroleva, reflected the “theme of the reality of God’s providence in the Earthly World.” The novel remained unfinished: death did not allow the writer to complete his third volume, so only the first two were published.
In 1931 and 1932 he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Productions and film adaptations
- Silent Soviet film by Yakov Protazanov “The Man from the Restaurant” (1927).
- “The Man from the Restaurant” was staged in 2000 by director Marina Glukhovskaya at the Omsk State Chamber Theater “Fifth Theatre”.
- The hand-drawn cartoon “My Love” based on the novel “Love Story” was created in 2006 by Yaroslavl resident Alexander Petrov.
- “The Man from the Restaurant” was staged in 2015 by director Egor Peregudov at the Satyricon Theater.
Shmelev Ivan Sergeevich is a famous Russian writer. In his work, he reflected the life of various strata of society, but he depicted the life of " little man". A photo of Ivan Shmelev is presented below.
Origin of Shmelev
Ivan Sergeevich 1873. He was from a family of Zamoskvoretsk merchants. However, his father's trade was of little interest to him. It contained numerous baths and a team of carpenters. Shmelev's family was an Old Believers, their way of life was unique and democratic. The Old Believers, both owners and ordinary workers, lived in a friendly community. They adhered to rules, spiritual and moral principles common to all. Ivan Shmelev grew up in an atmosphere of universal harmony and friendliness. He absorbed all the best in relationships between people. Years later, these childhood impressions were reflected in his works.
Getting to know the works of the classics
Ivan Sergeevich’s home education was mainly done by his mother. It was she who taught her son to read a lot. Therefore, from childhood, Ivan was familiar with the works of such writers as Pushkin, Gogol, Tolstoy, Turgenev and others. Their study continued throughout his life. Later Ivan Shmelev studied at the gymnasium. His biography is marked by deepening literary knowledge. Ivan Sergeevich enjoyed reading books by Leskov, Korolenko, Uspensky, Melnikov-Pechensky. In a sense, they became his literary idols. Of course, the influence of the works of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin on the formation of the future writer did not cease. This is evidenced by Shmelev’s later works: “The Eternal Ideal”, “The Treasured Meeting”, “The Mystery of Pushkin”.
Literary debut
Ivan Shmelev, whose biography interests us, made his debut as an author in 1895. His story “At the Mill” was published in the magazine “Russian Review”. This work talks about the formation of personality, about a person’s path to creativity through overcoming life’s difficulties, comprehending the destinies and characters of ordinary people.
A disappointing book
After his marriage, Ivan Sergeevich Shmelev went with his young wife to the island of Valaam, where ancient monasteries and monasteries are located.
The biography of many writers is reflected in their work, and Shmelev is no exception. The result of this journey was the book “On the Rocks of Valaam...”. Its publication brought many disappointments to the novice author. The fact is that Pobedonostsev, the chief prosecutor through whom this book was supposed to go through, found seditious reasoning in the work. As a result, Shmelev was forced to shorten the text and redo the work, depriving his creation of the author’s zest. This unsettled Ivan Sergeevich. He decided that literary field- not his path. After that, Ivan Sergeevich did not write for almost 10 years. However, he needed to somehow support his family. Therefore, Ivan Sergeevich Shmelev decided to find a new source of income. The biography of the subsequent years of his life will still be connected with literature. But for now, he decided that he needed to do something else.
Ivan Shmelev becomes a lawyer
Ivan Sergeevich decided to enter Moscow University in order to become a lawyer. Much has changed since that moment, and most importantly - the writer’s environment. In this educational institution a generation of new intelligentsia was trained. Ivan Sergeevich communicated with educated smart people, which enriched and developed his personality, as well as his creative potential. He graduated from the university in 1898. Ivan Shmelev served for some time as an attorney (minor position). Then he moved to Vladimir. Here Ivan Sergeevich began to work. Even in this routine work, Shmelev, being a creative person, was able to find his advantages. He scooped life experience and impressions during numerous travels around the province, visiting crowded inns. Thus, ideas for his future books gradually accumulated.
Return to literary creativity
Shmelev decided to return to writing in 1905. In the magazines "Russian Thought" and " Children's reading"His works began to appear. They were small, rather timid tests, a kind of test by Shmelev of himself in the writing field. Doubts finally disappeared. Ivan Sergeevich was finally confirmed in his choice. He decided to leave the service. Ivan Shmelev came to the capital. In 1907 the year began new stage his literary activity.
It was then that the experience of communicating with people, acquired while traveling around the world, came in handy. Writer Ivan Shmelev already understood then that some new power is maturing among the people, protest sentiments are emerging, and there is a readiness for change, including through revolution. All these observations were reflected in Ivan Sergeevich’s short prose.
"Disintegration"
In 1906, his story entitled “Disintegration” appeared. It describes the story of the relationship between a father and his son. The father does not want any changes, he is used to doing everything the old fashioned way. This is the owner of a brick factory. His son, on the contrary, longs for change. He is overwhelmed with new ideas. Thus, a conflict of generations arises within the same family. Circumstances lead to the death of both heroes. The tragic ending, however, does not inspire pessimism and a sense of hopelessness.
"The Man from the Restaurant"
“The Man from the Restaurant” is Shmelev’s next story. She is often called business card this writer. The story appeared in 1910. It also touched on the topic of fathers and sons. However, this time events are unfolding against the backdrop of revolutionary sentiment raging in society. The focus of Ivan Sergeevich’s attention, however, is not social problems, but human relationships, the problem of life choice.
"Revolution of Life"
Shmelev and his wife moved to the Kaluga estate after the outbreak of World War I. At this time he made a new discovery for himself. It turns out that war not only disfigures a person physically, but also morally. The hero of Shmelev's new story "The Turn of Life" is a carpenter. During the war years, his business improved significantly due to orders for crosses and coffins. At first, the influx of money consoled the master, but over time he realized that money earned from people’s grief did not bring happiness.
Shooting of son
Sergei Shmelev, the son of Ivan Sergeevich, soon went to the front. He served in the Alushta commandant's office, in Wrangel's army. The latter had already fled when the Red Army took Alushta. This is how Sergei Shmelev ended up in captivity. The father tried in vain to do everything to save his son. Sergei Shmelev was shot. This was a heavy blow for his parents.
Emigration
Ivan Sergeevich, having survived the famine in 1921, decided to emigrate. First, he and his wife moved to Berlin (in 1922), and then, at the invitation of Bunin, he went to Paris (in 1923). Here he lived until the end of his life. The years of emigration are a new stage not only in Shmelev’s life, but also in his work.
"Sun of the Dead"
The Sun of the Dead, the famous epic novel, was written during this time. This work has been translated into English, German, French and other languages. Shmelev's book became a real discovery not only in domestic but also in world literature. In the work of Ivan Sergeevich, an attempt was made to honestly look at the very essence of the tragedy that befell Russian society.
"Summer of the Lord" (Ivan Shmelev)
The works of Ivan Sergeevich were created at a difficult time for our country. The impressions of the last years spent in Russia formed the basis for Shmelev’s next novel, “The Summer of the Lord.” The writer, painting pictures of Orthodox holidays, reveals the soul of the Russian people. Turning to his childhood years, Ivan Sergeevich captured the perception of the world by a believing child who trustingly accepted God into his heart. The merchant and peasant environment in the book does not appear " dark kingdom", but organic and whole world, full internal culture, moral health, humanity and love. Shmelev is far from sentimentality or romantic stylization. He depicts the true way of life, without obscuring its cruel and rude sides, its “sorrows”. For the pure soul of a child, existence reveals itself mainly through its joyful, bright side. The existence of heroes is closely connected with worship and church life. For the first time in the domestic fiction an important layer was so completely and deeply recreated folk life- church-religious. The spiritual life of a Christian is revealed in the prayerful states of the heroes and their psychological experiences.
"Nanny from Moscow"
Ivan Sergeevich’s novel “Nanny from Moscow” talks about the fate of a simple woman who found herself, by force of circumstances, in Paris. The writer tells his story using sympathetic soft tones with notes light irony. At the same time, the reader feels pain and great sorrow in the author’s attitude to what is happening. The work is written in the form of a tale, Shmelev’s favorite. It should be noted that the writer has achieved unsurpassed skill in it. Nanny Daria Stepanovna is characterized by inner calm, deep faith, spiritual health and boundless kindness. The nanny's pupil is a wayward, careless, capricious girl. The author shows her character with good humor.
"Paths of Heaven"
Shmelev Ivan Sergeevich, whose works we are describing, began working on his next novel called “Heavenly Paths” and practically finished it. However, at this time Olga, his beloved wife, passed away after illness. This happened in 1933. Shmelev Ivan Sergeevich could not imagine his existence without this woman. The writer had to go through a lot after her death. He was about to continue his romance, but his life was stopped by a sudden heart attack.
Among the bustle of everyday life, the anniversary somehow went completely unnoticed - the 140th anniversary of the birth of the wonderful Russian writer Ivan Shmelev...
“Shmelev is now the last and only Russian writer from whom you can still learn the richness, power and freedom of the Russian language. Of all Russians, Shmelev is the most Russian, and even a native, born Muscovite, with a Moscow dialect, with Moscow independence and freedom of spirit.”
(A. I. Kuprin)
“Most of all, I love Ivan Sergeevich Shmelev. He is a fiery heart and the most subtle connoisseur of the Russian language. The uterine, earthly, earthly and overground languages, and all the varieties of Russian speech are known to him like a magician. He is a truly Russian person, and every time, as with you talk to him, you part with him enriched - and having again found yourself, the best that is in your soul.
Shmelev, in my opinion, is the most valuable writer of all the current ones living abroad or there, in this Devil's swamp. However, there is almost no one there. And among foreigners, he alone truly burns with the unquenchable fire of sacrifice and recreation, in images, of true Rus'."(Konstantin Balmont)
Ivan Sergeevich Shmelev was born on October 3 (September 21 according to the old style) 1873 in the Donskaya Sloboda of Moscow, in the house at the address: B. Kaluzhskaya, 13, into the famous Moscow merchant family of the Shmelevs. The Shmelev family was prosperous, Orthodox with a patriarchal spirit. Shmelev's childhood was spent in close communication with artisans, which allowed him to get to know and love people's, working Russia well.
Initially, Shmelev was educated at home, where his mother acted as a teacher, who gradually introduced young writer into the world of literature (study of Pushkin, Gogol, Tolstoy, etc.) Then he studied at the sixth Moscow gymnasium. After graduation, he entered the Faculty of Law of Moscow University in 1894. And then, 4 years later, having graduated from it, he passes military service for 1 year and further he serves as an official in remote places of the Moscow and Vladimir provinces.Shmelev’s desire for literary creativity awoke while still studying at a Moscow gymnasium. In 1895, the first story “At the Mill” was published in the magazine “Russian Review”. In the same year, making honeymoon on Valaam, Shmelev stopped by the Trinity-Sergius Lavra to receive the blessing of the revered ascetic, Hieromonk Barnabas of Gethsemane. The elder predicted to Shmelev the “cross” of suffering ahead of him, received his sight and strengthened his gift for writing, saying: “You will exalt yourself with your talent.”
The book of essays “On the Rocks of Valaam” (1897), describing the Valaam Monastery from the point of view of a secular tourist, was, according to Shmelev, naive, immature and was not successful with the reader. Shmelev retired from writing for 10 years. Having graduated from the Faculty of Law of Moscow University in 1898, he served as an official in the central provinces of Russia. “I knew the capital, the small craft people, the way of life merchant life. Now I recognized the village, the provincial bureaucracy, the small nobility,” Shmelev would later say.Shmelev's pre-revolutionary works were inspired by faith in the earthly happiness of people in a joyful future, hopes for social progress and enlightenment of the people, and expectations of changes in the social system of Russia. Questions of faith and religious consciousness at this time occupied the writer little: having been carried away in his youth by the ideas of Darwinism, Tolstoyism, socialism, Shmelev for many years departs from the Church and becomes, by his own admission, “nobody by faith.” However, already during this period, the themes of suffering and compassion for man, which were very important for Shmelev, were clearly heard in his works, which would become decisive in all subsequent work.
I.S. Shmelev with his wife Olga Alexandrovna and son Sergei
Shmelev initially accepted the February Revolution with enthusiasm and enthusiasm, like many of his contemporaries. He travels to Siberia to meet political prisoners, speaks at meetings and rallies, and talks about the “wonderful idea of socialism.” But soon Shmelev has to become disillusioned with the revolution, he discovers it for himself the black side, sees in all this violence against the fate of Russia. He did not immediately accept the October revolution, and its subsequent events entailed a worldview change in the writer’s soul.
During the revolution, Shmelev left with his family for Alushta, where he bought a house with a plot of land. In the fall of 1920, Crimea was occupied by red units. The fate of Sergei, Shmelev’s only son, turned out to be tragic. A twenty-five-year-old officer of the Russian army, while in the hospital, was arrested. Despite all his father's efforts to free Sergei, he was sentenced to death.
Sergey Shmelev
This event, as well as the terrible famine his family experienced in the occupied city, and the horrors of the massacre carried out by the Bolsheviks in Crimea in 1920-1921, led Shmelev to severe mental depression.
Shmelev could not accept when all life around was dying, there was widespread red terror, evil, hunger, and brutalization of people. In connection with these experiences, the writer writes the epic “Sun of the Dead” (1924), where he reveals his personal impressions of the revolution and the Civil War. Shmelev depicts the triumph of evil, hunger, banditry, and the gradual loss of humanity by people. The style of the narration reflects the extreme despair, the confused consciousness of the narrator, who is unable to understand how such a rampant of unpunished evil could happen, why “ Stone Age"with his animal laws. The image of empty skies and dead sun: “I don’t have God. The blue sky is empty..." Shmelev's epic, which captured the tragedy of the Russian people with enormous artistic power, was translated into many languages and brought the author European fame.
Emigration
The writer had a hard time experiencing the tragic events associated with the revolution and military events, and upon arriving in Moscow, he seriously thought about emigrating. I.A. actively participated in making this decision. Bunin, who invited Shmelev abroad, promising to help his family in every possible way. In January 1923, Shmelev finally left Russia for Paris, where he lived for 27 years.
The years spent in exile are distinguished by active, fruitful creative activity. Shmelev is published in many emigrant publications: “ Latest news", "Renaissance", "Illustrated Russia", "Today", "Modern Notes", "Russian Thought", etc.
And all these years, Ivan Sergeevich suffered separation from his homeland. He returned to Russia in his work.The most famous book Shmeleva - “The Summer of the Lord.” Turning to his childhood years, Shmelev captured the worldview of a believing child who trustingly accepted God into his heart. The peasant and merchant environment appears in the book not as a wild “dark kingdom”, but as a holistic and organic world, full of moral health, internal culture, love and humanity. Shmelev is far from romantic stylization or sentimentality. He depicts the true way of Russian life of not so long ago, without glossing over the rough and cruel sides of this life, its “sorrows.” However, for a pure child’s soul, existence reveals itself primarily with its bright, joyful side. The existence of heroes is inextricably linked with church life and worship. For the first time in Russian fiction, the church-religious layer of folk life has been so deeply and completely recreated. In the psychological experiences and prayerful states of the characters, among whom are both sinners and saints, the spiritual life of an Orthodox Christian is revealed.
The meaning and beauty of Orthodox holidays, customs that remain unchanged from century to century, are revealed so brightly and talentedly that the book has become a true encyclopedia of Russian Orthodoxy. Shmelev’s amazing language is organically connected with all the richness and diversity of living folk speech, it reflects the very soul of Russia. I. A. Ilyin noted that what is depicted in Shmelev’s book is not what “was and passed,” but what “is and will remain... This is the very spiritual fabric of believing Russia. This is the spirit of our people." Shmelev created " work of art national and metaphysical significance,” capturing the sources of our national spiritual strength.”A living contact with the world of holiness also occurs in the book “Pilgrimage” (1931), adjacent to “The Summer of the Lord,” where all classes of believers in Russia appear in pictures of pilgrimages to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. The ascetic ministry of the “elder comforter” Barnabas of Gethsemane was recreated by Shmelev with grateful love.
The novel “Nanny from Moscow” (1934), written in Shmelev’s favorite skaz form (in which the writer achieved unsurpassed skill), is the story of an ingenuous Russian woman caught in the turbulent whirlpool of events in the history of the twentieth century. and found herself in a foreign land. Deep faith, inner peace, boundless kindness and spiritual health allow Daria Stepanovna to soberly assess everything that happens to people and the country. IN in simple words nanny about sin and retribution, the meaning of Russia’s suffering is revealed as a necessary and saving punishment for its purification.
The poetic essay “Old Valaam” (1936) introduces the reader to the world of an Orthodox Russian monastery and depicts a life immersed in an atmosphere of holiness. Recalling with bright sadness his youthful trip to the island, Shmelev shows how monastic life illuminates human life the light of eternity, transforms sorrow into high joy. Images of Holy Rus' also fill the essay “The Grace of St. Seraphim" (1935) - about how Shmelev was saved from fatal disease after a fervent prayer to Father Seraphim of Sarov, and the story “Kulikovo Field” (1939) - about a miraculous phenomenon in Soviet Russia St. Sergius of Radonezh, encouraging and strengthening the Christians who remained there.
In Paris, Shmelev begins to communicate closely with the Russian philosopher I.A. Ilyin. For a long time there was correspondence between them (233 letters from Ilyin and 385 letters from Shmelev). It is an important evidence of the political and literary process from the time of the first wave of Russian emigration.
In a foreign land, three Russian Ivans met - Ivan Shmelev, Ivan Ilyin and Ivan Bunin - in whose hearts the love for Russia remained forever.But critics were irritated by the patriotism and national aspiration of the writer’s work. The émigré press dubbed the novel “Soldiers,” which adequately depicts the tsarist officers, as “Black Hundred police.” A prominent critic of the Russian diaspora, G. Adamovich, persecuted Shmelev with insulting, playfully mocking reviews. Shmelev could not be forgiven by “Orthodox Russian traditions... for the fact that he dared to stand up for the defense of historical Russia against the revolution.”
Among Shmelev’s friends and like-minded people one can name I. Ilyin, the family of General A. Denikin, N. Kulman, V. Ladyzhensky, K. Balmont, A. Kuprin.
Both at home and in exile, Shmelev was subjected to “ultimate tests” one after another. In 1936, Shmelev’s wife Olga Aleksandrovna, his faithful companion, died, and from that moment on he bears the cross of loneliness. This was an irreparable and unbearable blow for Ivan Sergeevich. It was impossible to even imagine how he would live without her... Quiet, calm, always working, selflessly loving, she was his lifelong friend, his assistant, nanny, sister of mercy. He couldn't live a day without her.
And so... I had to live, get sick, work for years in complete, bitter loneliness... Only deep faith saved the writer.Shmelev suffered from a serious illness, the exacerbations of which more than once brought him to the brink of death. Shmelev's financial situation sometimes reached the point of beggary. The war of 1939–45, which he experienced in occupied Paris, and the slander in the press, with which enemies tried to smear the name of the writer, aggravated his mental and physical suffering.
The elderly writer was accused of almost collaborating with the Nazis (he published in publications that later began to be considered collaborationist, but it is unlikely that the elderly writer could understand such things). But Shmelev was always a kind, compassionate person. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, Shmelev was a man of exceptional spiritual purity, incapable of any bad deed. He was characterized by deep nobility of nature, kindness and cordiality. The appearance of Shmelev - a thin man with an ascetic face, furrowed with deep wrinkles, with large gray eyes, full of affection and sadness.
Ksenia Denikina, the wife of General Denikin, recalled:
...When the last war began, I.S. I took it very hard. I will quote a few words from his letters from 1939, which sound as if they were written now: “I know: our Russia will be pure. A crowned sufferer... Now the eyes of the world have already opened and everything is clear. Let us believe that the lost one will be found.” the path to the truth, that true Russia will find itself... A new generation is coming, young, enough of everything and daring, may its coming be under the sign of the Lord!”It doesn’t matter that many harsh critics do not approve of Shmelev, that they find shortcomings in him, that they prove that he is not up to the standard of classical examples.
He is a God-seeking soul, last writer that primordial Russian life, in which, despite progress, big cities and all modern technology and comforts, the Russian soul still lived with its desire for the righteous. He is a writer we understand and is our own.
Ivan Sergeevich Shmelev died in 1950 as a result of a heart attack. The death of the writer, who so loved monastic life, became deeply symbolic: on June 24, 1950, on the name day of Elder Barnabas, who had previously blessed him “on his path,” Shmelev came to the Russian monastery of the Intercession of the Mother of God in Bussy-en-Haute and on the same the day is dying.
They say that the writer sat quietly in the refectory of the monastery, quietly fell asleep... and never woke up again. They say that the Lord sends such death to the righteous who suffered a lot during their lives...Ivan Sergeevich Shmelev was buried in the Parisian cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois. In 2000, Shmelev’s cherished wish was fulfilled: the ashes of him and his wife were transported to their homeland and buried next to the graves of their relatives in the Moscow Donskoy Monastery.
Rest, O Lord, the soul of Your servant John.
I. S. Shmelev is a Russian writer who reflected in his work the life of all layers of society, but especially sympathetically the life of the “little man.”
Childhood
The future writer Ivan Shmelev was born on September 21. 1873 in a family of Zamoskvoretsky merchants. Trade, however, was of little interest to his father; he maintained an artel of carpenters and numerous baths, and was content with that. The family was Old Believer with a peculiar democratic way of life. The Old Believers, both owners and workers, lived in a friendly community, observing the same rules, moral and spiritual principles for everyone. The boy grew up in an atmosphere of friendliness and universal harmony, absorbing the best in human relationships. This life was reflected years later in the works of the writer Shmelev.
Education
Ivan was educated at home mainly by his mother; she taught him to read a lot, so from childhood he became acquainted with the works of Pushkin, Tolstoy, Gogol, Turgenev and other outstanding Russian writers, the study of which continued throughout his subsequent life. Later, Shmelev studied at the gymnasium, where he continued to deepen his literary knowledge, enthusiastically reading the books of Korolenko, Melnikov-Pechesky, Uspensky, which became popular in a certain sense his literary idols. But at the same time, of course, Pushkin’s influence on the formation of the future writer did not stop. This is evidenced by his later works: “The Mystery of Pushkin”, “Treasured Meeting”, “Eternal Ideal”.
The beginning of creativity
Shmelev made his debut in the magazine “Russian Review” in 1895 with the story “At the Mill,” which touched on the theme of personality formation, the path to creativity through life’s overcomings and comprehension of the characters and destinies of ordinary people.
"Unsuccessful" book
After his marriage, Shmelev and his young wife went to the island of Valaam, the land of ancient hermitages and monasteries. The result of an exciting journey was a book entitled “On the Rocks of Valaam. Beyond the world. Travel Stories". The publication of the book brought a lot of disappointment to the novice author. The fact is that the chief prosecutor of His Holiness Pobedonostsev, through whom the book about holy places was supposed to pass, found seditious reasoning in it.
As a result, Shmelev was forced to redo and shorten the text of the work, depriving it of the author’s “zest.” Such violence simply unsettled the young writer, and he decided that literary creativity- not his path. In fact, he had not written for almost ten years. But he was obliged to support his family. This means we need to look for another source of income.
Legal profession
Shmelev entered Moscow University to master the profession of lawyer. From that moment on, a lot has changed, and the main thing is his environment. The generation of the new intelligentsia grew up here. Communication with smart people educated people developed and enriched personality and creative potential. After graduating from university (1898), he worked for some time in Moscow in a minor position as an assistant attorney, then moved to Moscow and worked there as a tax inspector. As a creative person, he found his advantages in this routine work: during endless travels around the province, overnight stays in crowded inns, and often anywhere else, he drew impressions and life experience, accumulating ideas for his future books.
Return to creativity
In 1905, Shmelev returned to writing again. He was published in the magazines “Children’s Reading”, “Russian Thought2. These were small works, timid tests, testing oneself in the writing field. Finally, the doubts disappeared. Shmelev finally confirmed his choice and left the service. He came to the capital again, deciding to begin a new stage of his literary activity (1907).
Short prose
This is where my past experience of communicating with people while traveling around the cities and villages of the Vladimir province came in handy. Even then, he understood that some new force was maturing among the people, protest moods and readiness for revolutionary changes were emerging. These observations were reflected in Shmelev’s short prose.
In 1906, his story “Disintegration” was published, which tells the story of the relationship between father and son. The father is the owner of a brick factory, accustomed to working the old fashioned way and not wanting any changes. The son, on the contrary, strives for changes and is full of new ideas. As a result, a conflict between two generations arises within the family. Circumstances lead to the death of both. And yet, tragic ending does not inspire feelings of hopelessness and pessimism.
The next story, “The Man from the Restaurant,” became, as it were, Shmelev’s calling card as a writer (1910). It also raised the topic of fathers and sons, and events develop against the backdrop of stormy revolutionary sentiments in society. But it was not social problems that became the focus of the writer’s attention, but the eternal problem of human relationships and life choices.
During this time, Shmelev and his wife moved to the Kaluga estate. Here he made a new discovery for himself. It turns out that war disfigures a person not only physically, but also morally. The hero of the story “The Turn of Life” is a carpenter, and during the war his business improved noticeably due to orders for coffins and crosses.
At first, the influx of profits pleased the master, but over time he came to understand that money earned from people’s grief does not bring happiness. Soon Shmelev’s son Sergei went to the front. He served in Wrangel's army, in the Alushta commandant's office. When the Reds took Alushta, he had already fled. This is how Sergei Shmelev ended up in captivity. The father made every effort to save his son, but in vain. He was shot. For parents this was a hard blow.
Emigration
Having survived the famine of 1921, Shmelev decided to emigrate. First, he and his wife settled in Berlin (1922), and then, at the invitation of I.A. Bunin, they moved to Paris (1923), where they lived until the end of their lives. The years of emigration are a new stage not only life story Shmelev, but also him creative biography. It was there that the epic novel “The Sun of the Dead” was written, which was translated into French, German, English and other languages.
This book became a discovery not only in Russian, but also in world literature. It was an attempt to take an honest look at the essence of the tragedy that befell our society. Next novel“The Summer of the Lord” was written by Shmelev based on the impressions of the last years spent in Russia. In pictures of Orthodox holidays, the writer reveals the soul of the common people.
The novel “Nanny from Moscow” tells about the fate of an ordinary woman who, by force of circumstances, finds herself in Paris. The style of the book is in soft, sympathetic tones with hints of light irony. And at the same time the reader feels author's respect to what is happening there is great sorrow and pain. Shmelev worked on the novel “Heavenly Paths” and almost finished it when his beloved wife Olga passed away after illness (1933). He couldn't imagine his existence without her.
Death
He still had to go through a lot. He was going to write a sequel to the novel “Heavenly Paths,” but a sudden heart attack stopped the life of Ivan Sergeevich Shmelev. This happened on June 24, 1950.
Ivan Shmelev is a Russian writer, publicist, Orthodox thinker from the Moscow merchant family of the Shmelevs, a representative of the conservative Christian direction of Russian literature.
In 1931 Shmelev was nominated for Nobel Prize according to literature.
During the biography period 1912-1914. Ivan Shmelev published several stories, including “Grapes”, “Wolf Roll”, “Rosstani”, “The Man from the Restaurant” and others. In them he described the life and culture of people belonging to different social strata.
Later, 2 prose collections were published: “Carousel” and “The Hidden Face”. Over time, Shmelev increasingly begins to describe hard life peasants forced to live in difficult conditions.
Revolution
Shmelev greeted the February Revolution of 1917 with jubilation. He thought political change would make people's lives better.
However, after confusion and outright violence began in the country, Ivan Shmelev changed his mind.
Moreover, even then it became clear to him that in the near future he would have to endure many troubles and misfortunes.
After this, Shmelev moves to Crimea, where he writes the story “How It Was.” In it, he shares with readers the events taking place during the Civil War of 1918-1922.
Shooting of son
Shmelev's son Sergei was an officer in the tsarist army, so when the Bolsheviks occupied Crimea, they arrested him.
Despite Shmelev's petitions, he was never able to free his son, who was soon shot. This loss became one of the most difficult in his biography.
The writer was in serious trouble for a long time state of mind and could not come to terms with the death of his 25-year-old son.
Ivan Shmelev with his wife and son Shmelev's works
After 2 years, Ivan Shmelev decides to leave for Paris, where he will live for the rest of his life. In France, he wrote the famous epic "The Sun of the Dead", in which he described the horrors and consequences of the revolution.
This work received many positive reviews from critics. In particular, it was appreciated by Thomas Mann and.
Later, from the pen of Shmelev, the story “Bogomolye” and the novel “The Summer of the Lord” came out, which became especially popular among Russian emigrants. These works will be published only the day before.
In the late period of his biography, Shmelev published works in which his longing for his homeland is clearly visible. For example, in his novel “Nanny from Moscow,” he describes a grandmother who was forced to go abroad.
An interesting fact is that Shmelev had such a disgust for the Bolsheviks that he perceived the invasion of the German army as “God’s providence.”
He hoped that the communist regime in Russia would be overthrown and would be replaced by spiritual and moral liberation.
Personal life
The only wife in the biography of Ivan Shmelev was Olga Okhterloni, whom he met during his student years.
They lived long and happy family life. In this marriage they had a boy, Sergei, who was shot, as mentioned above.
Ivan Shmelev with his wife Olga and son Sergei When Olga Shmeleva passed away in 1936, the writer lived for another 14 years.
Death
IN recent years biographies Shmelev had health problems and also experienced serious financial difficulties.
Ivan Sergeevich Shmelev died on June 24, 1950 at the age of 76 years. The cause of his death was a heart attack.
Vladimir Putin lays flowers on the grave of Ivan Shmelev Shmelev was buried in the Parisian cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois, but 50 years later the writer’s remains, in accordance with his dying will, were reburied in the necropolis of the Moscow Donskoy Monastery.
Later, the remains of his wife and son will be reburied next to him.
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