Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin. Brief biography: Saltykov-Shchedrin M.E. Message about Shchedrin biography

Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin ( real name Saltykov, pseudonym "N. Shchedrin") was born on January 27 (January 15, old style) 1826 in the village of Spas-Ugol, Tver province (now Taldomsky district, Moscow region). He was the sixth child of a hereditary nobleman, a collegiate adviser, his mother came from a family of Moscow merchants. Until the age of 10, the boy lived on his father’s estate.

In 1836, Mikhail Saltykov was enrolled in the Moscow Noble Institute, where the poet Mikhail Lermontov had previously studied, and in 1838, as the best student of the institute, he was transferred to the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. Saltykov was known as the first poet on the course; his poems were published in periodicals.

In 1844, after graduating from the lyceum, he was assigned to serve in the office of the War Ministry in St. Petersburg.

In 1845-1847, Saltykov attended meetings of the circle of Russian utopian socialists - “Fridays” of Mikhail Butashevich-Petrashevsky, whom he met at the Lyceum.

In 1847-1848, the first reviews of Saltykov were published in the magazines Sovremennik and Otechestvennye zapiski.

In 1847, Saltykov’s first story, “Contradictions,” dedicated to the economist Vladimir Milyutin, was published in Otechestvennye zapiski.

The publication of this work coincided with the tightening of censorship restrictions after the Great French Revolution and the organization of a secret committee chaired by Prince Menshikov. As a result, the story was banned, and its author was exiled to Vyatka (now Kirov) and appointed to the post of scribe in the Provincial Board.

In 1855, Saltykov received permission to return to St. Petersburg.

In 1856-1858, he was an official of special assignments in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and participated in the preparation of the peasant reform of 1861.

From 1856 to 1857, "Russian Bulletin" published " Provincial essays"Saltykova under the pseudonym "N. Shchedrin." The "essays" were noted by the attention of Nikolai Chernyshevsky and Nikolai Dobrolyubov, who dedicated articles to them.

In March 1858, Saltykov was appointed vice-governor of the city of Ryazan.

In April 1860, due to a conflict with the Ryazan governor, Saltykov was appointed vice-governor of Tver; in January 1862 he resigned.

In 1858-1862, the collections “Innocent Stories” and “Satires in Prose” were published, in which the city of Foolov, a collective image of modern Russian reality, first appeared.

In 1862-1864, Saltykov was a member of the editorial board of the Sovremennik magazine.

In 1864-1868 he held the positions of chairman of the Penza Treasury Chamber, manager of the Tula Treasury Chamber and manager of the Ryazan Treasury Chamber.

Since 1868 he collaborated with the journal Otechestvennye zapiski, and since 1878 he was the managing editor of the magazine.

During the period of work at Otechestvennye zapiski, the writer created his significant works - the novels “The History of a City” (1869-1970) and “The Golovlevs” (1875-1880).

At the same time, the writer worked on journalistic articles; in the 1870s he published collections of stories “Signs of the Times”, “Letters from the Province”, “Pompadours and Pompadourches”, “Gentlemen of Tashkent”, “Diary of a Provincial in St. Petersburg”, “Well-Intentioned Speeches”, which have become a noticeable phenomenon not only in literature, but also in socio-political life.

In the 1880s, the tales of Saltykov-Shchedrin were published, the first of which were published in 1869.

In 1886, the novel "Poshekhon Antiquity" was written.

In February 1889, the writer began preparing the author's edition of his collected works in nine volumes, but only one volume was published during his lifetime.

On May 10 (April 28, old style), 1889, Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin died in St. Petersburg. He was buried on the Literatorskie bridge of the Volkovsky cemetery.

In 1890 it was published full meeting the writer's works in nine volumes. From 1891 to 1892, a complete collection of works was published in 12 volumes, prepared by the author’s heirs, which was reprinted several times.

Saltykov-Shchedrin was married to Elizaveta Boltina, whom he met during the Vyatka exile, and the family had a son, Konstantin, and a daughter, Elizaveta.

Born into the wealthy family of Evgraf Vasilyevich Saltykov, a hereditary nobleman and collegiate adviser, and Olga Mikhailovna Zabelina. He received a home education - his first mentor was the serf artist Pavel Sokolov. Later, young Michael was educated by a governess, a priest, a seminary student and his older sister. At the age of 10, Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin entered the Moscow Noble Institute, where he demonstrated great academic success.

In 1838, Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin entered the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. There, for his academic success, he was transferred to study at state expense. At the Lyceum, he began to write “free” poetry, ridiculing the shortcomings around him. The poems were weak; the future writer soon stopped writing poetry and did not like being reminded of the poetic experiences of his youth.

In 1841, the first poem "Lyre" was published.

In 1844, after graduating from the Lyceum, Mikhail Saltykov entered service in the office of the War Ministry, where he wrote free-thinking works.

In 1847, the first story, “Contradictions,” was published.

On April 28, 1848, for the story “A Confused Affair,” Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin was sent on official transfer to Vyatka - away from the capital and into exile. There he had an impeccable work reputation, did not take bribes and, enjoying great success, was allowed into all houses.

In 1855, having received permission to leave Vyatka, Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin left for St. Petersburg, where a year later he became an official of special assignments under the Minister of Internal Affairs.

In 1858, Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin was appointed vice-governor of Ryazan.

In 1860 he was transferred to Tver as vice-governor. During the same period, he actively collaborated with the magazines “Moskovsky Vestnik”, “Russian Vestnik”, “Library for Reading”, “Sovremennik”.

In 1862, Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin retired and tried to found a magazine in Moscow. But the publishing project failed and he moved to St. Petersburg.

In 1863, he became an employee of the Sovremennik magazine, but due to microscopic fees he was forced to return to service.

In 1864, Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin was appointed chairman of the Penza Treasury Chamber, and was later transferred to Tula in the same position.

In 1867, as head of the Treasury Chamber, he was transferred to Ryazan.

In 1868, he again retired with the rank of a truly state councilor and wrote his main works “The History of a City,” “Poshekhon Antiquity,” “The Diary of a Provincial in St. Petersburg,” and “The History of a City.”

In 1877, Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin became the editor-in-chief of Otechestvennye zapiski. He travels around Europe and meets Zola and Flaubert.

In 1880, the novel “Gentlemen Golovlevs” was published.

In 1884, the journal “Domestic Notes” was closed by the government and Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin’s health condition deteriorated sharply. He has been sick for a long time.

In 1889, the novel “Poshekhon Antiquity” was published.

In May 1889, Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin fell ill with a cold and died on May 10. He was buried at the Volkovskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg.

Born on January 27, 1826 in the village of Spas-Ugol, Tver province. Surname at birth - Saltykov. Father - Evgraf Vasilyevich Saltykov (1776-1851), collegiate adviser. Mother - Olga Mikhailovna Zabelina (1801-1874). He studied at the Moscow Noble Institute. In 1844 he graduated from the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. In 1848 he was exiled to Vyatka. In 1855 the exile was lifted. In 1858 he was appointed vice-governor in Ryazan, and in 1860 vice-governor in Tver. In 1868 he became one of the main employees of the journal Otechestvennye zapiski, where he published a lot himself. In 1878 he became the magazine's editor-in-chief. In 1884 the magazine was closed. Died May 10, 1889, aged 63. He was buried at the Volkovskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg. Main works: “Gentlemen Golovlevs”, “The History of a City”, “ Wild landowner", "The story of how one man fed two generals", "Poshekhon antiquity" and others.

Brief biography (details)

Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin is a Russian writer and publicist of the 19th century, vice-governor of Ryazan and Tver. The writer's real name is Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov, and his pseudonym is Nikolai Shchedrin. Born on January 27, 1826 into an old noble family in the village of Spas-Ugol, Tver Region. Primary education received houses with the help of the serf painter Pavel Sokolov. At the age of 10, he entered the Moscow Institute for the Nobility, and then, for excellent studies, was transferred to the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, where his writing career began.

In 1844 he graduated from the Lyceum. At the same time, some of his poems were published. In the summer of the same year, the young writer was accepted as an assistant secretary in the military chancellery. Even then, he was interested in the literature of the French socialists and began to write short bibliographical essays himself. In November 1847, the story “Contradictions” appeared, a year later “A Confused Affair.” Soon the writer was exiled to Vyatka as punishment for freethinking. Many of Saltykov-Shchedrin’s notes showed a negative attitude towards serfdom. During the Vyatka exile, the writer managed to collect enough material for his subsequent works.

Returning from exile, in 1855 he joined the Ministry of the Interior. Soon his “Provincial Sketches” were published. In 1858, he was appointed to the post of vice-governor of Ryazan, and in 1860 he was transferred to the same position in Tver. At the same time, he wrote many essays and stories, which were published in Sovremennik, Russky Vestnik, and Library for Reading. Since 1860, he completely moved to Sovremennik. Works written during this period were included in two collections: “Innocent Stories” and “Satires in Prose.”

Since 1864, the writer returned to public service and held the position of manager of the treasury chamber in Tula, Penza and Ryazan. Soon he joined N. A. Nekrasov’s journal “Domestic Notes”. The writer worked in this editorial office from 1868 to 1884. In his works, Saltykov-Shchedrin tried to reveal the social problems of that time. He showed theft and bribery of officials, the cruelty of landowners and other problems. Thus, in his novel “The Golovlevs,” he depicted the degradation of the nobility, and in “The History of a City” he criticized the country’s government. The writer died in May 1889 in St. Petersburg and was buried at the Volkovskoye cemetery.

Russian prosecutor public life
I. Sechenov

M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin was born on January 27 (January 15), 1826 in the village of Spas-Ugol, Kalyazin district, Tver province. His parents were wealthy landowners. Their possessions, although located on inconvenient lands, among forests and swamps, brought significant income.

Childhood

The writer’s mother, Olga Mikhailovna, ruled the estate; Father Evgraf Vasilyevich, a retired collegiate adviser, had a reputation as an impractical person. The mother directed all her worries towards increasing her wealth. For the sake of this, not only the courtyard people, but also their own children fed from hand to mouth. Any pleasures and entertainment in the family were not accepted. Continuous enmity reigned in the house: between parents, between children, whom the mother, without hiding, divided into “favorites and hateful ones,” between masters and servants.

A smart and impressionable boy grew up amid this home hell.

Lyceum

At ten years old, Saltykov entered the third grade of the Moscow Noble Institute, and two years later, together with other best students, he was transferred to the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, which in those years was far from what it was under Pushkin. The lyceum was dominated by a barracks regime, where “generals, equestrians... children were raised who were fully aware of the high position that their fathers occupied in society,” Saltykov recalled about his spiritual loneliness in “the years of his early youth.” The Lyceum gave Saltykov the necessary amount of knowledge.

Since January 1844, the lyceum was transferred to St. Petersburg, and it began to be called Alexandrovsky. Saltykov was a graduate of the first St. Petersburg course. Each new generation of lyceum students pinned their hopes on one of the students as a successor to the traditions of their famous predecessor. Saltykov was one of these “candidates”. Even in his lyceum years, his poems were published in magazines.

Years of service

In the summer of 1844 M.E. Saltykov graduated from the Lyceum and entered service in the Chancellery of the War Ministry.

In 1847, the young author wrote his first story, “Contradictions,” and the following year, “A Tangled Affair.” The young writer’s stories responded to topical socio-political issues; their heroes were looking for a way out of the contradictions between ideals and the life around them. For publishing the story “A Confused Affair,” which revealed, as War Minister Prince Chernyshev wrote, “a harmful way of thinking” and “a disastrous direction of ideas,” the writer was arrested and exiled by order of the Tsar to Vyatka.

“Vyatka captivity,” as Saltykov called his seven-year stay there in the service, became for him a difficult test and at the same time a great school.

After life in St. Petersburg among friends and like-minded people, the young man felt uncomfortable in the alien world of provincial bureaucracy, nobility and merchants.

The writer's love for the daughter of Vice-Governor E.A. Boltina, whom he married in the summer of 1856, brightened recent years Saltykov's stay in Vyatka. In November 1855, by the “highest command” of the new Tsar Alexander II, the writer received permission to “live and serve wherever he wishes.”

Literary work and the vicissitudes of public service

M.E. Saltykov moved to St. Petersburg, and from August 1856, “Provincial Sketches” (1856–1857) began to be published in the magazine “Russian Bulletin” on behalf of a certain “retired court councilor N. Shchedrin” (this surname became the writer’s pseudonym). They reliably and poisonously depicted the omnipotence, arbitrariness and bribery of “sturgeon officials”, “pike officials” and even “minnow officials”. The book was perceived by readers as one of the “historical facts of Russian life” (in the words of N.G. Chernyshevsky), calling for the need for social change.

The name of Saltykov-Shchedrin is becoming widely known. They started talking about him as Gogol's heir, who boldly exposed the ulcers of society.

At this time, Saltykov combined literary work with public service. For some time in St. Petersburg he held a position in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, then was vice-governor in Ryazan and Tver, and later - chairman of the state chambers ( financial institutions) in Penza, Tula and Ryazan. Implacably fighting bribery and staunchly defending peasant interests, Saltykov looked like a black sheep everywhere. His words were passed from mouth to mouth: “I won’t hurt a man! It will be enough for him, gentlemen... It will be very, very much so!”

Denunciations rained down on Saltykov, he was threatened with trial “for abuse of power,” and provincial wits nicknamed him “Vice Robespierre.” In 1868, the chief of gendarmes reported to the Tsar about Saltykov as “an official imbued with ideas that do not agree with the types of state benefit and legal order,” which was followed by his resignation.

Collaboration with Sovremennik magazine

Returning to St. Petersburg, Mikhail Evgrafovich devotes all his enormous energy to literary activity. He planned to publish a magazine in Moscow, but, without receiving permission, in St. Petersburg he became close to Nekrasov and from December 1862 became a member of the editorial board of Sovremennik. Saltykov came to the magazine at the very hard time When Dobrolyubov died, Chernyshevsky was arrested, government repressions were accompanied by the persecution of “nihilistic boys” in the “well-intentioned” press. Shchedrin boldly spoke out in defense of democratic forces.

Next to journalistic and critical articles he placed and works of art- essays and stories, the acute social content of which was clothed in the form of Aesopian allegories. Shchedrin became a true virtuoso of “Aesopian language,” and only this can explain the fact that his works, rich in revolutionary content, could, albeit in a truncated form, pass through the fierce tsarist censorship.

In 1857–1863, he published “Innocent Stories” and “Satires in Prose,” in which he took major royal dignitaries under satirical fire. On the pages of Shchedrin's stories, the city of Foolov appears, personifying a poor, wild, oppressed Russia.

Work in Otechestvennye zapiski. "Pompadours and pompadours"

In 1868, the satirist joined the updated edition of Otechestvennye zapiski. For 16 years (1868–1884) he headed this magazine, first together with N.A. Nekrasov, and after the poet’s death he becomes the executive editor. In 1868–1869, he published programmatic articles “Vain Fears” and “Street Philosophy,” in which he developed the views of revolutionary democrats on public importance art.

Basic form literary works Shchedrin chose cycles of stories and essays, united by a common theme. This allowed him to respond vividly to events in public life, giving their deep political characteristics in a vivid, figurative form. One of Shchedrin’s first collective images was the image of a “pompadour” from the series “Pompadours and Pompadours,” published by the writer during 1863–1874.

Saltykov-Shchedrin called the tsarist administrators who operated in post-reform Russia “pompadours.” The name “pompadour” itself is derived from the name of the Marquise of Pompadour, a favorite French king Louis XV. She loved to interfere in the affairs of the state, distributed government positions to her entourage, and squandered the state treasury for the sake of personal pleasure.

The writer's work in the 1870s

In 1869–1870, “The History of a City” appeared in “Notes of the Fatherland.” This book was the most daring and evil satire on the administrative arbitrariness and tyranny that reigned in Russia.

The work takes the form of a historical chronicle. It is easy to recognize specific characters in individual characters historical figures, for example, Gloomy-Burcheev resembles Arakcheev, in Intercept-Zalikhvatsky contemporaries recognized Nicholas I.

In the 70s, Saltykov-Shchedrin created a number of literary cycles in which he widely covered all aspects of life in post-reform Russia. During this period, Well-Intentioned Speeches (1872–1876) and The Refuge of Mon Repos (1878–1880) were written.

In April 1875, doctors sent the seriously ill Saltykov-Shchedrin abroad for treatment. The result of the trips was a series of essays “Abroad”.

Fairy tales

The 80s of the 19th century were one of the most difficult pages in the history of Russia. In 1884, Otechestvennye zapiski was closed. Saltykov-Shchedrin was forced to handle his works in the editorial offices of magazines, whose position was alien to him. During these years (1880–1886) Shchedrin created most of his fairy tales - unique literary works in which, thanks to the highest perfection of Aesop's manner, he was able to pass through the censorship the most harsh criticism autocracy.

In total, Shchedrin wrote 32 fairy tales, reflecting all the essential aspects of life in post-reform Russia.

Recent years. "Poshekhon antiquity"

The last years of the writer’s life were difficult. Government persecution made it difficult to publish his works; he felt like a stranger in the family; numerous illnesses forced Mikhail Evgrafovich to suffer painfully. But until the last days of his life, Shchedrin did not give up literary work. Three months before his death, he finished one of his best works, the novel “Poshekhon Antiquity.”

In contrast to the idyllic pictures of noble nests, Shchedrin resurrected in his chronicle the true atmosphere of serfdom, drawing people into “a pool of humiliating lawlessness, all sorts of twists of slyness and fear of the prospect of being crushed every hour.” Pictures of the wild tyranny of the landowners are complemented by scenes of retribution befalling individual tyrants: the tormentor Anfisa Porfiryevna was strangled by her own servants, and another villain, the landowner Gribkov, was burned by the peasants along with the estate.

This novel is based on an autobiographical beginning. Shchedrin’s memory picks out individuals in whom “slave” protest and faith in justice matured (“the girl” Annushka, Mavrusha the Novotorka, Satyr the Wanderer).

The seriously ill writer dreamed of finishing his work as quickly as possible. last piece. He “felt such a need to get rid of “Old Things” that he even crumpled it up” (from a letter to M.M. Stasyulevich dated January 16, 1889). The “Conclusion” was published in the March 1889 issue of the journal “Bulletin of Europe”.

The writer lived out his last days. On the night of April 27-28, 1889, he suffered a blow from which he never recovered. Saltykov-Shchedrin died on May 10 (April 28), 1889.

Literature

Andrey Turkov. Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin // Encyclopedia for children “Avanta+”. Volume 9. Russian literature. Part one. M., 1999. pp. 594–603

K.I. Tyunkin. M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin in life and work. M.: Russian Word, 2001

Report 7th grade.

Since childhood, life’s contradictions have entered the spiritual world of the satirist. Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov was born on January 15 (27), 1826 in the village of Spas-Ugol, Kalyazin district, Tver province. The writer's father belonged to the ancient noble family Saltykov, k early XIX century, bankrupt and impoverished. In an effort to improve his shaky financial situation, Evgraf Vasilyevich married the daughter of a wealthy Moscow merchant O.M. Zabelina, power-hungry and energetic, thrifty and prudent to the point of hoarding.

Mikhail Evgrafovich did not like to remember his childhood, and when this happened, willy-nilly, the memories were tinged with invariable bitterness. Under the roof of his parents' house he was not destined to experience either the poetry of childhood or family warmth and participation. Family drama complicated by social drama. Saltykov’s childhood and young years coincided with the rampant serfdom that was reaching its end. “It penetrated not only into relations between local nobility and the forced masses - to them, in a narrow sense, this term was attached - but also to all forms of community life in general, equally drawing all classes (privileged and unprivileged) into the pool of humiliating lawlessness, all sorts of twists of slyness and fear of the prospect of being crushed every hour" .

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. The young man Saltykov received a brilliant education for those times, first at the Noble Institute in Moscow, then at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, where by writing poetry he gained fame as a “clever man” and “the second Pushkin.” But the bright times of the lyceum brotherhood of students and teachers have long since sunk into oblivion. Nicholas I's hatred of education, generated by fear of the spread of freedom-loving ideas, was directed primarily at the Lyceum. “At that time, and especially in our “institution,” recalled Saltykov, “the taste for thinking was a thing that was very little encouraged. It could only be expressed quietly and under pain of more or less sensitive punishment.” All lyceum education was then directed towards one sole goal - “to prepare an official.” 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.

Questions about the report:

1) Where and when was the future writer M.E. born? Saltykov-Shchedrin?

2) What kind of atmosphere reigned in the Saltykovs’ house? Why?

3) What kind of education did M.E. receive? Saltykov-Shchedrin?

4) Where did M.E. study? Saltykov-Shchedrin?

5) Who was trained by the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum during the time of M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin?