Poet Spiridon Dmitrievich Drozhzhin: biography, best works and interesting facts

Spiridon Dmitrievich Drozhzhin is a well-known Russian poet, whose poems were very popular both in pre-revolutionary years, and in the times of the USSR. He lived a long life, the main part of which he devoted to literary creativity. The biography of Spiridon Dmitrievich Drozhzhin is summarized in this article.

Origin, years of study

He was born on December 6, 1848 in the Tver province (the village of Nizovka). This region was very fond of Spiridon Dmitrievich Drozhzhin. His homeland is sung in many of his works. The village of Nizovka will subsequently become a source of inspiration for the poet for many years to come. She dedicated, in particular, her famous poem "Homeland" Spiridon Dmitrievich Drozhzhin.

The parents of the future poet were serfs. Spiridon Dmitrievich received the basics of education from his grandfather, Drozhzhin Stepan Stepanovich, who taught him to read the alphabet and, of course, the hour-book.

In 1858, Spiridon was sent to school to the local sexton. Here the future poet studied the account and the letter for two years. Spiridon Dmitrievich Drozhzhin remembered these days with gratitude. They are dedicated to his poem of 1905 "At the school of the sexton". At this training Spiridon Dmitrievich was completed - in the winter of 1860 the future poet went to Petersburg for work.

Wanderings around the country, self-education

The next 36 years of his life are marked by painful wanderings around the country. Spiridon Dmitrievich changed many professions. He was a tavern servant, an assistant of a barman, a clerk in bookshops and tobacco shops, a salesman, a messenger, a lackey, a laborer, an agent of the steamship company "Airplane", trusted in the delivery of firewood for the railway. Fate threw the future poet into Tver and Moscow, Kharkov and Yaroslavl, Tashkent and Kiev.

The initial years of wanderings, St. Petersburg (1860-1871 gg.), Is a time marked not only by the half-starved beggarly existence, but also by the active self-education of Drozhzhin. The first four years spent in the capital, he worked in the tavern "Caucasus" sexual. At that time, Spiridon Dmitrievich Drozhzhin eagerly, although unsystematically, read literature, often of poor quality: journals such as "Reading for soldiers" and "Mirsky Herald", popular novels, etc. However, after a while Spiridon Dmitrievich got acquainted with the works of IS. Nikitina, A.V. Koltsova and N.A. Nekrasov. He was reading the magazine Iskra with enthusiasm. Spiridon Dmitrievich since 1866 began to regularly attend the Public Library.

Own library and the first poem

His ideological and aesthetic orientation and artistic tastes were positively influenced by Drozhzhin's acquaintance with the capital's students and representatives of the democratically-democratic youth. Saving in clothes and food, Spiridon Dmitrievich Drozhzhin gathered his library. It includes works created by his favorite authors: M. Yu. Lermontov and A. S. Pushkin, Nikitin and Koltsov, P.-J. Beranger and G. Heine, GI Uspensky and LN Tolstoy, NP Ogarev and F. Schiller, and others. Drozhzhin was also interested in "forbidden" literature. At the age of 17 he created his first poem. From that time Spiridon Drozhzhin did not stop writing poetry. The first entries in his diary appeared on May 10, 1867. He led him to the end of his life.

First publication

By 1870, Drozhzhin's first attempt was to publish his works. He sent the five best, in his opinion, poetry to the Illustrated Newspaper, but they were rejected. In 1873 the long-awaited literary debut of the poet took place. It was then that Drozhzhin's poem "A Song about the Mountain of Goodness of a Young Man" was published in the journal Gramotey. Since that time, Spiridon Dmitrievich has been actively published in a variety of magazines ("Russian Wealth", "Family Evenings", "Delo", "Word", etc.), as well as in children's publications ("Young Russia", "Lark", " Children's Reading, Children's Years, etc.).

Fame, return home

Fame Drozhzhina as a poet in the late 1870 - 1880's. Grew rapidly. OF. Surikov showed interest in the young self-taught author. This is evidenced by their correspondence, dating back to 1879.

In St. Petersburg in 1889 the first collection of S.D. Drozhzhina ("Poems of 1866-1888 with the author's notes about his life"). In 1894 and 1907 this book was republished, each time significantly replenished. Nevertheless, the poet continued to be poor. In early 1886, Drozhzhin finally returned to his native village of Nizovka. Here he devoted himself entirely to literature, as well as to agricultural work. LN Tolstoy supported the decision, which was adopted by Spiridon Dmitrievich Drozhzhin. The homeland, he believed, could inspire the poet to new achievements.

Meeting with Leo Tolstoy and RM Rilke

Drozhzhin met with Lev Nikolaevich twice, in 1892 and in 1897. Behind the poet in the village the police established an unofficial supervision, which did not stop him from creating. Gradually the poet Spiridon Dmitrievich Drozhzhin became more and more popular. His biography was marked by an important event in 1900: R. Rilke, the great Austrian poet, arrived in Nizovka. He translated into German 4 poems by Spiridon Dmitrievich.

New books, improvement of financial situation

One after another in the first decade of the 20th century, the following books by Drozhzhin appear: in 1904 - "New Poems", in 1906 - "The Year of the Peasant", in 1907 - "Treasured Songs", in 1909 - "New Russian Songs" and "Bayan" . The circle of "Writers from the People" in December 1903 spent an evening in Moscow, dedicated to the thirtieth anniversary of Drozhzhin's creative activity. In the same year he received a pension (180 rubles a year, for life).

In 1904 he wrote his famous poem "Homeland" Spiridon Dmitrievich Drozhzhin. The author always treated the land on which he was born with a special feeling. Many of his works are devoted to this.

In 1905, Drozhzhin became a member of the Society of Lovers of Russian Literature organized at the Moscow University. And in 1910, on December 29, he received a prize from the Russian Academy of Sciences. Its size was 500 rubles. It was presented to Drozhzhin for collections of 1907-09. October 19, 1915, another book Spiridon Dmitrievich, "Songs of the old plowman" (published in 1913), was awarded the Academy of Sciences. Drozhzhin was awarded an honorary "Pushkin" review.

Condemnation of the imperialist war and support of the October Revolution

Living in the village, Spiridon Dmitrievich followed important events in the life of society. He became one of the few among Russian writers who categorically condemned the imperialist war. In 1916 appeared a poem by Drozhzhin "Down with the war!". Her bloody events in 1914 called "relic of gross barbarism" in his diary Spiridon Dmitrievich Drozhzhin.

His biography is marked by the adoption of the October Revolution, which the 69-year-old poet met with joy. He immediately began to participate in public work. Drozhzhin was a member of the volost executive committee, he traveled all over the country, read to local residents his works. In 1919 the poet became chairman of the congress of writers-proletarians in the Tver province. Verses by Spiridon Dmitrievich Drozhzhin continued to be published in print.

"Songs of Labor and Struggle"

In 1923, his collection entitled "Songs of Labor and Struggle" appeared. He marked the two jubilee of the poet at once - the 75th anniversary of his birth and the 50th anniversary of his creative activity. On the occasion of these dates, Spiridon Dmitrievich was elected an honorary member of the then-acting All-Russian Union of Poets. In addition, the library-reading room named after Drozhzhin appeared in Tver. Five years later, on the occasion of his 80th birthday, Spiridon Dmitrievich received congratulations from the USSR Academy of Sciences. It was signed by AP Karpinsky, its president.

last years of life

Drozhzhin September 28, 1928 met with Maxim Gorky in Moscow. In the last years of his life, Spiridon Dmitrievich worked on the following collections: "Songs" (published in 1928), "Roads" and "Peasant Songs" (both 1929). "Songs of the peasant" became the last book of the poet, published in his lifetime. Also Drozhzhin prepared for publication a four-volume "Complete Works". In addition, he brought the "Notes on Life and Poetry" until 1930.

The poet died in his native Nizovka at the age of 82. This concludes the biography of Spiridon Dmitrievich Drozhzhin. Let us briefly tell about his creative heritage.

Features and importance of creativity Drozhzhina

Dust and the house in which the poet lived most of his life, in 1938 were moved to the village of Zavidovo (Kalininskaya oblast). Here is the memorial museum of the poet, where to this day many admirers of his talent come.

The creative path of Spiridon Dmitrievich was very long, more than 60 years. He was also unusually fruitful. Drozhzhin during his lifetime published 32 collections, 20 of which - until 1917. It should be noted that the poems of Spiridon Dmitrievich Drozhzhin are generally artistically unequal. Nevertheless, in the best part of the heritage of this author, skill and original talent are revealed. In the work of Drozhzhin noticeable influence of such poets as Nekrasov, Nikitin and Koltsov. In several of his works relating to the 80-90-ies, echoes of poetry Nadson S. Ya. Sincerity, spontaneity, sincerity and simplicity are the main qualities that mark the poems of Spiridon Dmitrievich Drozhzhin. He can be called a singer of peasant life. This is how he defined the essence of his vocation from the first steps in literature ("My Muse", 1875).

A number of works by this poet entered folklore ("Songs of Workers", "Song of the Soldier"). Many of his poems were put to music by such composers as V. Ziering, S. Evseev, A. Chernyavsky, N. Potolovsky, F. Lašek and others F. I. Shalyapin performed two songs on the poems of such a poet as Drozhzhin Spiridon Dmitrievich .

The biography for children and adults outlined in this article gives only superficial ideas about his work. It is best to turn directly to the poems to understand the meaning and features of the poetry of Spiridon Dmitrievich.