“I was born in Moscow on January 29, old style, 1890. I owe much, if not all, to my father, academician of painting Leonid Osipovich Pasternak, and to my mother, an excellent pianist,” begins Boris Pasternak’s brief autobiographical note from 1922.
Artists, musicians, writers - Pasternak (living 1890-1960) was accustomed to such an environment since childhood. Russian and world culture was a home for his soul, it saved him from despair in the most terrible years. He had to go through a lot, but, according to the recollections of many contemporaries, he was a happy and free person.
The future writer and poet did not immediately find his calling. According to L. O. Pasternak, dissatisfied with his tossing and final choice of profession, Boris had the talent of a painter and “could have become an artist if he had worked.” The famous composer A. N. Scriabin highly appreciated him musical abilities, especially compositional and improvisational talent. In a letter to friend K. Loks, Pasternak called the break with music and the rejection of the fate of a musician “an amputation, the taking away of the living part of existence.”
In the summer of 1912, while a student at the Faculty of History and Philology at Moscow University, Pasternak went to Marburg to study with the famous philosopher G. Cohen. However, despite the fact that, according to teachers, he showed extraordinary abilities, the future poet abandoned “philosophy.” In his autobiographical essay “Safety Certificate,” he explained this decision by rejected love and wrote that “all love is a transition to a new faith.” Pasternak became a poet.
This most important moment of his spiritual biography is captured in the poem “ Marburg "and is called "the second birth." Lyrical hero, experiencing the rejection of his beloved, learns to live again, and through suffering gains new vision. He looks into the world as if into a mirror, and everywhere he sees reflections, “likenesses” of his mental state, and love becomes the “forerunner” of creativity.
Admired by the scale of Mayakovsky's talent and personality and noticing some similarities between his poems and his own, Pasternak dramatically changed his style. Trying to find my style and my place in fiction the poet briefly became a member of the futuristic group “Centrifuge” and at one time “played group discipline,” “sacrificing his taste and conscience,” as stated in the “Safety Certificate.” The reluctance to “sacrifice face for the sake of position” in 1927 led B. Pasternak to break with LEF.
Big changes are happening in his poetic world in 1940, dividing his “early” and “late” work. The first period includes books of poetry " Twin in the clouds" (1914), " Over the Barriers" (1917), " My sister is life"(1922), " Themes and Variations"(1923), " Second birth"(1932); original prose (" Childhood Luver s", 1922; " Safe conduct", 1931, etc.), poems " High sickness"(1924), " Nine hundred and fifth year"(1927), " Lieutenant Schmidt"(1927), novel in verse " Spectorsky"(1924 - 1930) - most of what he created, the fruits of twenty-five years of work.
Dissatisfaction with himself often prompted the poet to edit and even rewrite his early works. In particular, his first, “immature” book, “ Twin in the clouds" From it, Pasternak selected and significantly revised only eleven poems for the cycle “ Start time”, which opens many of his collections and collected works. Among them are the famous (in the later edition) poem “February. Get out the ink and cry...", "Like a brazier of bronze ash...", "Venice", "Feasts", "I grew up. Me, like Ganymede...” and others. The myth of Ganymede, ascended to heaven by Zeus the eagle, symbolizes the transition from childhood to adolescence, spiritual and creative growth.
Each of Pasternak's subsequent poetry books represents new stage his creativity. The poem itself had no value in his eyes and gained the right to exist only in context. In this, Pasternak consciously followed the tradition of the Symbolists. Among his collections, special mention should be made of the books of poems “ My sister is life" (1922) and " Second birth"(1932).
"My sister is life"
“My sister is life” testified to the creative maturity of the poet and brought him fame. Pasternak retained a special relationship with this book throughout his life. The book is dedicated to Lermontov. Composed largely of poems from 1917, it is subtitled "Summer 1917"; in a letter to M. Tsvetaeva, Pasternak called this time the “summer of freedom.” For Pasternak himself, it was the summer of love and unfulfilled hopes for happiness. A feeling of general spirituality and anxious expectations fills the book.
The pathos of “My Sister - Life” is in unity with the world, harmony with the Universe - both in happiness and in suffering. In this sense love story, which reflects the poet’s trips to his beloved in the south of Russia, and even more so the political vicissitudes recede into the background. Plants: willows, willows, celandine symbolize the kinship of man with the entire universe, aphoristically expressed by the title of the entire book. Poetic creativity interpreted by Pasternak as “the voice of life sounding within us.”
The book still amazes with its freshness and novelty of its vision of the world, its unprecedented expansion poetic dictionary: for the poet “nothing is small”, creating his poetic universe, he admiringly imitates the one “Who is immersed in the decoration of the maple leaf”, about whom he writes: “The omnipotent god of details, / The omnipotent god of love” - with unusual syntax, rhythmic looseness, fresh rhymes, sudden transparent aphorisms in the chaotic flow of images.
"Second birth"
The book of poems “Second Birth” appeared after a rather long break. In the 1920s, the feeling of “uselessness” and untimeliness of lyrics pushed Boris Pasternak to create lyric-epic genres: he wrote poems and a novel in verse.
In “The Second Birth” his poetry takes on a new breath. It was connected both with the desire to see the creation of a new harmonious world order in the construction of socialism, and with the trip to Georgia that inspired him, where he met the Georgian poets T. Tabidze, P. Yashvili, S. Chikovani, and with his love for Zinaida Neuhaus, who dramatically changed his life. As in “My Sister is Life,” all this is experienced in unity. The collection contains masterpieces that organically coexist love lyrics(“There will be no one in the house...”, “Loving others is a heavy cross...”, the second “Ballad”, etc.) - and imitation of Pushkin’s “Stanzas” - “More than a century is not yesterday...” , a response to Mayakovsky’s suicide “Death of a Poet”, the tragically ecstatic “Summer”, from which it follows that only high communication of souls gives a breath of air in the suffocating atmosphere of the era. The poem “Waves,” which opens “The Second Birth,” is a kind of poetic prospectus for the book.
His early work, which certainly had the right to exist, was assessed by the poet himself as “immature,” not “settled,” and for this reason less perfect. Although in other letters the poet made an exception for the best early poems (“February. Get ink and cry...”, “There was a matinee, my jaws were cramping...”), recognized the “fresh notes” in “My Sister - Life,” compared work on the novel “Doctor Zhivago” with the “days around” this book of poems and the time of writing “Childhood Eyelets” and “Safety Certificate”.
1940-50s
The second half passed under the sign of the search for “unheard-of simplicity” creative path Boris Pasternak - 1940-1950s. Books of poetry were written during this period. On early trains" (1943) and " When it gets going"(1956-1959, not published during the poet's lifetime), the second autobiographical sketch - " People and positions"(1956). For the sake of his daily bread, Pasternak had to do a lot of translations, in particular, he translated Goethe’s Faust, several plays by Shakespeare, including the tragedy Hamlet. But the main work of this period, and, according to the poet, of his entire life, was the novel “ Doctor Zhivago».
Pasternak considered the pre-war cycle to be one of the first examples of the new style. Peredelkino", included in the book " On early trains" The source of images and inspiration in it was simple life on the earth, harmoniously built in accordance with natural rhythms, ordinary people, to which a person of an “artistic bent” is always drawn, everyday conversations, the “prose” of language and life.
Researchers pointed to spiritual reasons for the sharp change in style of the already mature artist. In one of his articles about Pasternak, V. Veidle noted the far from accidental contrast between simplicity and complexity, realism and romanticism, modesty and the entertainment of a biography, an “inconspicuous” style and a brilliant and pretentious style. “Only religion can heal the crippling religion of art,” the critic wrote aphoristically. Actually, Pasternak frankly wrote about this spiritual and creative revolution in the poem “Dawn.”
"Poems about War"
All this was evident even before work began on Doctor Zhivago. In Pasternak's cycle " Poems about war”, placed in the book “On Early Trains” (1943), the national flavor, the feeling of Russia are enhanced, the sounds Christian motives, a philosophical and religious approach to assessing historical events, so consistently carried out in the novel. At the end of the poem “The Death of a Sapper,” the gospel idea of life as a victim sounds. In one of the best poems of the cycle - “Winter is Coming” - Russia is called a “magic book”, on its provincial houses “it is written: “In this way you will conquer.”
The deepest meaning of the Great Patriotic War in Pasternak’s understanding, it restored the broken connection of times and gave a sense of continuity in Russia’s historical path.
"Doctor Zhivago"
Working on the novel " Doctor Zhivago"began immediately after the war, on a wave of inspiration, and lasted about ten years (1946-1955). She brought the poet a feeling of happiness and fullness of existence. Having finally decided to “finish everything to the end” in the novel, he was ready to sacrifice a lot for the sake of his main book. Pasternak's correspondence during these years can be read as the history of the creation of the novel, as a fascinating commentary on it.
Long prose becomes a “justification” not only for the 17th part of the second book of the novel - the cycle “Poems of Yuri Zhivago”, but also for all of Pasternak’s poetry. The letter to D. Maksimov (October 25, 1957) contains a striking admission that “by chance, without any premeditation,” the poet managed to convey in the novel the spirit of all his poetic books, as well as (we will add) prose, poems and even translations. “Doctor Zhivago” sums up his path and puts everything in its place: “Everything is unraveled, everything is named, simple, transparent, sad” (from a letter from B. Pasternak to N. Tabidze).
In the text of the novel one can find echoes of a variety of Pasternak’s books: the chronicle poem “Nine Hundred and Five,” which so delighted V. Shalamov, the poem “Lieutenant Schmidt,” the hero of which is a Russian intellectual, guided in his actions and decisions by the gospel idea of “life as a victim.” "
In the novel "Doctor Zhivago" Ancient Rome opposed new era in the history of mankind - Christianity. Pagan Rome is described by one of the heroes of the novel, Nikolai Nikolaevich Vedenyapin, as a kingdom of complete depersonalization, painful for humans and requiring human sacrifices. The poetic spirit of “My Sister is Life” reigns on the pages of the novel, dedicated to the summer of 1917 and the acquaintance of Yuri Zhivago and Lara. The stars, night sounds and summer smells of flowering plants involuntarily bring to mind the poems “Stars in Summer”, “Sample”, “Balashov”, “Summer”, etc. The description of the “storm” that broke out after Lara’s departure from Meluseev seems to be anticipated by the poem "Thunderstorm, instant forever." Looking for her husband at the front, Lara becomes a sister of mercy and, like the heroine of “My Sister is Life,” organizes zemstvos in the volosts.
There is an undeniable connection between the novel and Pasternak’s translations. At one time he even thought of calling his novel “The Experience of Russian Faust.” The first of the "Poems of Yuri Zhivago" is called "Hamlet". Pasternak's hero - a "thinking hero", according to V. Shalamov's definition - is a rarity in the contemporary literature of Doctor Zhivago. His “Hamletism” is in the desire to comprehend the events of history and his life on a spiritual level, to guess and fulfill his destiny, and not at all in “passivity,” as they wrote in Soviet era. Hamlet’s monologue “To be or not to be,” according to Pasternak, “by the power of feeling rises to the bitterness of the Gethsemane note.”
The lyrical hero of the poem “Hamlet”, such a multifaceted hero of Shakespeare’s tragedy - an actor on the stage in the role of Hamlet - Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane - the fictional author of the poem Yuri Zhivago - its real author Boris Pasternak - is the hero of the “drama of duty and self-denial”, ready to “create the will of him who sent him."
And finally, last book poems " When it gets going", written mainly after the end of the novel, is undoubtedly connected with it. In it, Pasternak sums up his life; he is happy to state that he has fulfilled his destiny.
Poems " Nobel Prize" And " God's peace"are directly related to the scandalous history of the publication of the novel, which was given to the Italian publisher Feltrinelli, was published abroad in 1958 and instantly became a world bestseller. Pasternak was awarded the Nobel Prize. This caused fierce persecution of the poet in his homeland. However, the success of the main work, the extensive correspondence, which seemed to open the doors to a huge world, outweighed the barrage of offensive publications and the betrayal of friends and acquaintances. The publication of the novel “Doctor Zhivago” was, in Pasternak’s opinion, the volitional completion of fate, from his point of view, too prosperous for that time.
Boris Leonidovich
Parsnip
Born on January 29, 1890 in Moscow. His parents are noble in their own way. Mother - Rosalia Pasternak, musician, native Odessa, came to Moscow exactly a year before her son was born. Father - Leonid Osipovich Pasternak - an outstanding artist, academician St. Petersburg Academy arts, and simply wonderful person. In addition to Boris, his family had two more sisters and a brother. Their apartment was always full of revered guests - here were Leo Tolstoy, Isaac Levitan and even musician Sergei Rachmaninov.
The most famous work of Boris Pasternak is “Doctor Zhivago”, and Boris Leonidovich himself is a translator of articles, essays, stories, poems and scientific works. Repeated winner of the Nobel Prize for Literary Arts.
For Boris, 1909 is the year in which he graduated from the Moscow gymnasium. In the same year, Boris entered Moscow University at the Faculty of History and Philology.
After studying there for three years, using funds raised by his mother, Boris goes to Germany to the University of Marburg for summer studies. But, having lost any interest in philosophical sciences, he finishes his studies ahead of schedule and leaves again. This time - Italy. The country that gave Boris the opportunity to fully immerse himself in creativity. However, Boris Leonidovich Pasternak still graduated from the university in 1913.
The beginning of his writing career can be counted precisely from the following events. Boris's first poems appeared in 1909, but he fairly hid his talent for writing. The year 1903 becomes significant for Boris Leonidovich - here he meets the relatives of the outstanding composer Scriabin. At the age of thirteen, Boris begins to write his own musical works. However, the fact of a complete lack of hearing for music forces one to abandon the idea of learning musical art already in the sixth year of study.
In 1921, the entire Pasternak family migrated from Russian Empire. Boris did not lose contact with his family and other emigrants, and Marina Tsvetaeva.
A year later (in 1922), Pasternak married Evgenia Lurie, with whom he lived in Germany for 22-23 years. And already in 1923 they saw their first son, Eugene.
However, the first marriage was not successful. And after the breakup, Boris marries Zinaida Neuhaus for the second time. Together with her son and herself, they traveled to Georgia. Boris also has a son from his second marriage.
After Zinaida's death from cancer, Boris meets Olga Ivinskaya, to whom he devoted many of his creative ideas long before they met. It was Olga who was his muse throughout his life.
The last years of Boris Leonidovich Pasternak passed quite calmly and painfully. 1952 brought Boris a myocardial infarction, however, despite the severe tolerance of the disease, he continued his creative activity. In this state, the writer even began a new cycle of his works, published as “When it clears up.” It was this collection that became the last during his lifetime. But the cause of death does not lie in the heart. His true diagnosis - lung cancer - was never correctly diagnosed. Boris Leonidovich Pasternak died on May 30, 1960 in Peredelkino in the Moscow region. He was buried on June 2, 1960 at the Peredelkinskoye cemetery.
Boris Pasternak was born in Moscow in 1890. He grew up in an atmosphere of creativity. His first hobby was music. Boris composed musical compositions since childhood, but soon lost interest in music.
Pasternak began his studies at the Moscow gymnasium, then he continued his studies at Moscow University at the Faculty of History and Philology. In addition, he studied for a semester in Germany in order to improve his knowledge of philosophy. After completing his studies, Boris lost interest in philosophy and began to engage in poetic activity.
In 1922, the book “Sister is My Life” was published, which helped Pasternak enter the circle of writers of that time.
In the 20s, several collections of poetry were published, after which he focused his work on prose.
In the 30s, Boris was alienated from official literature because he did not agree to create within the boundaries dictated by the authorities. The writer began to engage in translations, which were the only means of earning money at that time.
Boris begins working on Doctor Zhivago in the 50s, a novel that brought him the Nobel Prize. The work was received critically and was published only in 1988.
The writer dies of lung cancer in 1860.
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Boris Leonidovich Pasternak is one of the few masters of words awarded the Nobel Prize. His poems and translations were included in the golden fund of Russian and foreign literature.
Boris Pasternak was born on January 29, 1890 in Moscow into an intelligent family. His mother is a pianist whose career began in Odessa, where the family moved from before Boris was born. Father is an artist and member of the Academy of Arts. Some of his paintings were purchased by a famous patron of the arts for the Tretyakov Gallery. Boris's father was friends with and illustrated his books. Boris was the first-born, after him three more children appeared in the family.
Boris Pasternak with his brother in childhood
Since childhood, the poet was surrounded by a creative atmosphere. Parents' house was open to various celebrities. Welcome guests there were Leo Tolstoy, composers Scriabin and, artists Ivanov, Polenov, Nesterov, Ge, Levitan and others famous personalities. Communication with them could not but influence the future poet.
Scriabin was a huge authority for the boy, under the influence of the composer long time he was passionate about music and dreamed of following in the footsteps of his teacher. Boris is an excellent student and graduates from high school with a gold medal. At the same time he studies at the conservatory.
In Pasternak's biography, situations repeatedly occurred when he had to choose, and this choice was often difficult. The first such decision was to abandon a musical career. Years later, he explains this situation by the lack of absolute pitch. Purposeful and efficient, he brought everything he did to absolute perfection. Boris realized that, despite boundless love he will not be able to reach heights in the musical field.
In 1908 he became a student at the Faculty of Law at Moscow University, and a year later he was transferred to the philosophy department. He had excellent grades in all subjects, and in 1912 he entered the University of Margburg. In Germany, Pasternak is predicted to have a successful career, but quite unexpectedly he decides to become a poet rather than a philosopher.
First steps in creativity
The first attempt of the pen dates back to 1910. His first poems were written under the impression of a trip with his family to Venice and the refusal of his beloved girl to whom he proposes. One of his colleagues writes that in form these were children's poems, but in meaning they were very meaningful. After returning to Moscow, he becomes a member of the literary circles “Lyrika” and “Musaget”, where he reads his poems. At first he is attracted by symbolism and futurism, but later he chooses a path independent of any literary associations.
1913–1914 were years filled with many creative events. Several of his poems have been published, and a collection of poems, “Twin in the Clouds,” has been published. But the poet is demanding of himself and considers his creations to be of insufficient quality. In 1914, he met Mayakovsky, who had a huge influence on Pasternak with his creativity and strength of personality.
In 1916, Pasternak lives in the Perm province, in the Ural village of Vsevolodo-Vilva, where he is invited by the manager of chemical plants, Boris Zbarsky. Works in an office as a business correspondence assistant and deals with trade and financial reporting. According to widespread opinion, Yuryatin from the famous novel “Doctor Zhivago” is the prototype of Perm. Visits the Berezniki soda plant on the Kama. Impressed by what he saw, in a letter to S.P. Bobrov he calls the plant and the village built with it according to the European model “little industrial Belgium.”
Creation
Creativity is an amazing process. For some it is easy and pleasant, for others it is hard work that requires great effort to achieve the goal and achieve perfection. Boris belonged to the second category of people. He works a lot, carefully honing phrases and rhymes. He considers the collection “My Sister is Life,” which was published in 1922, to be his first achievement in the literary field.
An interesting, even curious fact of his biography was his relationship with, who did not like Pasternak’s work. On this basis, their relationship grew into open confrontation. One day there was a fight between the poets. There are interesting memoirs by Kataev about this, in which he calls Yesenin “the prince” and Pasternak “the mulatto.”
“The prince, in a completely rustic manner, held the intelligent mulatto by the chest with one hand, and with the other tried to punch him in the ear, while the mulatto - according to the current expression of those years, looked like both an Arab and his horse with a flaming face, in a fluttering jacket with torn buttons, with intelligent ineptitude, he tried to poke the prince’s cheekbone with his fist, which he could not do.”
In the 1920s, a number of important events took place: the emigration of his parents to Germany, his marriage to Eugenia Lurie, the birth of a son, the publication of new collections and poems.
In the early 1930s, Pasternak and his work were recognized by the authorities. Collections of poems are republished annually, and in 1934 he gave a speech at the congress of the Writers' Union. Counts the best poet in the land of the Soviets. In 1935 he went to Paris for the International Congress of Writers. During the trip, he has a nervous breakdown; the writer complains of insomnia and frayed nerves.
In the same year, Pasternak stood up for his son and husband, who were arrested and then released after his letters. In gratitude, in December 1935, the poet sent Stalin a book with translations of the lyrics of Georgian poets as a gift. In the accompanying letter, he thanks for the “lightning-fast release of Akhmatova’s relatives.”
In January 1936, two of his poems were published, in which he admires I.V. Stalin. Despite their efforts, those in power did not forgive Pasternak for his intercession on behalf of Anna Akhmatova’s relatives, as well as his defense of Gumilyov and Mandelstam. In 1936 he was practically removed from literary life, are accused of being distant from life and having an erroneous worldview.
Translations
Pasternak gained his fame not only as a poet, but also as a master of translating foreign poetry. At the end of the 1930s, the attitude of the country's leadership towards his personality changed, his works were not republished, and he was left without a livelihood. This forces the poet to turn to translations. Pasternak treats them as self-sufficient works of art. He approaches his work with special care, trying to do it perfectly.
He began working on translations in 1936, at his dacha in Peredelkino. Pasternak's works are considered equivalent to the originals of great works. Translations become for him not only an opportunity to support his family in conditions of persecution, but also a way to realize himself as a poet. The translations made by Boris Pasternak have become classics.
War
As a result of childhood trauma, he is not subject to mobilization. The poet also could not stand aside. He completes the course, receives the status of a war correspondent and goes to the front. After returning, he creates a cycle of poems with patriotic content.
IN post-war years He works a lot, does translations, since they remain his only income. He writes little poetry - he uses all his time on translations and writing a new novel, and is also working on a translation of Goethe's Faust.
Doctor Zhivago and bullying
The book “Doctor Zhivago” is one of the poet’s most significant works in prose; in many ways it is an autobiographical novel, which Pasternak worked on for ten years. Prototype main character The novel was his wife Zinaida Pasternak (Neuhaus). After Olga Ivinskaya, the poet’s new muse, appeared in his life, work on the book went much faster.
The novel's narrative begins from the beginning of the century and ends with the Great Patriotic War. The title of the book changed as it was written. At first it was called “Boys and Girls,” then “The Candle Was Burning” and “There is No Death.”
Edition “Doctor Zhivago” For his truthful story and his own view of the events of those years, the writer was subjected to severe persecution, and Doctor Zhivago was not recognized by the country's leadership. The novel was not published in the Soviet Union, but it was appreciated abroad. Published in Italy in 1957, the novel Doctor Zhivago received a flurry of enthusiastic reviews from readers and became a real sensation.
In 1958, Pasternak was awarded the Nobel Prize. The novel is translated into languages different countries and is distributed throughout the world, published in Germany, Great Britain and Holland. Soviet authorities Attempts were made several times to seize the manuscript and ban the book, but it became increasingly popular.
The recognition of his writing talent by the world community becomes his greatest joy and sorrow at the same time. Bullying is intensifying not only from authorities, but also from colleagues. Accusatory rallies are held in factories, institutes, creative unions and other organizations. Collective letters are drawn up demanding that the offending poet be punished.
They offered to expel him from the country, but the poet could not imagine himself without his homeland. He expresses his bitter experiences of this period in the poem “Nobel Prize” (1959), also published abroad. Under pressure from a mass campaign, he was forced to refuse the award, and for his verse he was almost accused of treason. Boris Leonidovich is expelled from the Union of Writers of the USSR, but he remains in the Literary Fund, continues to publish and receive royalties.
Poems
In the poems of the early period, the influence of symbolism is noticeable. They are characterized by complex rhymes, incomprehensible images and comparisons. During the war, his style changes dramatically - his poems become light, understandable and easy to read. This is especially characteristic of his short poems, such as “March”, “Wind”, “Hop”, “Hamlet”. Pasternak's genius is that even his small poems contain significant philosophical meaning.
The work, written in 1956, dates back to the late period of his work, when he lived and worked in Peredelkino. If his first poems were elegant, then later a social orientation appeared in them.
The poet's favorite theme is the unity of man and nature. "July" is an example of a wonderful landscape lyrics, in which he admires the charm of one of the most beautiful months of the year.
His latest collection will include the poem “It’s Snowing,” written in 1957. The work consists of two parts: a landscape sketch and philosophical reflections on the meaning of life and its transience. The catchphrase will be the line “and the day lasts longer than a century” from his poem “The Only Days” (1959), which was also included in the latest collection.
Personal life
The biography of Boris Pasternak cannot be complete without a description of his personal life. The poet was married twice, the first time in his youth, the second time in adulthood. He also had a third love.
All his women were muses, gave happiness and were happy with him. His creative, enthusiastic nature and overflowing emotions became the reason for instability in personal relationships. He did not stoop to betrayal, but to be faithful to one the only woman I couldn't.
Boris Pasternak and Evgenia Lurie with a child His first wife, Evgenia Lurie, was an artist. He met her in 1921 and considered their meeting symbolic. During this period, Pasternak completed work on the story “Childhood of Eyelets”, the heroine of which was the embodiment of the image of the young artist. The heroine of the work was also named Evgenia. Delicacy, tenderness and sophistication were surprisingly combined in her with purposefulness and self-sufficiency. The girl becomes his wife and muse.
The meeting with her in the poet’s soul caused an extraordinary uplift. Boris was truly happy; their first child was born - son Evgeniy. A strong mutual feeling in the first years of marriage smoothed out the difficulties, but over time, the poverty and hardships of life in the 20s also affected their family well-being. Evgenia also sought to realize herself as an artist, so Pasternak took on some of the family concerns.
The relationship deteriorated when the poet begins to correspond with, causing the burning jealousy of his wife, who, in upset feelings, leaves for Germany to visit Pasternak’s parents. Later she will refuse to realize her creativity and will devote himself entirely to his family. But by this time the poet had a new lover - Zinaida Neuhaus. She is only 32, he is already 40, she has a husband and two children.
Zinaida Neuhaus with children Neuhaus is the complete opposite of his first wife. She is a good housewife and devotes herself completely to her family. She lacked the sophistication of his first wife, but he fell in love with her at first sight. The marriage and children of the poet’s chosen one did not stop him; he wants to be with her, in spite of everything. Despite the separation, Pasternak always helped his former family and maintained relations with them.
The second marriage was also happy. A caring wife provided peace and comfortable working conditions. The poet's second son, Leonid, was born. As with his first wife, happiness lasted a little more than ten years. Then the husband began to linger in Peredelkino and gradually move away from the family. Against the backdrop of cooling family relations in the editorial office of the magazine " New world“He meets a new muse and magazine editor Olga Ivinskaya.
Boris did not want to leave his wife, so he repeatedly tries to break off relations with Olga. In 1949, Ivinskaya was arrested for her relationship with the disgraced poet and sent to the camps for 5 years. Over the years, he has been helping her mother and children - taking care of her and providing financially.
The ordeal takes a toll on his health. In 1952, he ended up in the hospital with a heart attack. After returning from the camps, Olga works as an unofficial secretary for Pasternak. They do not part for the rest of his life.
Death
Harassment from colleagues and the public undermined his health. In April 1960, Pasternak developed a serious illness. It was oncology with metastases in the stomach. In the hospital, Zinaida is on duty near his bed.
Boris Pasternak in recent years At the beginning of May, he comes to the realization that the disease is incurable, and he needs to prepare for death. On May 30, 1960, he passed away. Zinaida will pass away in 6 years, the cause of death is the same as Pasternak’s.
Boris Pasternak's grave Despite the unfriendly attitude of the authorities, many people came to his funeral. Among them were Naum Korzhavin and others. His grave is located in the cemetery in Peredelkino. The whole family is buried there. The author of the monument at the burial site of Pasternak is the sculptor Sarah Lebedeva.
Works and books
- "Twin in the Clouds"
- "Childhood Eyelets"
- "Three chapters from a story"
- "Safety certificate"
- "Airways"
- "Second birth"
- "Georgian Lyricists"
- "On the Early Trains"
- "When it clears up"
- "Doctor Zhivago"
- "Poems and poems: In 2 volumes"
- “I don’t write poetry...”
- "Selected Works"
- "Letters to Parents and Sisters"
- "Correspondence of Boris Pasternak"
- "Earth's space"
Boris Leonidovich Pasternak, whose biography is presented in this article, is one of those few wordsmiths who have been awarded one of the most coveted awards - the Nobel Prize.
Biography of the poet
Boris Pasternak, whose photo is presented in the article, was born in Moscow in 1890. The poet's family was creative and intelligent. Mother is a pianist, father was a famous artist and academician. His works were highly appreciated, and some were even purchased by the famous philanthropist Tretyakov for his museum. was friends with Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy and was one of his favorite illustrators.
In addition to the first-born Boris, the family subsequently had three more children - youngest son and two daughters.
Childhood years
Boris Leonidovich Pasternak, whose poems had not yet been written, was in an amazing creative atmosphere from birth. His parents' house was always hospitably open to famous guests. In addition to Leo Tolstoy, composers Scriabin and Rachmaninov, artists Levitan and Ivanov, and many others visited here creative personalities. Of course, meetings with them could not but affect Pasternak. The greatest influence on him was Scriabin, under whose influence 13-year-old Boris seriously studied music for a long time and planned to become a composer.
Boris Pasternak studied excellently (the biography of the poet contains this fact). He graduated from the fifth Moscow gymnasium, where Vladimir Mayakovsky studied two classes lower. At the same time, he studied at the composition department of the Moscow Conservatory. He graduated from high school brilliantly - with a gold medal and highest scores in all subjects.
Difficult choice
Pasternak Boris Leonidovich, whose biography would later be replenished with more than one fact of difficult choice, after graduation was forced to make the first, very painful decision for him - to leave his career as a composer. He himself later explained in his biography that he did this because he did not have absolute pitch. Already then, the character of the future poet contained determination and enormous capacity for work. If he started something, he brought it to complete perfection. Therefore, loving music very much, but realizing that he could not achieve the perfection necessary for himself in this profession, Pasternak, in his words, “torn” it out of himself.
In 1908, he entered Moscow University, first to the Faculty of Law, but a year later he changed his mind and transferred to the philosophy department. As always, Pasternak was a brilliant student and in 1912 continued his studies at the University of Margburg. He was predicted to have a good career as a philosopher in Germany, but he suddenly decides to devote himself not to philosophy, but to poetry.
The beginning of a creative journey
He began to try his hand at poetry late, around 1910. Boris Pasternak's poems of that period, according to the recollections of the poet's colleague working together in poetry circles, completely childish in form, they tried to contain enormous content.
A visit to Venice with his family in 1912 and the refusal of his beloved girl had a strong impression on Boris. This finds expression in his first poems of that period.
Upon returning to Moscow, he begins to participate in the literary circles “Musaget” and “Lyrics”, speaking with his poems. During these years, he was attracted to such trends in poetry as futurism and symbolism, but later he preferred not to join any literary association, but to be independent.
The years 1913-1914 were eventful for Pasternak. creative life. At first, several of his poems were published, and in 1914 the first collection, “Twin in the Clouds,” was published. But he considers all this to be just a test of the pen, since he is dissatisfied with the quality of his works. In the same year, he met Vladimir Mayakovsky. Pasternak as a poet falls under his influence.
Birth of a poet
The creative process is a completely inexplicable thing. Some create easily, as if having fun, while others carefully hone every phrase, achieving perfection. Boris Pasternak also belonged to the latter. For him, poetry is not only a great gift, but also hard work. Therefore, he considers only the collection “My Sister - Life”, published in 1922, to be the beginning of his literary activity. The poems by Boris Pasternak included in it were written in the summer of 1917.
Fruitful 1920s
The beginning of the 1920s was marked by several important events. In 1921, the poet’s parents emigrated to Germany, and in 1922 Boris Pasternak, whose biography contains a lot interesting facts, marries Evgenia Vladimirovna Lurie. A year later their son Zhenya is born.
The work of Boris Pasternak in these years was fruitful - in 1923 the collection “Themes and Variations” and two famous poems appeared - “Lieutenant Schmidt” and “Nine Hundred and Five”. They became a literary event of those years and were highly appreciated by Maxim Gorky.
The beginning of the 1930s was the time of recognition of Pasternak by the authorities. His works are republished annually, and the poet himself gave a speech at the first congress of the Writers' Union in 1934. He is actually called the best poet in the country. But the authorities do not forget that the poet had the courage to stand up for the arrested relatives of the poetess Anna Akhmatova, defended Mandelstam and Gumilyov. She doesn't forgive anyone for this. Boris Pasternak did not escape this fate. Brief biography The poet says that by 1936 he was actually eliminated from the official literary life of the country, accusing him of having an incorrect worldview and detachment from life.
Translations of Pasternak
It so happened that Pasternak is no less famous as a translator than as a poet. He is called one of the best masters of poetic translation. Who, if not he, a wonderful poet, could better feel the work of another creator than others?
Due to the negative attitude of the authorities in the late 1930s, the poet was left without income. His works are no longer being republished, money is sorely lacking, and Pasternak turns to translations. The poet had his own concept regarding them. He believed that a translation is as independent as the original. And here he approached the work with all his meticulousness and desire to do everything perfectly.
Boris Leonidovich Pasternak, whose poems and translations are included in the golden fund of Russian and foreign literature, began translating back in 1918. Then he was mainly engaged in creativity German poets. His main work began in 1936. He goes to his dacha in Peredelkino and works hard on translations of Shakespeare, Goethe, Byron, Rilke, Keats, and Varlen. Now his work is valued on equal terms with the original works.
For Pasternak, translations are not only an opportunity to feed his family, but also a unique way to realize himself as a poet in the face of persecution and refusal to publish his works. We owe Boris Pasternak the magnificent translations of Shakespeare, which have long been considered classics.
War and post-war years
The injury the writer received in childhood did not allow him to mobilize to the front during the Patriotic War. But he couldn’t stay away either. After completing military courses, he goes to the front as a correspondent. Upon returning home to Peredelkino, he creates a cycle of patriotic poems.
The years after the war are a time of intense work. Pasternak translates a lot, since this remains his only income. He wrote little poetry in the post-war years - all his time was occupied by translations and work on a new novel.
These years also included another titanic work of the poet - a translation of Goethe's Faust.
“Doctor Zhivago” is the pinnacle of creation and the poet’s favorite work
This book was the most important and beloved work of the poet. For ten whole years Boris Pasternak went to her. Doctor Zhivago is a largely autobiographical novel.
Start of work - 1945. At this time, the prototype of the main female image The novel was written by the writer's wife Zinaida Neuhaus. After the appearance of Pasternak in his life, who became his new muse, work on the manuscript went faster.
This novel is the poet’s main and favorite brainchild; it took a long time to create - 10 years. This is actually the autobiography of the writer himself, a true story about events in the country, starting from the beginning of the century and ending terrible war. For this honesty, Doctor Zhivago was categorically rejected by the authorities, and Boris Pasternak, whose biography preserves the events of this difficult period, was subjected to real persecution.
It’s hard to imagine how difficult it was to endure the universal reproach, especially from colleagues.
In the Soviet Union, publication of the book was refused due to the writer’s controversial views on October Revolution. The novel was appreciated only abroad. It was published in Italy. In 1957, Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago was released and instantly became a sensation. This work received the most rave reviews in the West.
1958 is an amazing date. Being awarded the Nobel Prize is for the poet both the greatest joy from the high recognition of his talent by the world community, and real grief due to the renewed new strength bullying. They offered to expel him from the country as punishment, to which the poet replied that he could not imagine himself without his homeland. Pasternak succinctly and harshly described all the bitterness of that period in the poem “Nobel Prize,” written in 1959. He had to refuse the award, and for this poem, published abroad, he was almost charged under the article “treason.” It was saved by the fact that the publication took place without Pasternak’s consent.
Boris Pasternak - short poems by the poet
If we talk about the poet’s early work, the influence of symbolism is strongly felt in it. Very complex rhymes, incomprehensible images and comparisons are characteristic of this period. Pasternak's style changed dramatically during the war years. The poems seem to acquire ease and simplicity of reading. They are easy and quick to remember, and it’s nice to just read them in a row. This is especially true for the poet’s short poems, such as “Hop”, “Wind”, “March”, “Hamlet”. Pasternak's genius lies in the fact that even his smallest poems contain enormous philosophical meaning.
Boris Pasternak. Analysis of the poem "July"
The poem belongs to the late period of the poet’s work. It was written in 1956, when Pasternak was vacationing in the summer at his dacha in Peredelkino. If in early years he wrote elegant poems, then later a social orientation and the poet’s favorite theme appear in them - an understanding of the inseparability of the natural world and man.
“July” is a vivid example of landscape lyricism. The title of the work and its theme completely coincide. Which main idea did Boris Pasternak want to convey to the reader? July is one of the most beautiful summer months, causing the sincere admiration of the author. And he wants to describe its lightness, freshness and charm.
The poem consists of two parts. The first part creates an atmosphere of mystery - who is the guest who entered the house? A brownie, a ghost, a ghost who runs in, frolics and sneaks?
In the second part, the secret of the mysterious guest is revealed - this is a mischievous July, the month of midsummer. The poet humanizes July, using personifications for this: a brownie, an unkempt disheveled man, a visiting tenant.
A special feature of the poem is the author’s use of vivid visual images: July “rips the tablecloth off the table”, “runs in in a whirlwind of a draft.”
Personal life of the poet
Boris Pasternak, whose biography cannot be complete without talking about his family, was married twice. As someone who lives by emotions, he was a passionate person. Not so much as to stoop to banal betrayals, but he could not remain faithful to the one woman he loved.
The poet's first wife was the charming Eugenia Lurie, a young artist. They met in 1921, and the poet considered this meeting symbolic for himself. At this time, Pasternak finished work on the story “Childhood of Eyelets,” the heroine’s name was Evgenia, and it was as if he saw her image in the girl.
Evgenia has become a real museum of the poet. Refined, gentle, delicate and at the same time purposeful and independent, she evoked an extraordinary elation in him. In the first years of marriage, Boris Pasternak was probably happy for the first time. At first, strong love smoothed out all the difficulties, but gradually the hard life of the poor in the 20s began to interfere more and more with family happiness. Evgenia was not an ideal wife; she also wanted to realize herself as an artist, and Pasternak had to take on many family concerns.
In 1926, a long correspondence began between him and Marina Tsvetaeva, which literally drove the poet’s jealous wife crazy. She can’t stand it and goes to Pasternak’s parents in Germany. In the end, she decides to give up the desire to realize herself as an artist and devotes her life to caring for her husband. But by this time the poet had already met his second future wife, Zinaida Neuhaus. He is already forty, she is 32 years old, she is married and raising two boys.
Neuhaus turns out to be the complete opposite of Evgenia Lurie. She devoted herself entirely to her family and was very economical. She did not have the sophistication that was inherent in the poet's first wife. But Pasternak fell in love with this woman at first sight. The fact that she was married and had children did not stop him. Now he saw his life only with her.
In 1932, he divorced Evgenia and married Zinaida. Having separated from his first wife, he helped her and his son all the years until his death and maintained relationships.
Pasternak was also happy with his second wife. Caring and economical, she tried to provide him with comfort and peace and was also a muse for the poet. In his second marriage, a son, Leonid, was born.
Family happiness lasted, as in the first marriage, a little more than 10 years. Pasternak began to linger more and more often at the dacha in Peredelkino and became more and more distant from his wife. One day, at the editorial office of the New World magazine, he met Olga Ivinskaya, who worked there as an editor. She became the poet's last muse.
They tried to separate several times, because Pasternak did not want to leave his wife, she meant a lot to him, and the poet could not afford to treat her so cruelly.
In 1949, Ivinskaya was arrested and sent to camps for 5 years for her relationship with Boris Pasternak. And all these years he took care of her elderly mother and children, providing her with money. It's for nothing hard time did not pass - in 1952 the poet was hospitalized with a heart attack.
After returning, Olga became Pasternak’s unofficial secretary - she manages all his affairs, communicates on his behalf with editors, and reprints his works. Until the end of the poet’s life, they never parted.
Recent years
There is no doubt that it was the persecution that unfolded around the poet that greatly undermined his health. The heart attack suffered in 1952 also made itself felt.
In the spring, at the beginning of April 1960, Pasternak fell ill from a serious illness. No one assumed that he had cancer, which had already metastasized to his stomach. At the beginning of May, the poet realizes that the disease is fatal and he will not recover. May 30 Boris Pasternak dies. All this time, his wife Zinaida was at his bedside, who would outlive her husband by 6 years and die from the same illness. The poet and his entire family are buried in the cemetery in Peredelkino.
The work of the remarkable Russian poet, writer and translator Boris Pasternak has forever entered world literature. His peculiarity as a poet is his picturesque expressive style and amazing imagery of his poems.
