Koltsov Alexey Vasilievich - biography. ​Alexey Vasilyevich Koltsov - an outstanding Russian poet of the Pushkin era

Alexey Vasilyevich Koltsov, an outstanding Russian poet, was born in Voronezh, in the family of Prasol. He studied at the district school, but did not finish even two classes: his father forced him to help in his trading affairs. Driving around in the steppe with herds of cattle, spending the night under open air, encountering various people, Koltsov from a young age enters the world of Russian nature, Russian folk life.

When I was sixteen, I first learned what poetry was and began to compose it myself. In 1830, he met in Voronezh with the Moscow philosopher and poet Stankevich, who in 1831 published one of Koltsov’s songs in the Literary Gazette. In the same year, having arrived in Moscow, Koltsov met Belinsky and found in him his literary teacher and friend. Soon, through the efforts of Stankevich’s circle, the first book of Koltsov’s poems was published. In 1836, Koltsov was in St. Petersburg on trade business - here Pushkin treated him kindly. Pushkin published Koltsov’s poem “Harvest” in the Sovremennik magazine.

As his talent and knowledge grew, it became increasingly difficult for Koltsov to live in a stuffy, bourgeois environment, under the rule of an ignorant and cruel father. He never manages to leave trade and devote himself entirely to literature. Having fallen ill with consumption, the lonely poet, with the complete indifference of his family, died at thirty-three years of age.

Koltsov’s poems amazed his contemporaries with their originality, poetic novelty, and folk song style. In Koltsov’s songs, as Herzen put it, downtrodden, poor, peasant Russia gave voice to itself. For the first time in the history of Russian literature, Koltsov, with amazing sincerity, sang the life of a simple farmer, sang his work, his thirst for will and happiness.

Koltsov Alexey Vasilievich (1809-1842), poet.

He received his primary education at home, under the guidance of a seminarian teacher. In 1820 he entered the Voronezh district school, but a year later the father took the boy home to accustom him to trading activities.

Koltsov made up for his lack of education by reading. First poem "Three Visions"
(1825), written in imitation of I.I. Dmitriev, the poet subsequently destroyed. In his youth, Koltsov experienced a love drama (he was separated from the serf girl he wanted to marry), and this was later reflected in his poems: love lyrics occupy a special place among the poet’s songs.

Having taken over the family business, Koltsov successfully engaged in trade. His first poetry publication in 1830 was anonymous. In 1831, during a business trip to Moscow, Koltsov, with the help of publisher and critic N.V. Stankevich, entered the literary circle. In the same year, Koltsov’s poem “Ring” (later called “Ring”) was published in Literaturnaya Gazeta.

In 1835, using money raised by subscription, Stankevich published the book “Poems of Alexei Koltsov” - the only collection of the poet’s lifetime. Critics noted the connection between Koltsov’s poems and folk songs, palpable at the figurative, thematic and linguistic levels.

1836 was a turning point in creative development poet. His poems were published in the magazines “Telescope”, “Son of the Fatherland”, “Moscow Observer”, etc. One of the poems was published in “Sovremennik” by A. S. Pushkin.

Koltsov responded to Pushkin’s death with the poem “Forest” (1837).

In 1840, after a trip to the capital, which ended in failure in trade affairs, the poet fell ill with consumption, which brought him to his grave (he died on November 10, 1842 in Voronezh).

In 1846, the posthumous collected works of Koltsov, prepared by V. G. Belinsky, were published.

Famous Russian poet. He was born in 1809 on October 3 in rich family Voronezh tradesman. Alexei's father was a prasol (a merchant who sold animals) - a smart, resourceful, hardworking man. Alexei's mother was uneducated, or rather, completely illiterate. Alexei spent his childhood in a strict, patriarchal family of a wealthy merchant. His father was very stern, commanded all household affairs and did not tolerate disobedience. Only Alexei’s mother could maintain a human relationship with his father, and apparently she had a positive influence on her son.

Alexei's parents did not occupy him with anything during his childhood, and he was lonely: one of his sisters was much older than him, the other sisters and one brother were very small. After he turned 9 years old, his father hired one of the local seminarians to teach his son literacy. Studying was easy for young Alexei, and even without studying at the parish school, he immediately (in 1818) entered the district school. However, he did not complete the entire course of study and after 4 years was forced to return home. His father believed that his son did not need extra science, and that the knowledge he received would be quite enough to follow his father’s example in selling livestock.

Alexey was never able to fully master Russian grammar. However, the school still brought benefits - he fell in love with books and became very interested in reading. The first books for him were local children's publications sold in nearby shops: tales about Bova, tales about Eruslan Lazarevich. Alexey usually saved his pocket money, given out for sweets, and bought books.

After reading all the fairy tales, Alexey began to read novels, which one of his comrades, also a merchant’s son, was keen on. Koltsov most liked to read Kheraskov’s works: “Cadmus and Harmony” and “A Thousand and One Nights”. In 1824, his friend died and left his 79-volume library as an inheritance to Alexei.

Returning from school, he was forced to help his father in his difficult trading business, and during the same period Koltsov became acquainted with the Don steppe and the village. This acquaintance had an impact on young guy a positive influence, he absorbed this entire colorful, vibrant world like a sponge and tried to convey his thoughts and feelings to it.

Having read a collection of Dmitriev’s poems in 1825, he was very impressed, and he especially liked the poem “Ermak”. At the age of 16, Alexey wrote his first poem, “Three Visions.” Soon he managed to meet a local bookseller, Kashkin. Honest, smart Kaashkin was loved by local youth, and his bookstore was something like a club of interests. Kashkin himself read a lot, was interested in literature and even wrote poetry. According to some sources, Alexey showed him his first poems. For 5 years, Alexey used his library for free and read the works of many famous writers: Zhukovsky, Pushkin, Delvig, Kozlov. Those poems that the author wrote since 1826. to 1827, are very similar to the works of these luminaries of art.

At the end of the 20s, Alexey began to be friends with Andrei Serebryansky, a student at the seminary in Voronezh. Later Serebryansky will enter the medical academy. He wrote poems, and they were very popular among seminarians. One of his plays is still remembered today - “Swift as the waves are the days of our lives.” In his letters to Belinsky, Koltsov often remembers his comrade with gratitude, because it was to him that he owed valuable advice. Serebryansky told Alexey about the correct technique for constructing a poem and advised him to choose best books for reading. ABOUT warm relations He even tells this man a poem that Koltsov dedicated to him - (“A.P. Serebryansky”).

At the end of the 20s, Alexei fell in love with Dunyasha, a serf girl whom his father acquired from a local landowner. The father quickly solved the problems: when Alexei was not at home, he sold Dunyasha to a distant village, where she soon got married. This act greatly upset Alexei, and traces of this atrocity can often be seen in his works.

In 1829, Alexei met Emelyanov, a professor of philosophy and mathematical sciences at a local seminary. According to one of his friends, Emelyanov was very interested in literature. At the same time, someone lived in Voronezh - Sukhachev, a man who called himself a writer. Believing, Alexey showed this man his notebook with poems. Sukhachev took this notebook to Moscow, and in 1830 published some of Koltsov’s poems, but presenting himself as the author of these works.

By luck, Koltsov met N.V. Stankevich. According to some sources, Stankevich’s father was a local Voronezh landowner, owned a distillery, and local landowners brought their herds to this distillery to feed stillage. The young son of the landowner was in no way connected with these people. One night, as he was getting ready for bed, he couldn’t wait for his personal valet. Upon arrival, the valet said that the recently arrived merchant Koltsov read such songs that all the people could not tear themselves away from him and read the master a few verses that remained in his memory. These couplets greatly impressed Stankevich, and he invited Koltsov to visit to ask where he got these wonderful poems. At the request of the young landowner, Koltsov gave him his works. Stankevich even published one poem in Literaturnaya Gazeta. He described the author of these poems as “a poet of genius, without education, who is busy with his father’s trading affairs and writes his works without getting off his horse.”

In the spring of 1831, Koltsov traveled to Moscow on his father’s judicial and commercial affairs. There he meets people in Stankevich’s circle, including Belinsky. In 1831 Koltsov published several poems in a Moscow leaflet. In 1835, the circle collected money and jointly published the book “Poems of Alexei Koltsov.” In it, Stankevich placed 18 plays from Koltsov’s literary notebook. This book contained such famous poems as “Reflections of a Villager,” “Don’t Make Noise, Rye,” “Peasant Feast,” etc. Belinsky responded to the book without much admiration.

Koltsov, as before, rarely began to write, devoting most of his time to his father’s work. In 1836, for the second time, he traveled to Moscow and St. Petersburg. During this period, he met Shevyrev and Glinka, Zhukovsky, Kraevsky, Pletnev, Panaev, princes Odoevsky and Vyazemsky. Everywhere Koltsov was received very cordially, in some places sincerely, in others because of his reputation as a poet-merchant, poet-philistine. However, Koltsov clearly saw the insincerity of some people, since he was a very attentive person.

In 1836, Koltsov met Pushkin. According to contemporaries, this acquaintance took place in Pushkin’s apartment, where Koltsov was personally invited by Pushkin. Koltsov respected the poet and admired his work. Once he even refused to read his poems because Pushkin was in the room - Koltsov considered him a more worthy person.

Polevoy called Koltsov pure and kind person, and also said that next to him he warmed up, as if next to a fireplace. Prince Vyazemsky called him modest and kind-hearted. Belinsky admired Koltsov’s work. Kraevsky and Zhukovsky also treated Koltsov with warmth. Prince Vyazemsky and Prince Odoevsky often helped Koltsov in his merchant affairs. With the help of these princes, my father won almost completely losing trials. This fact can explain why the father did not interfere with his son’s literary experiments.
The best magazines in Moscow (“Moscow Observer”, “Sovremennik”) happily published poems written by Koltsov.

He became especially popular in his homeland after Zhukovsky, together with the heir to the throne, walked around Russia in the summer of 1837 and visited the city of Voronezh. The whole city saw how Zhukovsky walked on foot with the salt poet and rode with him in a carriage. Koltsov also showed Zhukovsky the sights of Voronezh.

Koltsov during this period was very uncomfortable in the family circle - he wanted to engage in intellectual work, he wanted to communicate with creative and cultural people. However, he was strongly connected with his past, both morally and financially, and besides, his level of education was far from that of the capital.

In 1838, Koltsov’s friend Serebryansky died, and there was no longer a person in Voronezh who could understand the poet’s subtle mental structure. He soon stopped maintaining friendly relations with the seller Kashkin.

In 1838, the poet again visited Moscow. During this period, he communicates quite closely with Belinsky. It was to him that Koltsov told about all his problems and successes, and it was to him that he sent the works he had just written. During 1838, Koltsov wrote a lot because the metropolitan situation and the interests of the society in which he was located contributed to this. In his letters to Belinsky, this is exactly how he explains huge number of their works.

After returning from Moscow, Koltsov suffers even more from loneliness; the local situation weighs heavily on him. He increasingly ceases to maintain relationships with old acquaintances. Koltsov wanted to play the role of a mentor and introduce into local life those lofty ideas and thoughts that he heard in the intellectual centers of Russia. However, those familiar with him ridiculed such activities and considered Koltsov an ordinary imitator. In his pitiful letters to Belinsky, he writes: “I can no longer live in the circle of local merchants, and in other circles too. I only have a merciless future ahead of me. In my essence, I am like a crow that fell behind its flock, but did not join the new one.”

Friends called Koltsov to the capital and suggested that he start selling books or work as a manager in Kraevsky’s office. However, Koltsov did not listen to their advice. He realized that trading was not an ideal profession, and that he was unlikely to be able to compete effectively with other booksellers unless he conducted his trade in a typical merchant manner.

In 1840, the poet again traveled to the capital on his father’s business. This trip was his last. Meeting with Botkin and Belinsky, he became a little elated. This time he was in no hurry to return to his homeland and, returning from St. Petersburg, spent a lot of time in Moscow. He didn't want to find himself in the nasty whirlpool of his home environment again.

At the end of winter 1841, Koltsov finally decides to return home. He did not have money for his return trip because his father did not want to see him and did not send him money. I had to borrow money from a friend. Arriving home, he again takes care of his father's affairs, but the relationship between father and son was rapidly deteriorating. The occasional tense family scenes really depressed the poet. Soon he stopped communicating with the younger generation, Aksinya, whom he had previously considered his only close soul.

In the letters that he writes to Belinsky, the routine and outright hopelessness of Koltsov’s entire home environment are clearly visible. He planned to complete a couple of buildings, finish all household chores and, with the money promised by his father, go to St. Petersburg. However, the daily routine dragged on, and complex matters did not allow time for travel.

In addition, the poet’s health deteriorated significantly, and the last hope for a new life was extinguished in his soul. Only one moment in his then life was remembered with joy and happiness: he fell very much in love with Varvara Grigorievna Lebedeva. This bright event gave him hope and faith in a happy future, but insurmountable circumstances led them to separation. Koltsov’s consumption began to progress. My father did not give money for decent treatment. Doctor I.A. Malyshev tried his best to support Koltsov. While he, seriously ill and unhappy, lay in the room, behind the wall they were preparing his sister for wedding celebrations. Only his mother and an old nanny looked after him.

The poetry of Alexei Vasilyevich Koltsov has been called deeply folk, peasant since the time of the critic Belinsky. In content, motives, and form, it is very similar to oral folk art. Truly folk, simple plots that the poet usually uses in his lyrics: complaints about sadness, longing for a loved one, troubles in the family, love motives and brave prowess.

Unlike folk lyrics, Koltsov has more variations, the poet conveys experiences more subtly, deeper, impulses are more passionate, he has more bright colors, but the meaning does not change from this, the difference is only in quantity, but not in quality. Only one thing is absolutely clear: in his poetry we see an accurate and direct, abstract folk creative genius.
The poet looks at everything with a wide-open, simple gaze, just as the poets of folk songs looked, the creators who remained famous only because they did not have time to abstract themselves from the masses, worried like the people themselves, and in unison with them.

The soul of a folk poet, like Koltsov’s soul, undifferentiated and uncomplicated, is characterized by a special fullness of feelings, in which the individual “I” is blurred, the possession of original harmony and heterogeneous unity. In this unity there is God, nature and a specific person, who mutually and finally penetrate each other, making up a certain common whole.

If we do not take into account those poems by Koltsov, in which he imitates Zhukovsky, Dmitriev and Delvig, borrowing elements as if hastily from poets who unwittingly came across and completely distant from him, do not accept the “Dumas”, which were written under the influence of Stankevich’s circle, namely Belinsky , who unsuccessfully enlightened him about the “object, subject and absolute,” then in the poetry of Alexei Vasilyevich we are amazed complete absence personal element and extraordinary objectivity.

Studying Koltsov's lyrics, one can come to the conclusion that they are not the result of his personal feelings, emotions and experiences. He just wanted to tell how, in general, any Russian peasant guy, any Russian peasant girl - they love, they are sad, they rejoice, they complain about their sad fate, or they languish in a once and for all fixed way of life, which is a narrow sphere of life.

We see both the despair of a young man from the betrayal of his beloved (“Sadness and melancholy fell heavy on his tormented little head; the soul is tormented by the torment of death, the soul asks to leave the body”), and the highest love that transforms all life around (“Together with my beloved, winter seems in the summer, grief is not grief, night is a clear day, and without it there is no joy in the May morning, and in the dawn-evening, and in the oak grove - green - silk brocade").

Koltsov’s favorite artistic techniques are the combination of two images or concepts into one. For example: “love-longing”, “trembling-fire”, “sadness-longing”, “love-soul”, “love-fire, etc.). The poet’s work contains amazing contrasts (for example: “the sun is shining - yes in autumn”, “to be with grief at a feast” cheerful face" etc.).

Everywhere and in everything we see a passionate, strong nature, special and deep, experiencing to the point of self-forgetfulness. In the initial collective integrity of the worldview, everything personal drowns, and the poet’s lyrics become typical. Yes, it is the typical that is most characteristic of Alexei Vasilyevich. And no matter how bright his colors are, and no matter how abundant they are, because in each work they are new and different, the feeling remains unchanged: the poet describes feelings that are applicable to every person, these are experiences, so to speak, generic, and not personal, not individual.

No matter what Koltsov tells us in his work, fused images, nameless heroes appear before us everywhere. Does he yearn for his beloved? young man, turning to the red sun, wild winds and wide fields, a lamenting deceived young woman who was forcibly married to a disgraceful man; does the old man complain about his advanced age, and the young man complain about the mediocre lot that befell him; whether it tells about how a zealous heart dries up like grass in autumn, from the fire of love for a beautiful maiden - in a word, no matter what or who the poet sings to us, there are images everywhere that can only be characterized by general features. Maximum - they can be determined by property status or occupation in the case where this is necessary to initiate an action, but not in any more precise or detailed manner.

In Russian literature, Koltsov is the only glorifier of the labor of agriculture; when we read his works, the entire peasant life of a Russian man of those times, which the poet knows very well, passes before our eyes. Alexey Vasilyevich feels and sees all his complexity, immerses himself in his moods and thoughts, but at the same time he always portrays him in a coherent and typical form. In another poet this could be called a weakness of creative abilities, but in Koltsov one can feel here the great truth of a high talent who perceives the world just as the people and the peasantry do.

Returning to the comparison of Koltsov’s lyrics with oral folk art, we can say that the poet has a much wider variety of moments, and his feelings seem more profound. At the same time, each specific experience, each specific moment, remains general and characteristic not of the individual, but of the type as a whole.
Koltsov relates to nature in a similar way; in this regard, a childishly naive syncretic unity can be traced. All vital events in the lives of the heroes of his works necessarily take place in her bosom. Most willingly, people turn to nature as their friends, with all their thoughts and experiences. The environment here acts as either a helper or an obstacle. We can absolutely say that these are not just metaphors or any other artistic techniques, not a way of borrowing colors for a specific case.

Koltsov conveys in popular language all the true closeness that exists between nature and man - a connection thanks to which it is impossible to draw any sharp dividing line between them, much less oppose them. The peasant way of life develops in complete harmony with the environment. Not only in the sense that, for example, a plowman is dependent on nature, as on the only breadwinner, and involuntarily must build his life according to her dictates. Here the compatibility is of a completely different order, desired and free, like two equal comrades who are animated by the same ideas and thoughts.

The farmer, his horse, the sun warming the earth, the field he plowed, rain and clouds; a bird flying over a cornfield and singing outside the windows of a hut, and even silent objects, be it a plow, a plow, a harrow or a sickle - all this is like members of one family who understand each other perfectly and create serious and difficult life. There are no rulers and subordinates, higher and lower, only unconsciousness, so to speak, mutual sympathy and mutual comprehension unite them into one whole.

That is why such calls from a good young man to the nightingale seem not only beautiful, but also so deeply truthful and naively touching, so that he would fly to his homeland and chirp to his beloved maiden about his sadness and sadness, tell her how he yearns and withers without her, dries like autumn grass on the steppe. “Don’t make noise with the ripe ear of rye,” is another amazing call to the field, the lyrical hero now has nothing to get rich for, to collect goods: the clear eyes, which were once full of loving thoughts, have become cold, “the red maiden is sleeping in the sleep of the grave.” Or: “In bad weather, the wind howls, howls - evil sadness torments the violent head” - exclusively folk parallels, or intimate conversations with the night, the steppe, the sun, the scythe-sickle, which are directly involved in the life and work of the peasant.

Koltsov, in the case when he is abstracted from reflection, has no other colors than those that nature has, the steppe, the forest, the earth. There are none even in those cases when he completely moves away from peasant life and talks about himself and his condition at a certain moment. Here again are folk images, objectivism and complete abstraction from the “I”.

According to Gleb Uspensky, Koltsov is the only singer of agricultural labor in all Russian literature. And indeed: when Koltsov glorifies the origins of an integral worldview, both his own and that of the people in general, he does it surprisingly simply and convincingly, creating harmony from three components: man, nature and God. In the thoughts of a simple plowman, a native of the people, chaste holiness and practical seriousness in life are closely intertwined, which is emphasized by the description of changes in the surrounding nature, especially the changes taking place in the field. The peasants waited with the greatest expectation and prayers for the rain, so necessary for the long-awaited harvest, to fall, and when this happened, along with the rain came three peasant peace dumas.

The first two thoughts are quite mundane and practical - the grain needs to be poured into bags and taken out, the peasant himself came to such thoughts and can fulfill them himself. But the third thought was given by someone from above and ordinary people cannot always understand and explain where such thoughts come from in their heads, and most often such thoughts cannot be expressed in words. So Koltsov doesn’t explain it in his work, he only says that thanks to prayer it appeared.

Koltsov’s bread, obtained by the peasants as a result of long labor, is not just the result of their efforts. Bread is a holy object, a gift from God, sent to people for honest work. In the process of making bread, not only the people take part, but also God. It is he, according to the author, who sends the necessary weather conditions, takes care of the safety of the crop and protects it from damage. So, it turns out that God is the main participant in peasant labor, he permeates every part, every stage of this labor. Therefore, in the popular consciousness, the three components of harmony (man, nature and God) are intertwined so closely and inextricably linked.

For Koltsov, these three concepts are the main component of the peasant worldview. We can find examples of such a worldview in other works of the author, for example, in “The Plowman’s Song”, “The Peasant Feast” or “The Reflections of a Villager”. In his famous work “Dumas,” Koltsov also addresses the idea of ​​syncretism of nature, God and man. And the author himself was not far from such reasoning. Abstruse descriptions and pathetic reasoning were alien to him, which is why his works were written in the language of the common people, a language that was close and understandable to the author himself, a language through which he could only convey the feeling of the triune harmony that he had inside.

But let us return to “Thoughts”, where the same theme sounds with new overtones, the theme of the spirituality of nature, carrying within itself the idea of ​​God and man living with this nature in complete harmony. The origins of this idea can be found in Schelling, Hegel, who are read and respected by Koltsov, and in the Christian idea of ​​the trinity. There are many sources, but Koltsov’s merit lies mainly in the fact that he was able to harmoniously derive one general theory from all these ideas and convey it to the Russian reader in simple and understandable language. God, according to the author, is in everything, even in the most seemingly simple and inconspicuous things. The three sacred hypostases of Christianity are interpreted by Koltsov as follows: “The Father of light is eternity; the Son of eternity is power; the Spirit of power is life; the world is seething with life. Everywhere the Triune, who called everything to life.” Unlike the previously mentioned “peasant” works, “Dumas” came out more abstract and abstract, but they still convey the same idea. The idea of ​​sacralization of everything, the penetration of the sacred into every element of human life, into every seemingly trifle.

In addition, in “Thoughts” Koltsov reflects on another important problem for himself - the cult of reason, the kingdom of thought. Reason, while certainly a positive concept, can still negatively influence certain ideas, such as the idea of ​​triune harmony described above. It turned out that for Koltsov himself, the mind became some kind of destructive factor, not allowing one to achieve harmony and putting everything perceived and felt under a question mark, doubting everything. That is why in the author’s creative heritage there are also works imbued with deep sorrow and anxiety, such as, for example, “The Grave”, “Question”, “Prayer”.

It was these thoughts that Belinsky positively assessed, recognizing their great artistic and axiological value, because it is in these works that the author poses questions for which philosophers have been looking for answers since time immemorial and cannot find to this day. The mind poses a lot of questions to us, doubting everything we hear or read, but even it is unable to answer its own questions and explain to a person what awaits him after death, what will replace his earthly worries and worries. Koltsov seeks and finds salvation in this situation of confrontation between reason and harmony in religion.

In Koltsov’s oscillations between a skeptical mind and an all-consuming faith in the unity of man, nature and God, the beginning of the decomposition of the sense of harmony can be traced. Now the author increasingly raises questions, doubts, tries to explain those things that until recently he could simply intuitively know and take on faith. Therefore, it is in “Dumas” that he becomes closest to all Russian literature of the second half of the 19th century century, in which precisely such disharmony of spirit played a leading role.

Please note that the biography of Alexei Vasilievich Koltsov presents the most important moments from his life. This biography may omit some minor life events.

Biography

Koltsov Alexey Vasilievich is a famous national poet. Born on October 3, 1809, into a wealthy middle-class family in the city of Voronezh. His father was a livestock trader - an intelligent, energetic, resourceful man. Koltsov’s mother was a kind woman, but completely uneducated, even illiterate. Koltsov's childhood was spent in a harsh patriarchal merchant family; the father was the only ruler of the house and kept everyone in strict obedience. Only his mother knew how to get along with him and, apparently, had a more beneficial influence on the boy. Koltsov was left to his own devices. He had no peers in the family: one sister was much older than him, and his brother and other sisters were much younger. When he was 9 years old, one of the Voronezh seminarians began to teach him to read and write. Koltsov studied diligently and successfully; bypassing the parish, he directly entered the first class of the district school (1818), but did not stay at the school for long: after a year and 4 months, his father took him home, finding the information received by his son quite sufficient for the life for which he was preparing him - trade with a cat. Russian spelling remained inaccessible to Koltsov forever. The school, however, brought him the benefit that he fell in love with reading. The first books he read were popular prints, various fairy tales about Bova, about Eruslan Lazarevich, etc. He bought them with money given to him for treats and toys. Then he moved on to novels, which he obtained from his friend, Vargin, also the son of a merchant. Koltsov especially liked “The Thousand and One Nights” and “Cadmus and Harmony” by Kheraskov. In 1824, Vargin died, leaving a friend as an inheritance of his library - about 70 volumes in total. Upon leaving school, Koltsov, presumably, began to help his father in his trading affairs and then for the first time became more closely acquainted with the village and the Don steppes. This acquaintance immediately had a strong influence on him; A world of enchanting sounds and colors opened up to him, and he absorbed them into himself in order to later convey his own thoughts and feelings to this world. In 1825, the poems of I. I. Dmitriev that he accidentally came across made a strong impression on him; He especially liked “Ermak”. He was 16 years old when he wrote his first poem, “Three Visions.” Soon after this, he met the Voronezh bookseller Kashkin. Direct, smart and honest, Kashkin enjoyed the love of Voronezh youth; and his bookstore was a kind of club for her. He was interested in Russian literature, read a lot and, it seems, wrote poetry himself. There is reason to think that Koltsov showed him his first experiments. For 5 years, Koltsov used his library free of charge, getting acquainted with the works of Zhukovsky, Delvig, Kozlov, and Pushkin. Koltsov's poems of 1826 - 1827, with rare exceptions, represent a weak imitation of these models. At the end of the 20s, Koltsov became close to Andrei Porfiryevich Srebryansky, a graduate of the Voronezh seminary, later a student at the Medical-Surgical Academy. Srebryansky himself was a poet; his poems were very famous among seminarians. One of his plays has not been forgotten to this day: the famous student song “Swift as the waves are the days of our lives.” In his letters to Belinsky, Koltsov more than once recalls with gratitude his friend, to whom he owed very valuable instructions, especially on the subject of verse technique, as well as a more strict choice of reading. Koltsov’s relationship with Srebryansky is also evidenced by a poem dedicated to him (“A.P. Srebryansky”, 1829). At the end of the 20s, Koltsov fell in love with the serf girl Dunyasha who lived in their house, bought by his father from one of the neighboring landowners. The father acted coolly: during one of Koltsov’s absences, Dunyasha was sold to the Don, where she soon got married. This was a strong blow for Koltsov, traces of which remained forever in his poetry. In 1829, Koltsov met Velyaminov, a professor of philosophy and physical and mathematical sciences at the Voronezh seminary, who, according to De Poulet, was a man seriously interested in literature. In the same year, a certain Sukhachev, who considered himself a writer, passed through Voronezh. Koltsov met him and gave him a notebook of his poems. Sukhachev took her with him to Moscow, and in 1830 he published some of Koltsov’s poems under his own name. A happy accident soon brought Koltsov together with N.V. Stankevich. According to Ya. M. Neverov, Stankevich’s father, a landowner in the Voronezh province, had a distillery where local cattle traders brought their herds to feed stillage. Young Stankevich had no relations with these people. One day, going to bed, he could not call his valet for a long time. The valet, in his defense, said that the newly arrived prasol Koltsov read them such songs at dinner that they all listened to him and could not leave him behind; he cited several verses that remained in his memory, which made a strong impression on Stankevich. He invited Koltsov to his place to ask him where he got such beautiful poems from. At Stankevich’s request, Koltsov gave him all his poems. Stankevich published one of them in Literaturnaya Gazeta (1831), with a letter recommending to readers “a native poet who has not studied anywhere and, busy with trading affairs on behalf of his father, often writes on the road, at night, sitting on horseback.” In May 1831, Koltsov went to Moscow for the first time on his father’s trade and litigation matters and met there with members of Stankevich’s circle, including Belinsky. Koltsov published a number of poems in the Moscow “Listok” in 1831. In 1835, with funds raised by members of Stankevich’s circle, the first book of “Poems by Alexei Koltsov” was published - a total of 18 plays selected by Stankevich from a “rather weighty notebook.” It included such gems as “Don’t make noise, rye”, “Reflection of a peasant”, “Peasant feast” and others. Belinsky greeted this book sympathetically, recognizing in Koltsov “a small, but true talent.” Koltsov, however, still wrote only in fits and starts, devoting his energies mainly to his father’s trading affairs. Koltsov’s second trip to Moscow and St. Petersburg dates back to 1836. In Moscow he met F.N. Glinka, Shevyrev, in St. Petersburg - with Prince Vyazemsky, Prince Odoevsky, Zhukovsky, Pletnev, Kraevsky, Panaev and others. Everywhere he was received very kindly, some sincerely, others condescending to him, as a poet-prasol, a poet-philistine. Koltsov was well aware of how someone treated him; He generally knew how to observe subtly and carefully. Koltsov met Pushkin in 1836. The acquaintance took place, according to A. M. Yudin, in Pushkin’s apartment, where Koltsov was invited twice. Koltsov was in awe of Pushkin. Turgenev tells how at an evening with Pletnev, Koltsov did not agree to read his last thought. “Why would I start reading this, sir,” he said, “here Alexander Sergeevich just came out, and I would start reading!” Have mercy, sir!” N.A. Polevoy speaks of Koltsov as a “pure, kind soul”; “He warmed himself with him, as if by a fireplace.” Prince Vyazemsky characterizes him as “a child of nature, modest, simple-hearted.” Belinsky was absolutely delighted with Koltsov. Zhukovsky, Kraevsky, and Prince Odoevsky treated him just as well. The latter, and with them Vyazemsky, often supported him in his personal, or rather his father’s, affairs; thanks to them, lawsuits that my father, without connections, would certainly have lost have ended successfully more than once. This must partly explain why his father treated him and his literary pursuits quite kindly at that time. Koltsov’s poems were eagerly published in the best metropolitan magazines (“Sovremennik”, “Moscow Observer”). At home, his fame increased even more after Zhukovsky, accompanying the Heir to the Tsarevich on his journey across Russia, visited Voronezh (in July 1837). Everyone saw how Zhukovsky “walked on foot and in a carriage with the poet-prasol.” Koltsov accompanied him while sightseeing in the city. Koltsov at this time felt cramped in the family environment; he was strongly drawn to people of thought and culture, but he was too tightly connected with his entire past, both materially and spiritually, and his education still remained superficial. In Voronezh, few people understood his state of mind, especially after 1838, when Srebryansky died. He soon broke up with Kashkin. In 1838, Koltsov again went, first to Moscow, then to St. Petersburg. During this trip, he became especially close to Belinsky, who became the only person close to him. He confided all his sorrows and joys to Belinsky, made him the judge of all his new works, which he immediately sent to him. In 1838, Koltsov wrote quite a lot. This was facilitated by the cultural situation and interests of the metropolitan society in which he then moved; This is exactly how he explains the reason for his fruitful activity during this year (see his letter to Belinsky dated August 16, 1840). After this trip, Koltsov’s life in Voronezh becomes even more lonely; the home environment weighs him down even more. He becomes more and more at odds with his acquaintances. Koltsov dreamed of the role of a teacher, a leader, he wanted to be a conductor of those lofty thoughts and ideas that he encountered in the mental centers of Russia; acquaintances mocked such attempts and saw him as a simple imitator. “I absolutely cannot now live at home, among merchants,” he writes to Belinsky; in other circles too... I have a very bleak future ahead of me. It seems that I will fulfill one thing with all accuracy: a crow... And, by God, I look terribly like her, all that remains is to say: she did not get to the peahens, but lagged behind the crows. Nothing more will come to me than this.” Friends called Koltsov to St. Petersburg and suggested that he either open a book trade himself or become the manager of Kraevsky’s office. Koltsov did not follow this advice. He knew how little is ideal in any trade, even book trade, and quite reasonably argued to his friends that he would not be able to withstand competition with other booksellers if he conducted his business differently, not like a merchant. In September 1840, Koltsov again had to stay in the capitals on his father’s business. This was his last trip. Meetings with Belinsky and V. Botkin revived him a little and lifted his spirit. This time Koltsov hesitated to return home and on the way back from St. Petersburg stayed longer in Moscow. It seemed too disgusting to him to find himself again in the whirlpool of a home environment. In February 1841, Koltsov finally decided to return home. He had no money for the journey - his father did not want him to return and categorically refused to send him; I had to borrow from a friend. At home, he again plunged headlong into his father’s affairs, but the relationship between them deteriorated more and more. There were very difficult scenes that had a depressing effect on Koltsov. Soon Koltsov also separated from his beloved younger sister, Anisya, in whom he had previously seen the only soul close to him in the family. The tragedy of everyday life, heavy and hopeless, emanates from his letters to Belinsky at this time. Now he will finish some new construction, put some of his father’s affairs in order and will certainly come to St. Petersburg - his father promised to give him money. But things dragged on, Koltsov became entangled in them; health also began to deteriorate greatly - and hope faded. For only one moment, and then a very short one, happiness smiled on him: he passionately fell in love with Varvara Grigorievna Lebedeva, and this aroused in him faith in a better future; but due to various circumstances they were soon to separate. Koltsov's disease - consumption - began to develop rapidly. My father did not give money for treatment. Doctor I. A. Malyshev took an ardent part in Koltsov’s fate and supported his strength as best he could. In the adjacent room, the sisters were preparing for the wedding, noisy bachelorette parties were being held, and Koltsov lay seriously ill, abandoned by everyone; Only his mother and the old nanny looked after him. Koltsov died on October 29, 1842. Koltsov’s poetry has long been defined, since the time of Belinsky, as deeply folk, or rather, even peasant. It is dominated by the same content, the same motives, the same form as in oral folk lyrics. Sadness and longing for a loved one, complaints about sad fate, unsuccessful family life, love appeals, brave prowess - these are simple, truly folk stories that Koltsov usually sings of. It has more variations, experiences are conveyed deeper, more subtly, impulses are more passionate, colors are intensified, condensed, but the essence still remains the same; The difference seems to be only quantitative, not qualitative. It is clear that in his poetry the nameless folk-collective creative genius found its full, direct and precise expression. Koltsov looks at everything around him with the same wide-open naive eyes with which the poets-creators of folk songs looked, who remained unknown precisely because they did not have time to separate themselves from the masses in their souls, everyone experienced how the people themselves were at the same time, and in unison with them. The special fullness of sensation in which the individual “I” dissolves, the power of original harmony, that syncretic unity in which God, the surrounding nature and the individual person mutually and completely penetrate each other, forming something single whole - this is what is characteristic of this simple, the not yet differentiated soul of a poet from the people; it is also characteristic of Koltsov. If we exclude from his poetry those imitative poems where the motives are borrowed as if hastily from Zhukovsky, Delvig and Dmitriev, who came across by chance and were completely alien to him in spirit, and even “Dumas”, written under the influence of Stankevich’s circle, especially Belinsky, who in vain enlightened him on account of “subject, object and absolute,” then we are struck precisely by the extraordinary objectivity, the complete absence of the personal element. As if his lyrics were not at all the result of his personal experiences, but he only wanted to tell how every peasant boy or girl loves, rejoices, is sad, complains about fate, or languishes in the narrow sphere of a once and for all fixed life. Here, for example, is the despair of a young man from his betrothed’s betrayal: “a heavy sadness and melancholy fell on his tormented little head; the soul is tormented by mortal torment, the soul asks to leave the body.” Or love that transforms all life: “together with a sweetheart, winter seems like summer, grief does not seem like grief, night seems like a clear day, and without her there is no joy in the May morning, in the dawn-evening, and in the green oak grove of silk brocade.” . His favorite artistic techniques are the merging of two concepts or images into one (“awe-fire”, “love-longing”, “sadness-longing”, “love-fire”, “love-soul”, etc.), striking contrasts (like: “with grief at the feast to be with a cheerful face”, “the sun is shining - but in autumn”). In everything and everywhere one can see a strong, passionate nature, experiencing everything in a special way, deeply, to the point of self-forgetfulness. And yet everything personal drowns in the original synthetic integrity of the worldview, and Koltsov’s songs become typical. It is the typical that is most characteristic of Koltsov. And no matter how bright his colors are, and no matter how great their abundance - in each play they are new and different - the impression remains the same: these are feelings that are generally applicable to everyone and everyone, these are generic experiences, not individual, not personal. Does the deceived one yearn for the daring young man, turning with prayer to the red sun, the wide field, the violent winds; whether the young woman laments that she was forcibly married off; whether the old man complains about his old age, the young man about his mediocre lot; whether it is about how a zealous heart dries up, like grass in autumn, from the fire of love for a red maiden - in a word, about whom and no matter what Koltsov sings, everywhere before us there are merged images, nameless faces; they can be characterized only in general terms, in extreme cases, determined by occupation or property status - if this is necessary to initiate the action - but nothing more, no more precise, no more detailed. The entire peasant life passes before us; in written literature Koltsov is the only singer of agricultural labor. He knows this life very well, feels with all his soul the holiness of this work, sees and feels all its complexity, delves into its thoughts and moods, but always draws it in a typical, unified form. For another poet this would be a sign of weakness of creative powers; Koltsov feels here the great truth of a great talent who perceives the world as the people, the peasantry perceive it. In comparison with oral folk art, Koltsov has a much greater variety of moments, experiences seem more profound; but still each given moment, each individual experience remains general, characteristic of the type, not of the individual. The same infantilely naive syncretic unity is reflected in Koltsov’s attitude towards nature. All the life dramas of his heroes and heroines certainly take place in her bosom; people with all their thoughts turn first and most willingly to it, to its phenomena, as to their friends - helpers or hindering opponents. It is clearly felt that these are not simple metaphors, not an artistic device, not a way of borrowing the colors needed for a given case. Koltsov conveys here, and again in a popular way, all the true closeness that exists between man and nature - that connection, thanks to which it is impossible to draw any sharp dividing line between them, much less oppose them. Peasant life unfolds in complete harmony with nature. Not only in the sense that the plowman is dependent on her, as on his only nurse, and involuntarily must build his life, obeying her commands. Here compatibility is of a completely different kind, free and desired, like two equal comrades, animated by the same thoughts and ideas. The farmer, his sivka, the field he plows, the sun warming his land, the clouds pouring “on the earth’s chest, on the wide chest, like a large tear - pouring rain,” a bird flying over a cornfield or singing under the window of a hut, and even mute objects : plow, harrow, plow, sickle - all these are members of the same family, understanding each other perfectly; they all work together to create a complex and serious life. There are no inferiors or superiors here; mutual sympathy, unconsciousness, so to speak, mutual comprehension binds them together. That is why such appeals as a young man to a nightingale seem so naively touching and deeply truthful - and not just beautiful - so that he flies into the forests of his homeland to chirp to his maiden soul about his longing, to tell her how without her he dries up, withers, that grass on the steppe before autumn. Or a wonderful call to the field: “don’t make noise with the ripe rye”; he has nothing to collect goods for, nothing to get rich for now: those clear eyes, once “full of amorous thoughts, the beautiful maiden is sleeping in the sleep of the grave,” have become cold. Or those beautiful purely folk parallels: “in bad weather the wind howls and howls - evil sadness torments the violent head”; intimate trusting conversations with dark night, a clear sun, with a wide steppe, a scythe-sickle, blackened, “sprinkled in boredom-sorrow with a girl’s tear.” All these creatures and objects take an active part in the life and work of the villager. Koltsov, unless he is free from reflection, has no colors other than those found in nature, the earth, the steppe or the forest. There are none even when he is clearly distracted from peasant life, talking about himself personally, about his at this moment, a purely subjective state. For example, he feels cramped in a bourgeois environment, he is strongly drawn to a different, more cultural life; or another: he is terribly amazed tragic death Pushkin, whom he could appreciate, of course, not from a peasant point of view - the creative result is again the same folk images, the same objectivism, complete abstraction from one’s self (“In bad weather, the wind howls,” “That the dense forest is lost in thought "). Gleb Uspensky considers Koltsov the only singer of agricultural labor in Russian literature. This is very true: when he glorifies the root cause of his own and the people’s integral worldview, he achieves the greatest convincingness and simplicity and at the same time complete harmony - in addition to man and nature, also God. In the plowman’s cherished thoughts there is chaste holiness and seriousness, which intensifies and deepens with every change in nature and in particular in the field. The rural people waited with trepidation and prayer for “the black cloud to frown, and expand, and shed a large tear - pouring rain.” This desired rain came - and with it three peasant peaceful thoughts. The peasant himself thought of the first two, and the execution depends on him: “Pour the bread into bags, remove the cart and leave the village by horse-drawn cart at the right time,” but how “the third thought came to mind - they prayed to God the Lord,” Koltsov does not say. And that's great. It’s a sin to put it into words; here is spiritual trembling, here God’s participation begins. “As soon as it was light, everyone dispersed across the field and went for a walk after each other; scatter a handful of bread; and let’s plow the land with plows and plow with a crooked plow.” Bread is holy; he is God's guest; The Lord sends him for his labors to people. He Himself takes care of it through His nature: “the sun sees - the harvest is over,” and only then does it “go colder towards autumn.” That’s why “a villager’s candle is lit in front of the icon of the Mother of God.” God is also a participant in peasant labor; He is its main participant, penetrating everything with Himself. This is how the people’s worldview, or rather their worldview, ends; This is how God, nature, and man are united into a common union. This same holiness of religiosity is felt not only in “The Harvest,” but also in “The Plowman’s Song,” in “The Reflections of a Villager,” who knows that “it’s a hard thing to throw a wet nurse into the ground for a peasant, and then God will give birth, Mikola will help him collect bread from fields." There is an indication of it in “Peasant Revel”. Koltsov tried to clarify this feeling of the syncretic unity of God, the cosmos and the human “I” in his famous “Thoughts”. Due to his mental structure, he was not capable of philosophical abstract thinking. It is not surprising that as soon as he speaks in the language of Stankevich or Belinsky, the fire of his poetry immediately goes out, the power of the national element trembling in his soul falls silent. He could express the harmony that he constantly felt only in images taken from life, from the surrounding nature, and not in ethereal, frozen symbols. And yet his “Dumas” are characteristic; in the light of his truly poetic works, they also become very convincing. They contain the same idea that he tirelessly repeats: about the animation of all nature, embodying the spirit of the Divine. Does he express this conviction in the terms of Schellingism, which he grasped on the fly, or in the rationalistic concepts of abstract Hegelianism, which are completely alien to his mental structure, does he modernize the slightly Christian idea of ​​the Trinity, more familiar, and therefore more understandable to him, and through it tries to clarify his vague thoughts? - the essence remains the same everywhere: life is in everything and everywhere, and it is in God. "In the overflow of life, in the kingdom God's will , there is no powerless death, there is no soulless life! - he says in his thought: “God’s peace.” In The Kingdom of Thought he lists these overflows of life. God's spirit, God's idea lives in everything: “in ashes, and in fire, in fire, in peals of thunder; in the hidden darkness of the bottomless depths”... and even “in the silence of a silent cemetery”, “in the deep sleep of an immovable stone”, and “in the breath of a silent blade of grass”. Everywhere she is alone, this “queen of being.” “Father of light is eternity; The son of eternity is strength; The spirit of power is life; the world is full of life. Everywhere the Triune, who called everything to life,” is how he interprets the three hypostases of Christianity. And no matter how abstract these thoughts are, in comparison with his songs they seem completely lifeless, they still show traces of that integral worldview, completed with a deep religious feeling, which was so beautifully and so directly reflected in his truly folk works. From Belinsky’s words, Koltsov understood only what was close to him, which was quite suitable for his own worldview. This does not exhaust the meaning of Koltsov’s “Thoughts”. They reflect another side of his mental activity, less valuable, in a certain sense even harmful: in any case, it brought little good to him. This is the same cult of reason, the kingdom of thought, which inevitably had to act in a corrupting way on the integrity of his worldview and lead to those eternal damned questions for which there is not and cannot be a clear, consciously satisfying answer. These questions were all the more painful for Koltsov because he knew well and had experienced many times, in moments of creative delight, what joy overshadows the soul with a feeling of harmony, synthesis, which in advance excludes all kinds of world problems. His poems such as “The Grave”, “Question”, especially “Prayer” are imbued with deep sorrow and anxiety. These are the very thoughts that Belinsky recognized as having a certain value precisely in view of the seriousness of the questions they sincerely posed. Reason is not able to illuminate the darkness of the grave that lies ahead of us, to answer a person that he will be replaced there by “a deep feeling of a cold heart, that there will be life of the spirit without this heart.” These are sinful questions: from them to complete denial is one step. That is why the last stanza of the “Prayer” sounds like such a plea of ​​despair: “Forgive me, Savior! a tear of my sinful evening prayer: in the darkness it shines with love for You.” Koltsov in these cases seeks salvation in religion. “Before the image of the Savior” (this is the name of one of his “thoughts”) he deliberately “extinguishes the candle and closes the wise book”; he must replace it with faith: “in her alone there is peace and silence.” “Under the cross is my grave; on the cross is my love,” - this is how another disturbing poem ends: “The Last Struggle.” In these frequent oscillations between questions-doubts and answers-solutions in the direction of simple-hearted faith, traces of the decomposition of the original harmony are visible. A poet of the peasantry, who knew and demonstrated in most of his work such completeness of sensation, such integrity of the authentic unity of God, nature and man, Koltsov nevertheless acutely poses those questions that are conceivable only with a completely different, opposite mental structure. In this sense, “Thoughts” most strongly reveals its internal kinship with Russian literature of the second half of the last century, which knew the pangs of disharmony of the spirit. - Bibliography. I. Publications: First collected works (published in Moscow in 1835); the second, with an introductory article by Belinsky and with the appendix of an article by Srebryansky: “Thoughts on Music,” was published by N. Nekrasov and N. Prokopovich (St. Petersburg, 1846). This publication was reprinted 10 times from 1856 to 1889. The first most complete and critically verified edition (A. Marx, St. Petersburg, 1892) was published under the editorship of A. I. Vvedensky; the next, even more complete with the inclusion of Koltsov’s letters, is the publication of the magazine “North”, edited by A. I. Lyashchenko, St. Petersburg, 1893. The publication of the Academy of Sciences, edited by A. I. Lyashchenko (St. Petersburg, 1909) is the most complete. - Biographical information: Y. M. Neverov, “Poet-prasol Koltsov” (“Son of the Fatherland”, 1836, volume 176); V. G. Belinsky, “On the life and works of Koltsov” (appendix to the 2nd edition of Koltsov’s works); A. Yudin, “The Poet Koltsov and His Poems” (“Experiments in the Works of the Kharkov University Studio,” 1846, volume I); V. I. Askochensky, “My memories of Koltsov” (“Russian Invalid”, 1854, No. 244, “Kyiv Provincial Gazette” 1854, No. 41; “Historical Bulletin” 1882, volume VII); M. N. Katkov, “A few additional words to the characterization of Koltsov” (“Russian Bulletin” 1856, volume VI, November); I. I. Panaev, “Literary Memoirs” (St. Petersburg, 1888); A. N. Pypin, “Belinsky, his life and correspondence” (St. Petersburg, 1908); P. V. Annenkov, “Memoirs” (St. Petersburg, 1881, volume III); A. V. Nikitenko, “Notes and Diary” (St. Petersburg, 1904, I); P. Malykhin, “Koltsov and his unpublished poems” (“Notes of the Fatherland”, 1867, volume 170, February); M. De Poulet, “Alexey Vasilyevich Koltsov in his everyday and literary affairs and in his family environment” (St. Petersburg, 1878). - III. Criticism and bibliography: V. G. Belinsky, “On the life and works of Koltsov” (with the 2nd edition of Koltsov’s works, St. Petersburg. , 1846); V. Stoyunin, “Koltsov” (“Son of the Fatherland”, 1852, No. 3, 4 and 5); N. Chernyshevsky, “Essays on the Gogol Period” (St. Petersburg, 1893); A. N. Afanasyev, “Koltsov and Voronezh teachers” (“Russian Speech”, 1861, No. 100); V. Ostrogorsky, “Russian writers as educational material” (St. Petersburg, 1885); G. I. Uspensky, “The Peasant and Peasant Labor” (St. Petersburg, 1889); A. Volynsky, “The Struggle for Idealism” (St. Petersburg, 1900); Y. Aikhenvald, “Silhouettes of Russian Writers” (M., 1908, 2nd issue); V. Jarmerstedt, “The worldview of Stankevich’s circle and Koltsov’s poetry” (“Questions of Philosophy and Psychology,” 1893, book 20; 1894, book 22); N. A. Yanchuk, “Literary Notes” (“Izvestia of the Department of Russian Language and Literature of the Academy of Sciences,” 1907, volume XII). On the issue of Koltsov’s language: V. Istomin, “The main motives of Koltsov’s poetry” (Warsaw, 1893, reprint from the “Russian Philological Bulletin”); I. S. Krylov, “The language of Koltsov’s works” (“Philological Notes”, 1902, issue I). On Koltsov’s influence on popular writers, see a number of articles by A. I. Yatsimirsky: “Peasant Writers” (“Literary Bulletin”, 1904). According to the bibliography, in addition to the usual sources, there is a special work by the chronicler Dmitry: “Koltsov in Russian and foreign literature” (“Bibliographic Notes”, 1892, No. 9).

Koltsov Alexey Vasilievich was born on October 3, 1809, in the city of Voronezh. His father was a cattle trader and had a flexible mind and energy. Mother was an illiterate woman, but very kind. Patriarchy reigned at home, the father kept everyone strict.

But after a year and a half, his father took him home, considering his knowledge sufficient for the family business - trading livestock. However, the love of reading, instilled in school, manifested itself in the purchase of books for pocket money. His friend and like-minded person Vargin supported Koltsov in his love of books. After his death, Vargin left Koltsov a legacy of 70 volumes of various works, which he kept like the apple of his eye. Alexey wrote his first poem at the age of 16, and it is called “Three Visions.” After the appearance of a new comrade Kashkin, the Voronezh owner of a bookstore, he used his library free of charge.

Koltsov fell in love with a serf girl, Dunyasha, whom his father bought from a neighboring landowner. The father found out about this, and in Koltsov’s absence the girl was promptly resold to the Don, where she soon got married. For Koltsov this was a terrible blow.

An outstanding event in Koltsov’s life was his acquaintance with the landowner Stankevich. Thanks to him, the first poems were published in Literaturnaya Gazeta.

Koltsov goes to Moscow in 1838, then goes to St. Petersburg. At this time, Belinsky becomes the only person close to him. Returning from the trip, Koltsov felt even more lonely and unwanted.

In 1840, he again visited the capital on his father's business, and decided to stay with friends a little longer.

In February 1841, Koltsov wants to return home, but there is no money for the trip at all, and his father categorically refuses to help, because he categorically does not want his son to return. Having borrowed money from a friend, Koltsov comes and again plunges into his father’s affairs, trying to please him in everything. But he never finds a close soul in the family. The moment of enlightenment was the relationship with Lebedeva, but due to circumstances, this union did not last long. Sick with consumption, he died abandoned by everyone. My father refused to help with treatment at all. Only the mother and the old nanny looked after the seriously ill man. Koltsov died on October 29, 1842.

I am not writing for instant fame -

For fun, for fun,

For dear, sincere friends,

For the memory of days gone by.

Alexey VasilievichKoltsovborn October 15, 1809 in Voronezh. His father, Vasily Petrovich, belonged to a respectable petty-bourgeois family, was engaged in prasolship, that is, buying and selling livestock, and was known in his district as a wealthy and honest merchant. Distinguished by his intelligence and practical talents, he barely knew how to read and write; his mother, Paraskovya Ivanovna, was illiterate. Of many brothers and sisters special meaning for AlexeyIt hasyounger sister, Anisya. The family lived in the old, patriarchal way. When his son was nine years old, his father invited a seminarian to teach him to read and write. The boy obviously showed good abilities and was able to enter directly into the district school, bypassing the parish school. His father did not allow him to stay here for long. A year and 4 months later, Kwhen KOltsovwas 12 years oldHe,having not completed two classes,became my father's assistant. The short stay at school was reflected in the future. Until the end of his life, Koltsov struggled with Russian spelling, mastered prosaic speech with great difficulty, and felt his ignorance with deep pain at every step.

While still at school, Alexey Vasilyevich developed a passion for reading. One of his comrades, the son of a merchant, supplied him with fairy tales and novels from his father’s library. The young reader was especially fascinated by Arabic tales and Kheraskov’s essay “Cadmus and Harmony”. According to Belinsky, the poem “To a Coeval” remains a monument to his gratitude to his comrade. Next to the reading, young Koltsov’s Prasol classes were going on. The embassy presented many dangers and hardships, but it also had its attractive sides. Cattle were bought up in the southern steppes, in the Don region; buyers had to live in the steppe for weeks, stay on horseback for days, and sleep in the open air. Alexei Koltsov had to deal with all sorts of people, get along with them, while away his leisure time - in villages during stops, at overnight stays in the vast steppe. The poet could enter closely into the people's life and soul, listen to the folk song, be imbued with its original structure and its motives. Of course, there were “strong sensations” during this acquaintance. So, one day, Koltsov was in danger of being stabbed to death in the steppe. One of the workers or clerks became angry with him, and the owner had to tame his anger by drinking together. But the steppe generously rewarded the future poet for all his troubles - with wonderful, powerful beauty, inexhaustible poetry. In moments of inspiration, pictures of steppe wanderings will rise before his imagination and evoke songs filled with deep, strong feelings.

In 1825, Koltsov purchased a collection of poems by I. I. Dmitriev at the bazaar and experienced a deep shock when he became acquainted with the “Russian songs” “The Gray Dove Moans,” “Oh, If Only I Knew Before.” He ran into the garden and began to chant these poems alone, confident that all poems were songs, that they were all sung and not read. A desire arose to write poetry himself, and Koltsov translated into rhymed lines a friend’s story about a dream that was repeated three times. The result was the poem “Three Visions,” which he subsequently destroyed.By this time, Koltsov met the bookseller D. A. Kashkin, an educated and intelligent man who loved Russian literature. Kashkin encouraged the young poet, provided him with guidance on composing poems “Russian Prosody”, gave advice, regulated his poetic experiments, but most importantly, allowed him to use his library. In Kashkin’s shop, Koltsov gets acquainted with the poetry of M.V. Lomonosov, G.R. Derzhavin, I.F. Bogdanovich, and then A.F. Merzlyakov, A.A. Delvig, A.S. Pushkin. Koltsov’s youthful experiences (“Disagreement,” “Crying,” both 1829; “Earthly Happiness,” 1830) are literary, secondary, written in imitation of popular sentimental-romantic poetry. However, glimpses of original talent are palpable in “The Traveler” and “Overnight of the Chumaks” (1828).

By the beginning of the 1830s, Koltsov became known in the cultural circle of Voronezh as a “philistine poet”, a “prasol poet”. He gets close toson of a village priestA. P. Serebryansky, a student at the Voronezh Seminary, a poet, a talented performer of his own and other people’s poems, the author of the article “Thoughts on Music” and the once popular student song “Swift as the waves are the days of our lives.” Serebryansky takes his friend seriously, helps him in word and deed. “We grew up with him, read Shakespeare together, thought, argued,” Koltsov recalled. Serebryansky instills in his friend a taste for philosophical thinking and introduces him to seminary professors P. I. Stavrov and A. D. Velyaminov. Harbingers of future “thoughts” appear -poetry“Great Mystery”, “God’s Peace”, “Prayer”.

In 1827, “at the dawn of his foggy youth,” Koltsov experienced a difficult heart drama. In her father’s house lived a serf servant, the maid Dunyasha, a girl of rare beauty and sensitivity. The young poet fell in love with her passionately, but the father considered the relationship with the maid humiliating and, during his son’s departure to the steppe, he sold Dunyasha to the Don landowner in a remote Cossack village. Koltsov fell ill with a fever and almost died. Having recovered from his illness, he set off into the steppe on what turned out to be fruitlesssearching for a bride. Koltsov expressed his inconsolable grief in the poems “First Love” (1830), “Betrayal of the Betrothed,” “Last Struggle” (both 1838) and especially in the soulful “Separation” (1840), set to music by A. L. Gurilev, it became popular romance.

Parting

At the dawn of foggy youth

I loved my darling with all my soul:

There was a heavenly light in her eyes,

The fire of love burned on his face.

What are you in front of her, May morning,

You, green oak mother,

Steppe-grass - silk brocade,

Dawn is evening, night is sorceress!

You are good - when she is not there,

When I share my sadness with you,

And even if you weren’t with her;

With her winter - spring, night - clear day!

Don't forget me like the last time

I told her: Sorry, honey!

So, you know, God ordered us to part,

But I'll see you someday...

Instantly the whole face burst into flames,

It was covered with white snow, -

And, sobbing like crazy,

Hanged on my chest.

Don't go, wait! give me time

Smother the sadness, cry out the sadness,

On you, on the clear falcon...

The spirit became busy - the word froze...

In 1830, Koltsov's poems first appeared in print. The aspiring poet V. I. Sukhachev, who stopped at Kashkin’s on his way from Odessa to Moscow, met Koltsov and placed his works in the collection “Leaves from Vasily Sukhachev’s notebook” (1830) among his own poems, without the name of the author (“It’s not for me to listen to ", "Come to me", "Vengeance"). And in 1831 Koltsov entered great literature with the help of N.V. Stankevich, who met the poet in Voronezh and drew attention to his extraordinary talent. On Stankevich’s recommendation, one of the first “Russian songs,” “The Ring,” was published in “Literary Gazette” (1831), and in 1835, using money raised by subscription among Moscow friends, Stankevich published the first collection of poetry, “Poems of Alexei Koltsov.”

Acquaintance with Stankevich gave the Voronezh poet access to Moscow and St. Petersburg literary salons. In 1831 he came to Moscow on his father’s trade affairs and met members of Stankevich’s philosophical circle, students of Moscow University and Belinsky. In 1836, through Belinsky, he met the Moscow writers N.I. Nadezhdin and F.N. Glinka, and in St. Petersburg, in the “Olympiada attic” of V.A. Zhukovsky in the Shepelevsky Palace, Koltsov met P.A. Vyazemsky, V.F. Odoevsky, I. A. Krylov. He is friends with the artist A.G. Venetsianov, appears on literary evenings at Prof. P. A. Pletneva. Koltsov is particularly impressed by the acquaintanceand conversationswith A.S. Pushkin. Shocked by the untimely death of the poet, Koltsov dedicated the poem “Forest” (1837) to his memory, in which, through the epic image of Russian nature, he conveys the heroic power and national greatness of Pushkin’s poetic genius.

In the summer of 1937, Koltsov was visited in Voronezh by Zhukovsky, who was accompanying the heir to the throne on a trip to Russia. This visit elevates the poet in the eyes of his father, who is cool towards his son’s literary works, but values ​​connections with high-ranking people, recommending using them to successfully resolve judicial and trade matters. In 1838, he willingly sent his son to Moscow and St. Petersburg, where Alexey Koltsov visited theaters, became interested in music and philosophy, and became close to Belinsky. Under the influence of a critic, he turns to philosophical poetry, creating his “thoughts” one after another. The provincial merchant life of Voronezh begins to weigh on Koltsov: “My circle is small, my world is dirty; It’s bitter for me to live in it; and I don’t know how I haven’t been lost in it long ago.”

OLD MAN'S SONG

I will saddle a horse, a fast horse,

I will rush, I will fly lighter than a falcon.

Across the fields, beyond the seas, To the far side

- I’ll catch up, I’ll bring back my youth!

I'll clean up and be like the old fellow,

And the Red maidens will like me again!

But, alas, there are no roads to the irrevocable!

Never The sun will rise from the west!

In September 1840, Koltsov made his last trip to the capital to finish 2 lawsuits and sell 2 herds of bulls. But trading zeal leaves him: “there is no voice in the soul to be a merchant.” In St. Petersburg, he stays with Belinsky, causing the critic to sincerely admire the depth of his talent, sharp mind and generosity of nature: “Koltsov lives with me - my relationship with him is easy, I came to life a little from his presence. What a rich and noble nature!.. I definitely found myself in the company of several wonderful people.” Koltsov’s desire to move to St. Petersburg awakens.

But this dream remains unrealizable. Having unprofitably completed his trading business and spent the proceeds, Koltsov returns to his angry father. The son's reluctance to do household chores evokes reproaches for being a "literate" and a "scribbler." Quarrels begin, which become even more bitter after Koltsov falls in love with a woman “outcast” by Voronezh society. The family conflict grows, and his sister Anisya, so close to the poet and beloved by him, is drawn into it. The drama ends with consumption: it lasts about a year and brings Koltsov to the grave at 33 years of age.

In 1846, the first posthumous edition of Koltsov's poems was published. "Russian Song" madeKoltsovafamous. The genre of “Russian song” arose at the end of the 18th century and gained particular popularity in the 20-30s of the 19th century, during the era of the exceptional rise of Russian national consciousness after Patriotic War 1812. This genre was born from the unity of book poetry and oral folk art, but neither its predecessors norand atcontemporariesTOOltsov, he did not rise above the level of elegant stylization. Koltsov approached literary song from the “soil”, from oral folk poetry, which he felt more organically, deeply and directly.

In Russian songs Koltsov witha national basis is maintained. Good fellows, beautiful girls,plowmen, mowers,Reckless Kudryavichi- characters of an all-Russian scale. In his “Russian songs” the soul of the creator, living the same life with the people, is palpable. Reading Koltsov, you become familiar with the national feeling. Koltsov penetrates into the very essence, the core of the people's spirit, into the poetry of agricultural labor ("The Plowman's Song", 1831; "Harvest", 1835; "Mower", 1836).In “The Ploughman’s Song,” the mother-cheese earth is felt as a living organism; through the eyes of a peasant poet, the entire labor process in its creative aspects is perceived. As in a folk song, there is no detail or specification here: we are not talking about a narrow plot of land, not about a meager strip of land, but about “the whole earth,” about the whole “white world.” And in “Harvest”: “The dawn broke out like a red flame; / Fog is spreading across the face of the earth.” Akin to the peasant worldview that has not yet been separated from nature, the cosmic nature of the perception of “white light”, “mother earth” gives the appearance of the plowman the universal features of the epic hero Mikula Selyaninovich. The work of a peasant is inextricably fused with the creativity of nature; the man-plowman is the friend and brother of the horse-plowman.

The circumstance noted by D. S. Merezhkovsky is also remarkable: “In caring about daily bread, about the harvest, about the full bins of this practical man, a real prasol, who has studied everyday life - the point of view is not at all utilitarian, economic, like many intelligent writers grieving for the people, but, on the contrary, the most sublime, even ideal, if you like , mystical, which, by the way, does not at all interfere with practical common sense. When the poet lists the peaceful thoughts of spring rural people, the third thought turns out to be so sacred that he does not dare to talk about it. And he only reverently notes: “When we came up with the third idea, we prayed to God the Lord.”

Koltsov’s love is a whole, strong, fresh feeling, without halftones, without romantic sophistication. It transforms the souls of those who love and the world around so that winter turns into summer, grief into not grief, and night into a clear day. Love elevates spiritual and physical strength, turning a good fellow into a hero-hero: “Not loving you, / In the villages I was a fine fellow, / And with you, my friend, / The cities don’t care!” (“Tonight to my place...”, 1842). Not only in joy, but also in grief and misfortune, Koltsov’s heroes retain strength of spirit, triumphing over fate, preferring “even with grief at the feast to be with a cheerful face.”

The breadth and scale of natural images in Koltsov’s poetry are fused with human prowess and heroism. The endless steppe in “Kosar” is also a definition of the latitude of the person who came to this steppe as the owner, crossing it “lengthwise and across.” Natural strength, power and scope are palpable both in the hero himself and in the poetic language, full of dynamism and internal energy: “spread out”, “spread out”, “pushed forward”.

Mower

. . . . . . ...

Do I have a shoulder - Wider than grandfather,

The chest is high - of my mother.

My father's blood is on my face

I lit the red Zorya in milk.

Black curls lie in a bracket;

That I’m working - Everything is going well for me!

Yes, on a bad day At a mediocre hour,

I was born without a shirt!

Last fall I am for Grunushka,

The headman's daughter, I've been wooing for a long time;

And he, the old horseradish, got stubborn!

Who will he marry Grunushka to?

I can't figure it out, I can't think of it...

Am I chasing after that?

That her father Is he reputed to be rich?

Let his house - The cup is full!

I want her, I'm falling for her:

White face - scarlet dawn,

Full cheeks, dark eyes

They drove the young man crazy...

Oh, yesterday you cried so much for me;

The old man flatly refused yesterday...

Oh, I can’t get used to this sorrow...

I'll buy myself a new Scythe;

I'll beat her off, I'll sharpen her, -

And farewell, farewell, one village!

... ... ... ...

Razdolnaya steppe

Far around Lies wide

feather grass Spreading out!..

Oh, my steppe, free steppe,

You, the steppe, are wide, spread out,

She has moved towards the Black Sea!

I didn’t come to visit you alone:

I came myself, friend, with a scythe at my disposal;

It's been a long time since I walked on the steppe grass

Up and down I wanted to be with her...

Get itchy, shoulder! Swing your hand!

Smell it in your face, Wind from midday!

Refresh and excite the spacious Steppe!

Buzz, scythe, like a swarm of bees!

Molony, scythe, sparkle all around!

Make some noise, grass, cut down;

Bow down, flowers, to the head of the earth!

... ... ... ...

(1836)

The songlike, cosmic-natural view of the world is transformed and complicated in philosophical “thoughts.” In them, Koltsov appears as an original poet, reflecting on the mysteries of life and death, on the meaning of existence (“The Great Mystery”, 1833; “The Unsolved Truth”, 1836; “Question”, 1837), on the high purpose of the human personality (“Man”, 1836 ), on the role of art (“The Poet”, 1840). Koltsov's poetry had a great influence on Russian literature. In the 1850s, A. A. Fet was under the spell of his “fresh,” “unbroken” song; Koltsov’s folk-peasant motifs were developed in his work by N. A. Nekrasov and the poets of the “Nekrasov school,” G. I. Uspensky was inspired by the comprehension Koltsov’s poetry, working on the classic essays “The Peasant and Peasant Labor” and “The Power of the Land.” In the 20th century Koltsov's song traditions were taken up by M. V. Isakovsky and A. T. Tvardovsky.

LIFE.

It is easy for us to embrace the light with our minds;

In it we fly with free thought:

What we are not given to understand -

We seem to understand everything.

And we judge everything harshly,

Without removing the veil from centuries;

It’s realized that people don’t care

To say: this is the world's secret.

How the light stands until now

We've been through a lot:

We saw the intensity of passions;

The kingdom was buried behind the kingdom.

Living, penetrated deep

Into the secret place of miraculous nature;

We took knowledge alone easily,

Others - by stubborn force...

But our success is still small.

As for legends? - We do not know.

What will happen next - who got in?

What are we now? - we won’t figure it out.

Experience alone says

That people lived here before us -

And we live - and will live.

This is what all of us were like!..

Lebedev Yu. Materials used from the site Great Encyclopedia of the Russian People - http://www.rusinst.ru