Ivan Surikov
Encyclopedia
Ivan Zakharovich Surikov ' onMouseout='HidePop("10296")' href="/topics/1841_in_literature">1841
, Novosyolovo, Uglich, Yaroslavl, Russia – May 6, 1880
, Moscow) was a self-taught peasant
poet
, best known for his folklore-influenced ballad
s, some of which were put to music by well-known composers (Tchaikovsky, Cui, Rimsky-Korsakov, Gretchaninov among them), while some ("Rowan", "Steppe" and others) became real folk
songs.
, Nikitin
, Nekrasov, Fet
and Maykov
. In the late 1850s the shop went bust, and Surikov Sr. returned to Novosyolovo, leaving Ivan in Moscow. As an employee at another shop, that of his uncle, Ivan spent several years, suffering from near-poverty and humiliation.
In 1859 Zakhar Surikov returned to Moscow where he bought another shop and started trading in iron and coal, bringing his son in, as an aid. In 1860 Ivan Surikov sent a note-book with his own verses to Aleksey Plescheev
and was much encouraged by the poet's favorable response. "Originality, soulfulness and deep passion" were the qualities Plescheev liked best. Also in 1860 Surikov married Maria Ermakova, a girl from a poor family, who proved to be his devoted friend and a great help in his life. In 1864 Ivan's mother died, his father re-married and life in the latter's house became unbearable. Ivan rented a flat with his wife, and from then on he made a living by taking part-time jobs, like that of a type-setter.
In the late 1860s Surikov met two poets, Alexander Levitov
and Filipp Nefyodov, who helped him get his verses published in magazines like Delo, Otechestvennye zapiski
, and Semya Y Shkola. In 1871 his debut collection Poems came out (to be re-issued in 1875 and 1877). The leftist critics greeted the newcomer but deplored the rather limited thematic scope (peasant's hardships, a stepmother's cruelty, set marriages, etc) of his work. In the early 1870s Surikov began corresponding with other self-taught poets from all over the country. The Rassvet (Sunrise) anthology came as a result, featuring poems by A.Bakulin, S.Derunov and D.Zharov among others. In 1875 he became a member of the Russian Literature Society (nominated by Fyodor Buslayev, and supported by Leo Tolstoy
). His next project, a literary magazine exclusively for authors from the lower classes, failed to materialize. In the late 1870s Ivan Surikov fell ill with tuberculosis
; he died in Moscow in 1880, at the peak of his creativity.
Koltsov and Nikitin prospered at a time when the popularity of classic folklore was at it's peak; Surikov's legacy could be seen as being set against the background of its decline, when frivolous and vulgar motifs were debasing folk tradition, now more a part of the new proto-industrial culture rather than patriarchal rural Russia. Surikov, with his gallery of lower class urban characters (tailors, manual labourers, homeless people, and wanderers) is often regarded as a founder of what would be later termed 'Russian urban romance'. His ballads were song-like in structure, and people who knew him remembered how he "tried out" each new piece by singing it aloud.
Surikov had his "peasant cycle" too, but again, its poems were generic, the protagonist preferring to come across as "the voice of the common people", rather than putting forward any personal views. Being first and foremost a storyteller, Surikov never went for elaborate plotlines. Even the democratic press which supported the self-taught 'people's poet', deplored the narrowness of his artistic spectrum which embraced trials and tribulations only of the most trivial kind (hardships of poverty, the grievance of a girl who must marry a man she doesn't love, a stepmother's cruelty, etc).
1841 in literature
The year 1841 in literature involved some significant new books.-Events:*Horace Greeley begins publication of the New York Tribune.*Punch magazine is founded in London.-New books:*William Harrison Ainsworth - Old St...
, Novosyolovo, Uglich, Yaroslavl, Russia – May 6, 1880
1880 in literature
The year 1880 in literature involved some significant new books.-New books:*Henry Adams - Democracy: An American Novel *Rhoda Broughton - Second Thoughts*Wilkie Collins - Jezebel's Daughter...
, Moscow) was a self-taught peasant
Peasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, best known for his folklore-influenced ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
s, some of which were put to music by well-known composers (Tchaikovsky, Cui, Rimsky-Korsakov, Gretchaninov among them), while some ("Rowan", "Steppe" and others) became real folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
songs.
Biography
Ivan Surikov was born in Novosyolovo village near Uglich, son of Zakhar Adrianovich Surikov, a rent-paying peasant who worked for Count Sheremetyev. Ivan spent the first eight years of his life in the village with his mother and grandmother, then in 1849 moved to Moscow where his father had started a small grocery shop at Ordynka. Neighbouring nuns taught the boy reading and writing; soon he became acquainted with Russian poetry and started to write himself, Aleksey Merzlyakov and Nikolay Tsyganov's songs providing the primary impulse. His father, who deemed book-reading to be harmful to a good trader's mentality, reacted negatively, but Ivan persisted in studying the books he loved best, including works by Pushkin, Lermontov, KoltsovAleksey Koltsov
Aleksey Vasilievich Koltsov was a Russian poet who has been called a Russian Burns. His poems, frequently placed in the mouth of women, stylize peasant-life songs and idealize agricultural labour....
, Nikitin
Ivan Savvich Nikitin
Ivan Savvich Nikitin Born in Voronezh into a merchant family, Nikitin was educated in a seminary until 1843. His father's violence and alcoholism brought the family to ruin and forced young Ivan to provide for the household by becoming an innkeeper...
, Nekrasov, Fet
Afanasy Fet
Afanasy Afanasyevich Fet , was a Russian poet regarded as one of the finest lyricists in Russian literature.-Origins:...
and Maykov
Apollon Maykov
Apollon Nikolayevich Maykov was a Russian poet.He was born into the artistic family of Nikolay Apollonovich Maykov, a painter and an academic. In 1834 the family moved to Petersburg. In 1837-1841 Maykov studied law at Saint Petersburg University. At first he was attracted to painting, but he soon...
. In the late 1850s the shop went bust, and Surikov Sr. returned to Novosyolovo, leaving Ivan in Moscow. As an employee at another shop, that of his uncle, Ivan spent several years, suffering from near-poverty and humiliation.
In 1859 Zakhar Surikov returned to Moscow where he bought another shop and started trading in iron and coal, bringing his son in, as an aid. In 1860 Ivan Surikov sent a note-book with his own verses to Aleksey Plescheev
Aleksey Plescheev
Aleksey Nikolayevich Pleshcheyev was a radical Russian poet of the 19th century, one of the Petrashevsky Circle.Pleshcheyev's first book of poetry, published in 1846, made him famous: «Вперед! без страха и сомненья…» became widely known as "a Russian La Marseillaise" , «На зов друзей»...
and was much encouraged by the poet's favorable response. "Originality, soulfulness and deep passion" were the qualities Plescheev liked best. Also in 1860 Surikov married Maria Ermakova, a girl from a poor family, who proved to be his devoted friend and a great help in his life. In 1864 Ivan's mother died, his father re-married and life in the latter's house became unbearable. Ivan rented a flat with his wife, and from then on he made a living by taking part-time jobs, like that of a type-setter.
In the late 1860s Surikov met two poets, Alexander Levitov
Alexander Levitov
Alexander Ivanovich Levitov , born August 1, 1835 – died January 16, 1877, was a Russian writer.-Biography:Levitov was born in the village of Dobroye, in Tambov Governorate, where his father was a sexton. He learned to read and write in a school for peasant children set up by his father in...
and Filipp Nefyodov, who helped him get his verses published in magazines like Delo, Otechestvennye zapiski
Otechestvennye Zapiski
Otechestvennye Zapiski was a Russian literary magazine published in St Petersburg on a monthly basis between 1818 and 1884. The journal served liberal-minded readers, known as the intelligentsia...
, and Semya Y Shkola. In 1871 his debut collection Poems came out (to be re-issued in 1875 and 1877). The leftist critics greeted the newcomer but deplored the rather limited thematic scope (peasant's hardships, a stepmother's cruelty, set marriages, etc) of his work. In the early 1870s Surikov began corresponding with other self-taught poets from all over the country. The Rassvet (Sunrise) anthology came as a result, featuring poems by A.Bakulin, S.Derunov and D.Zharov among others. In 1875 he became a member of the Russian Literature Society (nominated by Fyodor Buslayev, and supported by Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy
Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. His two most famous works, the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are acknowledged as two of the greatest novels of all time and a pinnacle of realist...
). His next project, a literary magazine exclusively for authors from the lower classes, failed to materialize. In the late 1870s Ivan Surikov fell ill with tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
; he died in Moscow in 1880, at the peak of his creativity.
Legacy
Ivan Surikov, whose legacy is usually seen as part of the tradition set by the two major Russian folklorist poets Koltsov and Nikitin, was in many ways different. While both of his spiritual forefathers employed traditional Russian folklore structures and motives as a template and, being masters of 'landscape poetry', could hardly be described as storytellers, Surikov's poems usually had plots (some would say, schemes) and were full of drama, although of a rather simplistic brand, featuring only "strong", straightforward feelings, totally devoid of emotional undertones.Koltsov and Nikitin prospered at a time when the popularity of classic folklore was at it's peak; Surikov's legacy could be seen as being set against the background of its decline, when frivolous and vulgar motifs were debasing folk tradition, now more a part of the new proto-industrial culture rather than patriarchal rural Russia. Surikov, with his gallery of lower class urban characters (tailors, manual labourers, homeless people, and wanderers) is often regarded as a founder of what would be later termed 'Russian urban romance'. His ballads were song-like in structure, and people who knew him remembered how he "tried out" each new piece by singing it aloud.
Surikov had his "peasant cycle" too, but again, its poems were generic, the protagonist preferring to come across as "the voice of the common people", rather than putting forward any personal views. Being first and foremost a storyteller, Surikov never went for elaborate plotlines. Even the democratic press which supported the self-taught 'people's poet', deplored the narrowness of his artistic spectrum which embraced trials and tribulations only of the most trivial kind (hardships of poverty, the grievance of a girl who must marry a man she doesn't love, a stepmother's cruelty, etc).