Konstantin Dmitrievich Balmont (06/15/1867, Gumnishchi, Vladimir province - 12/23/1942, Noisy-le-Grand, France) - Russian poet.
Konstantin Balmont: biography
By origin, the future poet was a nobleman. Although his great-grandfather bore the surname Balamut. Later, the named surname was redone in a foreign way. Balmont's father was the chairman. Konstantin received his education at the Shuya gymnasium, although he was expelled from it because he attended an illegal circle. short biography Balmont tells that he created his first works at the age of 9 years.
In 1886, Balmont began his studies at the law faculty of Moscow University. A year later, due to participation in student unrest, he was expelled until 1888. Soon he left the university of his own free will, enrolling in the Demidov Law Lyceum, from which he was also expelled. It was then that the first collection of poetry written by Balmont was printed.
The biography of the poet tells that at the same time, due to constant disagreements with his first wife, he tried to commit suicide. The suicide attempt ended for him with a lifelong lameness.
Among K. Balmont, it is worth mentioning the collections “Burning Buildings” and “In the Vastness”. The poet's relationship with the authorities was tense. So, in 1901, for the verse "Little Sultan", he was deprived of the right to reside in university and capital cities for 2 years. K. Balmont, whose biography has been studied in some detail, leaves for the Volkonsky estate (now Belgorod region), where he works on the poetry collection "We'll be like the sun." In 1902 he moved to Paris.
In the early 1900s, Balmont created many romantic poems. So, in 1903, the collection “Only Love. Semitsvetnik", in 1905 - "The Liturgy of Beauty". These collections bring fame to Balmont. The poet himself travels at this time. So, by 1905 he managed to visit Italy, Mexico, England and Spain.
When political unrest begins in Russia, Balmont returns to his homeland. He collaborates with the social democratic publication " New life"and with the magazine" Red Banner ". But at the end of 1905, Balmont, whose biography is rich in travel, again comes to Paris. In later years, he continued to travel extensively.
When an amnesty was granted to political emigrants in 1913, K. Balmont returned to Russia. The poet welcomes but opposes the October. In this regard, in 1920 he again left Russia, settling in France.
While in exile, Balmont, whose biography is inextricably linked with his homeland, actively worked in Russian periodicals published in Germany, Estonia, Bulgaria, Latvia, Poland and Czechoslovakia. In 1924 he published a book of memoirs entitled "Where is my home?", wrote essays on the revolution in Russia "White Dream" and "Torch in the Night". In the 20s, Balmont published such collections of poems as "Gift to the Earth", "Haze", "Bright Hour", "Song of the Working Hammer", "In the Parted Distance". In 1930, K. Balmont completed the translation of the Old Russian work "The Tale of Igor's Campaign". The last collection of his poems was published in 1937 under the title Light Service.
At the end of his life, the poet suffered from mental illness. K. Balmont died in a shelter known as the "Russian House", located near Paris.
K. D. Balmont was born in the village of Gumnishchi (Vladimir province) June 15, 1867 in the family of a judge. mother with early years instilled in the boy a love of music and literature. After some time, the family moved to the city of Shuya, where in 1876 Balmont went to the Shuya gymnasium. Konstantin was expelled from the gymnasium for revolutionary sentiments. Balmont is transferred to the city of Vladimir and finishes the establishment in 1886. In the same year, he decided to enter the Faculty of Jurisdiction at Moscow University. But even here, after a year of study, he was expelled for participating in student riots.
Balmont wrote his first works at the age of 10. But after criticizing his mother, the boy could not be creative for 6 years. For the first time he published his poems in the magazine "Picturesque Review" in 1885 in St. Petersburg.
Balmont from the end of the 1880s took up translation activities. In 1890, desperate because of failures, both in his personal life and in his work, the writer tried to commit suicide: he jumped out of the window, he was seriously injured, as a result of which he lay in bed for a whole year. Despite the very tragic circumstances, however, this period was very fruitful in terms of literature. So, in 1890, the debut collection of poems was published. True, he did not arouse public interest, and the poet burned the entire circulation.
The peak of Balmont's creativity fell on the 1890s. During this period, he travels a lot, reads and learns languages. Often the writer was engaged in translations: in 1894 he translated the History of Scandinavian Literature (by Gorn), and in 1895-1897 the History of Italian Literature (by Gaspari). In 1894, Konstantin Dmitrievich published the collection "Under the Northern Sky", began to be published in the journal "Scales", the publishing house "Scorpion". Soon new books by the author "Silence" and "In the boundlessness" appeared.
In 1896 Balmont left for Europe and traveled for several years. In 1897 he was engaged in lecturing on Russian poetry in England. In 1903, a new collection of poetry "We'll be like the sun" was published, which brought him big success and popularity. In 1906, Konstantin Dmitrievich travels to California and Mexico. During the revolution of 1905-1907, he was an active participant in it, building barricades and making speeches to students. In fear of being arrested, Balmont left for Paris in 1906. He returned to Moscow only in 1915, traveling around the country with lectures.
In 1920 he left for France, where he lived until the end of his life. In Paris, he published 6 collections of poems and autobiographical books "The Air Way", "Under the New Sickle".
Soon, doctors discovered a serious mental illness in the poet. He spent the rest of his life on the outskirts of Paris in poverty. Balmont did not write anymore. Konstantin Dmitrievich died December 23, 1942 from pneumonia in the Russian House shelter.
Balmont Konstantin Dmitrievich is a Russian poet who worked in the direction of symbolism, translator, essayist, one of the most significant figures in poetry Silver Age. Among the authors whose works were translated by Balmont are Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Baudelaire, William Blake, Oscar Wilde, Herman Zuderman. Among his works are memoirs, philological treatises, historical and literary studies, critical essays, poetry and prose collections. Was born great poet in the Vladimir region, in the village of Gumnishchi, Shuisky district on June 15, 1867. Balmont's father served in the Shuisky district court, and his mother was engaged in literature, staged amateur performances and appeared in print. Little Balmont learned to read on his own when he spied on the literacy lessons that his mother gave to his older brother. She also introduced him to the best examples of Russian poetry (Nekrasov, Lermontov, Pushkin).
10 years after the birth of Konstantin Dmitrievich, his family moved to Shuya, because it was time to send the older children to study. In 1877, the young Balmont entered the Shuya gymnasium, but he quickly got bored with his studies, although he made great strides in his studies. The future poet spent more and more time reading, he read French and German books in the original. At the age of ten, he began to compose his first poems. In 1884, Balmont was expelled from the gymnasium for participating in a revolutionary circle and distributing the proclamations of the People's Will. The poet transferred to a gymnasium in Vladimir, where he lived with a teacher Greek. Three of his poems were published in the magazine "Picturesque Review", which caused a negative reaction from Balmont's mentor. He forbade him to publish his works until the end of the gymnasium. Later, the poet compared training there with imprisonment.
Later, in 1886, Konstantin Dmitrievich entered the law faculty of the Moscow state university, but a year later was expelled for participating in the riots. Attempts to get a "state education" continued in 1888, but Balmont abandoned them. In 1889, the poet publishes his first "Collection of Poems", which did not receive any public response, which is why Balmont destroyed the entire print run. heyday creative activity falls on the 1890s. At this time, the creator reads a lot, studies foreign languages and travels. In 1894 he translated Gorn's History of Scandinavian Literature, and in 1897 Gaspari's History of Italian Literature.
At this time, there is also a tragic episode in the life of the poet - in 1890 he tried to commit suicide by jumping from the window of the third floor. He spent almost a year in bed, and Balmont later called this time incredibly productive and cheerful. In 1894, the poet publishes his poetry collection Under the Northern Sky, publishes his works in such publishing houses as Scorpio, Libra. In 1895 and 1898 two new books appeared - "In the vastness" and "Silence". 1896 - a trip abroad, to Europe. At this time he travels, lectures in England on Russian poetry. The event of 1901 made him a hero in St. Petersburg. Balmont participates in a mass demonstration of students, a little later in the hall of the City Duma he reads the poem "Little Sultan", where there is criticism of the political regime in Russia. In 1903, Balmont's fourth collection of poetry was published under the title Let's Be Like the Sun. He won great popularity among readers and brought success to the author. In 1905, Konstantin Dmitrievich again traveled abroad, visiting Mexico, California.
In 1905, Balmont took an active part in revolutionary actions, read poetry and lectures to students. His enthusiasm for the revolution was shallow, in 1906 the poet left for Paris. Collections of his poems are banned in Russia, among them "Songs of the Avenger", "Evil Spells", "Green Heliport". Balmont returned to Russia only in 1915. At the same time, his theoretical study entitled "Poetry as Magic" was published, which can be regarded as a continuation of the declaration "Elementary Words on Symbolic Poetry", issued in 1900. Here Balmont writes about the essence and purpose of lyrical poetry, speaks of "incantatory and magical" power words. During these years, the poet wrote more than 200 sonnets, of which he compiled the collection Sonnets of the Sun, Sky and Moon. Many critics accused the author of the monotony of creativity and an excess of "banal prettiness".
Balmont warmly accepts the revolution of 1917, but quickly becomes disillusioned with the new government. In 1920 he made his last move to France, where he wrote several negative articles about the Bolsheviks and the new regime. In Paris, Konstantin Dmitrievich published several poetry collections (“Gift to the Earth”, “Bright Hour”, “Haze”), in 1923 - the memoirs “Under the New Sickle” and “Air Route”. Balmont yearned for his native land, regretting that he had left it forever. This theme is often raised in his poems. In those years, the health of the creator is getting worse, financial problems arise. He is diagnosed with a serious mental disorder. His life was cut short on December 23, 1942 from pneumonia, in Noisy-le-Grand. Balmont became the first representative symbolist poetry, which received all-Russian fame. His poetry was distinguished by incredible musicality, airiness and beauty.
Konstantin Balmont (1867-1942) - a remarkable symbolist poet, one of the brightest representatives Russian poetry of the Silver Age. Author of a number of philological treatises, critical essays and historical and literary studies. Balmont is a talented translator who adapted works written in many languages into Russian. From the end of the 90s of the 19th century, he literally reigned in Russian poetry, for which he received the nickname "the sun king of Russian lyrics."
Childhood and youth
Konstantin Balmont was born on June 15, 1867 in the small village of Gumnishchi Vladimir province where the parents' estate was located. His father was a landowner and first worked as a magistrate, after which he moved to serve in the Zemstvo council. Mother, Vera Nikolaevna, was well educated and from early childhood carried her son into the boundless world of literary creativity.
When the boy was 10 years old, the family moved to the city of Shuya. Here Konstantin was determined to study at the local gymnasium, but in the 7th grade he was expelled for participating in the activities of the revolutionary circle. Therefore, he had to finish his studies at the Vladimir gymnasium. In 1886, Balmont began his studies at Moscow University, but it did not work out here either. A year later, for anti-government work in student circles, he was expelled and sent into exile in Shuya.
Higher education Balmont never received it, although he was reinstated at the university. Due to the strong nervous exhaustion he left the walls of the alma mater. It was not possible to complete his studies at the Yaroslavl Demidov Lyceum, where the poet also entered. But thanks to his diligence and diligence, he became one of the most erudite representatives of his generation, having learned about 15 languages and being well versed in chemistry, history, and ethnography.
Poetic path
In 1890, Balmont's first book, A Collection of Poems, was published in Yaroslavl. The opuses of this time have a clear imprint of late populism with its sadness and melancholy, belittling almost every poem. The author bought out almost the entire small edition and destroyed it with his own hands.
At first, Konstantin did not stand out much against the background of many other masters of the poetic word. The situation begins to change after the publication of two collections of poems "Under the Northern Sky" (1894) and "In the Vastness" (1895), in which the formation of his mastery was already traced. Acquaintance with V. Bryusov helped to see his place in poetry and greatly strengthened his self-confidence. In 1898, the collection "Silence" appeared, leaving no doubt about the greatness of its author.
At the beginning of the new century, the flowering of Balmont's creativity begins. In 1900, the collection Burning Buildings was published, in the preface to which the poet says: "In this book, I speak not only for myself, but also for others who are silent". In 1902, Konstantin Dmitrievich was forced to go abroad for reading the anti-government poem "The Little Sultan". He will visit many countries of the Old World, the USA and Mexico, and will return to Russia only in 1905. It was during this period that one of the best collections "Only Love" and "Let's Be Like the Sun" (1903) came out from under his pen. The last A. Blok will call one of the greatest creations of symbolism. The poet himself did not deny this, writing in one of his autobiographies: "I am convinced that before me in Russia they did not know how to write sonorous poetry".
First Russian revolution responded in the heart of Balmont with a series of poems that fell into the poetry collections "Poems" (1906) and "Songs of the Avenger" (1907). Not wanting to incur a negative reaction from the tsarist government, he emigrates to France, where he will live until 1913. Thus, the poet withdrew himself from the fierce dispute of the Symbolists, which was taking place at that time in the country. But he, as always, is fruitful, writes a lot and easily, having published three collections in 1908-1909: "Dance of Times", "Birds in the Air" and "Green Heliport".
By the time he returned to Russia, Konstantin Dmitrievich was already known as the author of a series of articles filled with criticism that received a great response - "Mountain Peaks" (1904), "White Lightning" (1908) and "Sea Glow" (1910).
Balmont accepted the fall royal power, but events civil war he was greatly frightened and, using the patronage of the People's Commissar of Education Lunacharsky, he managed to go abroad. At first, the poet considered this departure as temporary, but the trip turned out to be a long emigration.
Life in exile
In the first decade of his life abroad, Balmont is quite fruitful. Many magnificent collections come out from under his pen - "My-her. Poems about Russia" (1923), Gift of the Earth "(1921)," In the parted distance "(1929). At this time, the autobiographical prose "Under the new sickle" and the book of memoirs "Where is my home?" appeared.
With the beginning of the 30s, the Balmont family fully felt poverty. From time to time, funds received from aid funds for Russian writers did not save the situation. The situation worsened after the poet was diagnosed with a severe mental illness. Since 1935, he alternately lives in a charity house, then in a cheap rented apartment. In rare moments of insight, he tried to reread "War and Peace" and his old works. The Russian poet died in a Russian orphanage in Paris on December 23, 1942.
Innovative poet
Konstantin Balmont is deservedly considered one of the outstanding representatives of symbolism, personifying his impressionist direction. His poetry is distinguished by extraordinary musicality and brilliance. For him, beauty was associated with a formidable element that appears before us either angelically pure and bright, or demonically dark and terrible. But whatever the element, it always remains free, irrational and alive, completely beyond the control of the human mind.
Balmont managed to define his own "I" deeper than others in the rich world of reincarnations, which was unusually far from reality. He does not try to tell about this world. Instead, he shares his personal impressions and moods with the reader, trying to reverse reality with his subjective world. Balmont was characterized by deep democratism, manifested in a sensitive and reasonable reaction to the political and social events of the era.
O. Mandelstam once very accurately described Balmont's poetry as "foreign representation from a non-existent phonetic power."
Personal life
With his first wife, Larisa Garelina, the daughter of an Ivanovo-Voznesensk manufacturer, he met in 1888 at the theater, where she performed on the amateur stage. Even before the wedding, the poet's mother was categorically against marriage and turned out to be right. There was no happy family life. The wife's passion for alcohol, the death of the first child and the serious illness of the second, as well as chronic poverty, made the life of the poet impossible. He even tried to commit suicide, but failed to complete the plan. Subsequently, this episode will find expression in a series of works "The White Bride", "Scream in the Night" and some others.
After a divorce from Garelina, the poetess Mirra Lokhvitskaya became Balmont's new muse. At the time of the meeting, she was married and had five children. The close relationship of poets arose on the basis of common ideas about literature. However early death due to a serious illness interrupted the novel. In honor of his beloved, Balmont will release one of the best collections "We'll be like the sun", and in memory of her, she will name her daughter from the new common-law wife Elena Tsvetkovskaya Mirra. The poet later writes: "The bright years of my feelings for her ... are clearly reflected in my work".
The second official wife of Konstantin Dmitrievich was Ekaterina Andreeva-Balmont, whose parents were prominent merchants. She, like her husband, was a writer. Together with Balmont, they were engaged in translations, in particular, adapting the works of G. Hauptmann and O. Nansen for the Russian language. In 1901, the couple will have a daughter, Nika, in honor of which her father will write a collection of poems "Fairy Tales". Another passion in the foreign period will be Dagmar Shakhovskaya, to whom the poet will dedicate 858 love letters filled with tender feelings. However, last years life with a slowly fading poet will not be spent by her, but by the common-law wife Ekaterina Tsvetkovskaya.
Balmont Konstantin Dmitrievich (1867-1942)
Russian poet. Born in the village of Gumnishche, Vladimir province, in a noble family. He studied at the gymnasium in Shuya. In 1886 he entered the law faculty of Moscow University, but was expelled for participating in the student movement.
The first collection of Balmont's poems was published in Yaroslavl in 1890, the second - "Under the Northern Sky" - in 1894. The motives of civil grief prevail in them. Soon Balmont acts as one of the founders of symbolism.
IN late XIX- early XX centuries. the poet released the collections “In the boundlessness”, “Silence”, “We will be like the Sun”. In 1895-1905. Balmont was perhaps the most famous among Russian poets; later his popularity wanes. His poetry is characterized by accentuated exoticism, a certain mannerism and narcissism.
Balmont made several trips around the world, describing them in essay prose books. He was captured by the revolutionary events of 1905, spoke with poems glorifying the workers (the book "Songs of the Avenger").
From the end of that year, as a result of the repressions of the autocracy, he lived abroad and was able to return to his homeland under an amnesty only in 1913. He translated a lot from the poetry of the West and East. He was the first to translate into Russian the poem of the classic of Georgian literature Shota Rustaveli "The Knight in the Panther's Skin".
In 1921 he emigrated and lived in great need in France. There he created a cycle of vivid poems full of longing for Russia.
He died in the town of Noisy-le-Grand near Paris.