The title of Ostrovsky's first play. Biography

Alexander Ostrovsky is a Russian playwright who made a huge contribution to the development of the Russian theater. He managed to masterfully work in any genre, skillfully conveying the fate of his heroes.

The most famous plays in it were "Dowry" and "Thunderstorm", which are still successfully staged.

We bring to your attention short biography of Ostrovsky.

Childhood and youth

Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky was born on March 31, 1823 in. The father of the future playwright, Nikolai Fedorovich, grew up in a family of a priest. However, he did not follow in his father's footsteps.

Instead, Ostrovsky's father began working in judicial institutions, as a result of which he rose to the rank of titular adviser. Alexander's mother, Lyubov Ivanovna, died when he was only 7 years old.

Even in early childhood, the boy loved to spend time reading. He read Russian literature with interest, and dreamed of becoming a writer in the future. However, the father did not share the views of the young Ostrovsky, because he wanted him to be a lawyer.

Education

In 1835, Alexander Ostrovsky entered the Moscow gymnasium, where he studied for 5 years. After that, he continued his studies at Moscow University at the Faculty of Law, where he entered in 1940.

However, he could not finish it due to a serious conflict with the teacher. Having failed the exam in Roman law, Ostrovsky wrote a letter of resignation after studying for only 3 years.

Ultimately, the father employed his son in court, where the future playwright would begin writing his first works.

Creativity Ostrovsky

The first play in Ostrovsky's biography was called "Own people - let's settle!" (1850). After reading it and leaving positive feedback about it.

However, not everyone liked her. When Moscow officials saw themselves in the play, exposed in a negative light, they complained to the sovereign.

As a result, Emperor Nicholas 1 dismissed Alexander Ostrovsky from service and placed him under police supervision. Only 11 years later, the play will be staged again in theaters.

When Alexander 2 was on the throne (see), he removed supervision from the playwright, after which he was able to freely engage in writing.

In 1856, constant literary employment appeared in Ostrovsky's biography: he began to collaborate with the Sovremennik publication, founded by .

33-year-old Ostrovsky, 1856

After 3 years, Ostrovsky publishes the first collection of works in his biography in 2 volumes.

In 1865, he wrote the play "Thunderstorm", which the literary critic Nikolai Dobrolyubov called "A ray of light in a dark kingdom."

Dobrolyubov made such a comparison because, before the release of this play, he called Ostrovsky the representative of the "dark kingdom". It is worth noting that in The Thunderstorm there were many episodes from Ostrovsky's biography.

An interesting fact is that today Ostrovsky is one of the three best playwrights, according to the audience:

• Alexander Ostrovsky

If you have been to at least one Ostrovsky performance, then you will surely agree with this statement.

Cradle of Talents

Every year Alexander Nikolayevich became an increasingly popular writer, and in 1863 he was awarded the Uvarov Prize. Soon he was accepted into the Academy of Sciences of St. Petersburg.

In 1865, he created the Artistic Circle, which later became the cradle of many talents. Dostoevsky, Turgenev, and other writers often visited his house.

In 1874, Ostrovsky formed the Society of Russian Dramatic Writers and Opera Composers, becoming its chairman. In this position, he carried out a number of major reforms, thanks to which artists improved their position and received more rights.

In 1881, Ostrovsky managed to visit the opera The Snow Maiden (see). The musical accompaniment caused him special delight. Later, the writer admitted that the music for his "Snow Maiden" was surprisingly lively and emotional.

Personal life

The first love in Ostrovsky's biography was the actress Lyubov Kositskaya, who also treated him with indifference. However, since they were both married, the lovers did not dare to start a family.

For 20 years, the playwright cohabited with Agafya Ivanovna, who was a simple and poorly educated girl. Despite this, she understood Ostrovsky perfectly and was a reliable support in his life.

They had children, but they all died in infancy. Then Agafya Ivanovna herself died.

In 1869, another woman appeared in Ostrovsky's biography. He married Maria Bakhmetyeva, with whom he will live until the end of his life. They had 4 boys and 2 girls.

Last years

In 1885, Alexander Ostrovsky directed the repertoire of Moscow theaters, and also headed the theater school.

At the same time, it is worth noting one interesting fact from the biography of Ostrovsky. Despite the fact that he had great fame and was in high positions, he constantly faced financial difficulties.

This was largely due to the fact that the playwright invested a lot in creative projects, since he was completely absorbed in literary and.

He worked day and night without rest, which subsequently had a negative impact on his health.

Ostrovsky's death

Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky died on June 2, 1886 at the age of 63, in the Shchelykovo estate. Today this estate is a museum of Ostrovsky.

For his burial, the Russian Emperor Alexander 3 allocated 3,000 rubles from the state treasury. In addition, he made sure that the widow and children of the playwright were paid a pension.

Films and television plays based on Ostrovsky's works are still being made. In Soviet times, Eldar Ryazanov shot a magnificent picture "Cruel Romance" based on the play "Dowry".

In total, after the death of Alexander Ostrovsky, more than 40 of his works were filmed.

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Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky

Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolaevich (1823, Moscow - 1886, Shchelykovo estate, Kostroma province.) - playwright. Genus. in the family of a judge. Having received a serious home education, he graduated from the gymnasium, and in 1840 he entered the law faculty of Moscow. university, where he left without completing the course, in 1843. He entered the service in judicial institutions, which allowed O. to collect vivid material for his plays. Despite the endless difficulties with censorship, Ostrovsky wrote about 50 plays (the most famous are "Profitable Place", "Wolves and Sheep", "Thunderstorm", "Forest", "Dowry"), creating a grandiose artistic canvas depicting the life of various classes of Russia in the second floor. 19th century He was one of the organizers of the Artistic Circle, the Society -rus. dramatic writers and opera composers, did a lot to improve the situation of theater in Russia. In 1866, shortly before his death, Ostrovsky headed the repertory part of the sinks. theaters. The significance of Ostrovsky's activities was recognized even by his contemporaries. I.A. Goncharov wrote to him: “You alone completed the building, the foundation of which was laid by the cornerstones of Fonvizin, Griboedov, Gogol. But only after you, we Russians can proudly say:“ We have our own Russian, national theater. ”He, in fairness , should be called; "Ostrovsky's Theatre".

Used materials of the book: Shikman A.P. Figures of national history. Biographical guide. Moscow, 1997.

Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky (1823-1886) is an exceptional figure against the backdrop of 19th-century literature. In the West, before the appearance of Ibsen, there was not a single playwright who could be put on a par with him. In the life of the merchants, dark and ignorant, entangled in prejudices, prone to tyranny, absurd and amusing whims, he found original material for his stage works. Pictures of the life of the merchants gave Ostrovsky the opportunity to show an important side of Russian life in general, the "dark kingdom" of old Russia.

Ostrovsky is a folk playwright in the true and profound sense of the word. His nationality is also manifested in the direct connection of his art with folklore - folk songs, proverbs and sayings, which even make up the titles of his plays, and in a truthful depiction of folk life imbued with a democratic trend, and in the extraordinary convexity, relief of the images he created, clothed in an accessible and democratic form and addressed to the public spectator.

Quoted from: World History. Volume VI. M., 1959, p. 670.

OSTROVSKY Alexander Nikolaevich (1823 - 1886), playwright. Born on March 31 (April 12 NS) in Moscow in the family of an official who deserved the nobility. Childhood years were spent in Zamoskvorechye, the merchant and petty-bourgeois district of Moscow. He received a good education at home, studying foreign languages ​​from childhood. Subsequently, he knew Greek, French, German, and later - English, Italian, Spanish.

At the age of 12 he was sent to the 1st Moscow gymnasium, from which he graduated in 1840 and entered the law faculty of Moscow University (1840 - 43). He listened to the lectures of such advanced professors as T. Granovsky, M. Pogodin. The desire for literary creativity coincides with a passionate passion for the theater, on the stages of which the great actors M. Shchepkin and P. Mochalov performed at that time.

Ostrovsky leaves the university - the legal sciences ceased to interest him, and he decides to seriously engage in literature. But, at the insistence of his father, he entered the service of the Moscow conscientious court. Work in court gave the future playwright rich material for his plays.

In 1849, the comedy "Own People - Let's Settle!" was written, which brought recognition to the author, although it appeared on the stage only 11 years later (it was banned by Nicholas 1, and Ostrovsky was placed under police supervision). Inspired by success and recognition, Ostrovsky wrote one, and sometimes several plays every year, creating a whole "Ostrovsky theatre", including 47 plays of various genres.

In 1850 he became an employee of the magazine "Moskvityanin", enters the circle of writers, actors, musicians, and artists. These years gave the playwright a lot in a creative sense. At this time, "Morning of a Young Man", "An Unexpected Case" (1850) were written.

In 1851, Ostrovsky left the service in order to devote all his strength and time to literary creativity. Continuing Gogol's accusatory traditions, he wrote the comedies "The Poor Bride" (1851), "The Characters Didn't Agree" (1857).

But in 1853, refusing a "hard" view of Russian life, he wrote to Pogodin: "It is better for a Russian person to rejoice at seeing himself on stage than to yearn. There will be reformers without us." Comedies followed: "Do not sit in your sleigh" (1852), "Poverty is not a vice" (1853), "Do not live as you want" (1854). N. Chernyshevsky reproached the playwright for the ideological and artistic falsity of his new position.

Ostrovsky's further work was supported by participation in an expedition organized by the Naval Ministry to study the life and crafts of the population associated with rivers and shipping (1856). He made a trip along the Volga, from its sources to Nizhny Novgorod, during which he kept detailed records, studied the life of the local population.

In 1855-60, in the pre-reform period, he draws closer to the revolutionary democrats, comes to a kind of "synthesis", returning to the denunciation of the "rulers" and opposing his "little people" to them. Plays appear: "In a strange feast hangover" (1855), "Profitable place" (1856), "Pupil" (1858), "Thunderstorm" (1859). Dobrolyubov enthusiastically appreciated the drama "Thunderstorm", dedicating to her the article "Ray of Light in the Dark Kingdom" (1860).

In the 1860s, Ostrovsky turned to historical drama, considering such plays necessary in the theater repertoire: the chronicles Tushino (1867), Dmitry the Pretender and Vasily Shuisky, and the psychological drama Vasilisa Melentyeva (1868).

In the 1870s, he paints the life of the post-reform nobility: "Each wise man is quite simple", "Mad Money" (1870), "Forest" (1871), "Wolves and Sheep" (1875). A special place is occupied by the play "The Snow Maiden" (1873), which expressed the lyrical beginning of Ostrovsky's dramaturgy.

In the last period of creativity, a whole series of plays was written dedicated to the fate of a woman in the conditions of entrepreneurial Russia in 1870 - 80: "The Last Victim", "Dowry", "Heart is not a stone", "Talents and admirers", "Guilty without guilt", etc.

Used materials of the book: Russian writers and poets. Brief biographical dictionary. Moscow, 2000.

Vasily Perov. Portrait of A. N. Ostrovsky. 1871

Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolaevich (31.03. 1823-2.06.1886), playwright, theatrical figure. Born in Moscow in Zamoskvorechye - a merchant and petty-bourgeois bureaucratic district of Moscow. The father is an official, the son of a priest, who graduated from the theological academy, entered the civil service and later received the nobility. Mother - from the poor clergy, was distinguished, along with beauty, by high spiritual qualities, died early (1831); Ostrovsky's stepmother, from an old noble family of Russified Swedes, transformed the patriarchal way of life of the family beyond Moscow into a noble way, took care of the good home education of her children and stepchildren, for which the family had the necessary prosperity. In addition to public service, my father was engaged in private practice, and since 1841, having retired, he became a successful sworn solicitor of the Moscow Commercial Court. In 1840, Ostrovsky graduated from the 1st Moscow Gymnasium, which at that time was an exemplary secondary educational institution with a humanitarian focus. In 1840-43 he studied at the Faculty of Law of Moscow University, where M. P. Pogodin, T. N. Granovsky, P. G. Redkin taught at that time. Even in the gymnasium, Ostrovsky became interested in literary work, in his student years he became a passionate theatergoer. The great actors P. S. Mochalov and M. S. Shchepkin, who had a great influence on young people, shone on the Moscow stage during these years. As soon as studies in special legal disciplines began to interfere with Ostrovsky's creative aspirations, he left the university and, at the insistence of his father, in 1843 entered the Moscow Conscience Court as a clerk, where property disputes, juvenile crimes, etc. were dealt with; in 1845 he was transferred to the Moscow Commercial Court, from where he left in 1851 to become a professional writer. Work in the courts significantly enriched Ostrovsky's life experience, gave him knowledge of the language, life and psychology of the petty-bourgeois-merchant "third estate" Moscow and officials. At this time, Ostrovsky tries himself in different areas of literature, continues to compose poetry, writes essays and plays. The beginning of his professional literary activity, Ostrovsky considered the play "Family Picture", which on February 14. 1847 was successfully read in the house of the university professor and writer S. P. Shevyrev. The “Notes of a Zamoskvoretsky Resident” date back to this time (for them, back in 1843, a short story was written “The Legend of How the Quarter Warden Started to Dance, or From the Great to the Funny, Only One Step”). The next play "Own people - let's settle!" (originally called "Bankrupt") was written in 1849, in 1850 it was published in the magazine "Moskvityanin" (No. 6), but was not allowed on stage. For this play, which made the name of Ostrovsky known to all reading Russia, he was placed under the covert supervision of the police.

From n. In the 1950s, Ostrovsky became an active collaborator in The Moskvityanin, published by M. P. Pogodin, and soon, together with A. A. Grigoriev, E. N. Edelson, B. N. Almazov, and others, formed the so-called. "young editors", who tried to revive the magazine, promoting realistic art, interest in folk life and folklore. The circle of young employees of the Moskvityanin included not only writers, but also actors (P. M. Sadovsky, I. F. Gorbunov), musicians (A. I. Dubuk), artists and sculptors (P. M. Boklevsky, N. A. . Ramazanov); Muscovites had friends among the "common people" - performers and lovers of folk songs. Ostrovsky and his Moskvityanin comrades were not only a group of like-minded people, but also a friendly circle. These years gave Ostrovsky a lot in a creative sense, and above all a deep knowledge of "living", non-academic folklore, speech and life of the urban common people.

All R. In the 1940s, Ostrovsky entered into a civil marriage with a petty-bourgeois girl A. Ivanova, who remained with him until her death in 1867. Being poorly educated, she had intelligence and tact, excellent knowledge of the common people's life and sang wonderfully, her role in the creative life of the playwright was undoubtedly significant. In 1869, Ostrovsky married the actress of the Maly Theater M. V. Vasilyeva (from whom he already had children by that time), prone to noble, “secular” forms of life, which complicated his life. For many years, Ostrovsky lived on the verge of poverty. Being recognized as the head of Russian playwrights, even in his declining years he was constantly in need, earning a living through tireless literary work. Despite this, he was distinguished by hospitality and constant readiness to help any person in need.

Ostrovsky's whole life is connected with Moscow, which he considered the heart of Russia. Of the relatively few travels of Ostrovsky (1860 - a trip with A. E. Martynov touring to Voronezh, Kharkov, Odessa, Sevastopol, during which the great actor died; 1862 travel abroad through Germany, Austria, Italy with a visit to Paris and London; a trip with I F. Gorbunov along the Volga in 1865 and with his brother, M. N. Ostrovsky, in Transcaucasia in 1883), the expedition organized by the Naval Ministry, which sent writers to study the life and crafts of the population associated with rivers and shipping, had the greatest influence on his work. Ostrovsky made a trip along the Volga, from its sources to Nizhny Novgorod (1856), during which he kept detailed records and compiled a dictionary of shipping, shipbuilding and fishing terms of the Upper Volga region. Life in the beloved Kostroma estate Shchelykovo, which the writer's father bought in 1847, was also of great importance to him. enthusiastic entry in the diary). After the death of his father, Ostrovsky and his brother M. N. Ostrovsky bought the estate from his stepmother (1867). The history of the creation of many plays is connected with Shchelykov.

In general, Ostrovsky's passionate concentration on creativity and theatrical affairs, having made his life poor in external events, inextricably intertwined it with the fate of the Russian theater. The writer died at his desk in Shchelykovo while working on a translation of Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra.

In the creative path of Ostrovsky, the following periods can be distinguished: early, 1847-51 - a test of strength, the search for one's own path, culminating in a triumphant entry into great literature with the comedy "Our people - let's settle!". This initial period passes under the influence of the "natural school". The next, Muscovite period, 1852-54 - active participation in the circle of young employees of the Moskvityanin, who sought to make the journal an organ of a current of social thought akin to Slavophilism (the plays “Do not get into your sleigh”, “Poverty is not a vice”, “Do not live like this as you like"). Ostrovsky's worldview is finally determined in the pre-reform period, 1855-60; there is his rapprochement with the populists ("Hangover in someone else's feast", "Profitable place", "Pupil", "Thunderstorm"). And the last, post-reform period - 1861-86.

The play "Own people - let's settle!" has a rather complex compositional structure, combining a moralistic essay with a tense intrigue, and at the same time, the unhurried development of events, characteristic of Ostrovsky. The extensive slow-motion exposition is explained by the fact that Ostrovsky's dramatic action is not limited to intrigue. It also includes moralistic episodes that have potential conflict (Lipochka's disputes with her mother, visits from the matchmaker, scenes with Tishka). The conversations of the characters are also peculiarly dynamic, not leading to any immediate results, but having their own "micro-action", which can be called a speech movement. Speech, the very way of reasoning, is so important and interesting that the viewer follows all the turns of the seemingly empty chatter. For Ostrovsky, the very speech of the characters is almost an independent object of artistic representation.

Ostrovsky's comedy, depicting the exotic life of a closed merchant world, in fact, in its own way, reflected the all-Russian processes and changes. Here, too, there is a conflict between "fathers" and "children." Here they talk about enlightenment and emancipation, without, of course, knowing these words; but in a world whose very foundation is deceit and violence, all these high concepts and the liberating spirit of life are distorted, as in a distorting mirror. The antagonism of rich and poor, dependent, "younger" and "older" is developed and demonstrated in the sphere of struggle not for equality or freedom of personal feelings, but in selfish interests, the desire to get rich and "to live of one's own free will." High values ​​are replaced by their parodic counterparts. Education is nothing more than a desire to follow fashion, contempt for customs and preference for "noble" gentlemen over "bearded" suitors.

In Ostrovsky's comedy there is a war of all against all, and in the very antagonism the playwright reveals the deep unity of the characters: what is obtained by deceit is retained only by violence, the rudeness of feelings is a natural product of the rudeness of morals and coercion. The sharpness of social criticism does not interfere with objectivity in the depiction of characters, which is especially noticeable in the image of Bolshov. His crude tyranny is combined with directness and innocence, with sincere suffering in the final scenes. Introducing into the play, as it were, 3 stages of a merchant's biography (the mention of Bolshov's past, the image of Tishka with his naive hoarding, the "devoted" Podkhalyuzin robbing the owner), Ostrovsky achieves epic depth, showing the origins of the character and the "crisis". The history of the Zamoskvoretsky merchant's house appears not as a "joke", the result of personal vices, but as a manifestation of life patterns.

After Ostrovsky created in the comedy “Own people - let's settle!” such a bleak picture of the inner life of the merchant's house, he had a need to find positive principles that could resist the immoralism and cruelty of contemporary society. The direction of the search was determined by the participation of the playwright in the "young edition" of "Moskvityanin". At the very end of the reign of imp. Nicholas I Ostrovsky creates a kind of patriarchal utopia in the plays of the Muscovite period.

Muscovites were characterized by a focus on the idea of ​​national identity, which they developed mainly in the field of art theory, especially manifested in their interest in folk songs, as well as in pre-Petrine forms of Russian life, which were still preserved among the peasantry and patriarchal merchants. The patriarchal family was presented to Muscovites as a model of an ideal social structure, where relations between people would be harmonious, and the hierarchy would be based not on coercion and violence, but on recognition of the authority of seniority and worldly experience. Muscovites did not have a consistently formulated theory or, moreover, a program. However, in literary criticism, they invariably defended patriarchal forms and opposed them to the norms of the "Europeanized" noble society, not only as primordially national, but also as more democratic.

Ostrovsky, even during this period, sees the social conflict of the life he depicts, shows that the idyll of a patriarchal family is fraught with drama. True, in the first Muscovite play, Don't Get into Your Sleigh, the drama of intra-family relations is emphatically devoid of social overtones. Social motives here are connected only with the image of the noble life-burner Vikhorev. But the next, best play of this period, "Poverty is not a vice," brings social conflict in the Tortsov family to a high level of tension. The power of the "senior" over the "junior" here has a distinctly monetary character. In this play, for the first time, Ostrovsky's comedic and dramatic beginnings are very closely intertwined, which in the future will be a hallmark of his work. The connection with Muscovite ideas here is manifested not in smoothing out the contradictions of life, but in understanding this contradiction as a “temptation” of modern civilization, as a result of the invasion of outsiders, internally alien to the patriarchal world, personified in the figure of the manufacturer Korshunov. For Ostrovsky, the petty tyrant Gordey, confused by Korshunov, is by no means a true bearer of patriarchal morality, but a person who has betrayed her, but is able to return to her under the influence of the shock experienced in the finale. The poetic image of the world of folk culture and morality, created by Ostrovsky (scenes of Christmas time and especially folk songs, serving as a kind of lyrical commentary on the fate of young heroes), with its charm, purity, opposes tyranny, but it needs, however, support, it is fragile and defenseless before the onslaught of "modern". It is no coincidence that in the plays of the Muscovite period, the only hero who actively influences the course of events was Lyubim Tortsov, a man who “broke out” of patriarchal life, gained bitter life experience outside of it and therefore managed to look at the events in his family from the outside, soberly assess them. and direct them to the general welfare. Ostrovsky's greatest achievement lies precisely in the creation of the image of Lyubim Tortsov, which is both poetic and very vital.

Exploring the archaic forms of life in the family relations of the merchants in the Muscovite period, Ostrovsky creates an artistic utopia, a world where, relying on folk (peasant in their origins) ideas about morality, it turns out to be possible to overcome discord and fierce individualism, which is increasingly spreading in modern society, to achieve lost, destroyed by history, the unity of people. But the change in the whole atmosphere of Russian life on the eve of the abolition of serfdom leads Ostrovsky to an understanding of the utopian nature and unrealizability of this ideal. A new stage of his journey begins with the play “Hangover at a Strange Feast” (1855-56), where the brightest image of the merchant-tyrant Tit Titych Bruskov is created, which has become a household name. Ostrovsky covers the life of society more widely, referring to the themes traditional for Russian literature and developing them in a completely original way. Touching upon the widely discussed topic of bureaucracy in "Profitable Place" (1856), Ostrovsky not only denounces extortion and arbitrariness, but reveals the historical and social roots of "podyacheskoy philosophy" (the image of Yusov), the illusory hopes for a new generation of educated officials: life itself pushes them to compromise (Zhadov). In The Pupil (1858), Ostrovsky depicts the “selfish” life of a landowner's estate without the slightest lyricism, so common among noble writers when referring to local life.

But the highest artistic achievement of Ostrovsky in the pre-reform years was The Thunderstorm (1859), in which he discovered the heroic character of the people. The play shows how a violation of the idyllic harmony of patriarchal family life can lead to tragedy. The main character of the play, Katerina, lives in an era when the very spirit is destroyed - the harmony between the individual and the moral ideas of the environment. In the soul of the heroine, an attitude to the world is born, a new feeling, still unclear to her herself, a awakening sense of personality, which, in accordance with her position and life experience, takes the form of individual, personal love. Passion is born and grows in Katerina, but this passion is highly inspired, far from a thoughtless desire for hidden joys. The awakened feeling of love is perceived by Katerina as a terrible, indelible sin, because love for a stranger for her, a married woman, is a violation of her moral duty. The moral precepts of the patriarchal world for Katerina are full of primordial meaning and significance. Having already realized her love for Boris, she tries with all her might to resist it, but does not find support in this struggle: everything around her is already collapsing, and everything she tries to rely on turns out to be an empty shell, devoid of true moral content. For Katerina, the form and ritual in themselves do not matter - the human essence of the relationship is important to her. Katerina does not doubt the moral value of her moral ideas, she only sees that no one in the world cares about the true essence of these values, and in her struggle she is alone. The world of patriarchal relations is dying, and the soul of this world is dying in pain and suffering. Under the pen of Ostrovsky, the planned social drama from the life of the merchants turned into a tragedy. He showed the folk character at a sharp historical turning point - hence the scale of the "family history", the powerful symbolism of "Thunderstorm".

Although modern social dramaturgy is the main part of Ostrovsky's heritage, in the 60s he turned to historical drama, sharing the general interest of Russian culture of this period in the past. In connection with the educational understanding of the tasks of the theater, Ostrovsky considered plays on the themes of national history necessary in the repertoire, believing that historical dramas and chronicles "develop self-knowledge and educate a conscious love for the fatherland." For Ostrovsky, history is a sphere of high in national existence (this determined the appeal to the poetic form). Ostrovsky's historical plays are heterogeneous in genre. Among them are chronicles (“Kozma Zakharyich Minin-Sukhoruk”, 1862; “Dmitry the Pretender and Vasily Shuisky”, 1867; “Tushino”, 1867), historical comedies (“Voevoda”, 1865; “Comedian of the 17th century”, 1873 ), the psychological drama "Vasilisa Melentyeva" (co-authored with S. A. Gedeonov, 1868). The preference for the chronicle over the traditional genre of historical tragedy, as well as the appeal to the Time of Troubles, was determined by the folk character of Ostrovsky's theater, his interest in the historical deed of the Russian people.

In the post-reform period in Russia, the isolation of class and cultural groups of society is collapsing; The "Europeanized" way of life, which was previously the privilege of the nobility, is becoming the norm. Social diversity also characterizes the picture of life created by Ostrovsky in the post-reform period. The thematic and temporal range of his drama is extremely wide: from historical events and private life of the 17th century. to the hottest topic of the day; from the inhabitants of the backwoods, the poor middle-class outskirts to the modern "civilized" entrepreneurs, bigwigs; from the living rooms of the nobility, disturbed by the reforms, to the forest road, where the actors of Schastlivtsev and Neschastlivtsev meet (“The Forest”).

The early Ostrovsky does not have the hero-intellectual, the noble “superfluous person”, characteristic of most Russian classic writers. In the late 1960s, he turned to the type of noble hero-intellectual. The comedy Enough Simplicity for Every Wise Man (1868) is the beginning of a kind of anti-noble cycle. Although there is social criticism in all Ostrovsky's plays, he actually has few satirical comedies: “Each sage is quite simple”, “Mad Money” (1870), “Forest” (1871), “Wolves and Sheep” (1875). Here, not individual characters or storylines are involved in the sphere of satirical representation, but the whole life represented, not so much people, personalities, but the way of life as a whole, the course of things. The plays are not connected by plot, but this is precisely the cycle that, on the whole, gives a broad canvas of the life of the post-reform nobility. According to the principles of poetics, these plays differ significantly from the main genre of pre-reform creativity - the type of folk comedy created by Ostrovsky.

Ostrovsky in the comedy “Enough Stupidity for Every Wise Man” with satirical sharpness and objectivity characteristic of his manner captured a special type of evolution of the “superfluous person”. The path of Glumov is the path of betrayal in relation to one's own personality, moral split, leading to cynicism and immorality. The lofty hero in Ostrovsky's post-reform dramaturgy is not a noble nobleman, but a beggarly actor, Neschastlivtsev. And this declassed nobleman “passes the path to heroes” before the eyes of the audience, first playing the role of a gentleman who returned to rest in his native land, and in the finale abruptly and decisively breaks with the world of the estate, pronouncing judgment on its inhabitants from the standpoint of a servant of high, humane art.

The broad picture of the complex social processes taking place in Russia after a decade of reforms makes Les akin to the great Russian novels of the 1970s. Like L. N. Tolstoy, F. M. Dostoevsky, M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin (it was during this period that he created his “estate family novel” “Lord Golovlevs”), Ostrovsky sensitively caught that in Russia “everything turned upside down and just fits in” (as it is said in “Anna Karenina”). And this new reality is reflected in the mirror of the family. Through the family conflict in Ostrovsky's comedy, huge shifts taking place in Russian life shine through.

The noble estate, its mistress, respectable guests-neighbors are described by Ostrovsky with all the power of satirical denunciation. Badaev and Milonov, with their talk about "the present times," are similar to Shchedrin's characters. Not being participants in the intrigue, however, they are needed not only to characterize the environment, but participate in the action as necessary spectators of the performance played out by the main antagonists of the play - Gurmyzhskaya and Neschastlivtsev. Each of them puts on his own performance. Neschastlivtsev's path in the play is a breakthrough from a far-fetched melodrama to a true height of life, the defeat of the hero in "comedy" and a moral victory in real life. At the same time, and leaving the melodramatic role, Neschastlivtsev turns out to be an actor. His last monologue imperceptibly passes into the monologue of Karl Mohr from F. Schiller's "Robbers", as if Schiller is judging the inhabitants of this "forest". The melodrama is discarded, great, real art comes to the aid of the actor. Gurmyzhskaya, on the other hand, abandoned the expensive role of the head of a patriarchal noble family, patronizing her less fortunate relatives. From the estate of Penka, the ward Aksyusha, who received a dowry from a poor actor, leaves for the merchant's house. On country roads on foot, with a knapsack behind him, the last Gurmyzhsky, the wandering actor Neschastlivtsev, leaves. The family disappears, breaks up; a “random family” (Dostoevsky’s expression) arises - a married couple consisting of a landowner well over fifty and a half-educated high school student.

In his work on satirical comedies from modern life, a new stylistic manner of Ostrovsky developed, which, however, did not displace the former one, but interacted with it in a complex way. His arrival in literature was marked by the creation of a nationally distinctive theatrical style, based in poetics on the folklore tradition (which was determined by the nature of the “pre-personal” environment portrayed by the early Ostrovsky). The new style is connected with the general literary tradition of the 19th century, with the discoveries of narrative prose, with the study of a personal contemporary hero. The new task prepared the way for the development of psychologism in Ostrovsky's art.

In the legacy of Ostrovsky and in Russian drama as a whole, a very special place is occupied by the play The Snow Maiden (1873). Conceived as an extravaganza, a cheerful performance for festive performances, written on the basis of folk tales and widely using other forms of folklore, primarily calendar poetry, the play outgrew the idea in the process of creation. In terms of genre, it is comparable to the European philosophical and symbolic drama, for example. with Ibsen's Peer Gynt. In The Snow Maiden, the lyrical beginning of Ostrovsky's dramaturgy was expressed with great force. Sometimes "The Snow Maiden" without sufficient reason is called a utopia. Meanwhile, utopia contains an idea of ​​an ideally just, from the point of view of its creators, structure of society, it must be absolutely optimistic, the genre itself, as it were, is called upon to overcome the tragic contradictions of life, resolving them in fantastic harmony. However, the life depicted in The Snow Maiden, beautiful and poetic, is far from idyllic. Berendeys are extremely close to nature, they do not know evil and deceit, just as nature does not know it. But everything that, by its own will or by the force of circumstances, falls out of this cycle of natural life must inevitably perish here. And this tragic doom of everything that goes beyond the limits of "organic" life is embodied by the fate of the Snow Maiden; it is no coincidence that she dies precisely when she accepted the law of life of the Berendeys and is ready to translate her awakened love into everyday forms. This is inaccessible to either her or Mizgir, whose passion, unfamiliar to the Berendeys, pushes him out of the circle of peaceful life. The unequivocally optimistic interpretation of the finale creates a contradiction with the direct sympathy of the audience for the dead heroes, so it is incorrect. "The Snow Maiden" does not fit into the genre of a fairy tale, it approaches a mystery act. A mythological plot cannot have an unpredictable ending. The arrival of summer is inevitable, and the Snow Maiden cannot but melt. All this does not devalue, however, her choices and sacrifices. The actors are not at all passive and submissive - the action does not cancel the usual action. The mystical action is each time a new incarnation of the essential foundations of life. Ostrovsky's free will of the Snow Maiden and Mizgir is included within this life cycle. The tragedy of the Snow Maiden and Mizgir not only does not shake the world, but even contributes to the normal course of life, and even saves the Berendey kingdom from the “cold”. Ostrovsky's world may be tragic, but not catastrophic. Hence the unusual, unexpected combination of tragedy and optimism in the finale.

In "The Snow Maiden" the most generalized image of "Ostrovsky's world" is created, reproducing in a folklore-symbolic form the deeply lyrical author's idea of ​​the essence of national life, overcoming, but not canceling the tragedy of individual-personal being.

In the artistic system of Ostrovsky, drama was formed in the depths of comedy. The writer develops a type of comedy in which, along with negative characters, their victims are certainly present, causing our sympathy and compassion. This predetermined the dramatic potential of his comedic world. The drama of individual situations, sometimes destinies, grows more and more over time and, as it were, shakes, destroys the comedic structure, without, however, depriving the play of the features of "large comedy". "Jokers" (1864), "Abyss" (1866), "There was not a penny, but suddenly Altyn" (1872) are clear evidence of this process. Here, the qualities necessary for the emergence of drama in the narrow sense of the term are gradually accumulated. First of all, it is personal consciousness. As long as the hero does not feel spiritually opposed to the environment and generally does not separate himself from it, he, even arousing complete sympathy, cannot yet become the hero of a drama. In The Jokers, the old lawyer Obroshenov ardently defends his right to be a "jester", since this gives him the opportunity to feed his family. The "strong drama" of his monologue arises as a result of the spiritual work of the viewer, but remains outside the sphere of consciousness of the hero himself. From the point of view of the formation of the genre of drama, "Abyss" is very important.

The formation of the personal moral dignity of poor workers, the urban masses, the awareness in this environment of the extra-class value of an individual person attracts Ostrovsky's keen interest. The upsurge in the feeling of personality caused by the reform, which captured quite a wide section of the Russian population, provides material for creating a drama. In the artistic world of Ostrovsky, this conflict, which is dramatic in nature, often, however, continues to be embodied in a comedic structure. One of the most expressive examples of the struggle between the dramatic and the comedy proper is "Truth is good, but happiness is better" (1876).

The formation of the drama was associated with the search for a hero who, firstly, was able to enter into a dramatic struggle and, secondly, arouse the sympathy of the viewer, having a worthy goal. The interest of such a drama should be focused on the action itself, on the vicissitudes of this struggle. In the conditions of Russian post-reform reality, Ostrovsky, however, did not find a hero who could simultaneously turn out to be a man of action, capable of entering into a serious struggle in life, and arouse the sympathy of the audience with his moral qualities. All the heroes in Ostrovsky's dramas are either callous successful businessmen, vulgar, cynical life-savers, or beautiful-hearted idealists, whose impotence in front of the "business man" is predetermined. They could not become the center of dramatic action - it becomes a woman, which is explained by her very position in modern Ostrovsky society.

Ostrovsky's drama is family-domestic. He knows how to show the structure of modern life, its social face, remaining within these plot frames, since he, as an artist, is interested in reframing all the problems of modernity in the moral sphere. The advancement of a woman to the center naturally shifts the emphasis from action in the proper sense to the feelings of the characters, which creates the conditions for the development of precisely the psychological drama. The most perfect of them is rightfully considered "Dowry" (1879).

In this play, there is no absolute confrontation between the heroine and the environment: unlike the heroine of The Thunderstorm, Larisa is devoid of integrity. The spontaneous desire for moral purity, truthfulness - everything that comes from her richly gifted nature, raises the heroine high above those around her. But Larisa's worldly drama itself is the result of the fact that bourgeois ideas about life have power over her. After all, Paratova did not fall in love unaccountably, but, in her own words, because "Sergei Sergeyich is ... the ideal of a man." Meanwhile, the motif of trade, which runs through the entire play and is concentrated in the main plot action - bargaining over Larisa - embraces all the male heroes, among whom Larisa must make her life choice. And Paratov is not only no exception here, but, as it turns out, the most cruel and dishonest participant in the bargain. The complexity of the characters (the inconsistency of their inner world, like Larisa's; the discrepancy between the inner essence and the external pattern of the hero's behavior, like Paratov's) requires a genre solution chosen by Ostrovsky - a form of psychological drama. Paratov's reputation is a great gentleman, a broad nature, a reckless brave man. And Ostrovsky leaves all these colors and gestures to him. But, on the other hand, he subtly and, as it were, by the way, accumulates touches and remarks that reveal his true face. In the very first scene of Paratov’s appearance, the viewer hears his confession: “What “pity” is, I don’t know that. I, Moky Parmenych, have nothing cherished; I will find a profit, so I will sell everything, anything. And immediately after this, it turns out that Paratov is selling not only the “Swallow” to Vozhevatov, but also himself to the bride with gold mines. In the end, the scene in Karandyshev's house also compromises Paratov, because the decoration of the apartment of the ill-fated fiance Larisa and the attempt to arrange a luxurious dinner is a caricature of Paratov's style, lifestyle. And the whole difference is measured in the amounts that each of the heroes can spend on it.

The means of psychological characteristics in Ostrovsky are not self-recognition of the characters, not reasoning about their feelings and properties, but mainly their actions and everyday, and not analytical dialogue. As is typical for classical drama, the characters do not change in the course of dramatic action, but only gradually reveal themselves to the audience. Even about Larisa, the same can be said: she begins to see clearly, learns the truth about the people around her, makes a terrible decision to become a "very expensive thing." And only death frees her from everything that worldly experience has endowed her with. At this moment, she seems to return to the natural beauty of her nature. The powerful finale of the drama - the death of the heroine amid the festive noise, to the singing of gypsies - amazes with its artistic audacity. Larisa's state of mind is shown by Ostrovsky in the style of "strong drama" characteristic of his theater, and at the same time with impeccable psychological accuracy. She is softened and calmed, she forgives everyone, because she is happy that she has finally caused an outburst of human feelings - Karandyshev's reckless, suicidal act, which freed her from the terrible life of a kept woman. Ostrovsky builds a rare artistic effect of this scene on a sharp clash of differently directed emotions: the more soft and forgiving the heroine is, the stricter the judgment of the viewer.

In the work of Ostrovsky, the psychological drama was a genre that was becoming, therefore, along with such significant plays as The Last Victim (1878), Talents and Admirers (1882), Guilty Without Guilt (1884), such a masterpiece as The Dowry , in this genre the writer also knew relative failures. However, Ostrovsky's best work laid the foundation for the further development of psychological drama. Having created a whole repertoire for the Russian theater (about 50 original plays), Ostrovsky also sought to replenish it with both world classics and plays by contemporary Russian and European playwrights. He translated 22 plays, among them "The Taming of the Shrew" by Shakespeare, "Coffee Room" by Goldoni, interludes by Cervantes and many others. Dr. Ostrovsky read many manuscripts of novice playwrights, helped them with advice, and in the 70s and 80s he wrote several plays in collaboration with N. Ya. ", 1880; "Shines, but does not warm", 1881) and P. M. Nevezhin ("Wonder", 1881; "Old in a new way", 1882).

Zhuravleva A.

Used materials from the site Great Encyclopedia of the Russian people - http://www.rusinst.ru

Ostrovsky, Alexander Nikolaevich - famous dramatic writer. Born March 31, 1823 in Moscow, where his father served in the civil chamber, and then engaged in private advocacy. Ostrovsky lost his mother in childhood and did not receive any systematic education. All his childhood and part of his youth were spent in the very center of Zamoskvorechye, which at that time, according to the conditions of his life, was a completely special world. This world populated his imagination with those ideas and types that he later reproduced in his comedies. Thanks to his father's large library, Ostrovsky got acquainted early with Russian literature and felt an inclination towards writing; but his father certainly wanted to make a lawyer out of him. After graduating from the gymnasium course, Ostrovsky entered the law faculty of Moscow University. He failed to complete the course due to some kind of collision with one of the professors. At the request of his father, he entered the service of a scribe, first in a conscientious, then in a commercial court. This determined the nature of his first literary experiments; in court, he continued to observe the peculiar Zamoskvoretsky types familiar to him from childhood, asking for literary processing. By 1846, he had already written many scenes from merchant life, and a comedy was conceived: "Insolvent debtor" (later - "Own people - let's settle"). A small excerpt from this comedy was published in No. 7 of the Moscow City Listk, 1847; under the passage are the letters: "A. O." and "D. G.", that is, A. Ostrovsky and Dmitry Gorev. The latter was a provincial actor (real name - Tarasenkov), the author of two or three plays already played on the stage, who accidentally met Ostrovsky and offered him his cooperation. It did not go beyond one scene, and subsequently served as a source of great trouble for Ostrovsky, as it gave his ill-wishers a reason to accuse him of appropriating someone else's literary work. In issues 60 and 61 of the same newspaper, without a signature, another, already completely independent work by Ostrovsky appeared - "Pictures of Moscow Life. A Picture of Family Happiness." These scenes were reprinted, in a corrected form and with the name of the author, under the title: "Family Picture", in Sovremennik, 1856, No. 4. Ostrovsky himself considered the "Family Picture" his first printed work, and it was from it that he began his literary activity. He recognized February 14, 1847 as the most memorable and dearest day of his life. : on this day he visited S.P. Shevyrev and, in the presence of A.S. Khomyakov, professors, writers, employees of the Moscow City List, read this play, which appeared in print a month later. Shevyrev and Khomyakov, embracing the young writer, welcomed his dramatic talent. "From that day on," says Ostrovsky, "I began to consider myself a Russian writer, and without doubt or hesitation, I believed in my vocation." He also tried his hand in the narrative kind, in feuilleton stories from life outside Moscow. In the same "Moscow City List" (No. 119 - 121) one of these stories is printed: "Ivan Erofeich", with the general title: "Notes of a Zamoskvoretsky Resident"; two other stories in the same series: "The Tale of How the Quarter Warden Started to Dance, or From the Great to the Ridiculous One Step", and "Two Biographies" remained unpublished, and the last one was not even finished. By the end of 1849, a comedy was already written under the title: "Bankrupt". Ostrovsky read it to his university friend A.F. Pisemsky; at the same time he met the famous artist P.M. Sadovsky, who saw a literary revelation in his comedy and began to read it in various Moscow circles, among other things - with Countess E.P. Rostopchina, where young writers who were just starting their literary career usually gathered (B.N. Almazov, N.V. Berg, L.A. Mei, T.I. Filippov, N.I. Shapovalov, E.N. . Edelson). All of them had been on close, friendly terms with Ostrovsky since his student days, and all of them accepted Pogodin's offer to work in the updated Moskvityanin, making up the so-called "young editors" of this magazine. Soon a prominent position in this circle was occupied by Apollon Grigoriev, who acted as a herald of originality in literature and became an ardent defender and praiser of Ostrovsky as a representative of this originality. Ostrovsky's comedy, under the changed title: "Our people - we will settle", after long troubles with censorship, reaching the highest authorities, was published in the 2nd March book of "Moskvityanin" 1850, but was not allowed to be presented; censorship did not even allow to talk about this play in the press. She appeared on the stage only in 1861, with the ending altered against the printed one. Following this first comedy by Ostrovsky, his other plays began to appear annually in The Moskvityanin and other magazines: in 1850 - "Morning of a Young Man", in 1851 - "An Unexpected Case", in 1852 - "The Poor Bride", in 1853 - "Do not get into your sleigh" (the first of Ostrovsky's plays that hit the stage of the Moscow Maly Theater on January 14, 1853), in 1854 - "Poverty is not a vice", in 1855 - "Do not live as you want", in 1856 - "A hangover in someone else's feast". In all these plays, Ostrovsky portrayed such aspects of Russian life that before him had hardly been touched upon by literature at all and were not at all reproduced on the stage. A deep knowledge of the life of the depicted environment, the vivid vitality and truth of the image, a peculiar, lively and colorful language, clearly reflecting the real Russian speech of the "Moscow prosvirens", which Pushkin advised Russian writers to learn - all this artistic realism with all simplicity and sincerity, up to which even Gogol did not raise, was met in our criticism by some with stormy enthusiasm, by others with bewilderment, denial and ridicule. While A. Grigoriev, proclaiming himself the "prophet of Ostrovsky", tirelessly repeated that in the works of the young playwright, the "new word" of our literature found expression, namely, "nationality", critics of the progressive direction reproached Ostrovsky for gravitating towards pre-Petrine antiquity, to "Slavophilism" of the Pogostinian persuasion, they even saw in his comedies the idealization of tyranny, they called him "Gostinodvorsky Kotzebue". Chernyshevsky reacted sharply negatively to the play "Poverty is not a vice", seeing in it some kind of sentimental sweetness in the depiction of hopeless, allegedly "patriarchal" life; other critics were indignant at Ostrovsky for elevating some kind of chuyki and boots with bottles to the level of "heroes". Free from aesthetic and political bias, the theatrical public irrevocably decided the case in favor of Ostrovsky. The most talented Moscow actors and actresses - Sadovsky, S. Vasiliev, Stepanov, Nikulina-Kositskaya, Borozdina and others - until then forced to perform, with a few exceptions, either in vulgar vaudeville, or in stilted melodramas converted from French, written, moreover however, in barbaric language, they immediately felt in Ostrovsky's plays the breath of a living, close and dear to them Russian life and gave all their strength to its truthful depiction on stage. And the theatrical audience saw in the performance of these artists a truly "new word" in stage art - simplicity and naturalness, they saw people living on the stage without any pretense. With his works, Ostrovsky created a school of real Russian dramatic art, simple and real, as alien to pretentiousness and affectation as all the great works of our literature are alien to it. This merit of his was first of all understood and appreciated in the theatrical environment, the most free from preconceived theories. When in 1856, according to the idea of ​​Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich, a business trip of outstanding writers took place to study and describe various areas of Russia in industrial and domestic terms, Ostrovsky took upon himself the study of the Volga from the upper reaches to the Lower. A short account of this trip appeared in the "Naval Collection" in 1859, the full one remained in the author's papers and was subsequently (1890) processed by S.V. Maksimov, but still remains unpublished. Several months spent in close proximity to the local population gave Ostrovsky a lot of vivid impressions, expanded and deepened the knowledge of Russian life in its artistic expression - in a well-aimed word, song, fairy tale, historical legend, in the customs and customs of antiquity that were still preserved in the backwoods. All this was reflected in the later works of Ostrovsky and further strengthened their national significance. Not limited to the life of the Zamoskvoretsky merchants, Ostrovsky introduces the world of large and small officials, and then the landlords, into the circle of actors. In 1857, “Profitable Place” and “Festive Sleep Before Dinner” were written (the first part of the “trilogy” about Balzaminov; two further parts - “Your own dogs bite, don’t pester someone else” and “What you go for, you will find” - appeared in 1861), in 1858 - "The characters did not agree" (originally written in the form of a story), in 1859 - "The Pupil". In the same year, two volumes of Ostrovsky's works appeared, in the edition of Count G.A. Kusheleva-Bezborodko. This edition was the reason for the brilliant assessment that Dobrolyubov gave to Ostrovsky and which secured his fame as a depicter of the "dark kingdom". Reading now, after the expiration of half a century, Dobrolyubov's articles, we cannot fail to see their journalistic character. Ostrovsky himself was by nature not a satirist at all, hardly even a humorist; with truly epic objectivity, caring only about the truth and vitality of the image, he "calmly matured at the right and the guilty, knowing neither pity nor anger" and not at all hiding his love for the simple "Russian girl", in whom, even among the ugly manifestations of everyday life, there is always was able to find certain attractive features. Ostrovsky himself was such a "Russian", and everything Russian found a sympathetic echo in his heart. In his own words, he cared first of all about showing a Russian person on stage: “let him see himself and rejoice. Correctors will be found even without us. Dobrolyubov, however, did not think of imposing certain tendencies on Ostrovsky, but simply used his plays as a truthful depiction of Russian life, for his own, completely independent conclusions. In 1860 the "Thunderstorm" appeared in the press, causing a second remarkable article by Dobrolyubov ("A Ray of Light in a Dark Kingdom"). This play reflected the impressions of a trip to the Volga and, in particular, a visit by the author to Torzhok. An even more striking reflection of the Volga impressions was the dramatic chronicle printed in No. 1 of Sovremennik in 1862: Kozma Zakharyich Minin-Sukhoruk. In this play, Ostrovsky for the first time took up the processing of a historical theme prompted to him both by Nizhny Novgorod legends and by a careful study of our history of the 17th century. The sensitive artist managed to notice the living features of folk life in the dead monuments and perfectly master the language of the era under study, in which he later, for fun, wrote entire letters. "Minin", which received the approval of the sovereign, was, however, banned by dramatic censorship and could appear on stage only 4 years later. On the stage, the play was not successful due to its length and not always successful lyricism, but criticism could not fail to notice the high dignity of individual scenes and figures. In 1863, Ostrovsky published a drama from folk life: "Sin and trouble does not live on anyone" and then returned to the pictures of Zamoskvorechye in comedies: "Hard Days" (1863) and "Jokers" (1864). At the same time, he was busy processing a large play in verse, from the life of the 17th century, begun during a trip to the Volga. She appeared in No. 1 of Sovremennik in 1865 under the title: Voyevoda, or Dream on the Volga. This excellent poetic fantasy, something like a dramatized epic, contains a number of vivid everyday pictures of the past, through the haze of which one feels in many places closeness to everyday life, and to this day has not yet completely receded into the past. The comedy In a Busy Place, published in No. 9 of Sovremennik in 1865, was also inspired by Volga impressions. From the mid-1960s, Ostrovsky diligently took up the history of the Time of Troubles and entered into a lively correspondence with Kostomarov, who at that time was studying the same era. The result of this work were two dramatic chronicles published in 1867: "Dmitry the Pretender and Vasily Shuisky" and "Tushino". In No. 1 of Vestnik Evropy in 1868, another historical drama appeared, from the time of Ivan the Terrible, Vasilisa Melentiev, written in collaboration with the theater director Gedeonov. Since that time, a series of Ostrovsky's plays began, written, in his words, in a "new manner". Their subject is the image of no longer merchant and petty-bourgeois, but noble life: "Each wise man has enough simplicity", 1868; "Mad Money", 1870; "Forest", 1871. Interspersed with them are everyday comedies of the "old style": "Hot Heart" (1869), "Not All the Cat's Carnival" (1871), "There was not a penny, but suddenly Altyn" (1872). In 1873, two plays were written that occupy a special position among Ostrovsky's works: "Comedian of the 17th century" (on the 200th anniversary of the Russian theater) and a dramatic fairy tale in verse "The Snow Maiden", one of the most remarkable creations of Russian poetry. In his further works of the 70s and 80s, Ostrovsky turns to the life of various strata of society - both noble, bureaucratic, and merchant, and in the latter he notes the changes in views and conditions caused by the requirements of the new Russian life. This period of Ostrovsky's activity includes: "Late Love" and "Labor Bread" (1874), "Wolves and Sheep" (1875), "Rich Brides" (1876), "Truth is good, but happiness is better" (1877), "The Last Victim" (1878), "Dowry" and "Kind Master" (1879), "The Heart is Not a Stone" (1880), "Slaves" (1881), "Talents and Admirers" (1882), "Handsome Man" (1883), "Guilty Without Guilt" (1884) and, finally, the last, weak in design and execution, play: "Not of this world" (1885). In addition, several plays were written by Ostrovsky in collaboration with other people: with N.Ya. Solovyov - "The Marriage of Belugin" (1878), "Wild Woman" (1880) and "Shines but does not warm" (1881); with P.M. Nevezhin - "Whim" (1881). Ostrovsky also owns a number of translations of foreign plays: Shakespeare's Pacification of the Wayward (1865), Italo Franchi's The Great Banker (1871), Teobaldo Ciconi's Lost Sheep (1872), Goldoni's Coffee House (1872), The Criminal's Family Giacometti (1872), a remake of The Slavery of Husbands from the French and, finally, a translation of 10 interludes by Cervantes, published separately in 1886. He wrote only 49 original plays. All these plays provide a gallery of the most diverse Russian types, remarkable in their vitality and truthfulness, with all the features of their habits, language and character. In regard to the dramatic technique proper and composition, Ostrovsky's plays are often weak: the artist, deeply truthful by nature, was himself aware of his impotence in inventing the plot, in arranging the plot and denouement; he even said that "the playwright should not invent what happened; his job is to write how it happened or could happen; that's all his work; when paying attention in this direction, living people will appear and speak themselves." Discussing his plays from this point of view, Ostrovsky confessed that the most difficult thing for him was "invention", because any lie was disgusting to him; but it is impossible for a dramatic writer to do without this conditional lie. That "new word" of Ostrovsky, for which Apollon Grigoriev so ardently advocated, in its essence lies not so much in "nationality" as in truthfulness, in the artist's direct attitude to the life around him with the aim of quite realistically reproducing it on stage. In this direction, Ostrovsky took a further step forward in comparison with Griboyedov and Gogol and for a long time established on our stage that "natural school" that, at the beginning of his activity, already dominated other departments of our literature. The talented playwright, supported by no less talented artists, aroused competition among his peers, who followed the same path: Pisemsky, A. Potekhin and other writers, less noticeable, but at one time enjoying well-deserved success, were the playwrights of the same direction. Dedicated to the theater and its interests with all his heart, Ostrovsky devoted a lot of time and labor to practical concerns about the development and improvement of dramatic art and about improving the financial situation of dramatic authors. He dreamed of the opportunity to transform the artistic taste of artists and the public and create a theater school, equally useful both for the aesthetic education of society and for the preparation of worthy stage figures. Amidst all sorts of grief and disappointment, he remained true to this cherished dream until the end of his life, the realization of which was partly realized by the Artistic Circle he created in 1866 in Moscow, which later gave the Moscow stage many talented figures. At the same time, Ostrovsky took care of alleviating the financial situation of Russian playwrights: through his work the Society of Russian Dramatic Writers and Opera Composers was formed (1874), of which he remained the permanent chairman until his death. In general, by the beginning of the 80s, Ostrovsky firmly took the place of the leader and teacher of Russian drama and stage. Working hard in the commission established in 1881 under the directorate of the Imperial Theaters "to review the legal provisions in all parts of the theater management", he achieved many changes that significantly improved the position of the artists and made it possible to more appropriately stage theatrical education. In 1885, Ostrovsky was appointed head of the repertoire of Moscow theaters and head of the theater school. His health, already shaky by this time, did not correspond to the broad plans of activity that he set for himself. Reinforced work quickly exhausted the body; On June 2, 1886, Ostrovsky died in his Kostroma estate, Shchelykovo, without having had time to realize his transformational assumptions.

Ostrovsky's writings have been published many times; the last and more complete edition - the Association "Enlightenment" (St. Petersburg, 1896 - 97, in 10 volumes, edited by M.I. Pisarev and with a biographical sketch by I. Nosov). Separately published "Dramatic translations" (M., 1872), "Intermedia Cervantes" (St. Petersburg, 1886) and "Dramatic works of A. Ostrovsky and N. Solovyov" (St. Petersburg, 1881). For the biography of Ostrovsky, the most important work is the book of the French scientist J. Patouillet "O. et son theater de moeurs russes" (Paris, 1912), where all the literature about Ostrovsky is indicated. See the memoirs of S.V. Maksimov in "Russian Thought" in 1897 and Kropacheva in "Russian Review" in 1897; I. Ivanov "A.N. Ostrovsky, his life and literary activity" (St. Petersburg, 1900). The best critical articles about Ostrovsky were written by Apollon Grigoriev (in "Moskvityanin" and "Time"), Edelson ("Library for Reading", 1864), Dobrolyubov ("Dark Kingdom" and "Ray of Light in the Dark Kingdom") and Boborykin ("Word ", 1878). - Wed. also books by A.I. Nezelenov "Ostrovsky in his works" (St. Petersburg, 1888), and Or. F. Miller "Russian writers after Gogol" (St. Petersburg, 1887).

P. Morozov.

Reprinted from address: http://www.rulex.ru/

OSTROVSKY Alexander Nikolayevich (03/31/1823-06/2/1886), an outstanding Russian writer and playwright. The son of a judge.

After graduating from the 1st Moscow Gymnasium (1840), Ostrovsky entered the Faculty of Law Moscow University, but a year before graduation, due to a conflict with teachers, he was forced to leave his studies and decide on a “clerical servant” - first to the Moscow Constituent Court (1843), and two years later - to the Moscow Commercial Court.

From his youth, Ostrovsky had a passionate passion for the theater, was closely acquainted with the artists Maly Theatre: P. S. Mochalov, M. S. Shchepkin, P. M. Sadovsky. In 1851 he left the service and devoted himself entirely to literary and theatrical activities. Work in the Moscow courts, the study of merchant claims, which Ostrovsky's father often dealt with, provided the future playwright with rich vital material related to the life and customs of the Russian merchants, and allowed him to subsequently create works in which the artistic brightness of the characters is closely intertwined with their realism.

On January 9, 1847, a scene from Ostrovsky's comedy "The Careless Debtor" was published in the newspaper "Moskovsky Listok", later called "Own People - Let's Settle". In the same year, the comedy “The Picture of Family Happiness” was written. These works, created in the spirit of the “natural school” N. V. Gogol, brought the author first fame. Ostrovsky’s next dramatic experiments, which consolidated his first successes, were the plays of 1851-54: “The Poor Bride”, “Don’t Get into Your Sleigh”, “Poverty is Not a Vice”, “Don’t Live as You Want”, the heroes of which are people from poor environment - act as carriers of truth and humanity.

In 1856-59 he published poignantly satirical plays: “In a strange feast hangover”, “Profitable place”, “Pupil” and the drama “Thunderstorm”, which caused a wide public outcry, for which in 1859 Ostrovsky was awarded the Uvarov Prize.

In the 1860s, Ostrovsky created social comedies and dramas - “Sin and trouble does not live on anyone”, “Jokers”, “In a busy place”, “Abyss”, as well as a number of plays on historical subjects: about the era Ivan the Terrible(“Vasilisa Melentievna”) and about Time of Troubles(“Kozma Zakharyich Minin-Sukhoruk”, “Dmitry the Pretender and Vasily Shuisky”, “Tushino”). In the 1870s-80s, widely known plays appeared: “Wolves and Sheep”, “Forest”, “Handsome Man”, “Enough Simplicity for Every Wise Man” - from the life of a provincial nobility;“Talents and Admirers”, “Guilty Without Guilt” - about the life of actors; "Snegurochka" - the embodiment of fairy-tale folklore motifs; “Dowry” is a kind of pinnacle of Ostrovsky's work, which stands out among other works for its deep socio-psychological disclosure of images.

In total, Ostrovsky wrote 47 literary and dramatic works, as well as 7 more plays written in collaboration with other authors. Ostrovsky's plays occupied a leading place in the repertoire of the Moscow Maly Theatre, with whom the writer was closely associated: he repeatedly acted as director of his own plays, was the creative mentor of many wonderful actors of this theater. Based on the works of Ostrovsky, a number of operas were created, among which the most famous is “The Snow Maiden” N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov,"Voevoda" P. I. Tchaikovsky,"Enemy Force" A. N. Serova.

About the theatre. Notes, speeches, letters. L.; M., 1947;

On Literature and Theater / Comp., entry. Art. and comment. M. P. Lobanova.

Literature:

Lotman L.M. A.N. Ostrovsky and Russian dramaturgy of his time. M-L. 1961.

It is the name of A. N. Ostrovsky that stands at the origins of the development of the Russian drama theater. His dramas to this day are very popular due to the extraordinary flavor of his talent as a writer and playwright, who always felt what the secular audience expected from him. Therefore, it is interesting to know what kind of person Alexander Ostrovsky was. His books contain a huge creative heritage. Among his most famous works: “Guilty Without Guilt”, “Dowry”, “Thunderstorm”, “Wolves and Sheep”, “Snow Maiden”, “Hangover at someone else's feast”, “What you go for, you will find”, “Your people - let's settle", "Mad money", etc.

Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky. short biography

Alexander Nikolaevich was born in the spring of March 31 (April 12), 1823. He grew up on Malaya Ordynka in Moscow. His father was the son of a priest, and his name was Nikolai Fedorovich. Having received a seminary education in Kostroma, he went to study at the Moscow Theological Academy. But he never became a priest, but began to practice as a lawyer in judicial institutions. Over time, he rose to the rank of titular adviser and received a title of nobility.

Ostrovsky's biography (short) says that Ostrovsky's mother, Lyubov Ivanovna, died when he was 7 years old. There are six children left in the family. In the future, their stepmother, Emilia Andreevna von Tesin, who was the daughter of a Swedish nobleman, took over the care of the family. The Ostrovsky family did not need anything, much attention was paid to the education and upbringing of children.

Childhood

Almost all of his childhood Ostrovsky spent in Zamoskvorechye. His father had a large library, the boy began to study Russian literature early and felt a craving for writing, but his father wanted his son to become a lawyer.

From 1835 to 1940 Alexander studied at the Moscow Gymnasium. Then he entered Moscow University and began to study as a lawyer. But a quarrel with a teacher did not allow him to finish his last year at the university. And then his father arranged for him to serve in the court. The first salary he received was 4 rubles, but then it grew to 15 rubles.

Creation

Further, Ostrovsky's biography (short) indicates that Alexander Ostrovsky's fame and popularity as a playwright was brought by the play “Our people - let's settle!”, Published in 1850. This play was approved by I. A. Goncharov and N. V. Gogol. But the Moscow merchants did not like it, and the merchants complained to the sovereign. Then, on the personal order of Nicholas I, its author was dismissed from service and taken under police supervision, which was removed only under Alexander II. And in 1861, the play again saw the stage.

During the disgraced period of Ostrovsky, the first staged play in St. Petersburg was called "Do not get into your sleigh." Biography of Ostrovsky (short) includes information that for 30 years his plays were staged at the St. Petersburg Alexandrinsky and Moscow Maly Theaters. In 1856, Ostrovsky began working for the Sovremennik magazine.

Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolaevich. Artworks

In 1859, Ostrovsky, with the support of G. A. Kushelev-Bezborodko, published the first collection of works in two volumes. At this point, the Russian critic Dobrolyubov will note that Ostrovsky is an accurate depiction of the "dark kingdom".

In 1860, after the "Thunderstorm", Dobrolyubov will call him "a ray of light in a dark kingdom."

Indeed, Alexander Ostrovsky knew how to captivate with his remarkable talent. The Thunderstorm became one of the most striking works of the playwright, with the writing of which his personal drama is also associated. The prototype of the main character of the play was the actress Lyubov Pavlovna Kositskaya, with whom he had a close relationship for a long time, although they were both not free people. She was the first to play this role. Ostrov's image of Katerina made it tragic in its own way, so he reflected in it all the suffering and torment of the soul of a Russian woman.

Cradle of Talents

In 1863, Ostrovsky was awarded the Uvarov Prize and became an elected corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. Later, in 1865, he organized the Artistic Circle, which became the cradle of many talents.

Ostrovsky received in his house such eminent guests as F. M. Dostoevsky, L. N. Tolstoy, P. I. Tchaikovsky, M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, I. S. Turgenev, etc.

In 1874, the writer-playwright founded the Society of Russian Dramatic Writers and Opera Composers, whose chairman remained Ostrovsky until his death. He also served on a commission related to the revision of the theater management regulations, which led to new changes, thanks to which the position of artists was significantly improved.

In 1881, a benefit performance of the opera The Snow Maiden by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov took place at the Mariinsky Theater. Ostrovsky's (short) biography testifies that at that moment Ostrovsky was unspeakably pleased with the musical accompaniment of the great composer.

Last years

In 1885, the playwright began to manage the repertoire of Moscow theaters and headed the theater school. Ostrovsky almost always had financial problems, although he collected good fees from plays, and there was a pension appointed by Emperor Alexander III. Ostrovsky had many plans, he literally burned at work, this affected his health and depleted his vitality.

On June 2, 1886, he died at his Shchelykovo estate near Kostroma. He was 63 years old. His body was buried next to the grave of his father at the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the Kostroma province in the village of Nikolo-Berezhki.

The widow, actress Maria Andreevna Bakhmetyeva, three sons and daughter were granted a pension by Tsar Alexander III.

His estate in Shchelykovo is now a memorial and natural museum of Ostrovsky.

Conclusion

Ostrovsky created his own theater school with its holistic concept of theatrical production. The main component of his theater was that it did not contain extreme situations, but depicted life situations that go into the life and psychology of a person of that time, which Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky knew very well. A short biography describes that Ostrovsky's theater had many ideas, but new stage aesthetics and new actors were needed to bring them to life. All this was later brought to mind by K. S. Stanislavsky and M. A. Bulgakov.

Ostrovsky's dramas served as the basis for film adaptations of films and television series. Among them are the film "Balzaminov's Marriage", filmed in 1964 based on the play "For what you go, you will find" directed by K. Voinov, the film "Cruel Romance", filmed in 1984 based on "Dowry" directed by Eldar Ryazanov. In 2005, Evgeny Ginzburg made the film Anna based on the play Guilty Without Guilt.

Ostrovsky created an extensive repertoire for the Russian theater stage, which included 47 very original plays. He worked in collaboration with talented young playwrights, including P. M. Nevezhin and N. Ya. Solovyov. Ostrovsky's dramaturgy became national due to its origins and traditions.

Born in the family of Nikolai Fedorovich Ostrovsky, the son of a priest who practiced as a court lawyer in property and commercial cases, and mother Lyubov Ivanovna Savvina, the daughter of a sexton. The family was prosperous and lived in Zamoskvorechye on Malaya Ordynka. There were four children in the family who received an excellent home education. Young Alexander got acquainted early with Russian literature in his father's library. His father wanted to make him a lawyer.

In 1835 - 1840, Alexander Ostrovsky studied at the 1st Moscow Gymnasium. In 1840 he entered the law faculty of Moscow University, but did not graduate from it, quarreling with one of the teachers.

In 1843, Alexander Ostrovsky, at the request of his father, entered the service of a clerk in a Moscow court for a salary of 4 rubles. Gradually it grew to 15 rubles. Alexander Ostrovsky worked in courts until 1851.

In 1846, he wrote the comedy "The Insolvent Debtor" or "The Picture of Family Happiness" (later called "Own People - Let's Settle!") and was partially printed in the "Moscow City List" in 1847.

In 1850, the comedy "Our people - let's settle" brought the first glory. Even before publication, it became popular in reading under the name "Bankrupt" and was banned from being presented on stage. By personal order of Emperor Nicholas I, Alexander Ostrovsky was placed under police supervision, which was removed only after the accession of Emperor Alexander II, and the premiere of the comedy "Our People - Let's Settle" took place only in 1861.

In 1850 - 1851, Alexander Ostrovsky collaborated as a critic and editor with the conservative magazine Moskvityanin, as a playwright, being influenced by A.A. Grigoriev and his circle.

During this period, he wrote a number of comedies from the merchant's life "The Poor Bride" (1851), "Do not get into your sleigh" (1852), "Poverty is not a vice" (1853), "Do not live as you want" (1854) .

In 1853, the play “Don’t get into your sleigh” was staged at the Bolshoi Theater, and for more than three decades, new plays by Alexander Ostrovsky were staged almost every season in the Moscow Maly and St. Petersburg Alexandrinsky theaters.

In 1855, the comedy "Hangover at a Strange Feast" was written, where the first spoken word "tyrant" headed a whole gallery of colorful characters in the plays of Alexander Ostrovsky.

In 1856, Alexander Ostrovsky became a permanent contributor to the Sovremennik magazine. This year, the comedy “Profitable Place” was written.

In 1856-1857, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich sent a group of well-known writers on a journey across Russia to study and describe various localities. Alexander Ostrovsky traveled from the upper reaches of the Volga to Nizhny Novgorod.

In 1858 he wrote the play The Pupil.

In 1859, the drama "Thunderstorm" was written based on impressions from a trip to the Volga cities. In the same year, with the assistance of Count G.A. Kushelev-Bezborodko published the first two-volume collected works of Alexander Ostrovsky.

In 1863, Alexander Ostrovsky was awarded the Uvarov Prize and elected a corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.

In 1865-1866 he founded the Artistic Circle.

In 1868, Alexander Ostrovsky wrote a cycle of comedies Enough Simplicity for Every Wise Man, the play A Warm Heart. Later, the plays Crazy Money (1869), Forest (1870), the poetic utopia The Snow Maiden (1873), Labor Bread (1874), Wolves and Sheep (1875) were written.

In 1874, the Society of Russian Dramatic Writers and Opera Composers was formed, whose chairman Alexander Ostrovsky remained until his death.

In 1878, the plays "Dowry" and "The Last Victim" were written.

In 1881, he actively worked in the commission at the directorate of the Imperial Theaters "for the revision of legal provisions in all parts of the theater management."

In 1883, Alexander III awarded him an annual pension of 3,000 rubles.

In 1885, Alexander Ostrovsky became the head of the repertoire of Moscow theaters and the head of the theater school.

Alexander Ostrovsky died at his Shchelykovo estate in the Kostroma province. He was buried in the church cemetery near the Temple in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the village of Nikolo-Berezhki. The Moscow Duma established a reading room named after A.N. Ostrovsky after his death.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the famous writer and playwright A.N. Ostrovsky was born, whose biography is filled with participation in the bright events of the theatrical and literary life of Russia at that time.

Childhood and youth

The exact date of the writer's birth is April 12, 1823. His childhood and youth were spent in Zamoskvorechye. Nikolai Fedorovich, the father of the future writer, although he was the son of a priest, served as an official in court. Mother, Lyubov Ivanovna, died early. Father remarried a noblewoman when Alexander was 13 years old. The successful judicial career of Nikolai Fedorovich brought him a noble rank and a decent fortune, for which he acquired several estates and, having moved to the village of Shchelykovo in 1848, became a real landowner.

After graduating from the gymnasium in Moscow in 1840, the young man entered the Faculty of Law of Moscow University at the insistence of his father. However, he studied jurisprudence for only three years. Theater became his true passion. He drops out of university. In the hope that he will be able to correct his son's theatrical inclinations, his father attaches him as a scribe to Moscow. After working there for two years, Ostrovsky is transferred to the office of the commercial court. The years spent in legal practice did not pass without a trace for the future playwright. Many stories were borrowed from real life.

A. N. Ostrovsky: biography of the early period

This period covers the life of the writer after graduation. From the moment he entered the university and met with the theater, the biography of Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky began to change in the direction of literary activity and dramaturgy. He took up literature in earnest. The essay "Notes of a Zamoskvoretsky resident", the uncomplicated comedy "The Picture of Family Happiness" and two scenes from the future comedy were published. The comedy "Our people - let's settle" was released in 1849. In the same year, against the will of his father, he marries a simple bourgeois. His father refuses him financial support.

A. N. Ostrovsky: biography of the "Muscovite" and "pre-reform" periods

Ostrovsky's dramaturgy is gaining momentum. In the period 1852-1860, the following events take place:

• Production of the play "Do not get into your sleigh."
• The release of the play "Poverty is not a vice."
• Ostrovsky is a member of the young editorial board of the Moskvityanin magazine.
• Since 1856 - cooperation with the Sovremennik magazine. Acquaintance with L. N. Tolstoy and I. S. Turgenev.
• 1856 - participation in a literary and ethnographic expedition along the Volga. A wealth of material has been collected for future works.

Ostrovsky: biography of the "post-reform" period A

• 1865 - he founds a school for talented theater lovers.
• 1870 - on his initiative, a school of playwrights was created.
• Successfully engaged in translations of Cervantes, Shakespeare.
• The total number of theatrical works reached 54.
• In 1872 he wrote the verse comedy "Comedian of the 17th century".

His biography testifies to how rich and fruitful the life of the writer was. Ostrovsky A.N. died on June 14, 1886 in the Trans-Volga estate Shchelykovo.