Origin, childhood and youth
Alexander Kuprin was born on September 7, 1870 in the city of Narovchat. In the large family of Ivan Ivanovich and Lyubov Alekseevna Kuprin, he became the youngest child. As a girl, Alexander’s mother bore the surname Kulunchakova, belonged to a poor Tatar family, but did not have a princely title.
Three of the couple's six children died before reaching 2 years of age. A year after Sasha’s birth, the writer’s father died of the plague. After the death of her husband, Lyubov Alekseevna with three children in her arms had no means of subsistence. Kuprina decided to move to Moscow.
There she enrolled her daughters in a girls' school, and she and Alexander settled in a widow's house. At the age of 6, his mother got Kuprin a place in an orphanage. After 4 years, Alexander became a cadet of the Second Moscow Corps. Afterwards he continued to receive his education at the Alexander Military School.
After graduating from college, Kuprin held the rank of second lieutenant and served in the Dnieper Regiment
A Tale of Love - “Olesya”
No less works have been written about love. Love occupied a special place in Kuprin’s work. He always wrote about her touchingly and reverently. His heroes are people who are capable of experiencing, experiencing sincere feelings. One of these stories is “Olesya,” written in 1898.
All created images have a poetic character, especially the image of the main character Olesya. The work tells about the tragic love between a girl and the narrator, Ivan Timofeevich, an aspiring writer. He came to the wilderness, to Polesie, to get acquainted with the way of life of inhabitants unknown to him, their legends and traditions.
Olesya turned out to be a Polesie witch, but she has nothing in common with the usual image of such women. In her, beauty is combined with inner strength, nobility, a little naivety, but at the same time, a strong will and a little bit of authority are felt in her. And her fortune telling is not connected with cards or other forces, but with the fact that she immediately recognizes the character of Ivan Timofeevich.
The love between the characters is sincere, all-consuming, noble. After all, Olesya does not agree to marry him, because she considers herself no equal to him. The story ends sadly: Ivan did not manage to see Olesya a second time, and he only had red beads as a memory of her. And all other works on a love theme are distinguished by the same purity, sincerity and nobility.
Mature years
At 24, Kuprin retired. After this, his “journey” around the country begins. Alexander Ivanovich did not stay long in any city; he tried many professions. He moved first to Kyiv, then to Sevastopol, Odessa.
Ivan Bunin helped Kuprin find a permanent job. He advised Alexander to move to St. Petersburg, where a position was found for the writer as a secretary in the editorial office of the “Magazine for Everyone” publication. In 1911, Kuprin moved to Gatchina, where during the First World War he opened a military hospital with his own money.
When Nicholas II renounced the throne, Alexander Ivanovich took it for granted. He developed sympathy for the Bolshevik government and repeatedly turned to Vladimir Lenin with proposals. One of which was the establishment of a printed publication for village residents.
The epiphany came too quickly; the writer found himself disappointed by the dictatorship of the new government. In 1917-1922. Kuprin went to fight for the whites. When the anti-Soviet army was defeated, the writer moved to Finland, and a year later he moved to France.
In the 30s, Alexander Ivanovich was in dire straits. He was unable to provide for his family and had large financial debts. Kuprin began to seek solace in alcohol. Having wandered around the world, the writer decided to return home.
In 1937, Kuprin turned to Stalin, asking for permission to return to the Soviet Union, to which the “leader of all nations” gave the go-ahead
Alexander Kuprin - biography
Alexander Kuprin is a prominent representative of Russian literature, writer, translator, who worked in the genre of realistic prose throughout the entire period of his creative activity.
The ideas of romanticism were alien to him; in his work he tried to reflect as accurately as possible the life and customs of his contemporary society. Critical realism became the genre that glorified the writer for centuries.
The man tried to look for subjects for his works in real life. He was able to describe events that actually happened in a truncated and artistically processed form so as to convey all the shades of the situation in detail. This was the main talent of the prose writer and it was recognized by many contemporaries. Although real fame came to Kuprin much later.
Despite his natural talent, A.I. Kuprin’s life cannot be called simple. The prose writer had a difficult fate. He spent most of his history on the road and wandering.
After the revolution happened, which turned everything upside down, Kuprin was forced to leave. But life abroad brought him nothing but poverty and obscurity. Even after returning, the situation did not change. There were problems in my personal life as well.
Real fame came to the writer after his death. Now the prose writer is considered one of the most influential and interesting writers of Russian origin.
Content
Books
Kuprin wrote his first creations during his studies in the Moscow Corps. The writer began with poems, but they were not published. The story “The Last Debut” was the first to be published. After him, the story “In the Dark” and several other literary creations were published.
Almost all of the author's early works tell about war and the army. This theme permeates the story “At the Turning Point,” which was originally called “Cadets.”
In the story "Gambrinus" Kuprin talked about his trip to Odessa. Later, the story “The Duel” was presented to readers. Soon stories about animals, the fantastic work “Liquid Sun”, and the story “Garnet Bracelet” saw the light of day.
At the beginning of the new century, the children's story “The White Poodle” was published, recognized as a classic.
During the writer's stay in exile, Kuprin's creative legacy increased significantly. All works written by Alexander Ivanovich found their readers. During his life in France, the writer created masterpieces:
- "Zhaneta";
- "Wheel of Time";
- "Junker";
- "The Dome of St. Isaac of Dalmatia."
Among the numerous works of that period, the parable “Blue Star” stands out.
Creation
The creative biography of Alexander Kuprin began in the late 80s, when the young man studied and received a military specialty. The writer's breakthrough was a book of poems. However, for unknown reasons, they were never published.
The first work in Kuprin’s creative list was the story “The Last Debut”, which was published in the magazine “Russian Satiric Leaflet”. Around the same years, one of the most famous works of the Russian writer, “Cadets” or “At the Turning Point,” was published.
In the 90s, Alexander Ivanovich’s activity in the literary field became more intense. He works in small genres, improves his skills and gains practical experience in prose. From his pen came the works “Inquiry” and “Moonlit Night”.
A. Kuprin in the 1990s
The writer also tries his hand at writing stories. Among his creative heritage of this period one can name the work “In the Dark”. There were also stories on military themes. For example, “Hike” or “Night Shift”.
After retiring and trying to find a place in civilian life, the writer temporarily slows down. Although he doesn’t give up his work.
After a successful acquaintance with Bunin and receiving a stable position in a periodical publication in St. Petersburg, things go uphill. The young man has more time to write. From the pen of the writer come the works “White Poodle”, “Horse Thieves” and “Swamp”, which are eagerly published by local magazines.
Already in 1905, Alexander Kuprin published the story “The Duel”. This work is becoming very popular. It is perceived as a real event in the cultural life of St. Petersburg.
Alexander Kuprin with his wife, 1914
In the history of the writer of this period there were also works of small forms. The stories “Gambrinus”, “River of Life” and several more are received warmly by the public.
In the calm years, when the first revolution died down and the second was just brewing, Kuprin wrote several more popular works among readers, including “The Pomegranate Bracelet” and “Shulamith.”
Already at this moment, Alexander Ivanovich found the sphere of his creative interests and worked in his own niche. His works were considered a major and serious addition to the literary treasury.
Writer Alexander Kuprin with his wife and daughter in Gatchina 1913
In 1915, Kuprin’s most controversial brainchild, “Yama,” was released. But his time was short. In this story, the prose writer described the life and customs of a brothel. The life of prostitutes was described so vividly that the work was condemned almost immediately.
There were attempts to publish it in German, but it ended badly for the initiator, who was accused of distributing pornography.
Literally 2 years later, a man tries himself in an unusual form. From his pen comes the story “The Star of Solomon.” The work was a creative rethinking of the classic story of Faust and Mephistopheles. It was full of mysticism, although the emphasis was on other things.
After the civil war began, Kuprin again returned to his usual themes. He immortalized the events of Yudenich’s campaign against Petrograd in the work “The Cathedral of St. Isaac of Dalmatia.”
Already in exile, the writer tried to continue his work. Kuprin’s work in the new period is remembered for the story “Junker” and several other works. Despite his productivity, the writer was experiencing a creative crisis due to his difficult financial situation.
Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin. Junker. audiobook.
After returning to his native land, Kuprin could no longer work due to his health condition. He didn't have long to live.
Personal life
Kuprin’s private life was not bad; he was always surrounded by loving people. The writer’s first wife was the adopted daughter of the then popular cellist Karl Davydov, Maria. The couple lived in a happy marriage for 5 years.
His wife gave Alexander Ivanovich a daughter, Lydia, but she did not live long. The girl died at the age of 21, 10 months after the birth of her son, the grandson of the writer. Heinrich Kuprin lived in a civil marriage with his second wife Elizaveta for several years, only then the couple got married.
The wife gave birth to Alexander Ivanovich 2 daughters. Zinaida died at the age of 3 from pneumonia, Ksenia became an actress and model, and died childless. Elizaveta Kuprina could not bear the hunger and hardships of besieged Leningrad. The woman constantly experienced mental anguish, she was frightened by bombings, and a persistent feeling of hunger led to suicidal thoughts.
Kuprin's wife committed suicide in 1942.
The Kuprin family was interrupted in 1946. His direct descendant, grandson Alexey Egorov, died of heart disease resulting from a shell shock during World War II.
Death
Kuprin's health was undermined by his addiction to drinking. In addition, the writer began to notice that he was quickly losing his sight. Alexander Ivanovich hoped that upon returning home he would be able to improve the disastrous situation in which he found himself. He was going to restore his health and return to his old life.
In 1938, after attending a parade on Red Square, the writer fell ill with pneumonia. Added to this was esophageal cancer diagnosed by doctors. On August 25, Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin died. The writer was buried at the Volkovskoye cemetery, on the Literary Bridge. The writer's body rested next to the ashes of Ivan Turgenev.
The grave of Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin
