Sophia Parnock is a talented poet and translator. She is called the Russian Sappho (Sappho) - she is the only one in the entire Soviet space who spoke openly about lesbian love. Her connection with Marina Tsvetaeva is widely known and illuminated from different sides. The latter is a more popular poetess, while Parnok was not inferior to her either in talent or in significance in Russian literature. Both of them, silver age poets, about whom a lot of biographical information is left, are a gift for posterity. Sofia Yakovlevna is known not only in the vastness of Russia. A lot of this contributed to the book by Diana Lewis Burgin "Sophia Parnok. Life and work of Russian Safo."
Basic information
Sofia Yakovlevna Parnok, whose real name sounded like Parnoch, was born in early August, the 11th, in 1885 (according to the old style - July 30). The hometown of the poetess is Taganrog. Sofia's father, Yakov Solomonovich, owned a pharmacy, in which he himself worked as a pharmacist. He had the title of honorary citizen of the city. Alexandra Abramovna, mother of Sofia, was a doctor by profession and vocation, was listed in the first generation of female doctors in Russia. The Parnoch family was prosperous, in addition, it was part of the cultural and intellectual elite of the city. Therefore, it is not surprising that all the children of Yakov Solomonovich and Alexandra Abramovna were well educated - from early childhood they studied music, learned to read early, learned two foreign languages (German and French). In addition to our heroine, success in the creative field was achieved by her brother and sister (Valentin Parnokh and Elizaveta Tarakhovskaya). The first subsequently became a famous musical figure, translated and wrote his own poetry. Elizaveta Tarakhovskaya also became known as a poetess. Sophia Parnok, in turn, early showed her literary talent - the first verse was written by her at the age of six.
early years
The twins, Valentin and Lizaveta, were ten years younger than their older sister, Sofia. The tragedy of the Parnoch family is associated with their birth - giving life to her children, Alexandra Abramovna died in childbirth. Father, not wanting to be alone, after some time decided on a second marriage and married a governess. The consequences are alienation and coldness in relations with the eldest daughter. From that moment, life in her native Taganrog house became a heavy burden for Sofia Parnok.
Education
In 1894, the young Parnock entered the Taganrog Mariinsky Gymnasium for women. The year 1900 was marked by the beginning of writing a huge number of poems - Sofia wrote down the exact lines and drafts in a notebook, many of them were preserved. They provide accurate information about Parnok’s poetry of the time. In 1903, she graduated with honors, receiving a gold medal for success. Sofia Yakovlevna devoted the whole next year to the Geneva Conservatory, thanks to which the poetess played the piano beautifully, however, she did not go the way of the musician.
Sophia Parnock returned from Switzerland to Russia with the intention of continuing her education. Having settled in St. Petersburg, where her uncle lived, Parnok tried to continue her musical education, but after studying at the city conservatory for a short time, she realized that professional music was not for her, and left this educational institution in 1905. She also studied at the Higher Women's Bestuzhev Courses, but she did not graduate from the faculty of law she chose .
Creation
Needless to say, what passion was literature for Parnok? Sofia Yakovlevna translated a lot from French, wrote sketches and cartoons, and Geneva woke up her inspiration for writing the first cycle of poems, because it was there that she met Nadezhda Pavlovna Polyakova. The lyrics of Sophia Parnock, in principle, are penetrated through with love for women, she understood her inclination early and did not reject it.
The poetess began to publish in 1906. Her articles in Russian Wealth and Northern Notes became her debut (since 1913 she was published under the name of Andrei Polyanin and wrote critical articles).
By 1910, Parnok’s fame in literary circles had grown to the point that she had constant cooperation with the Russian Rumor. The poetess herself moved to live in Moscow.
In 1916, the first poetry collection by Sofia Yakovlevna Parnok was released, named prose (“Poems”).
After the revolution of 1917, the poetess left for Sudak, but returned to Moscow in the early 1920s and released four more poetry collections (1922-1928).
In 1930, an opera was staged on her libretto, which was a resounding success.
In recent years, Sofia Parnock, like many at that time, was interrupted by translations.
Personal life
Despite an early awareness of her orientation, the Russian Sappho married V. M. Volkshtein in 1907. Perhaps the reason for this was a difficult financial situation - the father, being not enthusiastic about his daughter's activities, stopped providing Parnok with money. But two years later, this marriage broke up. Sofia was never able to love her husband, and besides, as it turned out, she could not give him children either.
Living in St. Petersburg, Parnok was familiar with leading writers of the time, including Alexander Blok and, at that time, the little-known Anna Akhmatova. Some of them were her close friends throughout her life, for example, Maximillian Voloshin.
Marina Tsvetaeva and Sofia Parnok
The relationship of the two famous poets is still interesting to biographers and fans of their works.
On October 16, 1914, at one of the literary evenings, the two soul mates met. Their romance lasted exactly two years - until the winter of 1916. Their great happiness, which flashed so suddenly, as if predicting a tragic outcome in advance - both felt that they would soon be forced to leave. But, no matter what other novels Sofia Parnok started (the biography tells, for example, about Nina Vedeneeva, her last love), Marina Tsvetaeva left a deep mark in her memory and in her work.
Last years
On August 26, 1933, in the village of Moscow Region, Sofia Yakovlena died of a heart failure. In recent years, she wrote nothing and moved away from literary circles. Parnok’s funeral was in Lefertovo. It is known for certain that Boris Pasternak was present at them. Tsvetaeva, according to her own assurances, suffered the death of her ex-girlfriend quite indifferently.