Gumilev Nikolay Stepanovich was born in 1886 in Kronstadt. His father was a marine doctor. Nikolai Gumilyov, whose photo will be presented below, spent all his childhood in Tsarskoye Selo. He was educated at the gymnasiums of Tiflis and St. Petersburg. The poet Gumilyov Nikolay wrote his first poems at the age of twelve. His work was first published in the Tiflis Leaflet when the boy was 16 years old.
Nikolai Gumilev. Biography
By the fall of 1903, the family returned to Tsarskoye Selo. There, the future poet ends his studies at the gymnasium, whose director was Annensky. The turning point in Kohl's life was his acquaintance with the works of the Symbolists and Nietzsche's philosophy. In the same 1903, the future poet met the gymnasium student Gorenko (later Akhmatova). After graduating from high school, in 1906, Nikolai Gumilev, whose biography will be very full of events in subsequent years, leaves for Paris. In France, he attends lectures and gets acquainted with representatives of the literary and artistic environment.
Life after graduating from high school
The compilation “The Way of the Conquistadors” was the first print collection released by Nikolai Gumilev. The poet’s work in the early stages was in some way a “collection of early experiments”, in which, nevertheless, his own intonation was already found, the image of a courageous, lyrical hero, a lone conqueror was traced. While subsequently in France, he attempts to publish the journal Sirius. In the numbers (first three) the poet is published under the pseudonym Anatoly Grant and under his own name - Nikolai Gumilev. The biography of the poet in subsequent years is of particular interest. It should be said that, while in Paris, he sent correspondence to various publications: the newspapers Rus, Early Morning, and the magazine Libra.
Mature period
In 1908, his second collection was published, the works in which were dedicated to Gorenko ("Romantic Poems"). From it began a mature period in the work of the poet. Bryusov, who praised the author’s first book , stated not without pleasure that he was not mistaken in his forecasts. "Romantic poems" have become more interesting in their form, beautiful and elegant. By the spring of 1908, Gumilev returned to his homeland. In Russia, he makes acquaintances with representatives of the literary light of St. Petersburg, and begins to make a constant critic in the newspaper "Rech". Later, Gumilev began to publish his works in it.
After a trip to the East
The first trip to Egypt took place in the fall of 1908. After that, Gumilev entered the Faculty of Law at the Metropolitan University, and subsequently transferred to the historical-philological. Since 1909, he began active work as one of the organizers of the Apollo magazine. In this edition, until 1917, the poet will print translations and poems, as well as conduct one of the headings. Gumilev quite clearly in his reviews covers the literary process of the first decade of the 20th century. At the end of 1909 he left for several months in Abyssinia, and upon returning from there he published the book "Pearls".
Life since 1911
In the autumn of 1911, the "Poets' Workshop" was formed, which manifested its own autonomy from symbolism, creating its own aesthetic program. Gumilyov's "Prodigal Son" was considered the first acmeist poem. She was included in the 1912 collection, Alien Sky. By that time, the writer had already firmly established his reputation as a "syndicate", "master", one of the most significant of modern poets. In 1913, Gumilyov went for half a year to Africa. At the beginning of World War I, the poet volunteered for the front. In 1915, the Notes of the Cavalryman, a collection of the Quiver, were published. In the same period, his printed works “Gondla”, “Child of Allah” were published. However, his patriotic impulses soon pass, and in one of his private letters he admits that for him art is superior to both Africa and war. In 1918, Gumilev sought his departure as part of the hussar regiment to the expeditionary force, but was delayed in London and Paris until the spring. Returning to Russia in the same year, the writer begins work as a translator, prepares an epic about Gilgamesh, poems by English and French poets for World Literature. The book "Pillar of Fire" was the last one published by Nikolai Gumilev. The poet's biography ended with the arrest and execution in 1921.
Brief description of the works
Gumilev entered domestic literature as a student of the symbolist poet Valery Bryusov. However, it should be noted that Innokenty Annensky became his real teacher . This poet was, among other things, the director of one of the gymnasiums (in Tsarskoye Selo), in which Gumilyov studied. The main theme of his works was the idea of ​​courageous overcoming. The hero of Gumilyov is a strong-willed, courageous person. Over time, however, in his poetry, exoticism becomes less. At the same time, the author’s addiction to an unusual and strong personality remains. Gumilev believes that such people are not intended for everyday, everyday life. And he considers himself the same. Quite a lot and often thinking about his own death, the author invariably presents her in the halo of heroism:
And I will not die on the bed
With a notary and a doctor,
And in some wild gap
Drowned in thick ivy.
Love and philosophy in later verses
Gumilev devoted a lot of his works to feelings. His heroine in love lyrics takes on completely different looks. She can be a princess from a fairy tale, the legendary lover of the famous Dante, a fantastic Egyptian queen. A separate line runs through his work poems to Akhmatova. A rather uneven, complicated relationship was connected with her, worthy of a novel plot in itself (“She,” “From the Serpent's Lair,” “Animal Tamer,” etc.). Gumilyov’s late poetry reflects the author’s addiction to philosophical themes. At that time, living in the terrible and hungry Petrograd, the poet was active in creating studios for young authors, being for them a kind of idol and teacher. At that time, some of his best works came out from under Gumilyov’s pen, riddled with discussions about the fate of Russia, human life, destiny (“Lost Tram”, “Sixth Sense”, “Memory”, “My Readers” and others).