Literary life boiled and boiled at the break of the 19th and 20th centuries! At this time, which is called the Silver Age of Russian culture, in addition to the truly talented masters of this fun workshop, a lot of “foam” appeared. These names are practically gone. But there were unusual melodic verses “Pineapples in champagne!”, Which were spoken about everywhere.
Short biography of Igor Vasilievich Lotarev
In 2017, May 16, the 130th anniversary of the birth of Igor Severyanin, who, by mother, nee Shenshina, was a distant relative of A. Fet, was celebrated. The family of the retired staff captain lived in St. Petersburg, where the future poet was born. The Lotarev family was cultured and educated. She appreciated music and literature. Igor began to write poetry at the age of 9, while studying at a real school. After graduating from grade 4, he leaves for a year with his father to the North, to the Far Port. The beauty of these places conquered the teenager, and with the help of K. Fofanov he came up with a pseudonym - the Northerner. A year later, he returned to his mother in Gatchina in 1904. And a year later they began to print it.
Fame and glory in Russia was brought to him by the collection “Thundering Cup” in 1913. And in 1915, "Pineapples in Champagne" appeared.
Success on the stage
Since 1913, having already announced the principles of self-futurism, I. Severyanin began to perform at poetry concerts. He read his poems, as poets usually do, chantingly, paying attention only to the melody of the poem. His success was tremendous. By this time, he had already received a negative review from L. Tolstoy on the lines "Insert a corkscrew into the elasticity of the cork, and the eyes of women will not be timid." It was trumpeted by all the newspapers to smash his poems. However, this brought the opposite result in the form of extreme popularity. “Pineapples in champagne” was everywhere on “Hurray!”. They brought him the glory of the lyrics of the salons.
He was surrounded by enthusiastic, dreamy, elegant ladies and very young lovely girls.
"Overture"
Loving opera music from childhood, I. Severyanin gave this name to his bold poem. Music has been written for Pineapples in Champagne. The most varied. We present one of the options.
But how did this poem come about? It turns out that V. Mayakovsky dipped a piece of pineapple in a glass with sparkling foam and offered to make it to his neighbor as well. The first phrase “Pineapples in champagne!” Sounded immediately in the poet’s head. Igor Severyanin ironically mixed in the poem the rapid pace of life, technological advances, and an urban theme. Cars, express trains, airplanes rush in it, which are opposed to a salon, exclusive, refined life. Something Norwegian and Spanish appears. In this beautiful life at a rout someone was kissed. And the girls are nervous because they beat someone. A fierce fight, tragedy and the lowlands of life turned into a "daydream". It is pronounced, with an eccentric. "Pineapples in champagne" Northerner symbolize the sharpness and surprise of the beginning of the century.
The creative process of the poet
I. Northerner himself said that he was “impulsively” inspired and immediately took up the pen. The poet is capricious and musical. Alogicity and mystery are its main properties. He admires the world and himself and tries to hide from everyday life, mixing romantic and passionate Spanish and cold, balanced Norwegian into a new captivating and enchanting unknown. The poem “Pineapples in Champagne” is built on neologisms (“windbreaker”, “winger”, “daydream”) and enthusiasm. In a poem of 12 stanzas 18 exclamation points! The creative process of the poet is unlimited. It can mentally appear in Japan, America and even on Mars. Why is it commonplace!
The poet requires exoticism, which is personified by "pineapple in champagne." At an evening at the Polytechnic Museum, where V. Mayakovsky, K. Balmont were, he was awarded the title of “King of Poets”. And then the revolution came.
Estonia
In 1918, together with his mother, I. Severyanin moved to Estonia, to the small coastal town of Toyolu. But the Germans occupy the republic, and two years later it leaves the Soviet Union. So Igor Severyanin turned out to be an emigrant. He was always drawn to his homeland. But in Estonia, his mother died, he married the translator and poetess Fellice Kruut there. Together with her, he made translations, published an anthology of Estonian poets for 100 years. He lost popularity in Russia, but did not gain in Estonia. Only in 1940 did the small state again enter the USSR. At this time, Igor Vasilievich was already seriously ill and could not return. Then the Nazis occupied Tallinn. And 1941, on January 20, I. Severyanin died and was buried in this city at the Alexander Nevsky Cemetery. His own lines became an epitaph: a paraphrase on the verses of I. Myatlev.
In Soviet times, the name of the Severyanin was banned for a long time. This was decadence, alien and harmful to the builders of the new society. Only M. Tsvetaeva appreciated his magnificently overgrown talent. In Russia, in 1996, a boom began in the production of previously banned works. Then the first edition of the collected works of I. Severyanin came out, which he dreamed of returning and in tears to kiss his native land. The poetry of this amazing person must now be rediscovered.