Literary scholars studying the life and work of Sergey Yesenin endow the personality of Anatoly Marienhof with a certain infernal halo: a mystical genius, an evil Yesenin demon. However, Sergei himself contributed to this feeling of dislike: their relationship was deep and complex, not without conflict. But, of course, not all Yesenin's fans have a negative attitude towards Mariengof, because the poets had a huge and tender friendship behind the loud rumors - that is why their quarrel was so painfully perceived by them: only because the love of Yesenin and Mariengof was unlimited.
Relationship specifics
Anatoly Borisovich influenced Yesenin a lot in terms of poetry - no less than Blok or Klyuev. He became one of the three poets extremely important to him. However, Anatoly influenced not only Sergeyâs work: Yesenin adopted the eccentricity, easy narcissism and the style of a subtle esthete from his friend. Anatoly Mariengof for Yesenin was one of the most important people in life, despite the high-profile differences. While friends were together, Yesenin did not drink so much: Tolya was inherent in German punctuality and accuracy, and he closely watched his comrade. Only after their separation, Sergei met Isadora Duncan, and only then did long-term drunkenness begin, which ultimately led to a sad ending.
Many call Mariengof Yesenin's guardian angel, despite the fact that they were complete opposites of each other. However, Anatoly is not a Black Man at all, the relations of Yesenin and Marienhof had a completely different shade. First of all, two poets were for each other truly valuable and close people, and only then - rivals.
Esenin's friend Mariengof was also a living person, and he experienced the most tender and at the same time extremely complex feelings for his comrade. In part, this could be envy, but it was hardly paramount. One has only to look at the relations of other major contemporary writers: Bunin and Gorky, Brodsky and Solzhenitsyn - they always combined mutual attraction and simultaneous rejection. These complex relationships can hardly be called friendship or hostility.
In the case of these two poets, one should not think that their talents are incommensurable. Sergei Yesenin is certainly the genius of Russian poetry, but Anatoly is far from the last person in literature. Mariengof was an outstanding novelist, poet with his own view of the world and an amazing sense of syllable. At the same time, it is possible that even realizing his unprecedented gift, he nevertheless experienced feelings because Yesenin received widespread popular recognition, while Mariengof himself remained more like a bohemian character.
The creators were connected by a very warm relationship: Sergei Yesenin and Mariengof dedicated sensual and deep poems to each other, and carried on a long and touching correspondence. Many of their letters were published, and some of them they were sent to the press personally.
âA novel without liesâ
Many call it âA No-Lie Novel,â in which Mariengof described his relationship with Sergei, a dishonest lie that defiled the poetâs image. The novel was written after the death of Yesenin, so there were no other sources of looking at the situation. However, fans of the book did not notice anything reprehensible in the descriptions: being a close friend of Sergei, Anatoly was quite entitled to some skepticism and irony in relation to his best friend, because he lived with him and knew his personality, character and life like no other. In addition, the novel is full of amazing, full of love and adoration of stories about Sergey. Anatoly Mariengof wrote about Sergei Yesenin truthfully and sincerely, without missing any positive or negative points - and this is what, according to critics, makes the novel truly valuable. Yesenin lived a difficult life, torn by emotions and passions, and a wide variety of feelings - including the same envy - gurgled noisily in his chest. The narration sounds sincere and unvarnished - memories of Yesenin, recorded by a man who loved him immeasurably.
Yesenin to Marienhof
Sergei Yesenin was born in the village of Konstantinovo of the Ryazan province in a family of ordinary peasants. In 1904 he entered the Konstantinovsky Zemstvo School, and after graduating from it, he began to study at a parish school. In 1912, Yesenin left his fatherâs house and arrived in Moscow, where at first he worked in a butcher shop, and later in the printing house of I. D. Sytin. A year later, he became a free listener at the historical and philosophical department at the A. L. Shanyavsky University. When working in a printing house, he became close to the poets of the Surikovsky literary and musical circle.
In 1915, Sergey left Moscow for Petrograd. There he reads verses to Blok, Gorodetsky and other poets, with whom he later makes friends. After a year, Yesenin is being called up for war. By that time, he managed to get closer to a group of "new peasant poets" and publish his first collections of poems, which brought him wide popularity.
In the early 1920s, Esenin first met Anatoly Marienhof, a friendship with whom he would carry through his whole life. The unifying word for Yesenin, Mariengof and Shershenevich was âimagismâ - a new poetic movement that these poets founded together. But in 1924, Yesenin would break any ties with imagism in connection with a quarrel with a close friend - Anatoly Mariengof.
Mariengof to Yesenin
Anatoly was born in 1897 in Nizhny Novgorod. His parents were from noble families, who, alas, went broke. In their youth, they were actors and played in the provinces. Later they left the stage, but the love of the theater and a passion for literature were inherited by their son.
In 1916, Anatoly graduated from the local gymnasium and moved to Moscow to enter the law faculty of Moscow University. But less than six months later, Mariengof went to the front as part of an engineering and construction team and began to build bridges and roads. At the front, Mariengof did not leave writing: he worked diligently on poetry, and soon his first play was published in the verses of Zhmurki Pierretta.
In 1917, when he went on vacation, a revolution happened in the country. Anatoly returns to Penza and headlong into writing.
In the same summer, the Czechoslovak Corps enters the city. Toli's father dies from an accidental bullet, and after this tragic event, Anatoly forever leaves Penza and leaves for Moscow, where he lives with his cousin Boris. There, he accidentally shows his poems to Bukharin, who at that time was the editor-in-chief of Pravda. He did not like the poems, but he discerned a rare talent at Marienhof and arranged him as a literary secretary at the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, which he directed.
It was there that the first meeting of Anatoly Marienhof and Yesenin soon took place, which turned the lives of both upside down.
Acquaintance
Anatoly and Sergey met at the All-Russian Central Executive Committee Publishing House. Yesenin, Shershenevich and Mariengof - the creators of a new poetic movement - get to know here, so this place has become truly iconic in the literary world of that time. There is also a meeting with Rurik Ivnev, Boris Erdman and other poets, which creates a group of imagists who have declared themselves in the "Declaration", published in the journal "Siren" in 1919. This definition was invented by Anatoly, the name comes from the foreign word "image" - an image. Thus, it began to relate not only to Mariengof: when asked, âgive a unifying word for Yesenin, Shershenevich and Mariengof,â it is worth mentioning precisely Imaginism.
This literary direction arose in the 20s in Russian poetry. Representatives of this movement declared the creation of an image the goal of any creativity. So, the main expressive tool of any imaginist has become a metaphor and entire metaphorical chains, which were to compare different elements of the image - in the literal and figurative sense of the meaning of the subject. Imagist creativity is characterized by provocative shock, anarchist motives, and eccentricity.
Friendship of poets
The meeting at the All-Russian Central Executive Committee became crucial for both poets. Already in the autumn of 1919, they settled together and became inseparable for many years. Yesenin and Mariengof travel together around the country: they make a joint trip to Petrograd, Kharkov, Rostov-on-Don, and also visit the Caucasus. In times of separation, writers dedicate verses to each other and write long letters, which they subsequently publish, causing criticism. Sergey dedicated the following works to his friend:
- "I am the last poet of the village."
- Sorokoust.
- "Pugachev."
- "Farewell to Mariengof."
A joint brainchild of Mariengof, Yesenin and Shershenevich became imagination. This time was important for the poetic environment of that era. In the period of fascination with this trend, Sergey writes several collections:
- âThe treknerâ.
- "Confession of a bully."
- "Styles of a brawler."
- "Moscow kabatskaya".
Two poets lived in the same house, sharing neither money nor place: they all had in common. Yesenin and Mariengof did everything together: woke up, dined, dined, walked, and even dressed alike in white jackets, jackets, blue trousers, canvas shoes. Friends lived on the Theological Lane, next to the Korsh Theater - now this place is called Petrovsky Lane, and the theater has become a branch of the Moscow Art Theater. The comrades rented a communal apartment, where they had as many as three rooms.
Often Erdman, Startsev, Ivnev gathered in an apartment, composing a company for Shershenevich, Mariengof, Yesenin - what united such diverse poets? This is imagism - their common brainchild, which has become a separate literary trend. Their meetings were held in the format of reading their works, which the creators have developed over a given period of time.
Relocation
Yesenin, being a man of a subtle soul, literally immediately felt that between Mariengof and Anna Nikritina - an actress of the Chamber Theater - a deep and real feeling arose. It is difficult to say how Yesenin reacted to Anatoly's sympathy for Anna: there are rumors that he soon became very jealous of his friend, and this was the beginning of the relationship between Sergei and Isadora Duncan and at the same time the quarrel between Yesenin and Marienhof.
At one of the friendly meetings, Yesenin meets Isadora. The girl immediately falls in love with Sergey: all evening the young people do not part. From this evening, Nikritin is leaving with Mariengof, and Yesenin is leaving with Duncan. After a couple of months, Yesenin moved to Isadora, and Anna moved to the place of Sergei to Mariengof and soon married him (in 1923). Anna Nikritina was with Anatoly for the rest of her life.
Couples often saw each other. Soon Yesenin and Duncan got married, and Isadora took her husband's surname. Nevertheless, Isadora and Sergey were like from other worlds and could not come to an agreement in any way. While Yesenin spoke exclusively in Russian, and Duncan - in fact, in all but Russian.
Once Mariengof with Anna met a couple of Yesenins at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Sergei was terribly happy and certainly called them on a visit that evening. The couple has come. Isadora raised her first glass for the strong friendship of Marienhof and Yesenin: she was always a very sensitive woman and understood how hard it was for Sergey. She perfectly felt how strong and deep her husband's relationship with her best friend was.
Honeymoon trip
After the wedding, Isadora and Sergey went to the Mariengofs to say goodbye. Anatoly received Yeseninâs poems âFarewell to Mariengof,â which were personally dedicated to him. Mariengof in response handed him his.
Both poems have largely become prophetic. The lives of friends split: âweâ disappeared, and, as Anatoly wrote, âIâ and âHeâ appeared. This gap was a big blow for both.
Yesenin went on a trip for a reason - he went as a Russian poet, who had as his goal to conquer and conquer Europe and America. And the Russian poet did not lose: now he is known throughout the world, the national pride of our country.
But abroad did not become his home - he was terribly homesick for his native land and his beloved people who remained there. From Europe, he wrote to Anatolia about how sad and bad he was abroad. He missed his friend terribly, nostalgic for the old days. Sergei was not ready for such a change. Only having lost, Yesenin realized how much he loved: his homeland, his friends, and his closest comrade Anatoly Mariengof.
Gradually, a breakdown began in the Yesenin relations. It was difficult for Sergey in a foreign land: he felt out of place, a stranger, unacceptable. While Isadora was like a fish in water: everyone knew her, joyfully greeted and adored. Yesenin was infringed everywhere: he was no longer in the first place, now he was occupied by Isadora Duncan.
Soon the couple returned to the poetâs homeland, and not much time passed before they were forced to disperse.
Return
By 1923, the couple Mariengof already had a son, Cyril. Suddenly, a telegram arrives from Yesenin with money: "Arrived, come, Yesenin." A happy family goes to Moscow to meet with Sergei. According to the memoirs of Anna Nikritina, it was painful to look at the poet: he âturned grayâ, his eyes became cloudy and unclear, his look was desperate. With him there was some strange and unknown company, apparently sticking to the poet along the way.
After a while, Yesenin moved to the Mariengofam on the Theological Lane. But soon Sergey left the couple again, having left for Baku. The lives of Mariengof and Yesenin again diverged by 1925.
At some point, the Mariengofs ended up with the Kachalovs in the company of Sarah Lebedeva, the sculptor. The comrades discussed Esenin a lot, and Vasily Ivanovich even read the poem "Kachalovâs Dog." Soon they returned home to the Mariengofs, at 4 in the morning, where it turned out that Yesenin had been visiting here the day before in their absence. According to Anna's mother, he kept looking at Cyril - the son of Anatoly and Anna - and cried. Seryozha passionately wanted to make peace with Tolya ... The company was at a loss: while they were discussing Sergey, he was right at their house, in despair. Mariengof did not know where to look for him, because Yesenin did not have permanent housing at that time: he spent the night here and there.
And suddenly the next day the bell rang - Yesenin was standing outside the door. Everyone was terribly happy: warm greetings, gentle hugs, friendly kisses ... Anatoly was happy with the visit of Seryozha, and he told how his âgangâ laughed at him because he again went to Mariengof. They talked for a long time, sang, were silent ... And after Sergey said: "Tolya, I will die soon." He did not take his words seriously, convincing that tuberculosis could be cured, he even promised to go for treatment with his friend, no matter what happens, if only to be near at a difficult moment.
But, as it turned out, Yesenin did not have any tuberculosis. A terrible and obsessive thought of suicide sat in my head.
The crisis
Soon, Sergei was in the nerve compartment at Gannushkin. Mariengofs Anatoly and Anna often visited him, and he said in response that patients like him were not allowed to give a rope or a knife, if only they would do nothing wrong with themselves. Since then, Anna Mariengof - in the girlhood of Nikritin - has never seen Sergey again, while her husband was expected to have another fateful meeting and heavy conversation, and after that - many years of life without a best friend.
On the morning of December 28, 1925, Yesenin was found dead at the Angleterre Hotel. The next day, the news about this event was published by Izvestia. Then the death of the poet was first found out by M. D. Roizman, who wrote an essay to the deputy editor of âEvening Moscowâ. So he found out about the sad news. It occurred to him that Sergei, perhaps, only tried to put an end to his life, but he was saved. After leaving the editorial office, he went to the Mouse Hole, where he met Marienhof. He, having heard terrible words, immediately turned pale and began to call Izvestia. I didnât get through.
Soon they met Mikhail Koltsov, who confirmed the chilling message about the death of Yesenin. Then tears came from Anatolyâs eyes: there was no more hope.
On December 30, the coffin with the body of the poet arrived in Moscow. Everyone who knew Yesenin and loved came to say goodbye to the young poet. Then Anatoly Marienhof bitterly wrote his sad poem dedicated to the memory of his dear friend. The coffin with the body of a loved one had not yet plunged into the ground when the poet wrote the lines:
"Sergun, wonderful! My golden maple!
There is a worm
There is death
Decay is there.
How could you believe selfish
Her speeches. "
This poem became Marienhof's own farewell to Yesenin.
Yesenin was buried on December 31 - the day when people celebrated the New Year. Anatoly Mariengof about Sergey Yesenin said with sadness and sorrow: âHow strange is the course of life: now they bury Yesenin, put his cool pale body in black earth, and after a couple of hours they will begin to powder their noses and shoutâ Happy New Year! With new happiness!"
Anatoly with a great loss entered the new year: "Incredible!" he said, to which the wife answered him: âYes, no. This is life, Tolya ... "
Relations Mariengof and Yesenin defy logical explanation. This selfless love, bordering on something supernatural, the impossibility of tearing life apart, deep longing and even deeper friendship, knowing neither time, nor distance, nor death - a real rarity and the greatest value that poets carried through all their a life. A unique example of a truly strong friendship. Such a strong feeling became both a great gift and a heavy cross for poets: it is extremely difficult to maintain such a sincere connection, but to lose is even worse. In any case, an example of the relationship between Yesenin and Marienhof demonstrates that true friendship does exist. But such a great power entails enormous responsibility, and whether poets coped with it is difficult to judge - yes, maybe itâs not worth it.