Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov with all confidence can be called a great Russian writer. His extraordinary talent was not given in full force to reveal a short, tragically cut off life. The most interesting facts about Lermontov include evidence of fatal accidents that haunted the poet to the grave. The works in the genre of poetry, prose and dramaturgy that remained after his death, the earliest of which were written at the age of fourteen, give an idea of the magnitude of the genius that was lost for Russian and world literature.
The manifestation of a new genius
Lermontov's extraordinary talent became known to the general public in 1837, after a poem dedicated to Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin and his fateful death. Since then, almost no essay on Lermontov is complete without mentioning the name of Pushkin, and many critics begin to consider the young poet his successor.
It is known that at the funeral of Pushkin, a friend of the deceased genius, writer and public figure V. F. Odoevsky in desperation said: “The sun of Russian poetry has set!” Subsequently, these words appeared in his obituary. It seemed that there was no longer and never would be a second master of the Russian word like Pushkin. But very soon it became obvious that this was far from the case.
The moon of Russian poetry
The appearance of a tragic and angry poem, written by few then famous cornet Mikhail Lermontov, not only caused discontent in higher circles, but also demonstrated that a new luminary was rising in the literary horizon. If Pushkin was the untimely setting sun of Russian poetry, then Lermontov who replaced him became a rising moon. In this allegorical comparison of the two great poets lies even more meaning than it seems at first glance. Pushkin’s creativity, whether poetry or prose, is permeated by the sun's rays and sparkles with bright gold. While the works of Lermontov emit their own unique, bright and pure light, filled with mysterious, mystical beauty and noble silver radiance.
Belinsky's assessment of Lermontov's poetry and prose
For all those studying the poet's work, the statements of great people about Lermontov may be of particular interest. Returning from the first Caucasian exile, to which he was sent for poems to the death of Pushkin, the young poet Mikhail Lermontov presented to readers and critics a huge number of new poems, as well as the poem “Demon” and “Mtsyri”. The works of the new author were warmly received not only by the reading public, but also by prominent representatives of literary criticism of those years. Particularly noteworthy is the opinion of Vissarion Grigorievich Belinsky, who was called the “ruler of the thoughts of youth” in the mid-19th century.
All the more valuable is Belinsky 's remarks about Lermontov that the famous critic was one of the first to discern the extraordinary natural gift of the young poet. “Lermontov’s young and powerful talent found not only zealous admirers, but also fierce enemies, which is the destiny of only true talent,” Belinsky emphasized in his article “Poems by Mikhail Lermontov”, published in 1840 in the journal “Patriotic Notes”. In the same review, an influential critic noted the enormous creative potential of the young writer, since "already the first experiments of Lermontov predict something enormously great in the future." In addition, Belinsky rightly remarks: "Lermontov’s talent is involuntarily surprising to everyone who has an aesthetic taste."
Great writer and whole nature
In the correspondence of 1839, Belinsky admiredly speaks of the poem "Three Palms" and notes that the author of this work is "a new powerful talent." Belinsky writes that the young Russian poet has “luxurious” and even “diabolical” talent, “in which something great lurks.” Thus, the publicist again emphasizes the highest degree of literary giftedness of Lermontov, his gradually manifested genius.
After reading the novel “A Hero of Our Time”, Belinsky responded no less enthusiastically: “The syllable of the story is either a flash of lightning, then a blow of a sword, then pearls scattering on velvet! The main idea is so close to the heart of everyone who thinks and feels that everyone ... sees in it a confession of their own heart. "
And although the first meeting of the famous critic with Pushkin's successor was unsuccessful, nevertheless, their second personal conversation turned out perfectly. Belinsky was delighted not only with the works of Lermontov, but also with the aesthetic tastes and life views of the poet. According to Vissarion Grigorievich, Lermontov as a person was "full and holistic nature", was a "deep and powerful spirit." Characterizing the poet’s personality, the critic notes that he “was pleased to see in his chilled, embittered view of life and people seeds of deep faith in the dignity of both.”
Famous people about Lermontov
F. Bodenstedt, one of the translators of Mikhail Yuryevich, noted that although he was “a subjective poet, he knew how to be objective at the same time,” and therefore “has something in common with great writers of all time, because his creations faithfully reflect his time with all its good and crappy features. ”
Mikhail Lermontov was not only a literary genius, but also a representative of the society to which he belonged. This means that it is all the more valuable for studying the poet’s creative heritage various statements by great people about Lermontov. It is noteworthy that not all of these people were closely acquainted with the poet, and the memoirs of many were written years after his death, since Lermontov’s biography was forbidden by royal censorship. However, in the available written sources from the famous contemporaries of Lermontov, you can find a lot of interesting and informative material.
Not so widely known as the critical articles of Vissarion Belinsky, but the statements about Lermontov by other poets, which can be found in poems dedicated to him, letters of contemporaries, memoirs, articles, etc. are of no less interest.
Apollon Grigoriev about Lermontov
Famous poet, translator and literary critic of the XIX century. Apollon Grigoriev wrote that Mikhail Lermontov "occupies a prominent place in the history of our spiritual fermentation as a true poet of the sorrow of his generation." Grigoriev also noted the revolutionary motives of many Lermontov's poems, because in them "the person has reached the extremes of his protest." According to the critic, the desire for change expressed in verses and the spirit of freedom became the reason why "the opposition of stagnation ... immediately understood in Lermontov that great that was in him."
Poetic initiations
The definitions of "great", "holistic", "deep" accompany many statements about Lermontov. Other poets also noted an unusually strong creative gift that generated Lermontov's works. His “lines, like a dagger’s blow, entered under the heart,” says the poet of the Soviet era, Yaroslav Smelyakov , bewitched . "In his continuous analysis of the surrounding social climate, Lermontov" could never be indifferent, "writes Valery Bryusov, the founder of Russian symbolism, and, noting the many-sidedness and sometimes even inconsistency of Lermontov’s lyrics, he adds that he was in a hurry from hymns ... to curses."
Konstantin Balmont about Mikhail Yuryevich
The peculiar impressions and statements about Lermontov by other poets are reflected in many poems dedicated to him. For example, Konstantin Balmont, the famous poet of the late XIX - early XX centuries., Dedicated the following lines to the memory of Mikhail Yuryevich:
In the same poem, Balmont admires admirably that Lermontov was “a sovereign genius,” and even “was non-human.” Numerous statements about Lermontov by other poets, some of whom were his contemporaries, while others lived decades later, all together give an understanding that the powerful force embodied in Lermontov’s poetry is capable of connecting different eras and generations.
Lermontov quotes, aphorisms, sayings, phrases
Lermontov Mikhail Yuryevich left behind even an incomplete, but rich creative heritage. Many of his lines became winged phrases, epigraphs, and even the names of other literary works. For example, the story of V. Kataev is called a line from a Lermontov poem: “The sail turns white.”
Quotes from the prose of Mikhail Yuryevich
The famous Russian poet owns many wise aphorisms, quotes and sayings. Lermontov was also able to express his thought poetically in prose works. N. V. Gogol even once remarked that "no one has ever written with us such correct, beautiful, and fragrant prose."
Quotes from Lermontov's Poetry
The poet himself expressed himself so much about the art of versification: “If poetry is not a simple combination of sounds, then, without a doubt, it is the most magnificent form in which human thought can clothe itself.” It was these verses that Mikhail Yurievich Lermontov created. Quotes, sayings and aphorisms, which over the past two centuries have become the lines of many of his works, amaze with the richness of the language and the accuracy of thought.
Unusual about the poet
The most interesting facts about Lermontov include evidence of fatal accidents that haunted him to the grave. The superstitiousness of Mikhail Yurievich was also manifested in the firm conviction that a curse lay on his whole family. Some contemporaries of the poet cited the story told by him, as if on the day Lermontov was born, a gypsy predicted his death at a young age and not from natural causes. Shortly before his death, the poet chose to trust his fate by throwing a coin: if an eagle falls out, you need to go to the regiment, and if you go to tails, then go to Pyatigorsk to rest. The coin fell tails up. Two weeks later, Lermontov was killed in a duel near Pyatigorsk.
Another remarkable fact about the poet is that of all fifteen lifetime portraits, not one gives a complete picture of his appearance. Descriptions of contemporaries are also unambiguous: some write that Lermontov had big eyes and a high forehead, and others, on the contrary, that his eyes were small and narrow, and his forehead was low.
Many such ambiguities lurk in the circumstances of the death of the poet, and in the features of his personality. What can I say, since even acquaintances of the literary genius could not accurately answer the question of what kind of person Mikhail Lermontov was. Only one thing contemporaries agree: few people from the first meeting penetrated him with good feelings, because the poet usually hid his vulnerable and deep nature under a skilful mask of evil mockery.
Finally
Lermontov Mikhail Yurievich - “poet of the generation”, as Apollo Grigoriev called him. With his poems and especially prose, he painted a realistic psychological portrait of the youth of his time. However, the undoubted genius of Lermontov's works is that they sound relevant even after centuries.
Lermontov’s poetry and prose are so close to readers, as many people find themselves in similar social settings, solve the same difficult dilemmas and go through the same tests. However, only Lermontov possessed sufficient talent to convey this attitude.