Serafimovich Alexander Serafimovich - a representative of the so-called proletarian literature. The work of this writer is consonant with the literary activity of Maxim Gorky. His early stories were influenced by revolutionary movements of the second half of the nineteenth century. And throughout his career, he remained true to his views and beliefs. What is the main idea of the works created by Alexander Serafimovich? What is the value of his literary work?
Youth
The real name of the writer referred to in this article is Popov. But in literary activity, he used the pseudonym Serafimovich. The development of his literary views took place in a rather difficult period in the history of Russia. Public life in the country in the second half of the nineteenth century is characterized by an active revolutionary movement. In particular, such moods were manifested among representatives of the young generation, namely, students.
Serafimovich Alexander Serafimovich came from a Cossack family. In childhood, he spent several years with his parents in Poland. But when the family returned to their native lands, the future writer received a gymnasium education, after which he entered the University of St. Petersburg at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics. Here Alexander Serafimovich found himself in a student society in which revolutionary ideas were gaining momentum. Marxist teachings instantly captured the son of a Don Cossack. But the student was by no means limited to theoretical knowledge. Soon he made acquaintance with Lenin's older brother, Alexander Ulyanov. And for participating in the attempt on the king, he was arrested and exiled to the Arkhangelsk province. Life in these parts had a decisive influence on the entire creative path of the writer.
Key Ideas
The active social life led by Alexander Serafimovich in his student years laid the foundation for his literary work. The folk theme has become central to his works. Of course, his ideas were directed at Marxist and social democratic ideas.
The life of the common people at the end of the century was extremely difficult. Supporters of the idea of the need for a coup believed that all evil comes from the foundations of the tsarist regime. Thoughts on how to improve the lives of workers in Russia, more and more occupied a novice writer. The material for the early works of Serafimovich was the life of ordinary workers. And already at the beginning of his career, such writers as V. Korolenko, G. Uspensky spoke very approvingly of his books.
Early work
In the nineties, the main theme in the works of Serafimovich was the life of representatives of the working class. Miners, railway employees, housekeepers, and peasants became the heroes of his books. In his works, Alexander Serafimovich sought to show not only their way of life, but also the inner world. First of all, the writer was interested in what a simple worker thinks about.
But a specific feature of Serafimovich’s literary idea was the conviction that hard work doesn’t so much tire physical people as they kill social activity in him. And therefore, he saw not only the reasons for hard labor, but also its consequences. Moreover, in the early works of this writer there is faith in the power of the people. He did not consider the immutable indifference of the workers to their own destiny unchanging and immutable. So, in “The Skipper” Serafimovich portrayed the first shoots of protest, which seemed to be found among the most backward social strata.
The writer's worldview finally developed during his stay in exile. It was there that he witnessed the working life of ordinary people and convicts.
In the link
In the harsh North, Alexander Popov, whose biography was influenced by historical and social events in Russia, made acquaintance with one of the foremost workers. Behind this man there was an experience of revolutionary struggle, as a result of which he ended up in exile. The aesthetic view and literary orientation was primarily influenced by close contact with such people.
Alexander Popov, whose biography began in the Don open spaces, found out in exile about the fate of ordinary people living in the North. Here a new, unknown world was opened to him. The writer listened with interest to the stories of local residents. Pomors supported their families through fishing. Their work was hard and unsafe. Often people died at sea. Often returned home empty-handed. If fishing was successful, an impressive part should be given to prosperous peasants who supplied the fishermen with gear.
Landscape in the works of Serafimovich
The writer was fascinated by the beautiful, but harsh northern nature. Description of the landscape occupied an important place in his work. This feature can be found in the story “On the Ice”. In this work, he described the peculiar nature and life of the North. But he did not forget the southern native land. He reflected them no less picturesquely in later stories.
The description of nature in the work “On the Ice” has a symbolic character. It seems that the author draws a parallel between cold northern weather, ice landscapes, short cold days and the life of local residents. The image of nature helps the reader to feel brighter the harsh conditions in which the workers are. Against nature, man is as defenseless as against social oppression. Serafimovich is a writer in whose work the main idea is inequality. The story "On the ice" is a certain indictment against the social forces that led the main character to death.
"On the rafts"
In the work “On the Ice”, the author contrasted the poor Soroka with his fist. In the story “On the Rafts” the social drama of the working man is presented in a more complex form. The protagonist of this work is the raftsman Kuzma. Alone, he gets his bread. Every day he is in dangerous unbearable conditions, but his work is fruitless. In a society in which it is customary to appropriate the results of someone else's work, social disunity is fatal.
“On the Rafts” and “On the Ice” are the stories with which Serafimovich began his series of works on social inequality. Later, the essay became the main genre in his work. “Snow Desert” is perhaps an intermediate link between these literary forms. The narrative in this work Serafimovich leads in the first person. From the first pages, the reader gets the impression that the writer describes his own experiences in it. From the part, it is. The narrator reflected in this work the feelings and thoughts that visited him in the first days of his stay in the North.
After link
Alexander Serafimovich (Popov) spent a little over a year in the Arkhangelsk province. After the exile, he settled in the village of Ust-Medveditskaya, where he was constantly under police surveillance. Despite this, he led an active literary and social activity. The circle he organized was intended to discuss important cultural events. However, from the first days of the organization's existence, its participants vehemently argued on political issues.
Serafimovich quickly found like-minded people in his native land. Over time, the illegal distribution of Marxist literature became an important part of his work. And it was during this period that a significant shift occurred in the writer's activities.
Feature of creativity
Soviet literature at an early stage was represented by a number of revolutionary-minded authors. The name of Alexander Serafimovich stands out among them. This writer, at the time of the inception of the new state, became a quite mature author with an established, solid social position. He did not adapt to the new social system. Already at the beginning of the twentieth century, he actively began to write about the life of Donetsk miners and factory workers. In his work, the view of an independent independent artist develops. In the postwar years, Soviet literature includes few authors who have a peculiar vision of life. In the works of Alexander Serafimovich there are original literary expressions. This writer became a kind of researcher of the life of the working class. The creativity of Serafimovich in this sense is unique.
"A drop"
Serafimovich’s early stories are permeated with realism. These are works devoted to the life of the inhabitants of the North. Realism is also present in stories about Donetsk miners. Revolutionary romance appeared later. So, in the story “The Drop” there is epicism, allegory and the author’s belief that common people can save a community of views and work aimed at achieving revolutionary goals.
The symbolism in this work is quite simple. There is a huge rock, and a single drop cannot destroy it. She falls on a stone stronghold and instantly dies. But only hundreds, thousands of drops can punch a hole in this rock.
The story is divided into three parts. Each of them is a revolutionary movement that took place in different years. The first was destroyed. The second gave some fruit. The writer hopes for a third revolutionary movement. It is he who, in his opinion, is capable of breaking the stronghold of the tsarist regime.
In Moscow
Romantic ideas present in the work of Serafimovich are close to Gorky's literary style. And therefore, perhaps, after moving to Moscow, the Don writer very quickly became close to the great proletarian writer. Both Serafimovich and Gorky are characterized by faith in the extraordinary power of man. The tireless struggle of a simple worker, despite centuries of slavery, capable of leading to the final victory of the working class.
Later Maxim Gorky creates the publishing house “Knowledge”, where he primarily attracts Serafimovich. The revolutionary events of 1905 take place before our eyes, and even with some participation of a native of the Don steppes. At this time, he rents an apartment on Presnya and helps workers build barricades.
After 1905
The historical events that Serafimovich observed were reflected in his work. Since then, pathos and enthusiasm have appeared in the works of this writer. Workers, drugged by drunkenness and hopeless empty existence, gave way to revolutionary heroes in his stories. In this spirit, a collection of short stories “Lost Lights” was created.
Alexander Serafimovich devoted more than half a century to literary activity. During World War II, he became a war correspondent, but did not stop writing stories and essays. The main work of Serafimovich is the story "Iron Stream". In this work, the writer reflected the events of the Civil War.
Memory
Alexander Serafimovich was awarded many awards. Streets in Moscow, Kazan and Minsk are named after him. In the Volgograd region, in honor of the writer, a city is named in which a literary museum was opened after his death. In the village of Ust-Medveditskaya in the eighties, a house museum was opened. And in Volgograd itself a monument was erected to Serafimovich.
The writer passed away in 1949 in Moscow. He was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery.