Bestuzhev-Marlinsky is one of the most prominent representatives of the romantic trend in Russian literature. His novels, poems, and also critical articles were very popular at the time, and each output of his work was an event in the literary life of our country. He is also known as a participant in the Decembrist uprising and as a friend of Pushkin.
Some facts of life
Bestuzhev-Marlinsky, whose biography is of interest to us, was born in 1797 in an impoverished but noble noble family. His father was also associated with literature, took part in publishing, his mother came from the middle class. Their son studied in the Mountain Cadet Corps, but, without completing the course of study, he entered the service. He was an adjutant under the control of the means of communication, then he entered the military service. His regiment stood near Peterhof in the town of Marly (by the name of which he subsequently took a pseudonym for himself). The beginning of his literary activity dates back to the same time.
First work
Bestuzhev-Marlinsky was an adherent of the romantic trend, the features of which were manifested in his early compositions “Roman and Olga”, “Revel Tournament” and others. He actively collaborated with leading magazines of that time, and later, together with another poet Ryleev, he published his own almanac "Polar Star", on the pages of which he posted his critical articles devoted to thoughts about contemporary literature and works of the past. Every time his thoughts and ideas provoked a lively polemic in literary circles, since in those years there were discussions about the direction in which Russian poetry and prose should develop.
Literary Views
Bestuzhev-Marlinsky sharply opposed classicism, arguing that this direction was already outdated. At the same time, he advocated the affirmation of romanticism in literature. The writer was a fan of poets such as Shakespeare, Schiller, and especially Byron. He argued that the principles put forward by these authors should become the basis for the development of domestic literature. The poet himself preferred to portray people with strong, extraordinary characters, with strong passions, rebels by nature. In those years, this was a really new word in literature and criticism. The well-known publicist Belinsky praised the author’s articles very highly.
Participation in the Decembrist movement
Bestuzhev-Marlinsky was a member of the Free Society of Lovers of Russian Literature, where he was a permanent member. At the same time, he was a member of the Decembrist society and even took part in events on Senate Square. He himself brought the soldiers of the Moscow regiment, but after the defeat of the speech voluntarily surrendered to the authorities. For participating in the movement, he was demoted and sentenced to twenty years of hard labor, replaced by exile in Siberia. He was sent to Yakutsk, where he began to study the life and culture of local peoples. Subsequently, on the basis of his observations, he wrote a number of articles about life in this region.
In the Caucasus
Alexander Bestuzhev-Marlinsky after a while was transferred to military service with the right of service. He went to serve in the Caucasus, where he participated in battles with the highlanders, showing courage and fearlessness, for which he was awarded. This period is significant in the history of his work in that it was here that he created his most famous works.
He created Bestuzhev-Marlinsky novels, which became a significant phenomenon in the history of Russian literature of the Romantic period. The most striking compositions include “Lieutenant Belozor”, “Ammalat-bek” and others. Their features are that in them the writer deduced a completely new type of hero: an extraordinary person, with strong feelings and temperament. His characters bear the imprint of Byron romanticism. With this they attracted contemporaries, so that each new story of the author was expected with impatience. Bestuzhev died in the battle in 1837, his body was never found.
Story
Bestuzhev-Marlinsky, whose summary of the stories has a clear imprint of romanticism, drew attention to the image of strong personalities and unusual adventures. Such, for example, is his story, “Neuhausen Castle”, which is dedicated to describing the friendship of two opponents: a knight and a Novgorod centurion, who, being enemies on the battlefield, still respected each other. This technique was generally characteristic of romantic works. Based on the motives of this work, a film was shot in Soviet times, which suggests that the writer's works are still popular.
Friendship with Pushkin
The work of Bestuzhev-Marlinsky should be seen in the context of an era when the influences of romanticism penetrated into our country from Western European countries. On this basis, the writer made friends with Pushkin, who in the early period of his work also paid tribute to this direction. That is why the writer eagerly published romantic poems by Alexander Sergeyevich in his almanac, as well as excerpts from his poems "Prisoner of the Caucasus", "Gypsies". Bestuzhev valued the last work especially highly. However, very soon Pushkin began to create realistic works that met the needs of educated circles and the reading public. Bestuzhev remained a follower of romanticism. However, both poets remained friendly. They regularly exchanged letters. It is known that Pushkin very much appreciated the story of Marlinsky, some of them even had a certain influence on him (for example, the story "Blizzard").
The value of creativity
Bestuzhev's works had a great influence on contemporary literature. At this time, there was a transition from classicism to romanticism. Therefore, educated circles of that time showed a genuine interest in his work. According to the memoirs of a contemporary, Marlinsky’s novels opened a new stage in the development of Russian literature. But very soon, works of a realistic nature began to appear. This is, first of all, the tales of Pushkin and Gogol, who refused romanticism and switched to a realistic depiction of life.
Their works marked a new trend in prose, when writers began to describe life as it is. Against the background of these works, the works of Bestuzhev-Marlinsky were lost and after some time were forgotten. Nevertheless, his work became a noticeable phenomenon in Russian literature. His works influenced Lermontov’s work (the novel “Hero of Our Time”, and especially the writer’s dramas).