Levitov Alexander

Born June 20, 1835, Mr.. in the shopping village, Good, Lebedyanskiy County Tambov province, in the family of a deacon. The clerk kept the inn, opened in his school; Levitov already eight years was the "apprentice" from his father and led the whole class. Small family worked very hard, lived comfortably and harmoniously, and, in general, childhood Levitov passed freely, has left an indelible imprint on his soft, poetic and a little exalted nature. The best pages of his dissonant, but often full of true poetry works - those in which he turns his thoughts to the golden pore of his childhood memories of the boundless expanse native steppe. The boy used every spare moment to escape into the surrounding steppe Good. The feeling of nature was extremely advanced in Levitov, he watchful eye of a true artist's eye for detail in her most fleeting shades and was able to send their bright and charmingly. His description pridonskih steppes belong to the best examples of Russian landscape. Studied Levitov in Lebedyanskij Tambov clerical school and seminary, and was one of the first. By the end of teaching seminary superiors, . always dislikes Levitov for "writing" passion and secular books, . become particularly haunt him and subjected him to one day before the transition to the upper class, . corporal punishment, . therefore, he suffered from nervous fever and threw seminary,
. With a few rubles in his pocket he walk dobrel to Moscow, then moved to St. Petersburg and entered (1855), in Medico-Surgical Academy. His father soon remarried and divorced with children, a brother and sister Levitov were forced to strangers, and tolerate all sorts of adversity. Passionately attached to his family, . especially to my sister, . Levitov suffered deeply, . partly because, . I considered myself to blame for the defeat of family, . and even more because, . that over him by at the same time broke the misfortune, . deprives him or something close to ease grief,
. A year after the entry into the academy, because of some history, found himself in Shenkursky Levitov, with the obligation to service a scholarship as a paramedic, received, being in the academy. That this was a story about which Levitov never said nothing, even the most intimate friends - remained unknown, but there is little doubt that there was nothing political. Two years in exile had a disastrous impact on the entire course of life Levitov. In the complete absence of any intellectual society was, and on their disadvantaged position, Levitov involuntarily started to meet people, all the entertainment which consisted of desperate drinking parties and card-playing. It developed in him made by the seminary has a habit of guilt, made life Levitov true martyr in the struggle against an implacable disease. In his desperation Levitov turned even the assistance of traditional healers, who treated of the binge, and at the time as though received relief. But the months passed, another ailment has been renewed with irresistible force, and he again, by his own words, began "savagely guzzle vodka, going at the same time before the police picked him in the street in a state of delirium tremens. Unfortunate Levitov weakness was reflected in his work. A good half of his works devoted to "zapivoystvu, drunken game of imagination, drunken hallucinations and t. d. They sometimes make an impression as if nothing but reckless drinking and drunken debauchery, and not in Russian life. Tormented for two years in Shenkursky, then after spending a year in Vologda, the Levites received the freedom. The spring of 1859, Mr.. Almost penniless, he set sail, . to meet again with family, . but reached Lebedyan only six months, . because not only walked the entire distance of great, . but more on the way stopped in the villages and in some ruble hired to work for a week of putting in order of parish affairs management,
. In his miserable life begins now some light; beginning of the 60-ies is the happiest period of life Levitov. Settled in 1860. in Moscow, though in poverty at first, but thanks to good fortune, met with Apollon Grigoriev, who immediately appreciated the original talent Levitov and rubbed it as an editorial secretary best time of the Russian Messenger. Ragged and shabby slum resident rooms with Nebel "was suddenly transformed into a proletarian in a homeless man with bright hopes for the future. He met with many writers, he met a debutant warm and friendly: his essays appear one after another in the "Moscow Gazette", "Time", "Russian Speech", "Library for Reading", etc., they pay attention. Levitov cheer up, and even his appearance changed and he is a dandy, and if and drank, then moderately. But by the mid 60-ies Levitov finally turns into an incorrigible vagabond, . flailing in a desperate yearning, . eternally roving from St. Petersburg to Moscow and back, , . a tutor at one of Moscow hotels, . a railway, . but I could not survive more than one or two months, . because all power to the proper way of life in it completely disappeared, . under the influence of his terrible passion,
. Tangible his position all the time, was desperate, had to huddle with his girlfriend lives - a simple but devoted seamstress - in basements, attics, eat from hand to mouth, dressed in rags. Rare exception is short-lived lucid intervals, something like the end of 1871. and the beginning of 1872, when the Levites were the actual editor of an illustrated magazine "Glow". Especially painful were the last five years of life Levitov. Earnings were negligible, health completely broken down, literary position undermined eternal advances from the office, in payment of which the Levites gave some sketches and excerpts. In the last stages of consumption, he lived in an unheated room. To get out of some petty wording 5 rubles, he was in the December cold out of the house in a light summer coat and a cold hard. January 4, 1877, Mr.. Levites had died in the Moscow University Clinic. Artistic talent Levitov very much. Of all the writers of folk-above him in this respect is only one Gleb Uspensky. Levites - a wonderful storyteller. Out of nothing he created all his essays and short stories. In them there is no intrigue, no ties, no denouement, no general and the shadow of what is called a plot. The author seizes the reader's attention through his ability to communicate interest in every detail, which touches. His works represent a kind of "art for art", where what matters is not what the author says, but as. Another remarkable aspect of talent Levitov - its subtle humor, in connection with an unusually - an expressive and typical language. From unknown to him the depths of Russian life, he made a rich stock of original words and phrases, purely Russian, but sometimes pub wit. General style Levitov extremely bright and colorful. Internal quality talent Levitov also very remarkable. The main feature of all, without exception, his stories - a deep intimacy and gentle, poetic flavor. Lively sense of the need to distract from the prose of life Levites carried intact through all the ordeals. However bleak and hopeless, he may begin the story, but when he casually refer to something dear to him: childhood, nature, dying forces and t. n. - And he was converted: pessimism gives way to a soulful lyricism, breaking a child's pure and gentle soul. His talent was lacking one thing: Unity, cement binder. He did not create any type, or worldview, nor a complete picture of such a deep study of life. Certain features of individual provisions and sentiments in the works Levitov entire treasury, but the ensemble - no: number of excellent studies, but no pictures. Man definite views Levites had not been; strenuous efforts of some critics make it a people's grief grieved very few match the content of his works. The mere fact that a large part of their dedicated thieves, prostitutes, consolidated, bartender, and the like common people completely exclude the possibility of turning Levitov in the writer's biased-democratic. Nor can we reckon it to the writers, who idealize the people. In the vast majority of cases levitovsky "people" terrifies his deep moral degradation, and no sympathy does not excite. True, some of his stories was published under the title of bias: "Woe to the villages, roads and cities - but perhaps this title is not invented by the publisher for better marketing of the book: it does not correspond to the contents of the book. No decent sympathy, sorrow, not in this image beggars, pristanoderzhateley, parents, confounding their daughters, and other "carefree people" who "did not sow, no reap". The weak side of creativity Levitov explained by the fact that, coming from the people and spent her life with him, he, however, does not form any clear idea about the root outlines his spiritual physiognomy. I Levitov was not certain angle of view, the inner of planning, it works for some aimless, pointless, and therefore that left a lasting trace in the memory; get tiresome feeling kaleidoscopic flickering. Levitov first stories were collected in 1865. entitled "Steppe essays". They stand 3 editions, constantly updated and new essays, and from all works Levitov are most popular. K.T. Soldatenkova published "Collected Works Levitov, with a portrait of Levitov and thorough article Fd. Nefedov (Moscow, 1884). Later publication - editor. "North" (1905) and "Enlightenment" (St. Petersburg, 1911, with a foreword by. Izmailov). - Wed. п?.п?. Skabichevsky "folk-novelists" (St. Petersburg, 1888); PV. Zasodimsky "History of New Russian Literature" in "Russian Wealth" (1882); NN. Zlatovratski in "The initiative" (Moscow, 1895); Eichenwald "Silhouettes"; Vengerov "Sources". S. Vengerov.