Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky. Born March 31 (April 12), 1823 - died June 2 (14), 1886. Russian playwright, whose work has become milestone Russian national theater. Corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.
Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky was born on March 31 (April 12), 1823 in Moscow on Malaya Ordynka.
His father, Nikolai Fedorovich, was the son of a priest, he himself graduated from the Kostroma Seminary, then the Moscow Theological Academy, but began to practice as a court lawyer, dealing with property and commercial matters. He rose to the rank of collegiate assessor, and in 1839 received the nobility.
Mother, Lyubov Ivanovna Savvina, the daughter of a sexton and a prosvir, died when Alexander was not yet nine years old. There were four children in the family (four more died in infancy).
Thanks to the position of Nikolai Fedorovich, the family lived in abundance, was given great attention education of children who received home education. Five years after the death of his mother, his father married Baroness Emilia Andreevna von Tessin, the daughter of a Swedish nobleman. The children were lucky with their stepmother: she surrounded them with care and continued to teach them.
Ostrovsky's childhood and part of his youth were spent in the center of Zamoskvorechye. Thanks to his father's large library, he became acquainted early with Russian literature and felt an inclination towards writing, but his father wanted to make him a lawyer.
In 1835, Ostrovsky entered the third grade of the 1st Moscow Provincial Gymnasium, after which in 1840 he became a student at the law faculty of Moscow University. He failed to complete the university course: without passing the exam in Roman law, Ostrovsky wrote a letter of resignation (he studied until 1843). At the request of his father, Ostrovsky entered the service of a clerk in the Constituent Court and served in the Moscow courts until 1850; his first salary was 4 rubles a month, after a while it increased to 16 rubles (transferred to the Commercial Court in 1845).
By 1846, Ostrovsky had already written many scenes from merchant life and the comedy "Insolvent Debtor" was conceived (later - "Own people - let's settle!"). The first publication was a short play "The Picture family life”and the essay“ Notes of a Zamoskvoretsky Resident ”- they were printed in one of the issues of the“ Moscow City List ”in 1847. Professor of Moscow University S.P. Shevyrev, after Ostrovsky read the play at his home on February 14, 1847, solemnly congratulated the audience on "the appearance of a new dramatic luminary in Russian literature."
Literary fame Ostrovsky brought comedy "Own people - let's count!" (original title- “Insolvent debtor”), published in 1850 in the journal of the university professor M.P. Pogodin “Moskvityanin”. Under the text was: "A. O." and "D. G.", that is, Dmitry Gorev-Tarasenkov, provincial actor who offered Ostrovsky cooperation. This cooperation did not go beyond one scene, and subsequently served as a source of great trouble for Ostrovsky, since it gave his detractors a reason to accuse him of plagiarism (1856). However, the play evoked favorable responses from H. V. Gogol and I. A. Goncharov.
Influential Moscow merchants, offended by his class, complained to the "bosses"; as a result, the comedy was banned from staging, and the author was dismissed from service and placed under police supervision on the personal order of Nicholas I. Supervision was removed after the accession of Alexander II, and the play was allowed to be staged only in 1861.
Ostrovsky's first play, which was able to get on the stage, was "Do not get into your sleigh"(written in 1852 and staged for the first time in Moscow on stage Bolshoi Theater January 14, 1853).
Since 1853, for more than 30 years, new plays by Ostrovsky appeared almost every season in the Moscow Maly and St. Alexandrinsky theaters. Since 1856, Ostrovsky became a permanent contributor to the Sovremennik magazine. In the same year, in accordance with the wishes of the Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich, a business trip of outstanding writers took place to study and describe various areas of Russia in industrial and domestic terms. Ostrovsky took upon himself the study of the Volga from the headwaters to Nizhny Novgorod.
In 1859, with the assistance of Count G. A. Kushelev-Bezborodko, the first collected works of Ostrovsky were published in two volumes. Thanks to this edition, Ostrovsky received a brilliant assessment from N. A. Dobrolyubov, which secured him the fame of a painter " dark kingdom". In 1860, the Thunderstorm appeared in print, to which he dedicated the article “A Ray of Light in a Dark Kingdom”.
From the second half of the 1860s, Ostrovsky took up the history of the Time of Troubles and entered into correspondence with Kostomarov. The fruit of the work were five " historical chronicles in verse": "Kuzma Zakharyich Minin-Sukhoruk", "Vasilisa Melentyeva", "Dmitry the Pretender and Vasily Shuisky", etc.
In 1863, Ostrovsky was awarded the Uvarov Prize (for the play "Thunderstorm") and was elected a corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. In 1866 (according to other sources - in 1865), Ostrovsky founded the Artistic Circle, which later gave the Moscow stage many talented figures.
Ostrovsky's house was visited by I. A. Goncharov, D. V. Grigorovich, I. S. Turgenev, A. F. Pisemsky, F. M. Dostoevsky, I. E. Turchaninov, P. M. Sadovsky, L. P. Kositskaya-Nikulina, M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, L. N. Tolstoy, P. I. Tchaikovsky, M. N. Ermolova, G. N. Fedotova.
In 1874, the Society of Russian Dramatic Writers was formed and opera composers, whose permanent chairman Ostrovsky remained until his death. Working in the commission "for the revision of legal provisions in all parts of the theater management", established in 1881 under the directorate of the Imperial Theaters, he achieved many changes that significantly improved the position of artists.
In 1885, Ostrovsky was appointed head of the repertoire of Moscow theaters and head of the theater school.
Despite the fact that his plays made good collections and that in 1883 the emperor Alexander III granted him an annual pension of 3 thousand rubles, money problems did not leave Ostrovsky until last days his life. Health did not meet the plans that he set for himself. Hard work exhausted the body.
On June 2 (14), 1886, on Spirits Day, Ostrovsky died in his Kostroma estate Shchelykovo. His last work was the translation of "Antony and Cleopatra" by W. Shakespeare - Alexander Nikolayevich's favorite playwright. The writer was buried next to his father at the church cemetery near the Temple in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the village of Nikolo-Berezhki, Kostroma province. For the burial, Alexander III granted 3,000 rubles from the sums of the cabinet; widow, inseparably with 2 children, was assigned a pension of 3,000 rubles, and for education three sons and daughters - 2400 rubles a year. Subsequently, the widow of the writer M.V. Ostrovskaya, an actress of the Maly Theater, and the daughter of M.A. Shatelen were in the family necropolis.
After the death of the playwright, the Moscow Duma set up a reading room named after A. N. Ostrovsky in Moscow.
Family and personal life of Alexander Ostrovsky:
Younger brother - statesman M. N. Ostrovsky.
Alexander Nikolaevich had a deep passion for the actress L. Kositskaya, but both of them had a family.
However, even after becoming a widow in 1862, Kositskaya continued to reject Ostrovsky's feelings, and soon she began a close relationship with the son of a wealthy merchant, who eventually squandered her entire fortune. She wrote to Ostrovsky: "I do not want to take away your love from anyone."
The playwright lived in cohabitation with the commoner Agafya Ivanovna, but all their children died in early age. Uneducated, but a smart woman, with a subtle, easily vulnerable soul, she understood the playwright and was the very first reader and critic of his works. Ostrovsky lived with Agafya Ivanovna for about twenty years, and two years after her death, in 1869, he married actress Maria Vasilyevna Bakhmetyeva, who bore him four sons and two daughters.
Plays by Alexander Ostrovsky:
"Family Picture" (1847)
"Own people - let's count" (1849)
"An Unexpected Case" (1850)
"Morning young man» (1850)
"Poor Bride" (1851)
"Do not get into your sleigh" (1852)
"Poverty is no vice" (1853)
"Do not live as you like" (1854)
Hangover in someone else's feast (1856)
"Profitable Place" (1856)
"Festive Sleep Before Dinner" (1857)
"They didn't get along" (1858)
"Pupil" (1859)
"Thunderstorm" (1859)
"An old friend is better than two new ones" (1860)
“Your own dogs squabble, don’t pester someone else’s” (1861)
"The Marriage of Balzaminov" (1861)
"Kozma Zakharyich Minin-Sukhoruk" (1861, 2nd edition 1866)
"Hard Days" (1863)
"Sin and trouble does not live on anyone" (1863)
Voevoda (1864; 2nd edition 1885)
"Joker" (1864)
"In a Busy Place" (1865)
"Abyss" (1866)
"Dmitry the Pretender and Vasily Shuisky" (1866)
"Tushino" (1866)
"Vasilisa Melentyeva" (co-authored with S. A. Gedeonov) (1867)
"Sufficient Simplicity for Every Wise Man" (1868)
"Hot Heart" (1869)
"Mad Money" (1870)
"Forest" (1870)
"Not everything is Shrovetide for the cat" (1871)
"There was not a penny, but suddenly Altyn" (1872)
"Comedian XVII century» (1873)
"Snow Maiden" (1873)
"Late Love" (1874)
"Labor Bread" (1874)
"Wolves and Sheep" (1875)
"Rich Brides" (1876)
"Truth is good, but happiness is better" (1877)
"The Marriage of Belugin" (1877)
"Last Victim" (1878)
"Dowry" (1878)
"Good gentleman" (1879)
"Wild Woman" (1879), together with Nikolai Solovyov
"Heart is not a stone" (1880)
"Slaves" (1881)
"Shines, but does not warm" (1881), together with Nikolai Solovyov
"Guilty Without Guilt" (1881-1883)
"Talents and Admirers" (1882)
"Handsome Man" (1883)
"Not of this world" (1885)
A.N. Ostrovsky is one of the most popular playwrights in Russia, and it is worth considering some Interesting Facts from the life of Ostrovsky. He was the founder of the Russian theater school, as well as a teacher of the widely known Stanislavsky and Bulgakov. Ostrovsky's life is as interesting as his work.
- The playwright was born on April 12, 1823 in Moscow, in a family of clergymen and studied at home. Mother died when the future pioneer Russian theater was seven years old and his father married Baroness Emilia von Tessin. The stepmother took an active part in the upbringing and education of the future writer with his brothers.
- Ostrovsky was a polyglot, and with early years knew many foreign languages, including: French, Greek and German languages. He later learned more Spanish, Italian and English. Throughout his life he made translations of his plays. foreign languages, honing the skill of owning them.
- Ostrovsky entered the university, but was forced to drop out due to conflicts with one of the teachers.
- After leaving school, Alexander got a job at the Moscow Court as a scribe, where they sorted out litigation between relatives.
- In 1845, the future playwright went to work in the office of the commercial court.. This stage of his career gave Ostrovsky many vivid impressions that were useful to him in the future for his works.
- The released comedy “Own people - let's settle!” gave the playwright recognition and popularity. But along with a huge success, this play almost became the last in the writer's work. She angered the bureaucrats she denounced. Alexander Nikolaevich was removed from service and taken under close police surveillance.
- An unenviable fate could also expect the play "Thunderstorm". This work could not have been born at all, if not for the intervention of the Empress, who liked it. Dobrolyubov called this play "A ray of light in a dark kingdom."
- Despite the fact that Ostrovsky was from the upper class, he knew the customs of the common people very well.. This is the merit of his wife, who was a commoner. This union was not approved by the parents of Alexander Nikolaevich, and opposed his marriage with a representative of the lower class. Therefore, he lived for 20 years in an unofficial marriage with his first wife. They had five children, but they all died early. The second marriage was with actress Maria Bakhmetyeva, with whom they had 2 daughters and 4 sons.
- In 1856, he worked in the Sovremennik magazine, and went on an expedition along the upper reaches of the Volga, where he did research. The materials on language and customs collected during the expedition will be very useful to the playwright later on in order to make his works more realistic.
- Many do not realize that the opera P.I. Tchaikovsky's "The Snow Maiden" joint work eminent composer and great playwright. The opera was based on folk tales and legends.
- As the founder of the Russian theater, Ostrovsky played big role in the career of Stanislavsky. We can say that Alexander Nikolayevich was a pioneer of the Russian acting skills. He created a school in which he taught actors expressive and emotional acting without losing authenticity. This approach has gained immense popularity. But there were also clear opponents of this technique. Shchepkin, a well-known actor at that time, openly criticized this method of acting and left the rehearsal of the play The Thunderstorm.
- Even by modern standards, it should be recognized that Ostrovsky was a genius. Polyglot, outstanding playwright, founder of the Russian theatrical art. An outstanding, educated and inquisitive person.
- After years hard work, the writer's health deteriorated, and on June 14, 1886, Alexander Nikolaevich passed away and was buried in the Kostroma region.
- For 40 years spent in art, he had a strong influence on a whole layer of Russian theater.. For his achievements in art he was awarded the Uvarov Prize. At that time, he was a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg, led the Artistic Circle, where he helped future talents grow.
- Ostrovsky wrote that the audience comes to watch the acting, not the play..
Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky - Russian playwright and a writer on whose works the classical repertoire of Russian theaters is built. His life is full interesting events, a literary heritage numbered in dozens of plays.
Childhood and youth
Alexander Ostrovsky was born in the spring of 1823 in Zamoskvorechye, in merchant's house on Malaya Ordynka. In this area the playwright spent his early years, and the house where he was born exists to this day. Ostrovsky's father was the son of a priest. After graduating from the theological academy, the young man decided to devote himself to a secular profession and went to the judiciary.
Mother Lyubov Ostrovskaya died when her son was 8 years old. 5 years after the death of his wife, Ostrovsky Sr. married again. Unlike the first marriage with a girl from the world of the clergy, this time the father turned his attention to a woman from the nobility.
The career of Nikolai Ostrovsky went uphill, he received the title of nobility, devoted himself to private practice and lived on income from providing services to wealthy merchants. His property included several estates, and by the end labor activity he moved to the Kostroma province, to the village of Shchelykovo, where he became a landowner.
The son entered the First Moscow Gymnasium in 1835 and graduated in 1840. Already in his youth, the boy was fond of literature and theatrical business. Indulging his father, he entered Moscow University for Faculty of Law. During the years of study there, Ostrovsky spent all free time at the Maly Theater, where actors Pavel Mochalov and Mikhail Shchepkin shone. The young man's passion made him leave the institute in 1843.
The father hoped that this was a whim, and tried to attach his son to a profitable position. Alexander Nikolaevich had to go to work as a clerk in the Moscow Conscientious Court, and in 1845 in the office of the Moscow Commercial Court. In the latter, he became an official who received petitioners orally. The playwright often used this experience in his work, recalling many interesting cases heard by him during the practice.
Literature
Ostrovsky became interested in literature in his youth, reading the works and. To some extent, the young man imitated his idols in the first works. In 1847, the writer made his debut in the Moscow City Leaflet newspaper. The publishing house published two scenes from the comedy "Insolvent Debtor". This is the first version of the play known to readers, "Our people - we will settle down."
In 1849, the author completed work on it. The characteristic manner of the writer can be seen in his very first work. He describes national themes through the prism of family conflict. The characters in Ostrovsky's plays have colorful and recognizable personalities.
The language of the works is light and simple, and the finale is marked by a moral background. After the play was published in the Moskvityanin magazine, Ostrovsky was a success, although the censorship committee forbade the production and re-publication of the work.
Ostrovsky was included in the list of "unreliable" authors, which made his position disadvantageous. The situation was complicated by the playwright's marriage to a bourgeois, who was not blessed by his father. Ostrovsky Sr. refused to finance his son, and young people were in need. Even complex financial situation did not prevent the writer from refusing to serve and from 1851 to devote himself entirely to literature.
The plays “Do not sit in your sleigh” and “Poverty is not a vice” were allowed to be staged on the stage. With their creation, Ostrovsky made a revolution in the theater. The audience went to look at simple life, and this, in turn, required a different actor's approach to the embodiment of images. Declamation and frank theatricality had to be replaced by the naturalness of existence in the proposed circumstances.
Since 1850, Ostrovsky became a member of the "young editorial board" of the Moskvityanin magazine, but material problem it didn't fix it. The editor was stingy with paying for the large amount of work that the author did. From 1855 to 1860 Ostrovsky was inspired by revolutionary ideas that influenced his outlook. He became close with and became an employee of the Sovremennik magazine.
In 1856 he participated in a literary and ethnographic journey from the Naval Ministry. Ostrovsky visited the upper reaches of the Volga and used memories and impressions in his work.
Alexander Ostrovsky in old age 1862 was marked by a trip to Europe. The writer visited England, France, Germany, Italy, Austria and Hungary. In 1865, he was among the founders and leaders of the artistic circle, from which talented Russian artists: Sadovsky, Strepetova, Pisareva and others. In 1870, Ostrovsky organized the Society of Russian Dramatic Writers and was its chairman from 1874 until the last days of his life.
Throughout his life, the playwright created 54 plays, translated works foreign classics: Goldoni, Cervantes, . To popular works The author includes "Snow Maiden", "Thunderstorm", "Dowry", "The Marriage of Balzaminov", "Guilty Without Guilt" and other plays. The biography of the writer was closely connected with literature, theater and love for the motherland.
Personal life
Creativity Ostrovsky was no less interesting than his personal life. He was in a civil marriage with his wife for 20 years. They met in 1847. Agafya Ivanovna, together with her young sister, settled near the writer's house. The lonely girl became the chosen one of the playwright. Nobody knew how they met.
Ostrovsky's father was against this connection. After his departure to Shchelykovo, young people began to live together. civil wife was next to Ostrovsky, no matter what drama took place in his life. Need and deprivation did not extinguish their feelings.
Mind and cordiality Ostrovsky and his friends especially appreciated in Agafya Ivanovna. She was famous for her hospitality and understanding. Her husband often turned to her for advice, working on new play.
Their marriage did not become legal even after the death of the writer's father. The children of Alexander Ostrovsky were illegitimate. The younger ones died in childhood. The eldest son Alexei survived.
Ostrovsky turned out to be an unfaithful husband. He had an affair with actress Lyubov Kositskaya-Nikulina, who played a role in premiere performance Thunderstorm in 1859. The actress preferred a rich merchant to the writer.
The next lover was Maria Bakhmeteva. Agafya Ivanovna knew about the betrayals, but did not lose her pride and endured family drama steadfastly. She died in 1867. The location of the woman's grave is unknown.
After the death of his wife, Ostrovsky lived alone for two years. His beloved Maria Vasilyevna Bakhmetyeva became the first official wife playwright. The woman bore him two daughters and four sons. The marriage with the actress was happy. Ostrovsky lived with her until the end of his life.
Death
Ostrovsky's health was depleted in proportion to the load that the writer took on. He led a stormy public and creative activity but was always in debt. Performances of plays brought considerable fees. Ostrovsky also had a pension of 3,000 rubles, but these funds were always insufficient.
The poor financial situation could not but affect the author's well-being. He was in the worries and troubles that affected the work of the heart. Active and lively, Ostrovsky was in a string of new plans and ideas that needed to be implemented as soon as possible.
Many creative ideas were not realized due to the deterioration of the writer's health. On June 2, 1886, he died at the Shchelykovo estate in Kostroma. The cause of death is believed to be angina pectoris. The funeral of the playwright took place near family nest, in the village of Nikolo-Berezhki. The grave of the writer is located in the cemetery of the church.
The funeral of the writer was organized by a donation ordered by the emperor. He gave the relatives of the deceased 3,000 rubles and assigned the same pension to Ostrovsky's widow. The state allocated 2,400 rubles annually for the upbringing of the writer's children.
Monument to Alexander Ostrovsky in the Shchelykovo estate The works of Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky were repeatedly reprinted. He became an iconic figure for classical Russian drama and theatre. His plays are still staged on the stages of Russian and foreign theaters. The work of the playwright contributed to the development literary genre, directing and acting.
The books that contain Ostrovsky's plays are sold in large numbers several decades after his death, and the works are sorted into quotations and aphorisms. Photos of Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky are published on the Internet.
Bibliography
- 1846 - "Family Picture"
- 1847 - "Our people - let's count"
- 1851 - "The Poor Bride"
- 1856 - "Profitable place"
- 1859 - "Thunderstorm"
- 1864 - "Jokers"
- 1861 - Balzaminov's Marriage
- 1865 - "In a lively place"
- 1868 - "Hot Heart"
- 1868 - "There is enough simplicity for every wise man"
- 1870 - "Forest"
- 1873 - "Snow Maiden"
- 1873 - "Late love"
- 1875 - "Wolves and Sheep"
- 1877 - "The Last Victim"
Quotes
Alien soul - darkness.
There is nothing worse than this shame, when you have to be ashamed of others.
Why, jealous people get jealous for no reason.
As long as you don’t know a person, you believe him, but as you find out about his deeds, the price is according to his deeds.
Above stupid people no need to laugh, you need to be able to use their weaknesses.
Date of birth: April 12, 1823
Date of death: June 14, 1886
Place of birth: Moscow
Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky- famous Russian playwright, Ostrovsky A.N. - public figure, was born April 12, 1823. His father was an ordinary judicial officer in Moscow and lived in Zamoskvorechye. He was an enlightened man, he graduated from the seminary of Moscow and the seminary of Kostroma, but his career as a priest did not go uphill and he worked as a court lawyer, in charge of commercial and property matters.
Alexandra's mother came from poor family died when he was only 7 years old. In addition to Alexander, the family had three more children. After the death of his mother, his father remarried Baroness Emilia Andreevna von Tessin, who took care of the upbringing and education of the children.
In 1835, Alexander entered the Moscow gymnasium, and in 1840 he entered the department of jurisprudence at the University of Moscow. He immediately showed great interest not only in domestic literature but also to the theatre.
He was a regular at the Petrovsky and Maly theatres. His education was interrupted by a quarrel with a teacher, after which Alexander left the university for own will. He got a job as a scribe in a Moscow court. His activities concerned property litigation between children and parents.
In 1845 he moved to the commercial court, where he continued to work in the office. For a long time he collected information for his subsequent literary activity. Around the same time, he wrote the comedy "Own people - let's settle!", Which was staged and immediately received success.
This success became the impetus for Ostrovsky to devote himself to drama and literature. His first publication was several scenes from the comedy "Waiting for the Groom" ("Insolvent Debtor"), which appeared on the pages of the "Moscow City List" in 1847. These scenes became the basis for the comedy "Own People - Let's Settle!". Many researchers believe that his first dramatic creations were written in the period from 43 to 47 years of the nineteenth century, but the drafts were not preserved, and they did not get into print.
Comedy "Own people - let's settle!" It was an undeniable success. Society and independent critics reacted to it with great warmth, but at the same time, the oppositional nature and outright satire caused persecution by the authorities. This play was forbidden to be performed on the stage of all theaters, and the playwright himself was under the supervision of censors and the police for five whole years. This play was republished in 1859, but after significant alterations, including a completely different ending.
Ostrovsky in 1850 joined the circle of writers of the magazine "Moskvityanin" and received the unspoken title "singer untouched by falsity of civilization." In the same year, the Moskvityanin published the first edition of the comedy "Own people - let's settle!" It is noteworthy that the draft of this work was named "Bankrupt". Since 1853, his plays have been staged on various theatrical stages.
In 1856, the Sovremennik magazine included him among its regular contributors. Together with his colleagues in the magazine in the same year, he went on an ethnographic expedition organized by the Naval Ministry. The main task of this expedition was to describe the peoples of Russia who lived on the shores of the seas and rivers of the European part of Russia.
Ostrovsky himself studied the life of the upper reaches of the Volga. At this time, he wrote an extensive research article "Journey along the Volga from its sources to Nizhny Novgorod", which reflected the main ethnic features of the inhabitants of these places, their way of life and work. The playwright collected a huge amount of information, which later became an important part of his literary work. In 1860, the most famous play master "Thunderstorm", about whose heroine Dobrolyubov wrote "Ray of Light in dark kingdom". This play was completed in October 1859, but for a long time passed censorship supervision. The action of this play takes place on the banks of the Volga.
Ostrovsky was married twice. His first wife was Agafya Ivanovna, a trick from the common people, history has not preserved her last name. Ostrovsky lived with her in a civil marriage for twenty years. Unfortunately, the children from the first marriage died when they were children. He married a second time to Maria Vasilyevna Bakhmetyeva two years after the death of his first wife. The second marriage was official, he married Bakhmetyeva. He had six children from his second marriage - four sons and two daughters.
On June 14, 1886, Ostrovsky died and was buried in the village of Nikolo-Berezhki. Despite early persecution by the authorities, his influence on the development of the Russian theater can hardly be overestimated. His dramatic talent was appreciated during his lifetime. In 1863 he received the Uvarov Prize and also became a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences.
In 1865, under the leadership of Ostrovsky, an artistic circle was created, which produced many talented theater actors. In 1870, he created the Society of Russian Dramatic Writers, in which he himself presided until his death.
Important milestones life of Alexander Ostrovsky:
Born 12 April 1823
- Began studying at the Moscow gymnasium in 1835
- Publication of scenes from the comedy "Insolvent Debtor" in 1847
- Started working with the magazine "Moskvityanin" and published the comedy "Own people - let's settle!" in 1850
- Began cooperation with the Sovremennik magazine and went on an ethnographic expedition in 1856
- Publication of the play "Thunderstorm" in 1860
- European travel in 1862
- Receiving the Uvarov Prize and membership in the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences in 1863
- Creation of the Artistic Circle in 1865
- Foundation of the Society of Russian Dramatic Writers in 1874
- Work in the commission for the revision of the laws on the imperial theaters in 1881-1884
Interesting facts from the biography of Alexander Ostrovsky:
The theater school founded by Ostrovsky developed further under the leadership of Bulgakov and Stanislavsky
- His conceptual view of theatrical production consisted in building a theater on various conventions, using the wealth of the Russian language, correct use native speech on stage and a deep analysis of the psychology of the characters
- Ostrovsky was deeply convinced that acting is the most important part of the theater, because the play can be read
- Some actors and theater directors were against Ostrovsky's innovations, Ostrovsky's contemporary actor M.S. Shchepkin left dress rehearsal thunderstorm, which took place under the direction of the playwright.
The name of the famous playwright A. N. Ostrovsky is known throughout the world, and his plays are still staged on the stage of the most the best theaters. To understand the work of this writer, it is necessary to at least briefly get acquainted with the biography of Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky.
In April 1823, in Moscow, in one of the families where the head of the family was a simple court official, a boy was born. The family was not very rich, but there were enough funds to give Sashenka a good home education. When Alexander was twelve years old, his parents decided to send the boy to study at the gymnasium. He graduated from the first Moscow gymnasium only in 1840 and immediately entered, at the request of his parents, the Faculty of Law at Moscow University. But he could not finish it, because after three years he realizes that he is not at all interested in jurisprudence. Alexander Nikolaevich understands what to write, to do literary creativity He likes it much more than any other activities.
But the father of the young man could not accept such a decision of his son, so he insisted that the young man enter the service. So completely still young Alexander Nikolayevich finds himself in the service of the court of the city of Moscow. But the court had a conscientious name, so the young writer Alexander sees many stories that provide living material for his plays. But Ostrovsky did not really like this place, and already in 1845 he moved to the office, located at the commercial court of the city of Moscow. For eight years he watched how people ruin themselves and their neighbors, and then carefully described all this in his plays.
In 1849, in one of the magazines, his play "Our people - we will settle" was published. And at the same time, he was invited to become an employee of this very magazine. Alexander Nikolaevich quits his judicial service and happily moves to a new job.
For my creative life Alexander Nikolaevich created a large number of works. So, there are about 50 thousand of his plays alone, intended for staging on stage. But he not only wrote plays, but also translated into Russian the works of famous playwrights from other countries.
In 1870, it was Ostrovsky who was able to open in Moscow and became the leader of the circle, which he himself created. His artistic circle was very popular. Alexander Nikolaevich suggested creating the so-called Society, which would include Russian playwrights. He himself for a long time, almost until his death, was his permanent leader.
In June 1886, the health of Alexander Nikolaevich began to deteriorate, and he died on his estate in the Tomsk province.
