Stendhal: biography and creativity. Interesting facts from life

F. Stendhal. A biography (briefly) of this person will be presented to your attention below.

General information

The French writer Henri Marie Bayle (real name) was born in Grenoble in the south of France in 1783. His family was wealthy, his father was a lawyer in the local parliament. Unfortunately, the boy lost his mother at the age of 7 and his father and aunt took up his upbringing. Mourning for dead wife was so strong that his father went headlong into religion, becoming an extremely pious man.

Henri's relationship with his father did not go well. And the maternal grandfather, a doctor and supporter of education, became a close person, instilled in the future writer a love of literature. Grandfather Henri Gagnon personally met with Voltaire. It was he who introduced the future writer to the works of Diderot, Voltaire, Helvinicius, laid the foundation for education, worldview and aversion to religion. The character of F. Stendhal was distinguished by sensuality and impulsiveness, narcissism and criticism, lack of discipline.

Education and military service

Henri received his primary education at the local Grenoble school, having studied there for only three years. He was interested in philosophy and logic, art history and mathematics. At the age of 16, the young man went to Paris to enter the Polytechnic School to become a military engineer or an artillery officer.

But the whirlwind of events taking place in the country changed his plans. After the events of the Revolution, he enrolls in Napoleon's army, in a dragoon regiment. Soon he leaves the service and is engaged in self-education in Paris. His focus is on literature, philosophy and English language. The future writer in the diaries of that time writes about his desire to become a playwright.

After a short service in Marseille, where he went after the actress with whom he fell in love, he enters the army as a military official.

Stendhal, whose biography is full of interesting facts, participated in Napoleon's military campaigns in Germany, Austria, Italy and Russia. On campaigns, he writes down his reflections on music and painting. As part of the Napoleonic army, he witnessed the Battle of Borodino and the fire in Moscow. Passed Orsha and Smolensk, was on Vyazma. The events of the military campaign in Russia struck him with patriotism and the greatness of the Russian people.

Trip to Italy

The defeat of Bonaparte and the restoration of the power of the Bourbons, to whom he had a negative attitude, forced Stendhal to resign and spend the next 7 years in Italian Milan. The writer falls in love with Italy, its language, opera, painting and women. Italy has become a second home for Stendhal, here he moves his heroes. He considered the temperament of the Italians natural, not like the French. In Milan, Stendhal met the poet Byron

Frederick Stendhal, whose biography was very sad, begins literary work in Italy and publishes the first books: The Lives of Haydn, Mozart and Metastasio (1815) and The History of Painting in Italy (1817).

In Italy, the Carbonari republican movement begins, which Stendhal supports and finances. But in 1820 his Carbonari friends were persecuted and he had to leave for France.

Life in Paris

Making a living writer Stendhal, whose biography was not very easy, became a job in newspapers and magazines.

But the authorities of Paris were already aware of his acquaintances. I had to print in English and French magazines without the signature of the author.

twenties XIX years in. marked by active creativity and publications.

The book "Treatise on Love", the pamphlets "Racine and Shakespeare", the first novel "Armans" and the short story "Vanina Vanini" are published. The publishers offer to publish a guide to Rome, so the book "Walks in Rome" appears.

Stendhal showed the world the novel "Red and Black" in 1830. The time of the novel coincides with the era of restoration in which the author lived. And Stendhal read the basis for the plot in the newspaper, in the column crime chronicle.

Despite the fruitful work, Stendhal's psychological and material condition leaves much to be desired. He does not have a stable income, he is haunted by thoughts of suicide. The writer writes several wills.

Diplomatic and creative work

Political changes in France in 1830 allow Stendhal to enter the public service. He was appointed ambassador to Italy, to Trieste, and later to Civita Vecchia. At the consular work, he will end his life.

Routine, monotonous work and living in a small port town brought boredom and loneliness to Frederick. To have fun, he began to travel around Italy, go to Rome.

Living in Italy, Frederik Stendhal continues his literary activity. In 1832-1834. "Memoirs of an Egoist" and the novel "Lucien Levene" were written. Autobiographical novel The Life of Henri Brulard is published in 1836.

Period 1836-1839 F. Stendhal spends in Paris, in long vacation. Here he writes Notes of a Tourist, published in Paris in 1838, and the last completed book, The Parma Convent.

The last years of life and creativity

Shortly before his death, the writer was able to return to Paris, having secured a vacation in the department. At this time, he was already seriously ill and weak, which he could hardly write, and therefore dictated his texts.

The gloomy mood did not leave F. Stendhal. He thinks about death and foresees that he might die in the street.

And so it happened. In March 1842, the writer was taking a walk when he was struck by an apoplexy. He fell in the middle of the street and died a few hours later.

Coffin with a body unrecognized genius only three of his friends came to see him off.

French newspapers reported only about the burial in Montmartre of "an unknown German poet."

Stendhal's tombstone, at his request as a sign of love for Italy, contains short inscription: "Henri Bayle. Milanese. Lived, wrote, loved.

Attitude towards religion and the formation of views

As a child, Stendhal was raised by the Jesuit Rayyan. After studying with him and reading the Bible, Henri hated the clergy and religion and remained an atheist for the rest of his life.

The morality of asceticism and humility is alien to him. According to the writer, hypocrisy has gripped French society. Nobody believes in dogma catholic church, but forced to take the guise of a believer. The complete mastery of the Church in the minds of the French is nothing but a manifestation of despotism.

The writer's father was a self-satisfied bourgeois, and Stendhal's world was formed on opposing views. The basis was a free person, with his own special feelings, character and dreams, not recognizing the established concepts of duty and decency.

The writer lived in an era of change, observed and participated himself. The idol of that generation was Napoleon Bonaparte. Thirst strong feelings and the energy of action constituted the atmosphere of the era. Stendhal admired the talent and courage of Napoleon, which influenced his worldview. Characters literary heroes Stendhal are depicted in accordance with the spirit of the era.

Love in the life of a writer

In Italy, on his first trip, Frederik Stendhal met his hopeless and tragic love- Matilda Visconti, wife of the Polish General Dembowski. She died early, but managed to leave a mark on his life and the memory that he carried through his whole life.

In his diary, Stendhal wrote that there were 12 names of women in his life that he would like to name.

Talent Recognition

“Literary fame is a lottery,” said the writer. The biography and work of Stendhal were not interesting to his contemporaries. Proper appreciation and understanding came 100 years later, in the 20th century. Yes, he himself noted that he writes for a small number of lucky people.

Against the background of the celebrity of Balzac in 1840, interesting biography Stendhal was not known, he was not on the list of French writers.

Diligent writers of that time, now safely forgotten, were published in tens of thousands of copies. "Treatise on Love" by F. Stendhal was sold only in 20 copies. On this occasion, the author joked, calling the book a "shrine", because few people dare to touch it. The landmark novel "Red and Black" was published only once. Critics found Stendhal's novels unworthy of attention, and the characters lifeless automata.

Apparently, the reason lies in the discrepancy between the existing stereotypes in literature and the genre of his work. Predilection for individuals with absolute authority like Napoleon was against the rules of the time.

The lack of recognition during his lifetime did not prevent F. Stendhal from becoming one of the greatest short story writers of his time.

Mine pseudonym Henri Bayle took the name of the city of Stendhal in Germany. The famous art critic Winckelmann, who lived in the 18th century, was born in this city, whose ideas influenced German romantics.

F. Stendhal called his profession: "Observation of the behavior of the human heart."

In January 1835 Stendhal was awarded the order Legion of Honor.

The title of the novel "Red and Black" is symbolic and controversial; discussions among scientists and literary critics do not stop. According to one version, red is the color of the revolutionary era in which the author fell to live, and black is a symbol of reaction. Others compare red and black with a chance that determines the fate of a person. And still others see in the combination of colors the problem of choosing the protagonist Julien. To be a soldier (red), as under the Empire, or a priest (black), which is more honorable during the Restoration. The union of red and black is not only a contrast, an opposite, but also a similarity, a mutual transition of one into another, a conflict and contiguity of life and death.

Evaluation of F. Stendhal's work

Frederick Stendhal himself, whose brief biography was told in the article, considered himself a romantic, in his works he put the inner world and the experiences of the characters in the first place. But the inner world was based on a clear analysis, understanding social life, realistic thinking.

In his attitude to life, which was reflected in his work, Stendhal checked all events and concepts personal experience, and experience grows out of our personal feelings and experiences. The only source of knowledge, he believed, are our feelings, therefore, there can be no morality not associated with it.

The driving force and powerful incentive for the behavior of heroes lies in the thirst for fame and condemned approval.

The creator of the realistic-psychological novel genre, Frederik Stendhal, used in his novels the theme of the opposition of young and old heroes, where youth and energy oppose stupidity and despotism. The main, beloved characters of his novels come into conflict with the society of the ruling bourgeoisie and the victorious “chistogan”. A rough social environment, full of rigid views and habits, hinders the development of independent thought and a free personality.

The writer is classified as an advanced and early practitioner of realism.

The work of F. Stendhal has two main thematic areas:

1. Italy and art books.
2. Description of French reality at the time he lived, after the French Revolution.

Frederik Stendhal is one of the most significant figures in world literature. He is not only the author of novels, biographies, aphorisms and cycle travel notes in Italy, dedicated to various areas of life, but also the founder of " psychological novels when realism began to address the state inner world ordinary person with their own problems.

Childhood and youth

Marie-Henri Bayle (this is the real name of the writer) was born on January 23, 1783 in the small town of Grenoble in southeastern France. His father, Sheruben Beyle, was a lawyer. Mother Henriette Bayle died when the boy was only 7 years old. The upbringing of the son fell on the shoulders of the father and aunt.

But they did not develop a warm trusting relationship. Mentor and educator of the future famous French writer became grandfather Henri Gagnon. Stendhal's quote about him:

“I was brought up entirely by my dear grandfather, Henri Gagnon. This rare person once made a pilgrimage to Ferney to see Voltaire, and was well received by him.

The boy came to the local central school with an extensive store of knowledge. The home education given by his grandfather was so good that Marie-Henri studied there for only 3 years. At school he great attention gave Latin, exact sciences and philosophy. In addition, he closely followed the Great French Revolution and fortification.

In 1799, Stendhal left school and went to Paris. His goal was originally to enter the Polytechnic School, but the ideas of the revolution did not leave his mind. Therefore, the young man goes to serve in the army, where he receives the rank of sub-lieutenant. After some time, thanks to family ties, the writer was transferred to Italy. From that time on, love for this country begins, which will sweep through his whole life and become one of the main themes of his work.

At one time, Marie-Henri visits Germany and Austria. Each trip was commemorated by taking notes detailing the arts, especially music, painting, and poetry. The third part of these notes was irretrievably lost while crossing the Berezina.

However, after some time, the situation changes dramatically. Stendhal was disappointed: Napoleon's policy in fact turned out to be completely different. So he decides to retire from the army and return to France. After that, the writer settled in Paris. He devotes his time to the study of philology (including English), as well as philosophy.

Creation

After Napoleon fell, the Bourbon dynasty returned to the French throne. Stendhal refused to recognize this power, so he leaves his homeland and leaves for Milan. He will stay there for 7 years. At this time, they are born early works writer: "Biographies of Haydn, Mozart and Metastasio", "History of Painting in Italy", "Rome, Naples and Florence in 1817". This is how the pseudonym appeared, which in fact is the hometown of Johann Winckelmann - Stendal. He would come to the realistic direction only in the 1920s.

During his life in Italy, Stendhal managed to get closer to the society of the Carbonari. But because of the persecution, he had to urgently return to his homeland. At first, things went badly: the writer gained a dubious reputation, because unflattering rumors about friendship with representatives of the Carbonari reached France. The writer had to behave as carefully as possible in order to continue his literary activity. In 1822, the book "On Love" was published, changing the idea of ​​the writer's personality.

The debut realistic novel "Armans" was published in 1827, and a couple of years later - the short story "Vanina Vanini", which tells about the forbidden relationship between the daughter of an Italian aristocrat and an arrested Carbonari. There is a 1961 film adaptation directed by Roberto Rossellini. Next to this work is the “Abbates of Castro”, which is part of the Italian chronicles.

In 1830, Stendhal wrote one of his most famous novels, Red and Black. The plot was based on a story that got on the pages of newspapers in the section of the criminal chronicle. Although the work was later called a classic, in fact, Stendhal had a hard time with creativity. He didn't have permanent job and money, which negatively affected his peace of mind. Today, the novel is very famous, it was taken 7 times for filming films and TV shows.

In the same year, the writer begins new life. He enters the service of the consulate of Trieste, followed by a transfer to Civitavecchia, where the novelist will stay for the rest of his life. He practically abandoned literature. The work took a lot of time, and the city did not provide inspiration for creativity. by the most significant work during this period was "Parma Monastery" - the last completed novel published during the life of the writer. The rapidly developing disease took last strength.

Personal life

In his personal life, the writer was very unlucky. Women who met Stendhal on life path didn't stay long. He was very loving, but his feelings often remained unrequited. The writer did not want to tie the knot, because he was already firmly connected with literature. He didn't have children.

A deep imprint in the writer's heart was left by the wife of General Jan Dembowski (a Pole by nationality) - Matilda Viscontini. It is to her that the book "About Love" is dedicated. Matilda became colder towards Beyle, and the fire inside him was kindled. It is not known how this story would have ended, but Stendhal was forced to leave for England, hiding from the authorities. Viscontini is dying at this time. She was thirty-five years old.

Death

Every year the novelist got worse. Doctors diagnosed him with syphilis, forbade him to travel outside the city and keep a pen to write works. Stendhal can no longer write books on his own, he needs help. Therefore, he dictates his works to be transferred to paper. Prescribed medicines gradually took away the last forces. But a week before the fatal day, the dying man was allowed to go to Paris to say goodbye.

Stendhal dies in the French capital while walking through the streets of the city, in 1842. in a mystical way he himself predicts such a death a few years before. Today, the cause of death, scientists indicate a stroke. It was the second blow, so the body could not stand it. In his will, the writer declared last will regarding the headstone. There should be an epitaph in Italian:

"Arrigo Bayle. Milanese. He wrote, he loved, he lived.

Stendhal's will was fulfilled only half a century later, when his grave was identified in the Montmartre cemetery, in the northern region of Paris.

Quotes by Stendhal

"The flexibility of the mind can replace beauty."

"You can't be called a politician if you don't have patience and the ability to control your anger."

“Almost all the unhappiness in life comes from a false idea of ​​what happens to us. Consequently, deep knowledge people and sound judgment about events brings us closer to happiness.

“Romanticism is the art of giving nations such literary works, which at state of the art their customs and beliefs can give them the greatest pleasure.

Bibliography

• 1827 - "Armans"
• 1829 - "Vanina Vanini"
• 1830 - "Red and Black"
• 1832 - "Memoirs of an Egoist"
• 1834 - Lucien Leven"
• 1835 - "The Life of Henri Brular"
• 1839 - "Lamiel"
• 1839 - "Excessive favor is fatal"
• 1839 - "Parma Convent"

True fame came to the author of "Red and Black" only after his death. During Stendhal's lifetime, little was read of his books. However, the work of this prose writer was appreciated by such masters of the word as Balzac, Goethe, Byron, Pushkin. The biography of the writer Stendhal is set out in this article.

early years

Henri-Marie Bayle was born in 1783 into a family that took seriously the pernicious prejudices of the nobility and church that justified class privileges. Catholicism was highly revered as the father of the future writer. Henri-Marie Bayle himself, having matured, hated the church.

So, the creator of "Red and Black" was born into a wealthy bourgeois family. From childhood memories, he brought out the images of two houses. The first was unpleasant, with dark staircases and intolerable surroundings. The second one is bright and cozy. The first house belonged to the father of Henri-Marie Beyle. The second - to the grandfather of the future writer, Dr. Gagnon.

Sheruben Bayle - the father of our hero - made a career, had a good position in society. He served as a prosecutor, a lawyer in parliament, which brought him a good income. He was devoted body and soul to the "old regime". Henri-Marie Bayle - the only representative of his respected family - became a republican, in which the aforementioned maternal grandfather played some role. Gagnon was a man of progressive views, it was he who introduced his grandson to the work of Voltaire and other enlighteners. The doctor had a rare pedagogical talent.

In 1794 the street where native home the future author of The Parma Monastery and other remarkable works, was renamed in honor of Rousseau, a writer who once stayed here back in the sixties. Bayle Sr. was far from being an idle man. He worked tirelessly from the age of seventeen, studied at the same time, passed exams in law, and only married at the age of 34. But this is not about him, but about his brilliant son, who in childhood experienced a severe tragedy - the death of his mother. This event became a key event in his life.

The death of his mother made Henri an atheist and an anti-clerical. In addition, her departure provoked hostility towards her father. However, Stendhal never loved his parent, which he wrote about more than once in his memoirs. Sheruben practiced rather harsh methods of education, loved him more as a successor to his family name than as a son.

Hated teacher

Henri's first mentor was Jean Ryan. However, Pierre Joubert was before him, but he quickly died. Ryan was a Jesuit, gave the boy Latin lessons, forced him to read the Bible, which caused even greater dislike for the church. "He was small thin man with a deceitful look, ”is one of Stendhal’s statements about his teacher.

The writer's childhood fell on a time when the church still had considerable weight in politics and public life. Ryan taught his student the theory of the universe. But only those that were approved by the church, and they had nothing to do with science. In his lessons, the boy was frankly bored. “I became angry, gloomy, unhappy,” said the French writer Stendhal about his childhood. Only the educated and well-read grandfather Gagnon enjoyed the favor of young Henri.

FROM early years Henri-Marie Bayle read a lot. He secretly entered his father's library and took another "dangerous" book from the topmost shelf. It is worth saying that Don Quixote was also among the banned literature. What was the danger of the work of Cervantes, it is difficult to say. Perhaps the book of the great Spaniard did not correspond to the mores of the Catholic Church. My father threatened to confiscate the book about the cunning hidalgo. Meanwhile, the grandfather secretly advised the boy to read Molière.

Maths

In a school located in his hometown, Bayle mastered only Latin. At least, the writer claimed so in his memoirs. In addition, he studied philosophy, mathematics, and logic.

In 1799, Bayle left for the capital, where he intended to continue his education. The meaning of life for him a few years before the move was mathematics. First, to enter the Polytechnic School meant to leave the hated father's house. Second, mathematics is devoid of ambiguity. Stendhal, whose books began from childhood, hated hypocrisy. But he did not enter the Polytechnic School. A coup d'etat took place, which carried the young man into a whirlpool of completely different events.

Paris

In November 1797, there was a coup in France. The directory was deprived of power. The new government was headed by Napoleon. This event marked the end of the revolutionary period. A despotic regime was established, Bonaparte declared himself First Consul. Henri Beyle, like thousands of other young people, was quite concerned about grandiose historical events.

Upon arrival in Paris, he settled in a hostel from the Polytechnic School and after a few days he realized that he hated the capital. He was annoyed by crowded streets, inedible food, the lack of familiar landscapes. Bayle realized that he was attracted to studying at a Parisian institution only because he saw it as a way to escape from his parental home. Mathematics was just a tool. And he changed his mind about entering the Polytechnic School.

Bayle entered the service in the army - in the dragoon regiment. Influential relatives procured young man destination in northern Italy. This country future writer loved with all my heart.

Dramaturgy

Bayle soon became disillusioned with Napoleon's policies. In 1802 he resigned and went to Paris, where he lived for three years. In the capital, he took up self-education: he studied philosophy, the history of literature, and the English language. During this period, he had a dream to become a playwright. By the way, love theatrical art she mastered it in adolescence, while living in her father's house. Once in his native city a Parisian troupe arrived on tour. Henri not only did not miss a single performance, but also fell in love with an actress from the capital. He tracked her, languished, dreamed of meeting her, in a word, he knew unrequited love.

Return to the army

Bayle did not become the "Second Molière". In addition, in Paris, he fell in love again, and again with an actress. The future Stendhal followed her to Marseille. And in 1825 he returned to serve in the army, which allowed him to visit Germany and Austria. On campaigns, the commissary officer found time to write notes. Some of them were lost while crossing the Berezina.

Surprisingly, Stendhal had no combat experience. Only the experience of an observer, which later came in handy in his literary creativity. He visited Smolensk, Orsha, Vyazma. He witnessed the Battle of Borodino. I saw burning Moscow.

Italy

After the fall of Napoleon, the hero of today's story went to the region, where he always felt happy and inspired. He spent seven years in Milan. Here Stendhal wrote his first works, among them The History of Painting in Italy. At this time, he was fond of the work of the famous German art historian and even took a pseudonym in honor of his hometown.

In Italy, Bayle became close to the Republicans. Here he met Matilda Visconti - a woman who left a deep mark on his soul. She was married to a Polish general. Besides, she died early.

In the twenties, persecution of the Republicans began in Italy, among which there were many friends of Stendhal. He had to return to his homeland. which was installed in the north of Italy, aroused in him an acute dislike. Later, Stendhal will reflect the events he witnessed in the 1920s in the book The Parma Monastery.

Creativity Stendhal

Paris met the writer unfriendly. Rumors about his connections with the Italian republicans have already penetrated into the French capital. Nevertheless, he regularly published his works, albeit under a false name. The author of these notes was determined only after a hundred years. In 1823, the essays "Racine and Shakespeare", "On Love" were published. By then, Stendhal had gained a reputation as a witty debater: he visited regularly.

In 1827, Stendhal's first novel, Armans, was published. Several works in a realistic spirit were also created. In 1830, the writer completed work on the novel Red and Black. This work is discussed in more detail below.

public service

In 1830, France was established Stendhal's position changed for the better: he entered the service as consul in Trieste. He was later transferred to Civitavecchia, where he worked until last days own life. In this small port city, the French writer was lonely and bored. The bureaucratic routine left little time for creativity. However, he often visited Rome.

During an extended vacation in Paris, Stendhal wrote several notes and completed his last novel. His work attracted the famous novelist Balzac.

Last years

There are several versions regarding the cause of the writer's death. According to one of them, Stendhal died of syphilis. It is known that he for a long time was ill, used potassium iodide and a mercury preparation as therapeutic agents. At times he was so weak that he could not write. The version about syphilis has no confirmation. It is worth saying that until the beginning of the 20th century, the diagnosis of this disease had not yet been developed.

In March 1842, the writer passed out on the street. Died a few hours later. Most likely, Stendhal died of a stroke. A classic of world literature was buried at the Montmartre cemetery.

List of works by Stendhal:

• "Armans".
• Vanina Vanini.
• "Red and black".
• "Parma monastery".

This list, of course, does not include a huge number of articles, dedicated to art. The writer expressed his aesthetic credo in works about the work of Shakespeare, Racine, Walter Scott.

"Red and black"

The question of the symbolism of the colors in the title is still open to this day. The most common opinion: the combination of red and black means a choice between a career in the church and the army. The work is based on a story read by Stendhal in a newspaper. The book "Red and Black" became widely known only in late XIX century.

"Parma cloister"

The novel was published in 1839. At the beginning of the work, the author describes the delight of the Italians caused by the liberation from the Habsburgs, in which leading role played by the writer's compatriots. But soon, in the north of the country, the persecution of freethinkers and traitors begins, one of which is main character. There are many in the novel battle scenes. The author showed the war in all its absurdity, which for that time was a literary innovation.

), French writer. Son of a lawyer; was brought up in the family of his grandfather, a humanist and republican. In 1799 he entered the military service. Participated in the Italian campaign of Napoleon I (1800). After retiring, he took up self-education, attended theaters and literary circles. Then he returned to the army and as a quartermaster of the Napoleonic troops (1806‒14) traveled almost all of Europe, witnessed the Battle of Borodino and the flight of the French from Russia. After the fall of Napoleon (1814) he left for Italy, where he kept in touch with the leaders of the Carbonari, became close to the Italian romantics, and became friends with J. Byron. Since 1821 he lived in Paris, collaborated in the French and English opposition press. In 1830 he became French consul in Trieste, then in Civitavecchia, where he spent last decade own life.

The first works of S. were devoted to music, which he called his "most powerful" passion. In the works "The Life of Haydn, Mozart and Metastasio" (1817), "The Life of Rossini" (1824), S.'s aesthetic tastes and sympathies are quite clearly expressed: he most of all gravitated towards Italian opera(D. Cimarosa, G. Rossini) with her melodic singing, the art of bel canto, to the classical symphonism of I. Haydn and W. A. ​​Mozart.

In the book The History of Painting in Italy (vols. 1–2) and Rome, Naples and Florence (both 1817), idealistic aesthetics is criticized from the standpoint of the cultural-historical method, and a view of art as a means of reflecting and cognizing reality is developed. Subsequently, S. more than once acted as a brilliant popularizer of art (Walks in Rome, 1829, etc.). In 1822, S. published a treatise "On Love" - ​​the experience of a specific psychological analysis enriched with personal experiences and observations.

Evidence of S.'s active participation in the debate about romantic and classical trends in literature are two versions of the pamphlet "Racine and Shakespeare" (1823 and 1825), in which he, opposing the deep and passionate art of W. Shakespeare to the dilapidated dogmas of the epigones of classicism, demands the rejection of the notorious "three unities", the creation of a new dramaturgy, modern in spirit. Defending romanticism, S. at the same time rejects the attitudes of conservative romantics with their flight from reality and the idealization of the Middle Ages, tinsel exoticism and, in fact, lays the foundations realistic direction in literature. Historicism in the approach to events, a truthful depiction of positions and characters, a deep analysis of the subtlest experiences of a person, satirical image the little world of the secular mob - all these features of S.'s realistic method were already outlined in his first novel, Armans, which was not yet free from some schematism (vols. 1–3, 1827). In the short story "Vanina Vanini" (1829), the Italian Carbonari patriot is sympathetically depicted.

The novel The Red and the Black (1831) is subtitled Chronicle of the 19th Century: in it, S. paints a broad picture of French society on the eve of the July Revolution of 1830, denouncing the acquisitiveness of the bourgeoisie, the obscurantism of churchmen, and the convulsive attempts of the aristocracy to preserve their estate privileges. But the main thing in the novel is a description of the dramatic combat of young Julien Sorel with himself: natural honesty, innate generosity and nobility, elevating this son of a simple carpenter above the crowd of moneybags surrounding him, hypocrites and titled nonentities, come into conflict with his ambitious thoughts, with attempts break through at any cost. This discord between the lust for power and disgust for the base pursuit of it leads the hero to death.

S. achieves even greater social acuteness and accusatory pathos in the unfinished novel Lucien Leven (1834‒1836, published 1929), where weekdays July Monarchy, which replaced the Restoration, appear as a tragicomic farce. Using the techniques of the grotesque, S. reveals the disgusting essence of the state apparatus of Louis Philippe, in which bribery, slander, and blackmail reign; shows an army that has degenerated into a gang of punishers, cracking down on rebellious workers; denounces the opportunism of part of the French intelligentsia.

In search of integral characters, fiery passions and heroic deeds, which, according to S., had no place in contemporary France, the writer turns to ancient chronicles and episodes of the national liberation struggle of the Italian people against the Austrian enslavers. The impetus for the creation of the novel The Parma Monastery (1839) was both the study of the chronicles of the Farnese family and the uprising that actually took place in the Duchy of Modena and provoked by the duke himself. By moving the scene to Parma, S. turns the image of the customs of this tiny police state into symbolic picture throughout Europe of the reaction period after Napoleonic Wars. In the novel, the theme of love of freedom sounds with great force, the theme of the struggle of proud and selfless patriots for the liberation and reunification of Italy.

From the same sources, S. drew plots for the “Italian Chronicles” (created during the 30s; published separately in 1855), depicting in them the outstanding characters of the Renaissance, moments of mortal enmity, explosions of spontaneous feelings, so far from being covered with a web of reliability and the hypocrisy of the manners of the French aristocracy and bourgeoisie of the mid-19th century. The Notes of a Tourist (vols. 1–2, 1838) are devoted to a satirical display of these petty people, mired in everyday life.

S. left a lot of works published posthumously. These include the autobiographical novels The Life of Henri Brulard (1835, ed. 1890) and Memories of an Egotist (1832, ed. 1892), full of well-aimed everyday sketches and subtle psychological observations, the unfinished novel Lamiel (1839‒42, ed. . 1889, fully 1928) and "Excessive Favor is Detrimental" (1839, ed. 1912‒13), compositionally adjacent to the cycle of "Italian Chronicles", as well as diaries and extensive correspondence.

S.'s creativity is characterized by an organic combination of a sober look and inspiring romance, elements of criticism and psychological depth. All of it literary activity was subordinated to the desire to reflect the drama of life, to create plastic-voluminous, full-blooded images that capture the thoughts and passions of the era that gave birth to them.

Having earned the recognition of a few during his lifetime (P. Mérimée, O. Balzac, and J. W. Goethe), S. was rediscovered in the second half of the 19th century. Since then, the publication of his manuscripts, monographs dedicated to him and periodicals; not a single generation of French writers passes by him creative heritage. In 1933 in Grenoble, in the apartment where Henri Beyle was born, the Stendhal Museum was created. Several film adaptations of S.'s works were staged, including Vanina Vanini (1922), The Parma Convent (1948), and Red and Black (1954).

In Russia, S.'s works became known already in the 30s. 19th century; they were admired by A. S. Pushkin, L. N. Tolstoy.

Op.:, etabl. du texte et pref. par H. Martineau, , P., 1927–37; in Russian per.‒ Sobr. cit., ed. A. A. Smirnova and B. G. Revazova, vol. 1–15, L.–M.,–1950; Sobr. op. in 15 vols. [General ed. and intro. Art. B. G. Reizova], vol. 1–15, M., 1959.

Lit .: Lunacharsky A, V., Stendhal, Sobr. soch., vol.), M., 1965; Reizov B. G., Stendhal. Years of study, L., 1968; him, Stendhal. Philosophy of History. Politics . Aesthetics, L., 1974; Gorky M., [Foreword], in the book: Vinogradov A.K., Izbr. Prod., v. 1, Three colors of time, M., 1960; Vinogradov A.K., Stendhal and his time, 2nd ed., M., 1960; Ehrenburg I., Lessons from Stendhal, in his book: French notebooks, M., 1958; Fried J., Stendhal. Essay on life and creativity, 2nd ed., M., 1967; Prevost J., Stendhal, M.‒L., 1960; Thibaudet A., Stendhal, P., 1931; Martineau H., Petit dictionnaire stand-halien, P., 1948; "Europe", 1972, No. 519-521 (the issue is dedicated to Stendhal).

═ Yu. N. Stefanov.

Big soviet encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969-1978 .

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Studying the difficult, in many ways controversial biography Stendhal, it becomes clear that he was a courageous, persistent and passionate person.

Henri Marie Bayle was born in Grenoble, a beautiful city in the south-east of France. This event in the family of the lawyer Sheruben Beyle and his wife Adelaide-Henriette Beyle happened on January 23, 1783.

Unfortunately, when the boy was 7 years old, his mother died suddenly. Education fell on the shoulders of the father and aunt of the future writer. However, according to Stendhal himself, the main person in his life was his grandfather, Henri Gagnon. Only to him did he owe his upbringing, education, extensive knowledge and, most importantly, the ability to think.

Having received sufficient home education, Stendhal went to study at the local Central School. He did not stay there for long - only three years, and after that he was released to the capital of France to enter the Polytechnic School. But he was not destined to become a student. The coup of 18 Brumaire prevented the implementation of his plans.

Inspired by the courage and heroism of the young Napoleon Bonaparte, who led that conspiracy, he entered the military service. Stendhal served in the dragoon regiment for two years and retired with the intention of returning to Paris and engaging exclusively in education and literary activities.

Paris

The French capital met him favorably and gave him three years to receive a real education. He studied English, philosophy, literary history, wrote and read a lot. In the same period, he became a staunch enemy of the church and everything connected with mysticism and the other world.

In 1805, Stendhal was forced to return to military service. From 1806-1809, he participated in all European battles of the Napoleonic army. In 1812, voluntarily, on his own initiative, he went to war with Russia. He survived battle of Borodino, with his own eyes watched the death of Moscow and, together with the remnants of the once great Napoleonic army, fled through the Berezina.

The French writer has always rightly admired the spirit and valor of the Russian people. In 1814 he moved to Italy.

Creation

The writer lived in Milan for seven years. In a brief biography of Frederick Stendhal, it is noted that it was during this period that he wrote his first serious works: “The Lives of Haydn, Mozart and Metastasio”, “History of Italian Painting”, “Rome, Naples and Florence” and many others. There, in Italy, for the first time his books began to be published under the pseudonym "Stendhal".

In 1821, due to the policy of violence and intimidation prevailing in Italy, he was forced to flee to his homeland. In Paris, going through a difficult financial situation, he worked as a literary and art critic. This did not make his fate easier, but it helped to stay afloat.

In 1930 he was appointed to a public position - the French consul in Trieste. In the same year, his most famous novel, Red and Black, was published.

March 23, 1842 classic French literature died. It happened on the street while walking.

Other biography options

• Literally five months before his death, he wrote in his diary that, most likely, death would overtake him during a walk. And so it happened.
• The day after the death of the French writer, the newspapers wrote that the funeral of an unknown person took place in wide circles German poet Friedrich Stendhal.
• In Italy, Stendhal was in close contact with the great English poet.