Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolaevich- Russian playwright, whose work has become milestone Russian national theater, corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, author of the works " Storm», « Snow Maiden», « poor bride"and others.
Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky was born March 31 (April 12), 1823 on Malaya Ordynka in Moscow noble family. Father, Nikolai Fedorovich Ostrovsky, was the son of a priest, graduated from the Kostroma Seminary, the Moscow Theological Academy, but began to practice as a court lawyer, dealing with property and commercial matters. Nikolai Fedorovich rose to the rank of titular adviser, and in 1839 he received the nobility. Mother, Lyubov Ivanovna Savvina, the sexton's daughter, died when Alexander was only seven years old. There were four children in the family. The Ostrovskys lived in abundance, paid 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 Russified Swedish nobleman. She surrounded the children with care and continued to educate them.
Ostrovsky's childhood and youth were spent in the center of Zamoskvorechye. The family had a large library and he got acquainted early with Russian literature and felt an inclination towards writing, but his father wanted to make him a lawyer.
In 1835 Alexander Ostrovsky entered the 1st Moscow gymnasium.
In 1840 A. N. Ostrovsky became a student of the law faculty of Moscow University, but he failed to complete the course due to a quarrel with one of the teachers. Fulfilling the will of his father, Ostrovsky entered the service of a court clerk, where he worked until 1851.
By 1846 Ostrovsky many scenes were written merchant life and conceived the comedy "Insolvent Debtor", later called "Own people - let's count!". This comedy, published in 1850, brought literary fame to Ostrovsky.
Comedy "Own people - let's count!" was banned from staging, and A. N. Ostrovsky was dismissed from service and placed under police supervision on the personal order of Nicholas I.
In the summer of 1849 Alexander Ostrovsky, contrary to the will of his father and without a wedding in the church, he married a simple bourgeois Agafya Ivanovna. Enraged, Nikolai Fedorovich refused his son further financial support. All children from this marriage died in early age. Ostrovsky lived with Agafya Ivanovna for about twenty years.
In 1850 Ostrovsky becomes a member of the so-called "young editorial board" of the Slavophile magazine Moskvityanin.
Since 1856 Ostrovsky becomes a permanent contributor to Sovremennik magazine.
In the same year, Ostrovsky took part in a business trip of prominent writers to study and describe various areas of Russia and took over the study of the Volga from the upper reaches to Nizhny Novgorod.
In 1859 Ostrovsky's first collected works were published in two volumes.
In 1860 appeared in print "Storm".
In 1863 Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky was awarded the Uvarov Prize and elected a corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.
Two years after the death of his wife, in 1869, Ostrovsky married the artist Maria Vasilyevna Bakhmetyeva, who bore him four sons and two daughters.
A. N. Ostrovsky had a deep personal relationship with the actress L. Kositskaya, but both had families.
In 1874 The Society of Russian Dramatic Writers was formed and opera composers, whose chairman Ostrovsky remained until his death.
In 1885 Ostrovsky was appointed head of the repertoire of Moscow theaters and head of the theater school.
A. N. Ostrovsky created a whole repertoire - fifty-four plays. "I wrote all Russian life" - from prehistoric, fabulous times "Snow Maiden", and events of the past chronicle "Kozma Zakharyich Minin, Sukhoruk" to topical reality "Talents and Admirers" And "Guilty Without Guilt".
June 2 (14), 1886 Ostrovsky died in his Kostroma estate Shchelykovo. 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. After the death of the writer, the Moscow Duma set up a reading room named after A. N. Ostrovsky in Moscow.
Alexander Ostrovsky is a Russian playwright who made a huge contribution to the development of the Russian theater. He managed to masterfully work in any genre, skillfully conveying the fate of his heroes.
Most famous plays in it were “Dowry” and “Thunderstorm”, which are still successfully staged on stages.
We bring to your attention short biography of Ostrovsky.
Childhood and youth
Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky was born on March 31, 1823 in. The father of the future playwright, Nikolai Fedorovich, grew up in a family of a priest. However, he did not follow in his father's footsteps.
Instead, Ostrovsky's father began working in judicial institutions, as a result of which he rose to the rank of titular adviser. Alexander's mother, Lyubov Ivanovna, died when he was only 7 years old.
Also in early childhood The boy liked to spend time reading. He read Russian literature with interest, and dreamed of becoming a writer in the future. However, the father did not share the views of the young Ostrovsky, because he wanted him to be a lawyer.
Education
In 1835, Alexander Ostrovsky entered the Moscow gymnasium, where he studied for 5 years. After that, he continued his studies at Moscow University at the Faculty of Law, where he entered in 1940.
However, he could not finish it due to a serious conflict with the teacher. Having failed the exam in Roman law, Ostrovsky wrote a letter of resignation after studying for only 3 years.
Ultimately, the father employed his son in court, where the future playwright would begin writing his first works.
Creativity Ostrovsky
The first play in Ostrovsky's biography was called "Own people - let's settle!" (1850). After reading it and leaving positive feedback about it.
However, not everyone liked her. When Moscow officials saw themselves in the play, exposed in a negative light, they complained to the sovereign.
As a result, Emperor Nicholas 1 dismissed Alexander Ostrovsky from service and placed him under police supervision. Only 11 years later, the play will be staged again in theaters.
When Alexander 2 was on the throne, he removed supervision from the playwright, after which he was free to engage in writing.
In 1856, constant literary employment appeared in Ostrovsky's biography: he began to collaborate with the Sovremennik publication, founded by .
33-year-old Ostrovsky, 1856 After 3 years, Ostrovsky publishes the first collection of works in his biography in 2 volumes.
In 1865 he wrote the play "Thunderstorm", which literary critic Nikolai Dobrolyubov called it "a ray of light in a dark kingdom."
Dobrolyubov made such a comparison because, before the release of this play, he called Ostrovsky the representative of the "dark kingdom". It is worth noting that in The Thunderstorm there were many episodes from Ostrovsky's biography.
An interesting fact is that today Ostrovsky is one of the three best playwrights, according to the audience:
- Alexander Ostrovsky
If you have been to at least one Ostrovsky performance, then you will surely agree with this statement.
Cradle of Talents
Every year Alexander Nikolayevich became more and more popular writer, and in 1863 he was awarded the Uvarov Prize. Soon he was accepted into the Academy of Sciences of St. Petersburg.
In 1865, he created the Artistic Circle, which later became the cradle of many talents. Dostoevsky, Turgenev, and other writers often visited his house.
In 1874, Ostrovsky formed the Society of Russian Dramatic Writers and Opera Composers, becoming its chairman. In this position, he carried out a number of major reforms, thanks to which artists improved their position and received more rights.
In 1881, Ostrovsky managed to visit the opera The Snow Maiden. He was especially delighted musical accompaniment. Later, the writer admitted that the music for his "Snow Maiden" was surprisingly lively and emotional.
Personal life
The first love in Ostrovsky's biography was the actress Lyubov Kositskaya, who also treated him with indifference. However, since they were both married, the lovers did not dare to start a family.
For 20 years, the playwright cohabited with Agafya Ivanovna, who was a simple and poorly educated girl. Despite this, she understood Ostrovsky perfectly and was a reliable support in his life.
They had children, but they all died in infancy. Then Agafya Ivanovna herself died.
In 1869, another woman appeared in Ostrovsky's biography. He married Maria Bakhmetyeva, with whom he will live until the end of his life. They had 4 boys and 2 girls.
Last years
In 1885, Alexander Ostrovsky directed the repertoire of Moscow theaters, and also headed theater school.
At the same time, it is worth noting one interesting facts from the biography of Ostrovsky. Despite the fact that he had great fame and was in high positions, he constantly faced financial difficulties.
This was largely due to the fact that the playwright invested a lot in creative projects, because he was completely absorbed in literary and.
He worked day and night without rest, which subsequently had a negative impact on his health.
Ostrovsky's death
Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky died on June 2, 1886 at the age of 63, in the Shchelykovo estate. Today this estate is a museum of Ostrovsky.
For his burial, the Russian Emperor Alexander 3 allocated 3,000 rubles from the state treasury. In addition, he made sure that the widow and children of the playwright were paid a pension.
Films and television plays based on Ostrovsky's works are still being made. IN Soviet time Eldar Ryazanov was filmed great picture « Cruel romance based on the play "Dowry".
IN total, after the death of Alexander Ostrovsky, more than 40 of his works were filmed.
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It is the name of A. N. Ostrovsky that stands at the origins of the development of Russian drama theater. His dramas to this day are very popular due to the extraordinary flavor of his talent as a writer and playwright, who always felt what the secular audience expected from him. Therefore, it is interesting to know what kind of person Alexander Ostrovsky was. His books contain a huge creative heritage. Among his most famous works: “Guilty Without Guilt”, “Dowry”, “Thunderstorm”, “Wolves and Sheep”, “Snow Maiden”, “Hangover at someone else's feast”, “What you go for, you will find”, “Your people - let's settle", "Mad money", etc.
Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky. short biography
Alexander Nikolaevich was born in the spring of March 31 (April 12), 1823. He grew up on Malaya Ordynka in Moscow. His father was the son of a priest, and his name was Nikolai Fedorovich. Having received a seminary education in Kostroma, he went to study at the Moscow Theological Academy. But he never became a priest, but began to practice as a lawyer in judicial institutions. Over time, he rose to the rank of titular adviser and received a title of nobility.
Ostrovsky's biography (short) says that Ostrovsky's mother, Lyubov Ivanovna, died when he was 7 years old. There are six children left in the family. In the future, their stepmother, Emilia Andreevna von Tesin, who was the daughter of a Swedish nobleman, took over the care of the family. The Ostrovsky family did not need anything, much attention was paid to the education and upbringing of children.
Childhood
Almost all of his childhood Ostrovsky spent in Zamoskvorechye. His father had a large library, the boy began to study Russian literature early and felt a craving for writing, but his father wanted his son to become a lawyer.
From 1835 to 1940 Alexander studied at the Moscow Gymnasium. Then he entered Moscow University and began to study as a lawyer. But a quarrel with a teacher did not allow him to finish his last year at the university. And then his father arranged for him to serve in the court. The first salary he received was 4 rubles, but then it grew to 15 rubles.
Creation
Further, Ostrovsky's biography (short) indicates that Alexander Ostrovsky's fame and popularity as a playwright was brought by the play “Our people - let's settle!”, Published in 1850. This play was approved by I. A. Goncharov and N. V. Gogol. But the Moscow merchants did not like it, and the merchants complained to the sovereign. Then, on the personal order of Nicholas I, its author was dismissed from service and taken under police supervision, which was removed only under Alexander II. And in 1861, the play again saw the stage.
During the disgraced period of Ostrovsky, the first staged play in St. Petersburg was called "Do not get into your sleigh." Biography of Ostrovsky (short) includes information that for 30 years his plays were staged at the St. Petersburg Alexandrinsky and Moscow Maly Theaters. In 1856, Ostrovsky began working for the Sovremennik magazine.
Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolaevich. Artworks
In 1859, Ostrovsky, with the support of G. A. Kushelev-Bezborodko, published the first collection of works in two volumes. At this point, the Russian critic Dobrolyubov will note that Ostrovsky is an accurate depiction of the "dark kingdom".
In 1860, after the "Thunderstorm", Dobrolyubov will call him "a ray of light in a dark kingdom."
Indeed, Alexander Ostrovsky knew how to captivate with his remarkable talent. Thunderstorm has become one of the most bright works playwright, with the writing of which his personal drama is also connected. Prototype main character the play was the actress Lyubov Pavlovna Kositskaya, with her for a long time had a close relationship, although they were both not free people. She was the first to play this role. Ostrov's image of Katerina made it tragic in its own way, so he reflected in it all the suffering and torment of the soul of a Russian woman.
Cradle of Talents
In 1863, Ostrovsky was awarded the Uvarov Prize and became an elected corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. Later, in 1865, he organized the Artistic Circle, which became the cradle of many talents.
Ostrovsky received in his house such eminent guests as F. M. Dostoevsky, L. N. Tolstoy, P. I. Tchaikovsky, M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, I. S. Turgenev, etc.
In 1874, the writer-playwright founded the Society of Russian Dramatic Writers and Opera Composers, whose chairman remained Ostrovsky until his death. He also served on a commission related to the revision of the theater management regulations, which led to new changes, thanks to which the position of artists was significantly improved.
In 1881, a benefit performance of the opera The Snow Maiden by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov took place at the Mariinsky Theater. Biography of Ostrovsky (short) indicates that at that moment Ostrovsky was inexpressibly pleased musical arrangement great composer.
Last years
In 1885, the playwright began to manage the repertoire of Moscow theaters and headed the theater school. Ostrovsky almost always had financial problems, although he collected good fees from plays, and there was a pension appointed by Emperor Alexander III. Ostrovsky had many plans, he literally burned at work, this affected his health and depleted his vitality.
On June 2, 1886, he died at his Shchelykovo estate near Kostroma. He was 63 years old. His body was buried next to the grave of his father at the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the Kostroma province in the village of Nikolo-Berezhki.
The widow, actress Maria Andreevna Bakhmetyeva, three sons and daughter were granted a pension by Tsar Alexander III.
His estate in Shchelykovo is now a memorial and natural museum Ostrovsky.
Conclusion
Ostrovsky created his theater school with its holistic concept theatrical performance. The main component of his theater was that there were no extreme situations in it, but depicted life situations that go back to the everyday life and psychology of a person of that time, which Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky knew very well. short biography describes that there were many ideas in Ostrovsky's theater, but new stage aesthetics and new actors were needed to put them into practice. All this was later brought to mind by K. S. Stanislavsky and M. A. Bulgakov.
Ostrovsky's dramas served as the basis for film adaptations of films and television series. Among them are the film "Balzaminov's Marriage", filmed in 1964 based on the play "For what you go, you will find" directed by K. Voinov, the film "Cruel Romance", filmed in 1984 based on "Dowry" directed by Eldar Ryazanov. In 2005, Evgeny Ginzburg made the film Anna based on the play Guilty Without Guilt.
Ostrovsky created an extensive repertoire for the Russian theater stage, which included 47 very original plays. He worked in collaboration with talented young playwrights, including P. M. Nevezhin and N. Ya. Solovyov. Ostrovsky's dramaturgy became national due to its origins and traditions.
Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky. Born March 31 (April 12), 1823 - died June 2 (14), 1886. Russian playwright, whose work became the most important stage in the development of the 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, great attention was paid to the study 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 conceived the comedy "Insolvent Debtor" (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. ABOUT." 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 for 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 over the study of the Volga from the upper reaches 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 and Opera Composers was formed, of which Ostrovsky remained the permanent chairman 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 the last days of 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 at an 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 the 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)
« 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)
« Plum» (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)
Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky was born on April 12 (March 31 according to the old style), 1823 in Moscow.
As a child, Alexander received a good education at home - he studied ancient Greek, Latin, French, German, and later - English, Italian, Spanish.
In 1835-1840, Alexander Ostrovsky studied at the First Moscow Gymnasium.
In 1840 he entered Moscow University Faculty of Law, but in 1843, due to a collision with one of the professors, he left his studies.
In 1943-1945 he served in the Moscow Conscience Court (a provincial court that considered civil cases in the conciliatory procedure and some criminal cases).
1845-1851 - worked in the office of the Moscow Commercial Court, having retired with the rank of provincial secretary.
In 1847, Ostrovsky published in the newspaper "Moscow City Leaf" the first draft of the future comedy "Our People - Let's Settle" under the title "Insolvent Debtor", then the comedy "Picture of Family Happiness" (later "Family Picture") and an essay in prose "Notes of Zamoskvoretsky resident".
Ostrovsky was recognized by the comedy "Our people - let's settle" (originally titled "Bankrupt"), which was completed at the end of 1849. Prior to publication, the play received favorable reviews from writers Nikolai Gogol, Ivan Goncharov, historian Timofey Granovsky. The comedy was published in 1950 in the Moskvityanin magazine. The censorship, which saw in the work an insult to the merchant class, did not allow it to be staged - the play was first staged in 1861.
Since 1847, Ostrovsky collaborated as an editor and critic with the Moskvityanin magazine, publishing his plays in it: The Morning of a Young Man, An Unexpected Case (1850), the comedy The Poor Bride (1851), Not in Your Sleigh sit down" (1852), "Poverty is not a vice" (1853), "Do not live as you want" (1854).
Upon the termination of the publication of "Moskvityanin", Ostrovsky in 1856 moved to the "Russian Bulletin", where his comedy "Hangover at a stranger's feast" was published in the second book of that year. But he did not work for this magazine for long.
Since 1856, Ostrovsky has been a permanent contributor to the Sovremennik magazine. In 1857, he wrote the plays "Profitable Place" and "Festive Sleep Before Dinner", in 1858 - "The Characters Didn't Agree", in 1859 - "The Pupil" and "Thunderstorm".
In the 1860s, Alexander Ostrovsky turned to historical drama, considering such plays necessary in the theater repertoire. He created a cycle of historical plays: "Kozma Zakharyich Minin-Sukhoruk" (1861), "Voevoda" (1864), "Dmitry the Pretender and Vasily Shuisky" (1866), "Tushino" (1866), the psychological drama "Vasilisa Melentyeva" (1868 ).
The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources
