Biography of Leskov, a Russian writer of the 19th century

Nikolai Semenovich Leskov (1831-1895) is a remarkable Russian writer, the author of an immortal novel about Levsha and many other works that were included in the Golden Fund of Russian Literature. Childhood and adolescence Leskov passed in the house of relatives, small nobles. My father was on duty in the court chamber and was engaged in criminal investigation, there was no time left for the household. When the time for retirement came, Father Leskov unhurriedly left his unloved work and purchased a small Panino farm in the Orel province. It was then that the biography of the writer Leskov, complex and contradictory, began. In the dense wilderness of the hamlet settlements, the growing Nikolai Leskov became acquainted with the primordially Russian way of life, lame and hungry.

Anger of Nikolai Leskov

Nikolai Leskov, whose biography describes his young years in detail, studied in the gymnasium until he was sixteen, and, perhaps, he would have managed to get a decent education, but his father suddenly died. To top it off, a fire broke out on the farm soon, the house burned down and with it all the property. To somehow make ends meet and support a feeble sick mother, the young man joined the judicial chamber of Orel province, where his father once worked. His duties included office work, and thanks to natural observation, Nikolai Leskov collected extensive material, which he later used to write his novels, stories and stories. Leskov's biography on his pages reflects the entire period of his work in the judiciary.

In 1849, a young Leskov unexpectedly received support from his mother's brother, the Kiev scientist S. Alferiev. At the petition of the eminent relative, he was transferred to Kiev and began to work in the city treasury chamber as a simple official. He lived with his uncle, who was a major medical specialist on the scale of the entire Kiev region. In the house constantly gathered the whole color of the Kiev professors, and not only medical. Thanks to new acquaintances, Leskov's biography quickly replenished with interesting pages. He communicated with educated people like a sponge absorbing information that he was willing to share with him. The future writer got acquainted with the work of the great Taras Shevchenko, was imbued with Kiev culture, began to study the architecture of the ancient city.

In 1857, Nikolay Leskov left the state service and was admitted to the company for the resettlement of peasant families to new lands. The work was not easy, on resettlement of settlers had to travel all over the vast Russia. Material for future works Leskov collected by himself. And in 1860 Leskov's biography replenished with a new page, he becomes a writer. In early 1861, a young writer moved to St. Petersburg, firmly deciding to devote himself to journalism. The first publications were in Otechestvennye zapiski. Then Leskov published several stories and stories, including "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk", "Robber", "The Life of a Woman".

Journalistic activities of writer Nikolay Leskov and his later works

In 1862, Leskov was recruited in the almanac "Northern Bee" as a correspondent. Unfortunately, Leskov's short biography does not contain all his achievements in the journalistic field. As a correspondent, he visited several European countries, including the Czech Republic and Poland. Also Nikolay Leskov visited Paris. A months-long trip through Europe formed the basis of the novels The Skirted and The Knives. The plot of these works is based on disagreements of revolutionary democrats with a moderate wing of the powers that be.

A special place in the writer's work was occupied by the novel On the Knives, published in 1870 after numerous edits and alterations. Leskov himself spoke of the novel as the worst of his works. Much later, in 1881, was published the story "Tale of the Tula oblique Lefty and the steel flea," which subsequently withstood many publications. After "Lefty," the writer began to lean toward journalism, satirical and ruthless. Leskov described his works "Winter Day" and "Zagon" as cynical, but did not rewrite it. One of Nicholas Leskov's later novels, The Devil's Dolls, was completely forbidden by censorship. The same fate befell the story "Hare's Remi". The end of the 80s was a hard period for the writer in his work. In addition, his health deteriorated sharply, Leskov discovered asthma, and in 1895 he died.