Prosek-publicist AI Herzen: biography and creativity

The future great writer and thinker AI Herzen was born in a troubled year of 1812. A half-year-old baby even fell into the hands of the French, when they searched the noble nest of his family in Moscow. Tales of the war and the entire romantic era of the Alexander government made the child an enthusiastic dreamer whose only goal was to fight for the best of Russia. Growing up, he did not change his ideals.

Childhood and Education

AI Herzen was born in the family of a wealthy nobleman Ivan Alekseevich Yakovlev. It is interesting that his wealth was also confirmed by his famous origin. One of the ancestors of the family was Andrei Kobyl, from whom also came the royal dynasty of the Romanovs.

Her mother was of German origin, and she was only 16 years old. For these reasons, the father did not register the marriage with the girl, and the born son received an artificial surname, invented by Ivan Alekseevich. Herzen in German means son of the heart.

This language in general played a big role in the life of the young man. His favorite writer was Schiller. So, for example, the play "The Robbers" was the handbook of Herzen, and her protagonist Karl Moor is an ideal and an example for a young man. Also the first serious literary experience of the future writer can be considered a review-reflection on "Wallenstein", whose author was also Schiller.

As a child, Herzen Alexander Ivanovich met with his companion Nikolai Ogarev. The children were dumbfounded by the news of the Decembrist uprising in 1825, after which they gave each other a promise to fight for the revolution.

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A Utopian youth entered the Moscow University, where he got into numerous circles of radical youth. In particular, they supported the events in France in 1830, when the result of the July Revolution overthrew Charles X.

In 1833, the student defended his thesis on Copernicus and received his Ph.D., as well as a silver medal. It seemed that he had a prosperous, noble service life ahead of him. However, a year later AI Herzen fell into disgrace and was sent into exile in the provincial Vyatka with the formulation "for chanting libelous verses." In the barracks of Krutitsy Monastery, where he was kept for the duration of the investigation, the writer finished the story "The German Traveler".

On Vyatka, Herzen came to the service in the local chancery as an interpreter. The life of a small town of ten thousand seemed to him terribly boring after the Moscow impressions. Everything changed when, in 1837, the exile caught the eye of the heir to the throne, the future Alexander II. He obtained for Herzen the relief of the regime and the transfer to Vladimir. At the same time the writer got acquainted with the poet Vasily Zhukovsky, who had just witnessed the death of Alexander Pushkin.

"Domestic notes" and Westerners

Finally, in 1838, Herzen was in Vladimir, where he married Natalia Zakharina, and soon received Alexander's first child. Then the writer managed to move to the capital, but he was again exiled to Novgorod for freethinking. But even there he did not stay long, returning to Moscow. At that time he worked in the journal Otechestvennye zapiski. Also AI Herzen became one of the leaders of the movement of Westerners, agitating for the movement of Russia along the European path of development.

In 1845, the writer published the first chapters of his most famous work "Who is to blame?". At the same time, Herzen decided to emigrate from the country because the authorities did not like his views, in particular on the peasant question. And although there was no persecution, he went to Europe, where he had never returned.

Europe

Very soon, in 1848, a general revolution began in Europe against the old authorities. Herzen Alexander Ivanovich took part in this movement, in particular in the Roman processions. When the revolution began in France, the writer's family moved to Paris. After Herzen took part in a demonstration against local authorities, agitating for the return of the constitutional order, persecution of its participants began. The publicist fled to Switzerland. When the insurrection died down, he returned to Nice.

In 1850, Russia issued a decree saying that Herzen fell under "eternal exile." The reason was his publicistic activities in many magazines, where he criticized the power of Nicholas. Despite the prohibition of printing in Russia, Herzen's books and articles were published in various European languages abroad.

In 1851, in a shipwreck, the writer's mother and his son Kolya died tragically. Next May, during childbirth, the wife and the newborn child died. Tragic events prompted him to begin memoirs, which only in 1868 were published under the title "Past and Thoughts." Then London became a permanent residence, which was chosen by Alexander Herzen. "Past and Thoughts" eventually became the classics of their genre.

"Bell"

In 1853, a free Russian printing house appeared in London, the founder of which was Alexander Ivanovich Herzen. The great thinker wanted to create a publicistic publication, in the focus of which would be the political and social events of his native country.

Soon Nicholas I died, and Russia lost the Crimean War, after which a request for change appeared at home. By this time for thirty years in the country there have been no reforms, and reigned in response to the Decembrist uprising. When the friend and colleague Ogarev moved to London, Herzen in 1857 created the newspaper "Bell", which became a real symbol of the era.

In the publication appeared fresh materials of correspondents, as well as small literary publications. The thickness of the number was 8-10 sheets. The first time in Russia was published a censored version of the newspaper. It was read by Alexander II himself. However, after in one of the numbers in 1858 secret documents were published on the upcoming peasant reform, the Bell was banned. Nevertheless, the newspaper managed to get into the country illegally. The peak of success was in 1861, when the Manifesto on the emancipation of peasants was published in Russia.

Last years

After the writer supported the Polish insurrection, interest in him was completely undermined. The Bell ceased printing in 1867. Switzerland has become a new home, where Alexander Herzen moved. Briefly: the rest of his life turned into wandering and quarreling with like-minded people.

In 1870 Alexander Herzen died of pneumonia. "Who is to blame?" And journalistic activities immortalized his name. In Soviet times he was recognized as a symbol of the struggle for revolution against tsarist power. The writer was buried in Nice.