Alina Shtabel Form 11
When I speak about Russian literature, I cant but think about one of the most famous Russian authors – Mikhail Yurievich Lermontov, whose life was very short but bright as a gleam of lightning in a stormy sky.
Mikhail Lermontov was born on the 3 (15) of October, 1814 in the family of the army captain Yuri Petrovich Lermontov and Maria Mikhailovna Lermontova (Arsenyeva). Yuri Petrovich won the heart of his rich bride by his appearance and rare good nature. Maria Mikhailovna became his wife despite the protests of her mother.
In 1817 Maria Mikhailovna became ill with tuberculosis and died at the age of 21, leaving her only son an orphan. When I was three years old, there was a song that made me cry... my mother sang it to me…. Lermontov wrote in his diary.
Lermontov's grandmother, Elizaveta Alekseevna Arsenyeva, strongly refused to leave the boy with his father because of his poverty. She took her grandson to her Manor of Tarkhany in the province of Penza Family drama has put a mark on the character of Lermontov. The boy's heart torn between his kind grandmother and his father that he loved most of all.
The boy was surrounded with care and kindness, his granny did all possible to develop his diverse talents. Mikhail had the best teachers, and was educated at home not worse than in the capital. Since childhood he wrote poetry, painted, was fond of music. In childhood Lermontov had rheumatism and spent a lot of time in his bed. So he accustomed to reverie and loneliness. At the age of 10 Lermontov's grandmother took the boy to the Caucasus to treat his disease. This place was greatly loved by Lermontov till his last days.
Lermontov, having received an excellent education at home, entered the Moscow University, where he studied diligently and was awarded a lot of prizes. But soon he came to St. Petersburg School of Cavalry Cadets and then served in the Hussar Regiment of the Imperial Guard. The rest of his life was closely connected with military service.
He participated in the fightings in the Caucasus, was an extremely brave and brilliant officer, and was awarded a golden sword with an inscription For Bravery
In the year 1837 Lermontov's name became known all over Russia thanks to his poem The Poets Death, written on the death of Alexander Pushkin. This poem provoked the displeasure of the Royal Court.
Not having lived till 27 years old, he passed the entire circle of life with flights of inspiration and bitterness of disappointments. He went through many troubles in his life: great success and exiles, love and love disappointments, smoke of battles and intrigues of a high society..
I like novels, stories and poems by Mikhail Lermontov very much. No need to say that the most of his poems and almost all novels and stories are full of melancholy – this is the particularity of his works.
All of us have read his poems at school and of course have got acquainted with The Hero of Our Time. In this novel, through his heroes, Lermontov tried to express his own sense of time and events.
The main character is Grigoriy Alexandrovich Pechorin – an individualist with a conflict in his sole. Pechorin is a very deep character. He is, like his author, a man who searches for real life, deep feelings, true love and feels useless in his time.
Lermontov didnt wrote non-fiction. All his compositions are made-up but a great part of them is connected with real events of the 19th century. There is no humor in his works, they are deep and full of the authors thoughts. They reflect the problems of the society and make us think.
Mikhail Lermontov is the lonely genius, a great poet of Russian literature, a founder of Russian psychological novel. I like his works very much and enjoy every minute of reading books by Mikhail Yurievich Lermontov.