Presidential Library on the eve of the 140th anniversary of Alexander Blok

November 28, 2020 marks the 140th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Alexandrovich Blok (1880–1921) - a classic of Russian literature of the 20th century, one of the largest representatives of Russian Symbolism, poet, writer, publicist, playwright, translator and literary critic. The Presidential Library’s portal spotlights the collection “Alexander Blok (1880-1921)" dedicated to the 140th anniversary of the poet, which includes digital copies of books, periodicals, archival documents, visual aids and video materials. The collection, for example, contains electronic copies of rare lifetime editions of the writer, memoirs of contemporaries, photographs of Alexander Blok and people of his entourage.

In the preface to the book “Alexander Blok in the memoirs of contemporaries and his letters” literary critic, literary historian Nikolai Ashukin reports biographical information about the poet: "Grandfather is the rector of St. Petersburg University "in his best classical year". Father Alexander Lvovich is a professor at the Warsaw University in the Department of State Law. He soon separated from his wife, and the child was brought up in a mother's family. Blok's childhood years passed - in winters - in St. Petersburg, in a large apartment "with a mass of people, nannies, toys and Christmas trees", and in summer - in "the fragrant wilderness of the small Shakhmatovo estate".

In his autobiography, cited in “Alexander Blok in the memoirs of contemporaries and his letters”, the poet writes that the whole environment in his mother's family contributed to the development of his love for the word: "From early childhood, I remember the lyrical waves flowing over me, then barely associated with someone's name. Did I remember the name of Polonsky and the first impression of his stanzas: "I dream: I am fresh and young, / I am in love. Dreams are boiling. / Luxurious cold from dawn / Penetrates into the garden"

“I began to write almost from the age of five”, - Blok wrote. It is not surprising that by the time the first collection of the poet "Poems about the Beautiful Lady" (1904) was released, about 800 poems were collected - the young author published them in cycles. A significant part of the poetry is dedicated to Lyubov Mendeleeva, the daughter of the famous chemical scientist, who became the wife of Alexander Alexandrovich in 1903.

“Together with Lyubov Dmitrievna, they made a wonderful couple and were very suitable for each other: both were cheerful, elegant, graceful”, - the poet Andrei Bely writes in the chapter of his memoirs in the aforementioned collection. - The elasticity and firm restraint of all of Blok's movements contrasted somewhat with a shyly smiling face and large, beautiful blue eyes. He was a resident of St. Petersburg, a realist-skeptic, who sighed sadly somewhere, but pulled his smile on this sigh in order to <…> hide the point of his melancholy…”.

Being a poet in an atmosphere of early Symbolism under the strong influence of the philosophy of Vladimir Solovyov, Blok, however, knew how to feel real life. By the time the first book was published, "the heavenly purity of Blok's first visions had already collided with the world of factory crossroads under the first glimpses of the revolution that was already underway". After 1905, Blok felt that "the circle of lyrics is small for him". Deeply patriotic works were already ripening in it: "Homeland", "Scythians", "On the Kulikovo Field" ... "A great force that could not fit into the lyrics was torn out. Only the epic remained", - we read in the publication “Alexander Blok in the memoirs of contemporaries and his letters”.

In 1918, the poem "The Twelve" was published. “He has not written anything like his poem “The Twelve” for a long time”, - notes the literary critic, sociologist, writer Ivanov-Razumnik in the essay “Alexander Blok. Andrey Bely”. - Facing the revolution, facing Russia, the poet stands here - and accepts, and understands, and loves, and grieves, and sees the world significance of what is happening. <…> Black evening - blood, dirt, crime; white snow is a new truth".

Black evening.

White snow.

The whole poem is that".

Many people were then shocked by Blok's poem, sounding in a revolutionary rhythm. The poet's work caused the most controversial opinions.

“I remember once in June, two years ago, Gumilyov, in the presence of Blok, read a lecture on his poetry at the Zubovsky Institute and, by the way, said that the end of the poem “The Twelve” seemed artificially glued to him, that the sudden appearance of Christ is purely literary effect, ¬ writes in his memoirs in the collection publication “Alexander Blok in the memoirs of contemporaries and his letters” Korney Chukovsky. - Blok listened, as always, without changing his face, at the end of the lecture he said thoughtfully and carefully, as if listening to something:

“I don't like the ending of “The Twelve” either. I would like this end to be different ... But the closer I looked, the more clearly I saw Christ.

Gumilyov looked at him with his usual arrogance: he himself was the master and even the commander of his inspirations and did not like it when poets felt like weak-willed victims of their own lyrics. But Blok's confession seemed invaluable to me: the poet was so powerless in his talent that he himself was surprised at what he wrote, but he felt that what he wrote was the highest truth, independent of desires, and respected this truth more than your personal tastes and beliefs".

Having met the October Revolution with optimism, Blok initially pinned great hopes on the Bolsheviks and even tried to be useful to them. However, in practice, it turned out to be beyond the strength of the poet, physical and moral, to accept the new power. He soon realized that the enthusiastic acceptance of the 1917 revolution was nothing more than self-deception...

Since 1919, Alexander Alexandrovich held a position of chairman of the directing department of the Bolshoi Drama Theater, becoming, in fact, its art director, an adherent of the classics on stage. And yet, it was not possible to hide in the theater from the storms and shocks of time. "There is no way out of the blizzards - and it is fun for me to die", the poet once grinned...

Alexander Blok died on August 7, 1921 in his latest Petrograd apartment, on the embankment of the Pryazhka River, according to the official version from heart disease.