“Books written in the Silver Age are the entire Russian intellectual baggage,” said the journalist and teacher.

And one cannot but agree with this statement, because the time that came after the “golden age” gave not only “A Slap in the Face to Public Taste,” a manifesto in which the Cubo-Futurists call for “throwing modernity off the boat,” but also many literary movements and groups.

Works written in the Silver Age excite the minds of readers to this day, and poems are quoted not only by adults, but also by young people. It is also worth noting the popular poet Igor Severyanin, who literally gathered a whole crowd of grateful listeners at his performances. This master of the pen is familiar from the poems “Pineapples in Champagne”, “It Was by the Sea”, “I am a Genius”, etc.

Childhood and youth

Igor Vasilyevich Lotarev (the poet’s real name) was born on May 4 (16), 1887 in the cultural capital of Russia - St. Petersburg. As a child, Igor grew up in house 66 on Gorokhovaya Street, the city’s central fashionable thoroughfare. The future literary figure was brought up in a prosperous and wealthy family.

His father Vasily Petrovich, a native of the Vladimir bourgeoisie, rose to the highest rank and began to command a railway battalion, and his wife Natalya Stepanovna was a distant relative of the poet and was the daughter of the nobleman Stepan Sergeevich Shenshin. But, unfortunately, as often happens, the parents of little Igor Lotarev decided to go their separate ways and filed for divorce in 1896. What became the stumbling block between Vasily Petrovich and Natalya Stepanovna is not known for certain.

Then the boy lived on the estate of his relatives, which was located in the village of Vladimirovka, Cherepovets district. In Cherepovets, the young man managed to complete only four classes of a real school, and then, in 1904, he moved to his father in northeast China. But that same year, Lotarev Sr. dies, so Igor is taken back to St. Petersburg to his mother.

Literature

We can say that Igor Vasilyevich was born under a lucky star, because his literary talent began to manifest itself from childhood. When Severyanin was seven or eight years old, under the influence of his beloved poet Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy, he took up an inkwell and a pen and began to compose poetry. Since 1904, Lotarev began to publish regularly in magazines, hoping to get a response from editors, but his children's poems did not have much effect on readers.

Thus, the pages of literary publications displayed the works of the young Igor Lotarev, which he signed with the non-trivial pseudonym “Count Evgraf d’Axangraf.” But Igor Vasilyevich considered the publication of 1905 in the magazine for soldiers and people “Leisure and Business” to be the official start in his creative biography.

In the fall of 1907, in Gatchina, the writer met Konstantin Mikhailovich Fofanov, whom he considered his forerunner and mentor. According to rumors, this day remained forever in Lotarev’s memory, because Fofanov became the first of the poets who appreciated his literary talent and became a guiding star for Severyanin in the boundless world of literary lines. Around this time, Lotarev became Igor Severyanin. It is noteworthy that Severyanin is not a surname, but a middle name, which the poet considered a kind of amulet and mythologem.

Next, Igor Vasilyevich published 35 brochures with his own money, which he later planned to combine into a poetry collection called “Complete Works.” One of Severyanin’s manuscripts, thanks to the writer Ivan Fedorovich Nazhivin, fell into the hands of the famous. Having familiarized himself with the work “Habanera II”, the author of the novel “War and Peace” criticized Severyanin’s work to smithereens.

“What do they do, what do they do... And this is literature? All around are gallows, hordes of the unemployed, murders, incredible drunkenness, and they have the elasticity of a traffic jam...”, the Russian classic responded about the poem.

Ivan Fedorovich did not hesitate to send this quote to many publications, so many poetry lovers and, in fact, Severyanin himself became familiar with the words spoken by Tolstoy. But such merciless criticism did not break the talented representative of postmodernism, but, on the contrary, benefited him. After all, as they say, black PR is also PR. The name of Igor Vasilyevich became famous, he was scolded by all and sundry. And magazines, thirsty for sensation and profit, willingly published Severyanin’s manuscripts on their pages.

In 1909, a circle of poets began to form around the writer, and in 1911 a full-fledged creative association of egofuturists was formed. This literary movement was characterized by neologisms, refined sensations, a cult of personality and selfishness, which talented people tried to flaunt. But the founder of the new literary movement did not stay in this circle for long; in 1912, Igor Severyanin gained popularity among the Symbolists and set off on a solo voyage.

It is worth saying that the removal of the author of “In August” from the egofuturists was marked by a scandal: Konstantin Olimpov (son of Fofanov) slandered Igor Vasilyevich in the article, in addition, a disagreement arose between the poets - Olimpov publicly declared that it was he, and not Severyanin, who was the creator of egofuturism .

“Having found the mission of my Ego-Futurism completed, I wish to be alone, I consider myself only a poet, and I am sunnyly happy about this,” Igor Severyanin expressed in his open letter.

In 1913, the writer, remembered by his contemporaries for his literary brochures, published his first collection of poems entitled “The Thundering Cup,” which brought universal recognition and fame to the talented poet. This extravagant name for the cycle was invented by Severyanin thanks to the poem “Spring Thunderstorm”.

This book consists of four dissimilar sections, where Igor Severyanin veiledly conveys his philosophical thoughts to poetry lovers. The main themes of Severyanin’s poems are the beauty of nature and human feelings.

I greeted Severyanin’s collection warmly and wrote a mini-review for it, where I expressed my endless joy at the birth of a new poet. In 1912, Igor Vasilyevich performed in front of a live audience for the first time, and a year later he took part in Fyodor Sologub’s tour and traveled around the cities of Russia.

In the biography of Severyanin there are both ups and crushing downs. But, based on the facts, we can assume that Igor Vasilyevich was a man of strong temperament. For example, when he spoke to poetry lovers in Tiflis, the public perceived Severyanin not as a poet, but as a comedian: people were unusual in hearing poems read in a chant manner (Igor Vasilyevich did this in a special manner), so the audience was literally choking with laughter.

But at Severyanin’s subsequent performances, the audience first exploded with loud applause, and then fell silent, listening to Severyanin’s every word. Later, at the feet of Igor Vasilyevich there were countless red roses.

In 1915, Severyanin published the collection “Rosiris,” which included the famous poem “Pineapples in Champagne.” The poet Vadim Bayan used to say that when Vladimir Mayakovsky was visiting Igor Vasilyevich, he dipped a piece of tropical fruit into a sparkling drink. The northerner followed the example of his comrade, after which the first lines of the poem were born to him.

In 1918, due to the Bolshevik coup, Igor Severyanin, like many literary figures, was forced to leave Russia for Estonia. During the years of emigration, the master of words published several poetry collections: “The Nightingale”, “Classical Roses”, “Vervena”, also wrote novels in verse, for example, “Leander’s Royal (Lugne)”, and created the utopia “Sunny Savage”. Among other things, Igor Vasilievich not only composed poems, but also translated Estonian works into Russian.

Personal life

Igor Severyanin gained the fame of Casanova. And this is not surprising, because in the life of the representative of the Silver Age poetry there were countless women to whom he sang praises. But Igor Vasilyevich was not a frivolous man who loved to change young ladies like gloves; simply by virtue of his nature, he was extremely amorous and plunged headlong into passionate romances.

The first time Cupid's arrow pierced the heart of the Northman was when he was 12 years old. The poet fell in love with his cousin, 17-year-old Elizaveta Lotareva, who became his muse and inspired his creative endeavors. When Elizabeth turned 22, she got married. According to rumors, Severyanin was also present at the wedding ceremony. But this solemn event greatly influenced the young man; they say that he felt sick right in the church.

When the literary genius turned 18, Evgenia Gutsan met on his life’s path. Having presented the golden-haired girl with poetry, Igor Severyanin invited Evgenia to live under the same roof. True, their relationship lasted only three weeks. According to unofficial information, Gutsan gave birth to a girl, Tamara, from Severyanin. Despite such a short life together, Igor Vasilyevich always remembered the girl and dedicated collections of poems to her.

In 1921, the poet broke up with his fictitious wife Maria Vasilyevna Volnyanskaya and proposed marriage to Felissa Kruut. Thus, the homeowner’s daughter Felissa became the only legal wife of Igor Severyanin, who endured the gifted poet’s constant touring romances.

“And I’m dying from passion... Can you imagine me being able to burn for five years alone? ... At first the wife didn’t really sympathize with this, but then she waved her hand, went into herself, and with contemptuous irony now watches from above and from afar,” Igor Severyanin described in a letter his feelings for his passion Evdokia Strandell.

After Igor Vasilyevich began to conduct a love correspondence with a certain Vera Borisovna Korendi, Felissa’s patience came to an end, and she kicked her unfortunate husband out of the house. Vera Borisovna claimed that from Severyanin she had a daughter, Valeria (originally recorded under a different patronymic and surname). The poet also had a son, Bacchus Igorevich.

Death

Thanks to the epistolary legacy, in which Igor Vasilyevich meticulously described his physical and mental states to his comrades, it became clear that the egofuturist suffered from a severe form of tuberculosis. In 1940, Northerner moved with Vera Borisovna to Paide, central Estonia, where Korendi was offered a teaching job.

At that time, Igor Vasilyevich’s health deteriorated sharply. Then the master of the pen and his beloved moved to Tallinn, where Severyanin died on December 20, 1941 from a heart attack. The funeral was modest, Igor Vasilyevich was interred at the Alexander Nevsky cemetery.

Bibliography

• 1913 – “The Thundering Cup”
• 1914 – “Zlatolira”
• 1915 – “Pineapples in champagne”
• 1915–1918 – “Collection of Poets”
• 1918 – “Behind the String Fence of the Lyre”
• 1920 – “Vervena”
• 1921 – “Minstrel. Newest Poets"
• 1922 – “Mirralia”
• 1923 – “The Nightingale”
• 1925 - “The Dew of the Orange Hour: A Poem of Childhood in 3 parts”
• 1922–1930 – “Classic Roses”
• 1932 – “Adriatic. Lyrics"
• 1934 – “Medallions”
• 1935 – “Leander’s Piano (Lugne)”

Every intellectual, who often discovers something new for himself, will sooner or later want to read the poems of the Silver Age poets, who tried to bring something of their own, living, natural and new, into the standard and disciplined Soviet life. Each of them, in their own way, wanted to change this world, open a window and let in a fresh wind of inspiration. Give confidence in business, feelings, relationships, etc.

Silver

One of these representatives is Igor Severyanin (his biography will be presented below). He had to work hard before becoming “Russian intellectual baggage,” as teacher Dmitry Bykov said about him. The avant-garde artists who came in the wake of the Golden Age began to boldly call for “throwing Pushkin and Dostoevsky off the steamship of modernity,” and with them various literary movements and groups. The works of the Silver Age really excite minds, since they mainly relate to pressing issues of love poetry.

Many still quote favorite and popular lines from the poems of Pasternak, Mayakovsky, Akhmatova, Blok, Maldenstam, Tsvetaeva, etc. Igor Severyanin is one of them. His biography contains not random, very important and fateful moments, which will be discussed further. This is a true master of the pen. It was very popular not only among adults, but also among young people. However, a whole volume could be compiled from the articles constantly criticizing him. But be that as it may, at his performances he attracted a huge crowd of grateful listeners. His famous poems are “Pineapples in Champagne”, “I am a Genius”, “It Was by the Sea”, etc.

Igor Severyanin. Biography (briefly and most importantly about the poet’s family and childhood)

It is impossible to unequivocally relate to his literary heritage. The most important thing in his short biography is that he worked and published exclusively under a pseudonym. His real name was Lotarev. He was born in St. Petersburg on May 4, 1887. The whole family lived on Gorokhovaya Street in house number 66, which was the central fashionable thoroughfare of the Northern capital. Igor was brought up in a cultured and very wealthy family.

His father was Vasily Petrovich Lotarev, a tradesman who rose to the highest rank - staff captain of a railway battalion. Mother, Natalya Stepanovna Lotareva, was a distant relative of Afanasy Fet. She came from the noble family of the Shenshins.

In 1896, Igor’s parents divorced and decided to go their own ways. What caused their divorce remains unknown.

Changes

As a boy, he began to live on the estate with his father’s relatives, who lived in the Cherepovets region in the village of Vladimirovka, where his father went to live after his resignation and divorce. And then Vasily Petrovich went to the city of Dalniy in Manchuria, accepting the position of commercial agent.

In Cherepovets, Igor was able to complete only four classes of school, and then, when he turned 16, he moved to his father (in 1904). He certainly wanted to see this wonderful region with his own eyes. He was inspired by the beautiful and harsh nature of the Far Eastern region, which is why he later took the pseudonym Northerner, in imitation of Mamin the Sibiryak. But in the same year before the Russo-Japanese War, his father dies, and Igor is sent back to his mother in St. Petersburg.

First successes in poetry

From childhood, Igor Vasilyevich showed his remarkable literary talent. He began writing his first poems at the age of 7-8. In his early youth he was inspired by Zhenechka Gutsan, and therefore his poems were lyrical. Then the war began, and a military-patriotic note began to appear in his works. Since 1904, his poems began to be published in periodicals. This was influenced by his favorite writer Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy. Igor most of all wanted to get a response from the editors, but the poems did not cause much delight among the readers, so his works were returned to him.

Noting the most important thing in the biography of Igor Severyanin, one cannot help but say that he began to publish under the pseudonyms “Count Evgraf d’Axangraf”, “Igla”, “Mimosa”. Around this time, he took his final pseudonym Igor Severyanin. In 1905 he published his poem “The Death of Rurik”.

In 1907, the poet met Konstantin Fofanov, who was the first to appreciate the talent of the young writer and became his mentor.

Aspiring poet

In 1909, a poetry circle began to form, thanks specifically to Igor Severyanin. By 1911, a whole creative association of ego-futurists had already appeared. This was a new movement, which was characterized by refined sensations, neologisms, selfishness and a cult of personality. They tried to show all this off. But the founder of this new literary movement soon left him, found himself in Symbolist circles and began performing solo.

Bryusov welcomed the appearance of such a master of the pen as Severyanin in Russian poetry. And from that moment on, 35 poetry collections by the poet Severyanin were published. One of his manuscripts, “Habanera II,” thanks to the writer Ivan Nazhivin, fell into the hands of Leo Tolstoy himself, who mercilessly criticized the postmodernist Severyanin to smithereens. But this fact did not break him, but on the contrary, promoted his name, albeit “in a black way.” He became famous.

King of Poets

Magazines, which found a sensation in this, began to willingly publish his works. In 1913, his famous collection was published, which brought him fame - “The Thundering Cup”. The northerner began to travel with his performances throughout the country and attracted full houses. The poet had a magnificent performing gift. Boris Pasternak said about him that in pop recitation of poetry he could compete only with the poet Mayakovsky.

He took part in 48 national poetry concerts and gave 87 personally. Participating in a poetry competition in Moscow, he received the title of “King of Poets.” In terms of points, he beat his main rival, Vladimir Mayakovsky. A huge number of fans gathered in the spacious auditorium of the Polytechnic Institute, where poets read their works. The conversations were heated, and there were even fights between fans.

Personal life

Igor Severyanin was not very lucky in his personal life. One can add to his biography that from his youth he loved his cousin Lisa Lotareva, who was 5 years older than him. As children, they spent the summer together in Cherepovets, played and talked a lot. But then Elizabeth was married off. Igor was beside himself with grief and even almost lost consciousness at the wedding ceremony in the church.

When he turned 18, he met Zhenechka Gutsan. She simply drove him crazy. He called her Zlata (because of her golden hair) and gave her poems every day. They were not destined to become a married couple, but from this relationship Zhenechka had a daughter, Tamara, whom the poet saw only 16 years later.

Then he will have many fleeting novels, as well as common-law wives. With one of them, the previously mentioned Maria Volnyanskaya, a singer of gypsy romances, he developed a long-term relationship. In 1912, the poet liked the Estonian city of Toila, which he once visited. In 1918, he transported his sick mother there, and then his wife Maria Volnyanskaya arrived. At first they lived there on her fees. However, in 1921 their family broke up.

The only and official

However, he soon married a Lutheran, Felissa Kruut, who converted to the Orthodox faith for his sake. She gave birth to Igor's son Bacchus, but did not tolerate him for long and in 1935 kicked him out of the house.

The Northerner was constantly cheating on her, and Felissa knew about it. Each of his tours ended with a new passion for the poet.

His last woman was a school teacher, Vera Borisovna Korendi, who bore him a daughter, Valeria. Later, she admitted that she had recorded it under a different name and patronymic, naming it in honor of Bryusov.

In 1940 they moved to the city of Paide, where Korendi began working as a teacher. Severyanin’s health condition has deteriorated greatly. Soon they moved to Tallinn. He died of a heart attack in 1941 on December 20th. The funeral procession was modest; the poet was interred at the Alexander Nevsky cemetery.

Famous Poems

Such a restless and loving poet Igor Severyanin was. On his grave there are still prophetic words written by him during his lifetime: “How good, how fresh will be the roses, thrown into my coffin by my country!”

The poet’s most famous works were “The Thundering Cup” (1913), “Zlatolira” (1914), “Pineapples in Champagne” (1915), “Collected Poets” (1915-1918), “Behind the String Fence lyres" (1918), "Vervena" (1920), "Minstrel. The Newest Poets" (1921), "Mirrelia" (1922), "The Nightingale" (1923), "The Dew of the Orange Hour" (poem in 3 parts, 1925), "Classical Roses" (1922- 1930), “Adriatic. Lyrics" (1932), "Medallions" (1934), "Leandra's Piano (Lugne)" (1935).

Conclusion

Igor Severyanin, like many other poets, left his indelible mark on poetry. The biography and work of the poet are studied by those who understand that the creators of the Silver Age, like the Golden Age, drew their inspiration from love for a friend, a woman and the Motherland. Patriotism was not alien to them. They were not indifferent to the events taking place around them, reflecting everything in their poems. Sensitivity and vulnerability predetermined their character, otherwise it is difficult to be a good poet.

Of course, the work and biography of Igor Severyanin, briefly described in this article, may not give many a complete understanding of his true talent, so it is better to read his works yourself, since they contain echoes of his difficult life and manifestations of his amazing poetic gift.

Igor Severyanin, real name Igor Vasilyevich Lotarev, (1887-1941) is a Russian poet whose work dates back to the Silver Age.

Childhood and adolescence

Igor was born in the city of St. Petersburg on May 16, 1887. The family lived on Gorokhovaya Street in house number 66. His father, Vasily Petrovich Lotarev, was a captain of the railway regiment. Mother - Lotareva Natalya Stepanovna - daughter of the noble leader from the Kursk province Stepan Sergeevich Shenshin. The mother was already married once; her first husband, Lieutenant General Domontovich, died. On his mother's side, Igor had family ties with the historian Karamzin and the poet Fet.

The early childhood years of the future poet were spent in St. Petersburg. His family was cultured; his mother and father loved literature and music, especially opera.

In 1896, the parents separated, his father had retired by that time, and Igor went with him to Cherepovets. There he was mostly on the estates of Aunt Elizaveta Petrovna or Uncle Mikhail Petrovich (these are his father’s brother and sister), because Vasily Petrovich Lotarev himself went to the Far East, he was offered a job there as a commercial agent.

In Cherepovets, Igor finished 4th grade at a real school. And at the age of 16 he went to Manchuria, where my father lived in the city of Dalny. The North left a deep imprint on the young man’s soul; he was captivated by its beauty and severity, inspired to create, and later even took his pseudonym – Northerner. Before the Russo-Japanese War began, his father died suddenly, and Igor returned to his mother in St. Petersburg.

Creation

Igor wrote his first poems when he was 8 years old. In his youth, he was inspired to write poetic works by Zhenya Gutsan, he was madly in love with her, and the poetry of this period was mainly lyrical. During the Russian-Japanese War, military-patriotic notes appeared in his poems.

Returning to St. Petersburg in 1904, Igor began regularly sending his works to periodicals, but they kept returning them back to him.

Until, in 1905, one poem, “The Death of Rurik,” was published. Then little by little his other poems began to be published. At first, he always signed with different pseudonyms:

• Count Evgraf d'Axengraf;
• Needle;
• Mimosa.

And only then settled on the pseudonym Severyanin.

In 1907, he received his first recognition from the poet Fofanov; in 1911, Bryusov welcomed the appearance of Igor Severyanin in the world of Russian poetry.

From 1905 to 1912, 35 collections of Igor’s poetry were published, the publications were mainly provincial.

In 1913, his collection “The Thundering Cup” was published, which brought fame to the poet. Igor began to travel around the country with poetry evenings, which were incredibly successful, because, in addition to talent, he also had an unsurpassed performing gift. Boris Pasternak recalled that in those days on the stage only two poets could compete with each other in reciting poetry - Mayakovsky and Severyanin.

Igor traveled half of Russia - Minsk and Kutais, Vilna and Tiflis, Kharkov and Baku, Ekaterinoslav and Rostov-on-Don, Odessa, Ekaterinodar and Simferopol. He took part in 48 national poetry concerts, and gave 87 more personally.

"King of Poets"

In 1912, Igor visited the Estonian village of Toila for the first time, he really liked it there, and then he spent almost every summer there. In 1918, the poet’s mother became seriously ill, and he moved her to Toila. His common-law wife Maria Volnyanskaya (Dombrovskaya) left with the poet.

But a month later, Igor was forced to go to Moscow for the election of the “King of Poets.” Many people gathered in the huge auditorium of the Polytechnic Institute. Mayakovsky and Severyanin read their poems themselves, and a small fight even broke out between their fans. Some of the poets did not appear; their works were performed by artists. Severyanin was elected “King of Poets”; he beat his closest rival, Mayakovsky, by 30-40 votes.

Emigration

The winner among all Russian poets, he returned to Estonia to his wife and mother. But soon the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was concluded, and the small Baltic village of Toila was occupied by the Germans, Severyanin found himself cut off from Russia.

Thus began his forced emigration; he was never able to visit his homeland again. The poet lived in Toila without a break and continued to write.

He liked it in this small village, it was quiet and cozy, he was very fond of fishing. Igor himself never considered himself an emigrant; he said about himself: “I have been a summer resident since 1918”. He really was sure that Estonia and his residence in it were all temporary: revolutions and wars would end, he could calmly return to St. Petersburg.

Over time, he accepted his fate, began translating Estonian poetry into Russian, and began to actively tour Europe.

Personal life

Igor’s first crazy love was his cousin Liza Lotareva, she was 5 years older than the boy. They spent every summer together at the estate in Cherepovets, were happy, played, talked, and argued. At the age of 17, Elizabeth got married, and Igor was so traumatized by this event that he even felt ill in the church at the wedding ceremony.

The real, already adult feeling came to him at the age of 18, when Igor met Gutsan Zhenechka. A beautiful, slender girl with golden curls drove the poet crazy. He came up with a new name for her - Zlata - and gave her poetry every day. They were not destined to get married, but from this relationship Zhenechka gave birth to a daughter, Tamara, whom the poet himself first saw only 16 years later.

Severyanin had too many fleeting romances, as well as common-law wives. With one of them, Maria Volnyanskaya, the relationship was long-term, she went with him to Estonia, and at first the family even existed there on her fees (Maria performed gypsy romances). In 1921, their common-law family broke up, Igor officially married Felissa Krutt, who for his sake changed her faith from Lutheran to Orthodox. In their marriage they had a son.

However, even an official marriage did not become a reason for the Northerner to stop having mistresses. His wife knew perfectly well that each of his tours ended in another whirlwind romance. Felissa endured it until 1935 and eventually kicked Igor out of the house.

The last woman with whom the poet lived was schoolteacher Vera Borisovna Korendi. Every year Igor became more and more ill; he had tuberculosis. The poet died on December 20, 1941; his grave is located in Tallinn.

1887 , May 4 (16) - born in St. Petersburg into the family of a retired staff captain. He spent the first 9 years in St. Petersburg.

1903 – having finished 4th grade at the Cherepovets Real School, in the spring he and his father made a trip to Dalniy Port (Dalian, China), where they lived for six months.

1904 - returns to his mother in Gatchina.

1907 - meets the poet K. Fofanov, who warmly approved of his poems.

1911 – Northerner announces the creation of “Ego of Universal Futurism”.

1913 – publication of the collection “The Thunderboiling Cup” in the Moscow publishing house “Grif” with a foreword by F. Sologub. In the same year he began giving his own poetry concerts. March–April 12 – the first concert tour at the invitation of Sologub and Chebotarevskaya to Russian cities, performing in Minsk, Vilna, Kharkov, Ekaterinoslav, Odessa, Simferopol, Rostov-on-Don, Baku, Tiflis, Kutaisi and other cities.
November 2 - performance at the St. Petersburg Women's Medical Institute together with V. Mayakovsky, V. Khlebnikov, N. Burlyuk and V. Gnedov.
November 29 – performance in the “Salt Town” hall in St. Petersburg together with Mayakovsky, Kulbin, Kruchenykh.
December 14 – the first solo poetry concert in the hall of the Tenishevsky School in St. Petersburg.

1914 , February 18 – the publishing house “Grif” publishes the fourth edition of the book “The Thundering Cup”. Circulation 1000 copies.
March 4 – Igor Severyanin’s second book “Zlatolira” is published, M., K-vo “Grif”. Circulation 1415 copies.
November 9 – is present at the First Evening of Russian Music at the artistic cabaret “Stray Dog”. Singer A. I. Egorov performed the Northerner’s “Poet about Belgium,” set to music by composer N. K. Tsybulsky. The sheet music of this work was published with a cover by Sudeikin.

1915 – release of the collection “Pineapples in Champagne”. The poet's evenings were a huge success. B. Pasternak recalled: “... On the stage before the revolution, Mayakovsky’s rival was Igor Severyanin...”

1917 , October–November – in Petrograd, in the hall of the Petrovsky School (Fontanka, 62), 5 poetry evenings by Igor Severyanin are held, at which the poet reads poems from the collections “Thunderboiling Cup”, “Zlatolira”, “Pineapples in Champagne”, etc.

1918 , February 27 - in the hall of the Polytechnic Museum - election of the king of poets. K. Balmont, V. Mayakovsky and other poets took part in the competition. The Northerner won, and was awarded the title of “King of Poets.”

1918 - Since this year he has been living permanently in Estonia, having found himself outside his homeland after Estonia was declared an independent state.

1922 , November 7 – performs in Berlin at concerts together with V. Mayakovsky and A. N. Tolstoy.

1924 , June 14 - at the Pushkin evening in the building of the German Theater in Tallinn, he reads poetry dedicated to A.S. Pushkin.

1925 – a “novel in stanzas” entitled “Royal Leandra” was published.
April – Vadim Bergman’s publishing house (Yuryev-Tartu) published a book by Igor Severyanin: “Bells of the Cathedral of Senses. Autobiographical novel in 3 parts" (circulation 2000 copies). Part of the edition came in a dust jacket in the form of a ribbon with a red inscription: “XX. Igor-Severyanin.

1928 The latest manuscripts published on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the poet’s literary activity.”
February 16 – evening at the Russian House, organized by the Union of Russian Writers and Journalists in Poland. In the newspaper “For Freedom!” reported: “The poems dedicated to Russian writers and Russia were met with noisy and long-lasting applause from almost exclusively the Russian public who had gathered to listen to their native poet.”

1930 , December 20 and 29 – gives a lecture about K. Fofanov and a lecture “Estonian Triolet Sologub” at the Russian Scientific Institute at the Chamber of the Academy of Sciences in Belgrade (Yugoslavia).

1931 , February 27 – performance at the Chopin Hall in Paris with the program: 1. “Classical Roses” (New Lyrics). 2. “Medallions” (12 characteristics). 3. “Thundering Cup” (Ante-War Lyrics).
Present at the concert is M. Tsvetaeva, who said in a letter to S.N. Andronikova-Galpern on March 3, 1931: “...The only joy (not counting the Russian reading of Moore, Alina’s drawing successes and my poems) - for all this time - long months - evening of Igor Severyanin. He more than remained a poet, he became one. It was the twentieth anniversary on the stage. Old to the point of dying of heart: wrinkles like those of a three-hundred-year-old, but - he lifts his head - everything is gone - the nightingale! That dictionary is not singing and gone. When we meet, I’ll tell you everything as it was, for now: my first POET, that is, the first consciousness of a POET in nine years (as I am from Russia).”

1941 , spring - sends sonnets about Russian composers to Leningrad.
Severyanin’s poems are published in the magazines “Krasnaya Nov”, No. 3 and “Ogonyok”, No. 13.
December 22 – died in Nazi-occupied Tallinn. He was buried at the Orthodox Alexander Nevsky cemetery in Tallinn.

Addresses in St. Petersburg:
1. Gorokhovaya, house number 66 - born in this house on May 4, 1887.
2. Corner of Degtyarnaya and 8th Sovetskaya streets. (the exact address of the house has not been established) - I have been here since 1911. The editorial office of the newspaper “Petersburg Herald” was located

(real name and surname - Lotarev Igor Vasilievich)

(1887-1941) Russian poet, essayist, translator

The popularity of Igor Severyanin is viewed differently. Some say that he was nothing more than a talented rhymer of “restaurant-boudoir themes,” while others, on the contrary, consider him a very gifted poet. What remains indisputable is that he devoted his entire life to poetry and lived it, obeying his once chosen destiny. Even in the difficult pre-war years, Igor Severyanin refused to enter public service, preferring to be considered only a writer.

Much in a person’s actions, in his attitude to life values, is explained by the upbringing he received in childhood. The poet's mother, Natalya Semyonovna Shenshina, belonged to an old noble family, one of the branches of which went back to the historian N. Karamzin. My father was a military engineer and came from Vladimir burghers.

The boy received an excellent education at home and joined the theater early. But then his parents separated, and he lived either with his father or with his mother. At one time he studied at the Cherepovets Real School. Not far from the city there was the estate of his paternal uncle, where Igor Severyanin spent his holidays. When his father retired and received a position as a commercial agent, the boy went with him to the Far East to Manchuria. He was simply captivated by exotic beauties and retained his love for the sea until the end of his life. But in his soul he still remained a supporter of the northern regions, so he soon returned from Manchuria to his mother in Gatchina. Even when choosing a pseudonym, the future poet sought to emphasize the connection of his work with northern nature. True, the spelling of the pseudonym he invented - Igor Severyanin - was never established in the press.

In 1904-1905, Igor Severyanin, using his uncle’s money, published several small poetic brochures with patriotic content. They included the poems “The Death of “Rurik””, “The Feat of “Novik””, “The Capture of “Resolute””, inspired by the events of the Russian-Japanese War.

The poet himself dates the beginning of his literary activity to 1905, when his poem “The Death of Rurik” was published in the magazine for soldiers “Leisure and Business”. Severyanin’s first collection of poetry, Lightning Poems, was published in 1908.

The early poems of the young writer were written under the obvious influence of the then famous poets M. Lokhvitskaya and K. Fofanov. He simply idolized Mirra Lokhvitskaya, reproducing after her the movements of his own soul and dreaming of the unattainable. Konstantin Fofanov attracted him with his ability to convey his own moods through landscape sketches. At the same time, both poets paid tribute to love feelings.

The beginning of the 20th century was a rather unstable time; there was a craving for rapid change and at the same time a desire to do something extraordinary and extravagant. In 1911, Igor Severyanin led the movement of egofuturism, which included young poets R. Ivnev, I. Ignatiev, K. Olimpov. He will reflect his feelings as an egotistic poet (universal poet) in the poem “Epilogue” (1912):

I, the genius Igor-Severyanin,

Intoxicated with his victory:

I'm completely screened!

Over time, Igor Severyanin also had his own admirers. These were mainly high school students, students of the Bestuzhev courses, medical students, and exalted young ladies. For them, the poet invented a special form of presenting his poems: he did not read them, but practically performed them to music. “My creativity began to develop on two main principles: classical banality and melodic musicality,” Severyanin later wrote in his autobiography “Exemplary Fundamentals.”

His fans went crazy over lines like this:

It was by the sea, where the lacy foam

Where a city crew is rarely found...

The Queen played - in the castle tower - Chopin,

And, listening to Chopin, her page fell in love.

A very precise definition of Igor Severyanin’s poems was later given by the critic G. Adamovich, noting their “rubber-light elegance.” But still, he, following the first critics, confirmed the originality of the poet’s style.

Real fame came to Igor Severyanin after the publication of the collection “The Thunder-Boiling Cup” (1913), which went through seven reprints in two years. However, the poet’s popularity was rather scandalous in nature, which was greatly facilitated by famous cultural figures. Thus, after reading one of Severyanin’s early poems, “Habanera II,” L. Tolstoy called him immoral. These words were immediately published by all the newspapers, and readers, naturally, themselves wanted to get acquainted with the work of the poet, who was awarded such a categorical assessment. What exactly Tolstoy meant was no longer important; the main thing is that the “wall of silence” of criticism around Igor Severyanin has collapsed once and for all.

However, he was supported by V. Bryusov, who at that time was already a leading critic and master of poetry. He noted that Severyanin tried to update the poetic language by introducing argot, neologisms and unusually bold metaphors. Although, according to Bryusov, he did not always succeed, he hoped that “over time, his muddy splash could turn into a clear and strong stream.” A correspondence began between them, and Bryusov was one of the first to welcome Igor Severyanin as the head of the new poetic school.

The third connoisseur of his poetry was F. Sologub. Although he criticized the egofuturism program, soon after the meeting they read their works together for the first time at an evening and even went on a joint tour. Friendly relations arose between the two poets, and subsequently it was Severyanin who persuaded Sologub to leave the country, as if foreseeing his future personal tragedy.

The strength of Igor Severyanin’s lyrical talent was also noted by A. Blok, N. Gumilyov, and M. Gorky. Like many other poets of that time, Severyanin was constantly engaged in word formation. He created a whole series of neologisms - “zoom”, “mediocrity”, “stun”, “rogue eye”, “flaxjet”; was fond of creating words with the prefix “without” - without remorse, hopelessness, without question; formed verbs from nouns - wing, thunder, wind, nurse. His metaphors are also interesting: “dreams of claret”, “lilies of liqueurs”, “champagne polonaise”. You can’t ignore his “lilac ice cream” or “pineapples in champagne”...

Step by step, Igor Severyanin created his image of an outstanding poet, who enjoyed incredible success with women and the love of the public. He didn’t even call his lovers by their names, but came up with his own poetic name for each.

Igor Severyanin always numbered his poems, calling even small books “volumes.” However, everything in the world comes to an end, and fame began to gradually leave him. Over time, his futurist friends left him, and he joined the Cubo-Futurists. Publishers also gradually lost interest in his poems, and the poet had to print them with his own money.

However, Severyanin was not going to give up, and 1918 became the year of his triumph. He gains the upper hand in the creative rivalry with Mayakovsky and becomes the king of poets. But at this time, the living Russian classic is already forced to live in exile, in Estonia.

The subsequent years of the poet's life were uneventful. He even continued to publish, sometimes he was invited to give readings of his works. But now he mostly just had to fight for survival. Igor Severyanin never served, so his main source of income was his literary activity. In exile, he published thirteen books, almost the same number as he had previously published in Russia.

Literary income, of course, was not enough, and Igor Severyanin lived by fishing or what he collected in the forest. The poet settled in the village of Toila, where he found family happiness by marrying the Estonian F. Kruut. For the sake of their common well-being, he accepts Estonian citizenship. In 1922, Severyanin had a son, whom the happy father named...Bacchus, in honor of the ancient god. But the poet also sang his wife as Ariadne the Emerald.

The Estonian period of Northerner’s work is somewhat different: the poet pays more attention to landscape lyrics, sometimes even responding to contemporary events, although one should not look for overtly political poems in his poetry. The pinnacle of Igor Severyanin’s lyrics of this time was the collection “Classical Roses” (1931), and the main theme of his poetry was the great and spiritually rich Russia. Until the end of his days, the poet did not lose hope of returning here.

Severyanin’s later poems retain the spontaneity inherent in his work, but at the same time they become more traditional in form and manner of presentation.

With the help of his wife, Northerner, who does not speak written Estonian, carries out an unprecedented publication - he compiles an anthology of his own translations, “Poets of Estonia” (1928), for which he receives a financial subsidy from the Estonian Ministry of Education. Together they also translate several prose works - the books by M. Under “Prosperity” and A. Rankit “In the Window Binding”.

However, twenty years later came the end of Severyanin’s happy family life. He became interested in another woman, V. Korendi, and separated from his wife. Their creative union also fell apart. Now the only source of livelihood for the poet is subsidies from the Cultural Capital fund, which are allocated to him by the Estonian government.

After Estonia joined the USSR, Igor Severyanin strives with all his heart to return to his homeland. At this time, he publishes practically nothing and does not even write down his poems, not seeing the point. However, World War II soon began, and his departure was postponed indefinitely. In addition, life's difficulties aggravated the poet's painful condition. In December 1941, Severyanin died in Tallinn from a heart attack.

The popularity of Igor Severyanin is easily explained. He always addressed himself directly to his listener, without separating himself from him at any distance.