Who lived well in Russia – commemorating the 200th anniversary of the poet Nekrasov's birth

(Nekrasov statue picture from the Internet)

Lee Jeong-young/Wen

What is Russia? How to define Russia? Who can define Russia? It seems to me that the person who gave the most wonderful definition of Russia was the great Russian poet Nekrasov. For the subject and content of Nekrasov's poetry has a clear goal, which is to answer the question of "what is Russia".

The great poet Nikolai Alexeyevich Nekrasov was born on December 10, 1821 (November 28 in the Old Russian calendar), and December 10 of this year marks his 200th birthday. At this moment, looking back at Nekrasov's poetry, one would agree with the poet's definition of Russia. To this day, inside the doorways of the splendid buildings of St. Petersburg, there is still the "Petersburg Corner" observed by Nekrasov, and on the vast and endless markets of the Russian countryside, on the volga river of Russia, the Russian land and people defined by Nekrasov can be seen everywhere.

Two "200th Birthday Anniversaries"

In 2016, Russia's top leader, Vladimir Putin, signed two decrees confirming the commemoration of the bicentennial of the birth of two Russian writers in 2021. The two writers, Dostoevsky and Nekrasov. Dostoevsky was born on "Double 11" in 1821, and Nekrasov was born on December 10 of the same year. In 2021, the 200th birthday commemoration of two Russian writers became a state act of Russia.

Although for 30 years the mainstream of Russian criticism has been filthy of the democratic revolutionary tradition, the Ness has been identified as a "myth-making" and torso has been called a representative of Russian orthodoxy. In the upper echelons of Russian culture today, the attitude towards the two writers is obvious: one praise and one depreciation, one praise and one depression, one is like the sun in the sky, and the other is dull and cool. However, in 2021, Russia's national conditions, public opinion, and literary conditions began to show new signs, at least, judging from the four specific contents of the two "200th Birthday Commemoration" decrees, the Russian state's equal view of these two writers was "in progress".

The "Commemorative Decree", which involves this year's two writers, also uses a uniform template, which seems routine to the president. But the same template decree, promulgated for two literary scholars, at least makes us feel that in the cultural "crossroads" of the Russian government, the commemoration of Nekrasov and the commemoration of Dostoevsky are "equal".

But in fact, the reaction of public society is the double heaven of ice and fire.

Whether in Russia or in the world's cultural circles, the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the two births is a world of difference. Toshi's birthday celebration can be described as overwhelming, while the event to commemorate Neshi is dotted with stars and even has the feeling of "walking through the motions". Nevertheless, it gave me a definite revelation: Nekrasov will not be forgotten by the Russians, and that the revolutionary poet who has been singing for the people in the 19th century is "hanging on" to the top and bottom levels; and the concept of the "middle and upper classes" of Russian culture today will inevitably be divided.

Nekrasov's world influence today may be slightly inferior to Turgenev, Dostoevsky, and Gorky, but the significance of the world of Nekrasov, the representative writer of the Golden Age, Compared with the Silver Age writer Bunin, the world significance of Nekrasov, the representative writer of the Golden Age, can never be ignored.

If Russian 19th-century realist literature brought Russian literature to the pinnacle of world literature, and Dostoevsky and Tolstoy were among the pinnacles, then the fact that the great "midwife" of Russian 19th-century realist literature was Noneraksov. The debut "developers" of these two great writers were also Nekrasov. Moreover, Nekrasov was not only a "midwife" and "Bole", he himself was a thousand-mile horse, and he devoted his life to the 19th century Russian realist literature.

The "Midwife" of Realist Literature

In February 1845, a "collection" appeared in the book market in the capital of the Russian Empire, which was obviously a collection of literary works, but it had a very strange natural science title: "Petersburg Physiology" (there are translations of the title into "Sketches of the Style of Petersburg" and "Essays on the Customs of Petersburg"). Judging from the content of this book, it is indeed the "style" and "custom" of St. Petersburg, but its literal translation as "physiology" can more accurately reveal the new posture of this anthology--the editor of the collection is obviously a conscious attempt to show the capital Petersburg from a natural standpoint of "physiology". The editor of the collection was 24-year-old Nekrasov.

The 17-year-old nekrasov came to the capital city of Petersburg, and because he did not obey his father's expectations, he was cut off from financial support by his father and became a drifter in Petersburg. He had literary dreams, but he was starving and cold. Wandering around the cultural circle of the capital, Nekrasov also explored some of the ways of the cultural market. He found that the "urban physiology" and "naturalistic" sketches that appeared in Paris, France, were very popular with readers. For example, the series of collections "The FrenchMan Himself Depicted by the Frenchman", which appeared in Paris in 1840, was very popular in France and also sold in Russia. Each episode of this series is aimed at depicting the parisian people, shop men, tailors, weavers, clerks, journalists, etc., showing a completely different parisian look. In Russia, this is also a new literary trend presented by Pushkin's "Stationmaster", Gogol's "Neva Street", "Nose", "Portrait" and "Coat".

From his own suffering, Nekrasov, almost physiologically instinctively, saw the enormous potential of this new fashion and did his best to run for it. Beginning in 1843, Nekrasov edited a set of "collected periodicals": Poems without Pictures, Physiology of Petersburg (Part I, Part II), April 1, A Collection with Satirical Pictures, and The Petersburg Anthology. These are the truths of "seeing Petersburg from the keyhole", according to Krasov's understanding, if Petersburg is a "living body", these "collections" are the physiology of this living body. "Physiology of Petersburg" has also attracted strong dissatisfaction from some conservatives, saying that such works are dedicated to the theme of "filth" and are "naturalists" who lack artistic beauty. The literary leader Belinsky, on the side of Nekrasov, took up the term "naturalism" and praised the "naturalists" for daring to write the truth and have the humanitarian spirit of daring to expose the dark side of Russian society. Since then, the term "naturalism" has become a buzzword for discussing new literature. The success of Petersburg Physiology led Nekrasov to edit the Petersburg Anthology, making the naturalist tendencies even more powerful. The first novel published in the Petersburg Anthology was Dostoevsky's debut novel, The Poor Man.

Nekrasov's Physiology of Petersburg and the Petersburg Anthology became a major event in the history of Russian literature, and from then on, "naturalism" became the mainstream of Russian literature. In 1847, Nekrasov took over the magazine Modern Man and made it the most influential ideological position of revolutionary democracy. In 1866, the magazine was shut down for revolutionary tendencies, and Nekrasov turned to the Chronicle of the Fatherland, which in turn made the magazine a front for progressive Russian literature, and these two magazines were distinguished in the history of the development of Russian literature in the 19th century.

In Nekrasov's editorial work and the "naturalism" promoted, a large number of excellent Russian writers emerged, Turgenev, Goncharov, Dostoevsky, Ostrovsky, Andorsty, thus making Russian literature leap up and ascend to the peak of world literature.

Two major literary peaks of Bole

The process by which the Petersburg Anthology adopted Dostoevsky's debut novel, The Poor Man, is a wonderful addition to Russian literature.

In 1844, when Toshi wrote "The Poor", he was a graduate of a military engineering school that no one knew about. His classmate Grigrovich is enthusiastically involved in Nekrasov's work editing Petersburg Physiology. When Gerstreaded read the manuscript of The Poor, he felt that this was exactly the theme of "Petersburg physiology" that Nekrasov needed, so he showed him the novel. The two read all night, and at dawn they came to to Tuo's residence and woke up the peer from his sleep. Grigrovich's memoirs, Banayev's memoirs, and Dostoevsky's Diary of a Writer all recall the dramatic process of discovering his debut novel, The Poor Man.

The appearance of the great writer Lev Tolstoy is also the result of Nekrasov's development. In 1852, Nekrasov received Childhood from the Caucasus.

On July 3, 1852, Tolstoy wrote a letter from a military camp in Chechnya, Caucasus, to Nekrasov, editor-in-chief of the capital's magazine Modern man, along with which he sent his novel Childhood.

At that time, Tolstoy was still an unknown "soldier serving in the Caucasus", and Nekrasov was already the editor-in-chief of the most prestigious russian magazine at that time. So, Tolstoy was very humble, calling Nekrasov an "experienced and honest editor," and the letter ended with the words: "I look forward to your verdict." It either encourages me to continue my favorite activity or lets me burn everything out. ”

Nekrasov naturally knew nothing of Tolstoy, and the letter to him, that is, of an ordinary author, had neither any "introducer", nor did he express or imply eminent origin, nor did he even write his real name, but used only two words "Л" and "Н". But after reading the manuscript, Nekrasov saw the potential of the author and quickly wrote back to Tolstoy:

"I read your manuscript (childhood) and was very interested, and I'll publish it. I don't know the sequel yet, so I can't be too sure. But I think the author is gifted. In any case, the direction of the author, the simplicity and validity of the content constitute the inherent advantages of this work. If there is more energy and action later in the section (as you would expect), it would be a good novel. Please send me your sequel. Your novels and talents intrigued me. I also suggest that you don't cover yourself with letters, but print it out directly with your real last name, unless you're a casual guest in the literary world. ”

Judging from Nekrasov's tone, Tolstoy's novel "Childhood" is indeed talented, and the sharp-eyed Nekrasov sees "direction" in his writing. This may be where Nekrasov was ecstatic when he first saw "The Poor Man." The profound psychological talent shown in "Childhood" and the effectiveness of language in simplicity are all new qualities. The experienced Nekrasov saw this trait, and the best Russian literary magazines of the time opened their arms to Tolstoy. Tolstoy received the letter and wrote in his diary: "I am happy, almost to the point of stupidity".

It was with Nekrasov's encouragement that Tolstoy's literary talents blossomed one after another in the magazine Modern Man.

The poet who defined Russia

Nekrasov's greater contribution was also to the poetry he composed.

While still in secondary school, Nekrasov was inspired by Pushkin's Ode to Freedom and began writing poetry. In 1838, he was sent by his father to the Petersburg Military Academy, but he went to the University of Petersburg to observe without permission, and his father, in a fit of rage, refused to give him financial support. The 17-year-old Nekrasov had to live in the slums, do all kinds of chores, and live with the lowest working people. Three years of urban drifting allowed him to truly experience physical suffering. In 1840, Nekrasov published his first collection of poems, Fantasy and Sound. The themes of the collection were mainly hunger, death, and dreams, because these themes "recapitulated" the themes of Romantic poetry of the time, and critics accused it of being "immature". It is true that "Fantasy and Sound" is a lyrical song poured out by a teenager literary teenager, but re-reading today, involving death, hunger poetry, under the childish language of imitating the trend, there is a sense of "personal experience" of the poet's flesh. Other poets write about death and hunger as lyricism, while Nekrasov's hunger and the pain of wanting to die are extreme physical pain. During the years of the "Petersburg Wanderings", Nekrasov was on the verge of death from starvation several times, and suffering became the poetic material he was best known for. It was these hardships and tenacity that made Nekrasov the poet who best defined Russia.

The so-called Nekrasov defined Russia, which means that reading his poems can accurately understand Russia. Speaking of the intellectual function of literature in understanding Russia, Belinsky once said: "... From Dead Souls you can get to know the russian provinces, you just can't know them without leaving home in one of them for fifty years. In Onegin, you can study a moment in the development of Russian society. In Contemporary Heroes, you see the same society, but it's already new. If you want to get to know your hometown of the Caucasus, read Pushkin and Lermontov. This is exactly what Belinsky advocates for "image thinking."

In today's aesthetic supremacy, it is necessary to re-mention "image thinking". Belinsky's "image thinking" focuses on the direction of "thinking", which is also the direction of aesthetic rationality of German classical philosophy. The mainstream of Chinese literary theory has always been "literature to carry the Tao". In emphasizing the cognitive function of literature, "image thinking" and "literature carrying the Tao" are almost two expressions of aesthetic thought. Nekrasov's literary legacy can also serve as such an epistemic function.

For example, to ask "What is a Russian woman", it is impossible for the reader not to immediately think of Nekrasov. In the long narrative poem "Russian Women", Nekrasov tells us that they are Trubetskaya, Wolconskaya, Muravyova, Nareshkina, Androzin, the wives of these Decembrists. To ask "what is a Russian man", Nekrasov's poem answers: "It was the Decembrists.

So, what is Russian land? At the beginning of the long poem "Who Can Live Well in Rose", the land of Rose is defined. Nekrasov answered the question "Who can live well in Russia" with pure Russian folk discourse, folk customs, and pure Russian peasant thought. The poet wrote the most courageous poems in the most rustic language.

On January 8, 1878 (December 27, 1877 in the Russian calendar), Nekrasov died. Hearing this news, Dostoevsky immediately went to bid farewell to Nekrasov, writing: "... When I got home, I couldn't do anything. I took nekrasov's whole three-volume collection and read it from page 1, and I read it all night until six o'clock in the morning, as if I had gone through the whole thirty years again. ”

Subsequently, Dostoevsky delivered an emotional eulogy at Nekrasov's funeral:

This is the heart that has been wounded all his life, and this wound that has not healed is the source of all his poetry, the source of this man's fiery love for everything. He loves all those who have been tormented by violence and unbridled brutality, for oppressed Russian women, for the children of Russian families and for our ordinary people who have suffered so much that they have suffered infinitely. In our poetry, Nekrasov is a unique and 'innovative' poet. There was once a poet, Chutchev, who was more open and artistic than him, but Chutchev could never occupy such a prominent and unforgettable place in our literature, a position that indisputably belonged to Nekrasov. "This is the most sincere tribute of the great writer born in the same year to the great poet.

In June 2011, I went on a business trip to St. Petersburg to visit the New Virgin Cemetery where Nekrasov was buried. I was alone in the necropolis, gazing at the statue on Nekrasov's tombstone, and the eternal question kept pouring in: "Who can live well in Ross"?

The "Ross" in the poem, if replaced by "Russia", is also true: "Who lives well in Russia?" The question of nekrasov's long narrative poem, conceived from the 1860s and not completed until the end of his life, is the simplest, most mundane, but also the most universal, and precisely because of its universality, this title gives poetry an unexpected transcendence beyond time and space.

This is Nekrasov's eternal question to Russia, and it is also his eternal question to the world: Who can live well in Europa? Who lives well in Asia america? Who lives well in the world? In front of Nekrasov's tomb, I could not find the answer.