Poet and fet biography. Fet Afanasy Afanasyevich

Afanasy Afanasyevich Fet (lived 1820 - 1892) - this name is known to any schoolchild. Let's look at the most important thing in Fet's biography: his family, creativity, Fet's biography. Brief biography, for primary school students. The poet's life was very eventful events, and Fet’s biography is briefly presented in a concise form with difficulty, since I want to tell many interesting facts about Fet.

Everyone without exception learns the famous poem in school and remembers it all their lives:

• Again the birds are flying from afar
• To the shores that break the ice,
• The warm sun goes high
• And the fragrant lily of the valley awaits.
• Again, nothing can calm your heart
• Up to the cheeks of the rising blood,
• And with a bribed soul you believe,
• That, like the world, love is endless.
• But will we get so close again?
• We are in the midst of tender nature,
• As seen walking low
• Us the cold sun of winter?

Family

Afanasy was born in 1820 in the Oryol region (formerly Oryol province) in the famous Mtsensk district. His mother Charlotte-Elisabeth Becker was a German citizen. Sh.-E. Becker was married to a German a poor servant of the city court with the unforgettable long German name Johann-Peter-Karl-Wilhelm Föth. Has Fet with “ё”. Johann Vöth divorced Becker, then remarried and died in 1826. After his death, he did not leave any inheritance to his ex-wife and son.

On the eve of the divorce in 1820, a Russian landowner of noble origin, Afanasy Neofitovich Shenshin, arrived in Darmstad. Elizaveta Becker meets him. They fall in love with each other. Elizabeth by that time was pregnant with her second child. Shenshin secretly takes his future wife to Russia. They got married only in 1822, when the boy was already 2 years old. The boy was baptized and named Afanasy Afanasyevich Shenshin in the world. At birth, the boy was recorded as the blood-born son of the parent A.N. Shenshin.

Previously, a legitimate child could have been born in wedlock. Since the marriage took place two years after the birth of the future poet, it was difficult to recognize him as a blood son. It is believed that this was done for a bribe.

When the boy turned 14 years old, fate played a cruel joke on him. The secret of his birth surfaced in the church chancellery; it turned out that a mistake had been made, that he was not the natural son of the nobleman Shenshin, and therefore could not have a noble title. Afanasy Neofitovich was recognized as Fet's stepfather. An official church message was issued about this.

Married Shenshina and Becker had several children together. K.P. Matveeva is Fet’s older sister. Born in 1819. All other brothers and sisters were born into the Shenshin family:

• L.A. Shenshin in 1824;
• V.A. Shenshin in 1827;
• ON THE. Borisov in 1832;
• P.A. Shenshin in 1834

There were children who died at an early age - Anna, Vasily and perhaps another Anna. Infant mortality was very high even in wealthy families.

It is interesting to know: the poet, the life and work of the writer.

Education

Fet initially studied at the Krummer boarding school in Estonia, where he received an excellent upbringing. Further, in 1838 he entered Moscow State University and studied at the philosophical and philological department of literature. Here he is passionate about literature and languages. He graduated from the university in 1844. The first publications of poems were made in senior years at the university.

Creation

Fet began writing his first poems at a young age. Afanasy Afanasyevich was a lyricist from God. He sensually put nature, love and art into poetic forms. With all this, the poet’s lyrical nature did not interfere, but rather, on the contrary, helped him to be an enterprising good landowner with a “commercial streak.”

The first official publications of the poems were made in the magazine "Lyrical Pantheon" in 1840. The first collection of poems was published in 1850, and then they were published regularly. He became any poet of our time and was published in various publications.

Fet was always depressed by the circumstance, according to which he was deprived of his noble title. He was very eager to regain this title and in 1853 he entered service in the Guards regiment. Unfortunately, the service did not bear fruit. In 1858, he resigned, still remaining untitled.

A year earlier he married Maria Botkina . For accumulated capital they buy arable land. Fet becomes a passionate farmer: he grows crops, raises livestock, takes care of bees, and even digs a pond where he raises fish. The estate was called Stepanovka. After a few years, the estate begins to generate good income - up to 5-6 thousand per year. This is a lot of money. In 1877, he sold the estate and bought another - Vorobyovka in the Kursk province. It was an old estate with a beautiful manor house on the river bank and a huge century-old garden.

From 1862 to 1871, along with poetry, Fet was captivated by prose. These are two completely different literary trends of his work. If Fet's poetry is very lyrical, then the prose is called realistic. These are stories, essays about village hard work. Among the well-known are “Notes on civilian labor”, “From the village” and others.

Fet had many fans. One of them is Maria Lazic. They had tender feelings for each other, but were unable to cross their destinies. She died. Many of the best love poems are dedicated to Mary: “The Talisman”, “You have suffered, I still suffer...” and others.

Afanasy Afanasyevich, knew several languages ​​and translated many works of famous writers:

• "Faust" by Goethe;
• Translations of ancient writers - Horace, Virgil, Ovid and many others.

Fet wanted to translate “Critique of Pure Reason” by E. Kant, but began translating Schopenhauer; he also dreamed of translating the Bible.

The great Russian lyricist A. Fet was born on December 5, 1820. But biographers doubt not only the exact date of his birth. The mysterious facts of their true origin tormented Fet until the end of his life. In addition to the absence of a father as such, the situation with the real surname was also unclear. All this shrouds Fet’s life and work in a certain mystery.

Fet's parents

According to the official version, the Russian nobleman Afanasy Neofitovich Shenshin, while undergoing treatment in the German city of Darmstadt, settled in the house of Oberkrieg Commissioner Karl Becker. After some time, a retired army officer becomes interested in the owner's daughter, Charlotte. However, Charlotte at that time was no longer free and was married to a petty German official, Karl Feth, who also lived in Becker’s house.

Despite these circumstances and even the fact that Charlotte has a daughter from Fet, a whirlwind romance begins. The lovers' feelings were so strong that Charlotte decided to escape with Shenshin to Russia. In the fall of 1820, Charlotte, leaving her husband and daughter, left Germany.

Mother's protracted divorce

An outline of Fet's life and work is impossible without a story about the relationship of his parents. Already in Russia, Charlotte dreams of an official divorce from Karl Fet. But divorce in those days was a rather lengthy process. Some biographers claim that because of this, the wedding ceremony between Shenshin and Charlotte took place two years after the birth of little Afanasy, their common son. According to one version, Shenshin allegedly bribed the priest in order to give the boy his last name.

Probably, it was this fact that influenced the poet’s entire life. Violations of this kind were treated quite strictly in the Russian Empire. However, all sources confirm the fact of the wedding of Shenshin and Charlotte, who later took the name Shenshin.

From nobles to paupers

Getting acquainted with the biography of the lyricist, you involuntarily ask yourself the question of what influenced Fet’s life and work. It is difficult to find out all the details down to the smallest detail. But the main milestones are quite accessible to us. Until the age of 14, little Afanasy considered himself a hereditary Russian nobleman. But then, thanks to the hard work of judicial officials, the secret of the child’s origin was revealed. In 1834, an investigation was launched into this case, as a result of which, by a decree of the Oryol provincial government, the future poet was deprived of the right to be called Shenshin.

It is clear that the ridicule of his recent comrades immediately began, which the boy experienced quite painfully. In part, this was what contributed to the development of Fet’s mental illness, which haunted him until his death. However, what was much more important was that in this situation he not only did not have the right to inheritance, but in general, judging by the documents presented from the archives of that time, he was a person of no confirmed nationality. At one point, a hereditary Russian nobleman with a rich inheritance turned into a beggar, a person of no use to anyone except his mother, without a surname, and the loss was so great that Fet himself considered this event to have disfigured his life to the point of his deathbed.

Foreigner Fet

One can imagine what the poet’s mother went through, begging the court’s tricksters for at least some kind of certificate about the origin of her son. But it was all in vain. The woman took a different route.

Remembering her German roots, she appealed to the pity of her former German husband. History is silent about how Elena Petrovna achieved the desired result. But he was. Relatives sent official confirmation that Afanasy is the son of Fetu.

So the poet at least got a last name, Fet’s life and work received a new impetus in development. However, in all the circulars he still continued to be called “foreigner Fet.” The natural conclusion from this was complete disinheritance. After all, now the foreigner had nothing in common with the nobleman Shenshin. It was at this moment that he was overcome by the idea of ​​regaining his lost Russian name and title by any means possible.

First steps in poetry

Afanasy enters the Faculty of Literature at Moscow University and is still referred to in the university forms as “foreigner Fet.” There he meets the future poet and critic. Historians believe that Fet’s life and work changed at this very moment: it is believed that Grigoriev discovered Afanasy’s poetic gift.

Soon Feta comes out - “Lyrical Pantheon”. The poet wrote it while still a university student. Readers highly appreciated the young man's gift - they did not care what class the author belonged to. And even the harsh critic Belinsky repeatedly emphasized the poetic gift of the young lyricist in his articles. Belinsky's reviews, in fact, served Fet as a kind of passport into the world of Russian poetry.

Afanasy began to publish in various publications and within a few years he prepared a new lyric collection.

Military service

However, the joy of creativity could not cure Fet’s sick soul. The thought of his true origin haunted the young man. He was ready to do anything to prove it. In the name of a great goal, Fet immediately after graduating from university enlists in military service, hoping to earn nobility in the army. He ends up serving in one of the provincial regiments located in the Kherson province. And immediately the first success - Fet officially receives Russian citizenship.

But his poetic activity does not end; he still continues to write and publish a lot. After some time, the army life of the provincial unit makes itself felt: Fet’s life and work (he writes poetry less and less) become more and more gloomy and uninteresting. The craving for poetry is weakening.

Fet, in personal correspondence, begins to complain to friends about the hardships of his current existence. In addition, judging by some letters, he is experiencing financial difficulties. The poet is even ready to do anything just to get rid of the current oppressive physically and morally deplorable situation.

Transfer to St. Petersburg

Fet's life and work were quite gloomy. Briefly summarizing the main events, we note that the poet pulled the soldier's burden for eight long years. And just before receiving the first officer rank in his life, Fet learns about a special decree that raised the length of service and the level of army rank for receiving the rank of nobility. In other words, nobility was now granted only to a person who received a higher officer rank than Fet had. This news completely demoralized the poet. He understood that he was unlikely to reach this rank. Fet's life and work were again reshaped by someone else's grace.

A woman with whom he could connect his life for convenience was also not on the horizon. Fet continued to serve, falling more and more into a depressed state.

However, luck finally smiled on the poet: he managed to transfer to the Guards Life Lancer Regiment, which was stationed not far from St. Petersburg. This event happened in 1853 and surprisingly coincided with a change in society's attitude towards poetry. Some decline in interest in literature, which emerged in the mid-1840s, passed.

Now, when Nekrasov became the editor-in-chief of the Sovremennik magazine and gathered the elite of Russian literature under his wing, the times clearly contributed to the development of any creative thought. Finally, the second collection of Fet’s poems, written long ago, was published, which the poet himself had forgotten about.

Poetic confession

The poems published in the collection made an impression on poetry connoisseurs. And soon such well-known literary critics of the time as V.P. Botkin and A.V. Druzhinin left rather flattering reviews of the works. Moreover, under pressure from Turgenev, they helped Fet release a new book.

In essence, these were all the same previously written poems from 1850. In 1856, after the release of a new collection, Fet’s life and work changed again. Briefly speaking, Nekrasov himself drew attention to the poet. Many flattering words addressed to Afanasy Fet were written by the master of Russian literature. Inspired by such high praise, the poet develops vigorous activity. He is published in almost all literary magazines, which undoubtedly contributed to some improvement in his financial situation.

Romantic interest

Fet's life and work gradually filled with light. His most important desire - obtaining a noble title - was soon to come true. But the next imperial decree again raised the bar for obtaining hereditary nobility. Now, in order to gain the coveted rank, it was necessary to rise to the rank of colonel. The poet realized that it was simply useless to continue to pull the hated burden of military service.

But as often happens, a person cannot help but be lucky in absolutely everything. While still in Ukraine, Fet was invited to a reception with his friends Brzhevsky and on a neighboring estate he met a girl who would not leave his mind for a long time. This was the gifted musician Elena Lazich, whose talent amazed even the famous composer who was then touring Ukraine.

As it turned out, Elena was a passionate fan of Fet’s poetry, and he, in turn, was amazed by the girl’s musical abilities. Of course, it is impossible to imagine Fet’s life and work without romance. The summary of his romance with Lazic fits into one phrase: the young people had tender feelings for each other. However, Fet is very burdened by his dire financial situation and does not dare to take a serious turn of events. The poet tries to explain his problems to Lazic, but she, like all girls in such a situation, does not understand his torment well. Fet directly tells Elena that there will be no wedding.

Tragic death of a loved one

After that, he tries not to see the girl. Leaving for St. Petersburg, Afanasy understands that he is doomed to eternal spiritual loneliness. According to some historians studying his life and work, Afanasy Fet wrote too pragmatically to his friends about marriage, about love and about Elena Lazich. Most likely, the romantic Fet was simply carried away by Elena, not intending to burden himself with a more serious relationship.

In 1850, while visiting the same Brzhevskys, he did not dare to go to the neighboring estate to dot all the i’s. Later Fet very much regretted this. The fact is that Elena soon died tragically. History is silent whether her terrible death was a suicide or not. But the fact remains: the girl burned alive on the estate.

Fet himself found out about this when he once again visited his friends. This shocked him so much that until the end of his life the poet blamed himself for Elena’s death. He was tormented by the fact that he could not find the right words to calm the girl down and explain his behavior to her. After Lazic’s death, there were many rumors, but no one ever proved Fet’s involvement in this sad event.

Marriage of convenience

Fairly judging that in the army service he is unlikely to achieve his goal - a noble title, Fet takes a long leave. Taking with him all the accumulated fees, the poet sets off on a trip to Europe. In 1857, in Paris, he unexpectedly married Maria Petrovna Botkina, the daughter of a wealthy tea merchant, who, among other things, was the sister of the literary critic V.P. Botkin. Apparently, this was the same arranged marriage that the poet had dreamed about for so long. Contemporaries very often asked Fet about the reasons for his marriage, to which he responded with eloquent silence.

In 1858, Fet arrived in Moscow. He is again overcome by thoughts about the scarcity of finances. Apparently, his wife's dowry does not fully satisfy his requirements. The poet writes a lot and is published a lot. Often the quantity of works does not correspond to their quality. This is noticed by both close friends and literary critics. The public also seriously cooled towards Fet’s work.

landowner

Around the same time, Leo Tolstoy left the bustle of the capital. Having settled in Yasnaya Polyana, he tries to regain inspiration. Fet probably decided to follow his example and settle on his estate in Stepanovka. Sometimes they say that Fet’s life and work ended here. Interesting facts, however, were also found in this period. Unlike Tolstoy, who really found a second wind in the provinces, Fet increasingly abandons literature. He is now passionate about the estate and farming.

It should be noted that as a landowner he really found himself. After some time, Fet increases his holdings by purchasing several more neighboring estates.

Afanasy Shenshin

In 1863, the poet published a small lyric collection. Even despite the small circulation, it remained unsold. But the neighboring landowners assessed Fet in a completely different capacity. For about 11 years he held the elected position of justice of the peace.

The life and work of Afanasy Afanasyevich Fet were subordinated to the only goal towards which he moved with amazing tenacity - the restoration of his noble rights. In 1873, a royal decree was issued that put an end to the poet’s forty-year ordeal. He was fully restored to his rights and legitimized as a nobleman with the surname Shenshin. Afanasy Afanasyevich admits to his wife that he does not even want to say out loud the surname Fet, which he hates.

Afanasy Afanasyevich Fet(Fet) was born on December 5 (November 23, old style) 1820 in the Novoselka estate, Mtsensk district, Oryol province. Poet, thinker, publicist, translator.
Father - Johann Peter Karl Wilhelm Föth (1789-1825), assessor of the Darmstadt city court.
Mother - Charlotte Elizabeth Becker (1798-1844). In 1818, he married Johann-Peter-Karl-Wilhelm, and in 1820, in the seventh month of pregnancy, he secretly left for Russia with Afanasy Neofitovich Shenshin, leaving his daughter Caroline-Charlotte-Dahlia-Ernestina to be raised by her husband. Johann Peter Karl Wilhelm did not recognize Afanasy Afanasyevich Fet as his son. This is what Charlotte-Elizabeth Becker wrote to her brother: “It is very surprising to me that Fet forgot and did not recognize his son in his will.”
Stepfather - Afanasy Neofitovich Shenshin (1775-1855). The retired captain belonged to an old noble family and was a wealthy landowner. He married Charlotte Becker in 1822, who converted to Orthodoxy before the wedding and began to be called Elizaveta Petrovna Fet.
A.A. Fet was born in 1820 and in the same year he was baptized according to the Orthodox rite. In the registry register he is recorded as the son of Afanasy Neofitovich Shenshin. Fourteen years later, the spiritual authorities of Orel discovered that the child was born before the parents' wedding and Afanasy was deprived of the right to bear his father's surname and was deprived of his noble title. This event wounded the impressionable soul of the child, and he experienced the ambiguity of his position almost all his life. From now on he had to bear the surname Fet, the rich heir suddenly turned into a “man without a name,” the son of an unknown foreigner of dubious origin. Fet took this as a shame. Regaining his lost position became an obsession that determined his entire life path.
He studied at a German boarding school in the city of Verro (now Võru, Estonia), then at the boarding school of Professor Pogodin, a historian, writer, and journalist, where he entered to prepare for Moscow University. He graduated from the university, where he studied first at the Faculty of Law and then at the Faculty of Philology. At this time, in 1840, he published his first works as a separate book, which, however, did not have any success.
The special position in the family influenced the future fate of Afanasy Fet; he had to earn his rights to the nobility, which the church deprived him of, and in 1845 Fet entered military service in one of the southern regiments.
In 1850, the magazine Sovremennik, owned by Nekrasov, published Fet's poems, which aroused the admiration of critics of all directions. He was accepted among the most famous writers (Nekrasov and Turgenev, Botkin and Druzhinin, etc.), thanks to literary earnings, he improved his financial situation, which gave him the opportunity to travel around Europe.
In 1853, Fet was transferred to a guards regiment stationed near St. Petersburg. The poet often visits St. Petersburg, then the capital. Fet's meetings with Turgenev, Nekrasov, Goncharov and others. Rapprochement with the editors of the Sovremennik magazine.
Since 1854, he served in the Baltic Port, described in his memoirs “My Memoirs”.
In 1856, Fet’s collection was published, edited by I.S. Turgenev.
In 1857 in Paris, he married the daughter of the richest tea merchant and the sister of his admirer, critic V. Botkin, M. Botkina.
In 1858, the poet retired with the rank of guards headquarters captain and settled in Moscow. Military service did not return Fet's title of nobility. At that time, only the rank of colonel gave nobility.
1859 - break with the Sovremennik magazine.
1863 – publication of a two-volume collection of Fet’s poems.
In 1867 he was elected justice of the peace in Vorobyovka for 11 years.
In 1873, Fet was returned to the nobility and the surname Shenshin, but the poet continued to sign his literary works and translations with the surname Fet. He considered the day when his surname “Shenshin” was returned to him “one of the happiest days of his life.”
In 1877, Afanasy Afanasyevich bought the village of Vorobyovka in the Kursk province, where he spent the rest of his life, only leaving for Moscow for the winter.
At the end of the 1870s, Fet began to write poetry with renewed vigor. The sixty-three-year-old poet gave the collection of poems the title “Evening Lights.” (More than three hundred poems are included in five issues, four of which were published in 1883, 1885, 1888, 1891. The poet prepared the fifth issue, but did not manage to publish it.)
November 21, 1892 - Fet’s death in Moscow. According to some reports, his death from a heart attack was preceded by a suicide attempt. He was buried in the village of Kleymenovo, the family estate of the Shenshins. In memory of Afanasy Afanasyevich Fet (1820-1892)

Afanasy Afanasyevich Fet - famous Russian poet with German roots,lyricist,translator, author of memoirs. Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences of St. Petersburg

In the Oryol province, not far from the city of Mtsensk, in the 19th century the Novoselki estate was located, where on December 5, 1820, in the house of the wealthy landowner Shenshin, a young woman Charlotte-Elizabeth Becker Fet gave birth to a boy, Afanasy.

Charlotte Elisabeth was a Lutheran, lived in Germany and was married to Johann Peter Karl Wilhelm Feth, assessor of the Darmstadt City Court. They married in 1818, and a girl, Caroline-Charlotte-Georgina-Ernestine, was born into the family. And in 1820, Charlotte-Elizabeth Becker Fet abandoned her little daughter and husband and left for Russia with Afanasy Neofitovich Shenshin, being seven months pregnant.

In the pastures of the dumb I love in the bitter frost
In the sunlight, the sun has a prickly shine,
Forests under the caps or in gray frost
Yes, the river is ringing under the dark blue ice.
How they love to find thoughtful gazes
Winded ditches, blown mountains,
Sleepy blades of grass among the naked fields,
Where the hill is bizarre, like some kind of mausoleum,
Sculpted at midnight, - or clouds of distant whirlwinds
On white shores and mirror ice holes.

Afanasy Neofitovich was a retired captain. During a trip abroad, he fell in love with the Lutheran Charlotte Elizabeth and married her. But since the Orthodox wedding ceremony was not performed, this marriage was considered legal only in Germany, and in Russia it was declared invalid. In 1822, the woman converted to Orthodoxy, becoming known as Elizaveta Petrovna Fet, and they soon married the landowner Shenshin.

When the boy was 14 years old, the Oryol provincial authorities discovered that Afanasy was registered under the surname Shenshin earlier than his mother.
You got married to your stepfather. In connection with this, the guy was deprived of his surname and noble title. This hurt the teenager so deeply, because from a rich heir he instantly turned into a nameless man, and all his life he then suffered because of his dual position.

From that time on, he bore the surname Fet, as the son of a foreigner unknown to him. Afanasy perceived this as a shame, and he developed an obsession:which became decisive in his life’s journey - to return his lost surname.

Afanasy received an excellent education. The talented boy found it easy to study. In 1837 he graduated from a private German boarding school in the city of Verro, in Estonia. Even then, Fet began to write poetry and showed interest in literature and classical philology. After school, in order to prepare for entering the university, he studied at the boarding house of Professor Pogodin, a writer, historian and journalist. In 1838, Afanasy Fet entered the law, and then the philosophical faculty of Moscow University, where he studied in the historical and philological (verbal) department.

Wonderful picture
How dear you are to me:
White plain,
Full moon,

The light of the high heavens,
And shining snow
And distant sleighs
Lonely running.

At the university, Afanasy became close to student Apollon Grigoriev, who was also interested in poetry. Together they began to attend a circle of students who were intensively studying philosophy and literature. With the participation of Grigoriev, Fet released his first collection of poems, “Lyrical Pantheon.” The young student’s creativity earned Belinsky’s approval. And Gogol spoke of him as “an undoubted talent.” This became a kind of “blessing” and inspired Afanasy Fet to further work. In 1842, his poems were published in many publications, including the popular magazines Otechestvennye zapiski and Moskvityanin. In 1844, Fet graduated from the university.

The spruce covered my path with its sleeve.
Wind. Alone in the forest
Noisy, and creepy, and sad, and fun, -
I do not understand anything.

Wind. Everything around is humming and swaying,
Leaves are spinning at your feet.
Chu, you can suddenly hear it in the distance
Subtly calling horn.

Sweet is the call of the copper herald to me!
The sheets are dead to me!
It seems from afar as a poor wanderer
You greet tenderly.

After graduating from university, Fet entered the army service; he needed this to regain his noble title. He ended up in one of the southern regiments, from there he was sent to the Uhlan Guards Regiment. And in 1854 he was transferred to the Baltic regiment (he later described this period of service in his memoirs “My Memoirs”).

In 1858, Fet finished his service as a captain and settled in Moscow.

In 1850, a second book of poetry was published.Feta, which was already criticized positively in the Sovremennik magazine, some even admired his work. After this collection, the author was accepted into the circle of famous Russian writers, which included Druzhinin, Nekrasov, Botkin, Turgenev. Literary earnings improved Fet's financial situation, and he went to travel abroad.

In the poems of Afanasy Afanasyevich Fet, three main lines were clearly visible - love, art, nature. The following collections of his poems were published in 1856 (edited by I. S. Turgenev) and in 1863 (two-volume collected works).

Despite the fact that Fet was a sophisticated lyricist, he managed to perfectly conduct business affairs, buy and sell estates, making a fortune.

In 1860, Afanasy Fet bought the Stepanovka farm, began managing it, and lived there constantly, only appearing briefly in Moscow in the winter.

In 1877, Fet bought the Vorobyovka estate in the Kursk province. At 18
8 1 he bought a house in Moscow, came to Vorobyovka only for the summer dacha period. He again took up creativity, wrote memoirs, translated, and released another lyrical collection of poems, “Evening Lights.”

Afanasy Afanasyevich Fet left a significant mark on Russian literature. In his first poems, Fet praised the beauty of nature and wrote a lot about love. Even then, a characteristic feature appeared in his work - Fet spoke about important and eternal concepts with hints, was able to convey the subtlest shades of moods, awakening pure and bright emotions in readers.

After the tragic deathbelovedFet dedicated the poem “Talisman” to Maria Lazic. It is assumed that all subsequent poems by Fet about love are dedicated to it. In 1850, a second collection of his poems was published. It aroused the interest of critics, who did not skimp on positive reviews. At the same time, Fet was recognized as one of the best modern poets.

The night was shining. The garden was full of moonlight. were lying
Rays at our feet in a living room without lights.
The piano was all open, and the strings in it were trembling,
Just like our hearts are for your song.
You sang until dawn, exhausted in tears,
That you alone are love, that there is no other love,
And I wanted to live so much, so that without making a sound,
To love you, hug you and cry over you.
And many years have passed, tedious and boring,
And in the silence of the night I hear your voice again,
And it blows, as then, in these sonorous sighs,
That you are alone - all life, that you are alone - love.
That there are no insults from fate and burning torment in the heart,
But there is no end to life, and there is no other goal,
As soon as you believe in the sobbing sounds,
Love you, hug you and cry over you!

Afanasy Fet remained a staunch conservative and monarchist until the end of his life. In 1856 he published a third collection of poems. Fet praised beauty, considering it the only goal of creativity.

In 1863the poet released a two-volume collection of poems, and then there was a twenty-year break in his work.

Only after the poet’s stepfather’s surname and the privileges of a hereditary nobleman were returned to him, he took up creativity with renewed vigor.

Towards the end of his life, Afanasy Fet's poems became more philosophical. The poet wrote about the unity of man and the Universe, about the highest reality, about eternity. Between 1883 and 1891, Fet wrote more than three hundred poems; they were included in the collection “Evening Lights.” The poet published four editions of the collection, and the fifth was published after his death. With a thoughtful smile on his brow.

It begins simply with Shakespeare's passions. His father, a wealthy nobleman Afanasy Neofitovich Shenshin, a 45-year-old man of the hussar type, a former captain, while undergoing treatment in Germany, fell madly in love with the 20-year-old mother of the future poet, Charlotte Fet. This passion was not hindered by the fact that the lady was married, or that she already had a daughter, or that the lady was pregnant with Afanasy...

The boy was born in December 1820. Fet's biography contains a period of happy childhood on his father's Oryol estate in the village. Novoselki.

About the Shenshin-Fetov family

In fact, the biological father of Afanasy Feth is Johann-Peter-Karl-Wilhelm Feth, assessor of the Darmstadt city court. The blood sister remained in Germany.

Two children of Charlotte Fet and Afanasia Shenshina (Anna and Vasily) died in infancy. The poet had a half-sister, Lyuba, born in 1824.

Offended by the kidnapping of his wife, his biological German father deprived Afanasy of his inheritance.

Illegitimate son status

The carefree period of childhood of the future poet on the Shenshin estate lasted up to 14 years, until the Orthodox (diocesan) authorities, exercising, as they now say, legal supervision, discovered that the date of the parents’ wedding (1822) was later than the date of birth of the child. This entailed significant legal consequences for Afanasy. Fet's biography contains information that the young man suffered deeply from his special status as an “illegitimate.”

The chronological table testifies to the rhythm of life imposed on him. Fet Afanasy Afanasyevich, on the one hand, was attracted by poetry, and on the other, by the duty of returning noble privileges to his offspring.

Dates	Events
	In the village of Novoselki, a son, Afanasy, was born into the landowner family of the Shenshins.
	Studying at the Krommer boarding house in the Finnish city of Verro
	Professor Pogodin's boarding house
	Studying at the Department of Literature of Moscow University
	Service in the cuirassier regiment in the Kherson province
	First collection of poetry
	Second collection of poems
	Fet becomes a local nobleman and lives on an estate in Stepanovka
	The most productive period of creativity (in the village of Vorobyovka)
1883, 1885, 1888, 1891	Years of publication of cycles of the poet's best poems
	Death from an asthma attack

Very many milestones of his life - with honor he overcame limitations in education, forced military service, marriage to an unloved woman, becoming a hermit in the village - were clearly not part of his original plans. Such stages of life do not make a person happy... All this, unfortunately, affected the poet’s health. The years of Fet's life could cover a larger period of time.

Adversity changed the poet's character

Perhaps this state of internal suffering was the reason for the birth in his soul of lyrics of the highest level, a crystal clear style of poetry.

He could not bear his father’s surname, was not a Russian subject, and, accordingly, did not inherit the rights of the nobility. His last name was Fet, and the young man was considered a German subject. Everything that his brothers and sisters received by birth, he should have earned. This is how the vigilance of the spiritual fathers-clerks made the poet’s subsequent life miserable. He entered the rights of the nobility only at the age of 50! Therefore, literary scholars emphasize: Fet’s dull, gloomy biography and his clear, watercolor poetic heritage are deeply contrasting. The severe psychological trauma caused by the inhumanity of the law determined the difficult character of this most talented person.

Education

Unlike the rest of the Shenshins, Afanasy Afanasyevich Fet received a good education. Hard work and a predisposition to science did their job... Being a German subject, he was forced to begin studying in a Protestant German boarding school. However, he owes his knowledge of Latin and classical philology to the teachers of this institution. It was here that his first poems were written.

The beginning of creativity

The young man had a dream - to study at Moscow University. Professor Pogodin's boarding school served as a stepping stone to this admission.

Since 1838, Afanasy Afanasyevich Fet has been a student in the literature department of the university he coveted. This is where his long-term friendship with the future poet and critic Apollon Grigoriev originated. Here, in 1840, Fet wrote his first collection of poems, “The Lyrical Pantheon.” In the works of the aspiring poet, one could feel the imitation of Venediktov and Pushkin. Fet's early lyrics are published in the magazines Otechestvennye zapiski and Moskvityanin. Fet longs for recognition, thanks to which he hopes to regain his noble title. However, Fet's early lyrics do not bring success adequate to such a dream.

Then the active young man acts in accordance with “plan B” - he receives a noble title after military service.

The poet serves in the army

He serves in the cuirassier regiment, which is stationed in the Kherson province.

At this time, the beginning of his personal drama began. An unknown, frankly poor young man has a serious feeling for Maria Lazic, the daughter of a small nobleman. Moreover, this feeling is mutual (and, as it turned out, for life.) However, the destructive complex that has developed in Athanasia “returning the nobility above all else” prevents marriage and the creation of a happy family... Maria died untimely, while still young, leaving her lover with memories and regrets .

Afanasy Fet, whose original poetic gift began to manifest itself, calls the years of service impartially: “conclusion.” The first resounding success accompanied his poems, published in 1850. The poet is recognized by the creative elite. He meets and becomes familiar with Nekrasov, Druzhinin, and Leo Tolstoy. His works are finally expected and loved. However, Afanasy Fet, a poet from God, is still moving towards his creative heights. A new collection of poetry, published in 1856, is only a milestone on this path.

Marriage, landowner status

He never earned the title in the army, although he rose to the rank of captain (which corresponds to the modern rank of captain, and to regain the title, according to the logic of his military career, Fet should have become a colonel).

However, by this time the life of Afanasy Afanasyevich had changed dramatically. Returning to civilian life, he married Botkina, the sister of a famous literary critic. This marriage was, rather, carried out by him out of calculation rather than out of love. Thus, Fet Afanasy Afanasyevich became close to a wealthy merchant family and drew the line of poverty. Fate becomes favorable to him. The royal decree recognizes his right to his father's inheritance, and he is also given the surname Shenshin. The poet calls this event the most joyful in his life. He had been waiting for this for many years.

However, fans of his work are still interested in the question: “Why did the famous poet decide to marry for convenience?” No direct answer was found in his diaries. In any case, this is a matter of personal choice: to choose family life, secretly suffering from a failed marriage with a loved one... Perhaps he was tired of fighting a society that limited his rights, and decided to finally find peace, since he did not have happiness in love. This characterization of Fet has a basis. However, he will remember his deceased beloved Maria Lazic until his death, dedicating poems to her.

Fet is an active landowner

In 1860, with his wife’s capital, he bought the Stepanovka farm, where he farmed almost continuously for 17 years. Fet the landowner owns two hundred souls on the farm. He is completely immersed in organizing and running the household. There is practically no time left for creativity. He becomes a “convinced and tenacious Russian agrarian.” Afanasy Afanasyevich, devoting a lot of time and effort to a new business for himself and distinguished not only by his poetic gift, but also by his worldly wisdom, achieves respect in society. Evidence of recognition is his performance as a justice of the peace.

The efficient management of Feta the landowner contributed to the capitalization of the funds he earned in agricultural production. He actually earned his wealth through his labor.

The most fruitful period of creativity

In 1877, the poet entered a new, most fruitful period of his work. His poetic style has been developed, and his tormented soul longs to plunge into the ocean of pure poetry. Fet's history goes back to its last highest stage, which brought him the fame of an incomparable lyricist. It is in order to isolate himself from the busy world and focus on high creativity that Afanasy Afanasyevich buys the Kursk village of Vorobyovka, where he spends the warm season. For the winter, the poet always returned to his Moscow mansion. The life of Afanasy Fet, starting from this milestone, was entirely devoted to poetry.

This period of creativity turned out to be the most productive. Fet's chronological table shows the dynamics of his writing of collections: 1883, 1885, 1888, 1891... It is noteworthy that all these collections of poems, written over the course of a decade, are combined into the general cycle “Evening Lights”.

Fet's poetry is unique

All of Afanasy Afanasyevich’s poetry, presented in the author’s collections, can be roughly grouped into three main themes: nature, love, art. He devoted his poetic activity only to these subjects. Fet's lyrics are simple and bright, they are truly written for all times. A reader who wants to find in his poems associations encountered in his own life will certainly find them: in the majestic landscape of the forest, the life-giving sound of rain, in the joyful portal of the rainbow. Composer Tchaikovsky compared his poetry to music. According to many critics, the richness of the poetic palette achieved by Afanasy Fet in describing nature was not achieved by any of his colleagues. Fet's muse is special: simple and graceful, calmly gliding on her wings above the ground, captivating readers with her lightness and grace.

The poet developed a harmonious principle in his work, fundamentally dissociating himself from “mental weather,” anxiety, conflicts and injustice. The poet called his artistic style “the mind of the heart.”

Instead of a conclusion

The years of Fet's life are 1820-1892. A year before his death, his literary research was “highly” appreciated. Fet was granted the rank of chamberlain (a high rank of court rank, roughly equivalent to a major general).

However, the poet’s health was already failing... He had no time for palace careers... He died during an asthmatic attack. Fet Afanasy Afanasyevich was buried in the Oryol family estate, located in the village of Kleymenovo.

To summarize the above, it is worth mentioning the influence of Afanasy Afanasyevich’s work on the generation of symbolist poets: Balmont, Blok, Yesenin. He is undoubtedly the founder of the Russian school of pure art, fascinating with its sincerity.