Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin was born on January 15 (27), 1826 in the village of Spas-Ugol, Tver province, into an old noble family. The future writer received his primary education at home - he was taught by a serf painter, sister, priest, and governess. In 1836, Saltykov-Shchedrin studied at the Moscow Noble Institute, and from 1838 at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum.

Military service. Link to Vyatka

In 1845, Mikhail Evgrafovich graduated from the lyceum and entered service in the military chancellery. At this time, the writer became interested in the French socialists and George Sand, and created a number of notes and stories (“Contradiction”, “An Entangled Affair”).

In 1848 in short biography Saltykov-Shchedrin begins a long period of exile - he was sent to Vyatka for freethinking. The writer lived there for eight years, first serving as a clerical official, and then was appointed adviser to the provincial government. Mikhail Evgrafovich often went on business trips, during which he collected information about provincial life for his works.

Government activities. Mature creativity

Returning from exile in 1855, Saltykov-Shchedrin entered service in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In 1856-1857 his “Provincial Sketches” were published. In 1858, Mikhail Evgrafovich was appointed vice-governor of Ryazan, and then Tver. At the same time, the writer was published in the magazines “Russian Bulletin”, “Sovremennik”, “Library for Reading”.

In 1862, Saltykov-Shchedrin, whose biography had previously been associated more with career than with creativity, left public service. Stopping in St. Petersburg, the writer gets a job as an editor at the Sovremennik magazine. Soon his collections “Innocent Stories” and “Satires in Prose” will be published.

In 1864, Saltykov-Shchedrin returned to service, taking the position of manager of the treasury chamber in Penza, and then in Tula and Ryazan.

The last years of the writer's life

Since 1868, Mikhail Evgrafovich retired and was actively involved in literary activities. In the same year, the writer became one of the editors of Otechestvennye Zapiski, and after the death of Nikolai Nekrasov, he took the post of executive editor of the magazine. In 1869 - 1870, Saltykov-Shchedrin created one of his most famous works - “The History of a City” (summary), in which he raises the topic of relations between the people and the authorities. Soon the collections “Signs of the Times”, “Letters from the Province”, and the novel “The Golovlev Gentlemen” will be published.

In 1884, Otechestvennye zapiski was closed, and the writer began to publish in the journal Vestnik Evropy.

IN last years Saltykov-Shchedrin's creativity reaches its climax in the grotesque. The writer publishes the collections “Fairy Tales” (1882 – 1886), “Little Things in Life” (1886 – 1887), “Peshekhonskaya Antiquity” (1887 – 1889).

Mikhail Evgrafovich died on May 10 (April 28), 1889 in St. Petersburg, and was buried at the Volkovsky cemetery.

Chronological table

Other biography options

  • While studying at the Lyceum, Saltykov-Shchedrin published his first poems, but quickly became disillusioned with poetry and left this activity forever.
  • Mikhail Evgrafovich made it popular literary genre a social-satirical tale aimed at exposing human vices.
  • The exile to Vyatka became a turning point in Saltykov-Shchedrin’s personal life - there he met his future wife E. A. Boltina, with whom he lived for 33 years.
  • While in exile in Vyatka, the writer translated the works of Tocqueville, Vivien, Cheruel, and took notes on Beccari’s book.
  • In accordance with the request in the will, Saltykov-Shchedrin was buried next to the grave

Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin ( real name Saltykov, pseudonym Nikolai Shchedrin). Born January 15 (27), 1826 - died April 28 (May 10), 1889. Russian writer, journalist, editor of the magazine “Otechestvennye zapiski”, Ryazan and Tver vice-governor.

Mikhail Saltykov was born into an old noble family, on his parents’ estate, in the village of Spas-Ugol, Kalyazinsky district, Tver province. He was the sixth child of a hereditary nobleman and collegiate adviser Evgraf Vasilyevich Saltykov (1776-1851).

The writer's mother, Olga Mikhailovna Zabelina (1801-1874), was the daughter of the Moscow nobleman Mikhail Petrovich Zabelin (1765-1849) and Marfa Ivanovna (1770-1814). Although in the note to “Poshekhonskaya Antiquity” Saltykov-Shchedrin asked not to confuse him with the personality of Nikanor Zatrapezny, on whose behalf the story is told, the complete similarity of much of what is reported about Zatrapezny with the undoubted facts of Saltykov-Shchedrin’s life allows us to assume that “Poshekhonskaya Antiquity” is partly autobiographical in nature.

Saltykov-Shchedrin's first teacher was a serf of his parents, the painter Pavel Sokolov; then his elder sister, the priest of a neighboring village, the governess and a student at the Moscow Theological Academy took care of him. Ten years old, he entered the Moscow Noble Institute, and two years later, as one of the best students, he was transferred as a state student to the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. It was there that he began his career as a writer.

In 1844, he graduated from the Lyceum with the second category (that is, with the rank of X class), 17 out of 22 students, because his behavior was certified as no more than “pretty good”: he had ordinary school offenses (rudeness, smoking, carelessness in clothing). “writing poetry” with “disapproving” content was added. At the Lyceum, under the influence of Pushkin’s legends, which were still fresh at that time, each course had its own poet; in the 13th year, Saltykov-Shchedrin played this role. Several of his poems were published in the Reading Library in 1841 and 1842, when he was still a lyceum student; others, published in Sovremennik (ed. Pletnev) in 1844 and 1845, were also written by him while still at the Lyceum; all these poems were reprinted in “Materials for the biography of I. E. Saltykov,” attached to the complete collection of his works.

None of Saltykov-Shchedrin’s poems (some translated, some original) bear any traces of talent; the later ones are even inferior to the earlier ones. Saltykov-Shchedrin soon realized that he had no vocation for poetry, stopped writing poetry and did not like being reminded of them. However, in these student exercises one can sense a sincere mood, mostly sad and melancholy (at that time Saltykov-Shchedrin was known among his acquaintances as a “gloomy lyceum student”).

In August 1844, Saltykov-Shchedrin was enlisted in the office of the Minister of War and only two years later received his first full-time position there - assistant secretary. Literature even then occupied him much more than service: he not only read a lot, being interested in the French socialists in particular (a brilliant picture of this hobby was drawn by him thirty years later in the fourth chapter of the collection “Abroad”), but also wrote - at first small bibliographical notes (in Otechestvennye zapiski 1847), then the stories “Contradictions” (ibid., November 1847) and “A Confused Affair” (March 1848).

Already in the bibliographic notes, despite the unimportance of the books about which they were written, the author’s way of thinking is visible - his aversion to routine, to conventional morality, to serfdom; In some places there are also sparkles of mocking humor.

In Saltykov-Shchedrin’s first story, “Contradictions,” which he never subsequently reprinted, the very theme on which J. Sand’s early novels were written sounds, muffled and muffled: recognition of the rights of life and passion. The hero of the story, Nagibin, is a man weakened by his hothouse upbringing and defenseless against environmental influences, against the “little things in life.” Fear of these little things both then and later (for example, in “The Road” in “Provincial Sketches”) was, apparently, familiar to Saltykov-Shchedrin himself - but for him it was the fear that serves as a source of struggle, and not despondency. Thus, only one small corner of the author’s inner life was reflected in Nagibin. Other actor novel - “woman-fist”, Kroshina - resembles Anna Pavlovna Zatrapeznaya from “Poshekhon Antiquity”, that is, probably inspired by the family memories of Saltykov-Shchedrin.

Much larger is "Entangled Affair" (reprinted in Innocent Stories), written under strong influence"The Overcoat" may be "Poor People", but it contains several wonderful pages (for example, an image of a pyramid from human bodies, which Michulin dreams about). “Russia,” the hero of the story reflects, “is a vast, abundant and rich state; Yes, the man is stupid, he is starving to death in an abundant state.” “Life is a lottery,” the familiar look bequeathed to him by his father tells him; “It is so,” replies some unkind voice, “but why is it a lottery, why shouldn’t it just be life?” A few months earlier, such considerations might have gone unnoticed - but Entangled Affair appeared just when February Revolution in France was reflected in Russia by the establishment of the so-called Buturlin Committee (named after its chairman D. P. Buturlin), vested with special powers to curb the press.

As punishment for freethinking, already on April 28, 1848, he was exiled to Vyatka and on July 3, he was assigned as a clerical official under the Vyatka provincial government. In November of the same year, he was appointed senior official of special assignments under the Vyatka governor, then twice served as ruler of the governor's office, and from August 1850 he was an adviser to the provincial government. Little information has been preserved about his service in Vyatka, but judging by the note about land unrest in Slobodsky district, found after the death of Saltykov-Shchedrin in his papers and detailed in the “Materials” for his biography, he ardently took his duties to heart when they brought him into direct contact with the masses of the people and gave him the opportunity to be useful to them.

Saltykov-Shchedrin got to know provincial life in its darkest sides, which at that time easily eluded the eye, as well as possible, thanks to the business trips and investigations that were entrusted to him - and the rich stock of observations he made found a place in “Provincial Sketches.” He dispersed the severe boredom of mental loneliness with extracurricular activities: excerpts of his translations from Tocqueville, Vivien, Cheruel and notes written by him on the famous book of Beccaria have been preserved. For the Boltin sisters, daughters of the Vyatka vice-governor, one of whom (Elizaveta Apollonovna) became his wife in 1856, he composed “ Brief history Russia."

In November 1855, he was finally allowed to leave Vyatka (from where until then he had only once traveled to his Tver village); in February 1856 he was assigned to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in June of the same year he was appointed an official of special assignments under the minister and in August he was sent to the provinces of Tver and Vladimir to review the paperwork of the provincial militia committees (convened on the occasion Eastern War, in 1855). In his papers there was a draft note drawn up by him in the execution of this assignment. It certifies that the so-called noble provinces appeared before Saltykov-Shchedrin in no better shape than the non-noble province, Vyatka; He discovered many abuses in equipping the militia. Somewhat later, he compiled a note on the structure of the city and zemstvo police, imbued with the idea of ​​decentralization, which was still not widespread at that time, and very boldly emphasized the shortcomings of the existing order.

Following the return of Saltykov-Shchedrin from exile, his literary activity. The name of the court councilor Shchedrin, who signed the “Provincial Sketches” that appeared in the “Russian Bulletin” since 1856, immediately became one of the most beloved and popular.

Collected into one whole, “Provincial Sketches” went through two editions in 1857 (later many more). They laid the foundation for a whole literature called “accusatory”, but they themselves only partly belonged to it. The external side of the world of slander, bribes, and all sorts of abuses completely fills only some of the essays; The psychology of bureaucratic life comes to the fore, such major figures as Porfiry Petrovich appear as a “mischievous”, the prototype of the “pompadours”, or the “torn-up” prototype of the “Tashkent people”, like Peregorensky, whose indomitable sneaking even the administrative sovereignty must reckon with.



Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin - Russian writer, journalist, publicist and public figure. Born in 1826 on January 27 in the Tver province, a descendant of an old noble family. He excelled in his studies at the noble institute, thanks to which in 1838 he transferred to the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. At the age of 22, he was exiled to Vyatka, where he worked for the next 8 years in low positions in the provincial government.

Upon returning to St. Petersburg, Mikhail Saltykov joined the Ministry of Internal Affairs and also continued to write. After retiring, he moved to St. Petersburg and began editorial work at the Sovremennik magazine. Later he returned to public service, and also served on the editorial board of the journal Otechestvennye zapiski. The ban on this publication in 1884 greatly damaged the writer’s health, which was reflected in various works. He died on April 28, 1889 and was buried at the Volkovsky cemetery according to his own last will next to I.S. Turgenev.

Creative stages of life

Mikhail Saltykov graduated from the lyceum in the second category. Among the standard lyceum “sins” such as smoking, rudeness and careless appearance he was also credited with writing disapproving poetry. However, the future writer’s poems turned out to be weak, and he himself understood this, so he quickly abandoned poetic activity.

From Saltykov-Shchedrin’s debut work “Contradictions,” it is noticeable that the young prose writer was greatly influenced by the novels of George Sand and French socialism. “Contradictions” and “Convoluted Case” caused indignation among the authorities, and Mikhail Evgrafovich was exiled to Vyatka. He practically did not study literature during this period of his life. It was possible to return to it in 1855, when, after the death of Nicholas I, the young official was allowed to leave his place of exile. “Provincial Sketches”, published in “Russian Bulletin”, made Shchedrin famous and revered in wide circle readers by the author.

Being the vice-governor of Tver and Ryazan, the writer did not stop writing for many magazines, although readers found most of his works in Sovremennik. From the works of 1858-1862, the collections “Satires in Prose” and “Innocent Stories” were formed, published three times each. During his service as manager of the treasury chamber of Penza, Tula and Ryazan (1864-1867), Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov was published only once with the article “Testament to my children.”

In 1868, the publicist completely left the civil service and, at the personal request of Nikolai Nekrasov, became one of the key employees of the journal Otechestvennye zapiski. Ten years later he became editor-in-chief. Until 1884, when Otechestvennye zapiski was banned, Saltykov-Shchedrin devoted himself entirely to working on them, publishing almost two dozen collections. This period saw the publication of one of the author’s best and most popular works, “The History of a City.”

Having lost his most beloved publication, Mikhail Evgrafovich was published in the “Bulletin of Europe”, which included the most grotesque collections: “Poshekhon Antiquity”, “Fairy Tales”, “Little Things in Life”.

Basic motives of creativity

Saltykov-Shchedrin became a popularizer of the social-satirical fairy tale. In his stories and tales, he exposed human vices, relations between the authorities and the people, bureaucratic crime and tyranny, as well as landowner cruelty. The novel "The Golovlevs" depicts the physical and spiritual decay of the nobility late XIX V.

After the closure of Otechestvennye Zapiski, Saltykov-Shchedrin directed his writing talent to the top of the Russian government, creating exclusively grotesque works. A distinctive feature of the author's style is the depiction of the vices of the bureaucratic and power apparatus not from the outside, but through the eyes of a person who is part of this environment.

Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin (1826 - 1889) - famous writer- satirist.

The famous satirist Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov (pseud. N. Shchedrin) was born on January 15 (27), 1826 in the village. Spas-Ugol, Kalyazinsky district, Tver province. He comes from an old noble family, a merchant family on his mother’s side.

Under the influence of socialist ideas, he came to a complete rejection of the landowner way of life, bourgeois relations and autocracy. The writer's first major publication was "Provincial Sketches" (1856-1857), published on behalf of the "court adviser N. Shchedrin."

After a decisive rapprochement with the Social Democrats in the early 1860s. was forced in 1868 to temporarily withdraw from large-scale activities in the editorial office of the Sovremennik magazine due to the crisis of the democratic camp; from November 1864 to June 1868 he was engaged in provincial administrative activities successively in Penza, Tula and Ryazan.

He served in Tula from December 29, 1866 to October 13, 1867 as manager of the Tula Treasury Chamber.

The peculiar features of Saltykov’s character, which he displayed during the leadership of an important government agency in Tula, the most expressive features of his personality were captured by the Tula official I. M. Mikhailov, who served under him, in an article published in the Historical Bulletin in 1902. At an administrative post in Tula, Saltykov energetically and in his own way fought against bureaucracy, bribery, embezzlement, stood for the interests of the lower Tula social strata: peasants, artisans, petty officials.

In Tula, Saltykov wrote a pamphlet on Governor Shidlovsky, “The Governor with a Stuffed Head.”

Saltykov’s activities in Tula ended with his removal from the city due to acute conflict relations with the provincial authorities.

In 1868, this “restless man” was finally dismissed by order of Emperor Alexander II as “an official imbued with ideas that do not agree with the types of state benefits.”

Continuing writing activity, Saltykov opened the 1870s with the work “The History of a City,” where, according to the assumptions of Tula local historians, in portrait characteristics Mayor Pyshch contains living features of Governor Shidlovsky.

Tula and Aleksin are mentioned by Saltykov in his works “Diary of a Provincial in St. Petersburg” and “How One Man Fed Two Generals.” Saltykov apparently relied on Tula practical experience in one of his “Letters from the Province.” However, local historians agree that it is difficult to take into account with documentary accuracy which other Shchedrin works reflected Tula impressions.

Saltykov-Shchedrin's stay in Tula is marked by a memorial plaque on the building of the former state chamber (Lenin Ave., 43). Documents about the writer’s professional activities are stored in the State Archive Tula region. Tula artist Yu. Vorogushin created eight etchings and illustrations for “The History of a City” in memory of the satirist.