Selected poems by Igor the Northerner. Igor Severyanin: biography and creativity, interesting facts from the life of the poet

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 own 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 Zhenechka 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 were always returned 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'Axangraf;
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.

Igor Severyanin is a famous Russian poet of the Silver Age, translator. He is one of the founders of egofuturism, which developed at the beginning of the last century.

So, in front of you Brief biography of Severyanin.

Biography of Northerner

Igor Vasilyevich Severyanin (real name Lotarev) was born on May 4, 1887 in. He grew up in an educated and wealthy family.

His father, Vasily Petrovich, was the captain of a railway battalion. Mother, Natalya Stepanovna, was the daughter of a nobleman. An interesting fact is that she was a distant relative of the famous.

Childhood and youth

When Igor was little, his parents decided to get a divorce. After this, the future poet lived at his relatives’ estate in the village of Vladimirovka, in the Vologda region.

In one of his autobiographical notes, Severyanin wrote that he received his education at the Cherepovets Real School. In 1904, after graduating from the 4th grade, the young man went to his father in Manchuria.

A few months later, Lotarev Sr. died, as a result of which Igor had to go back to St. Petersburg and live with his mother.

Igor Severyanin in childhood

Severyanin's creativity

Igor Severyanin wrote the first poems in his creative biography at the age of seven. After this, he continued to compose new works, although they were still far from ideal.

When Severyanin turned 17 years old, his poems began to be published in various publishing houses. However, few people were interested in the work of the young poet.

It is curious that Igor Vasilyevich published his first works under the name “Count Evgraf d’Axangraf”. In 1907, he met the poet Konstantin Fofanov, whom he considered his teacher.

During this period of his biography, he began to publish under the pseudonym Igor Severyanin.

One day, the poet’s close friend Ivan Nazhivin came to visit and showed him some of Severyanin’s poems. When Tolstoy got acquainted with them, he harshly criticized them.

Over time, Igor Severyanin found out about this, but this did not break him. He continued to hone his writing skills, despite the fact that he heard more and more comments addressed to him.

In 1911, a creative community of egofuturists was formed, in which Severyanin was a key figure. This literary movement promoted ostentatious selfishness and the use of new foreign words.

However, a year later the poet left this circle and became seriously interested in symbolism.

In 1913, a significant event occurred in the biography of Igor Severyanin. His first collection of poetry, The Thundering Cup, was published this year.

The book brought him great popularity and a whole army of fans. An interesting fact is that he came up with the title for his work under the influence of the poem “Spring Thunderstorm”.

In his works, Northerner extolled phenomena, human qualities and his own philosophical views. Having received his first popularity, he traveled a lot, where he read his poems to the public.

After each performance, he heard enthusiastic praise from the audience, and also received many flowers from them.

In 1915, Igor Severyanin published the collection “Rosiris,” which contained his famous poem “Pineapples in Champagne.”

There is a version that the poet composed this verse after he saw himself dipping a piece of pineapple into champagne.

In 1918, Severyanin had to leave. He moved to Estonia, where 3 collections were published from his pen:

"Nightingale";
"Classic Roses";
"Vervena."

He also wrote several poems and novels in verse. In addition, the poet was involved in translations of Estonian authors into .

Personal life

There were many women in Northerner’s biography. He first fell in love at the age of 12. His lover was his cousin Elizabeth, who was 5 years older than him.

For Severyanin, his cousin was a real muse, thanks to which he wrote many lyrical poems. However, a few years later Elizabeth got married. The poet's biographers claim that he experienced this event very hard.

When Severyanin turned 18, he met Evgenia Gutsan. For some time he cohabited with her, giving her new poems. According to some biographers, their relationship led to the birth of the girl Tamara, although there are no reliable facts about this.

In 1921, Igor Severyanin dissolved his fictitious marriage with Maria Volnyanskaya and married Felissa Kruut. Thus, Felissa was the only official wife in the poet’s biography.

In this union they had a boy, Bacchus.

An interesting fact is that for the sake of her future husband, the girl converted from Lutheranism to Orthodoxy. She loved him very much, while he constantly cheated on her with different women.

Ultimately, when Volnyanskaya saw her husband’s love correspondence with a certain Vera Korendi, her patience ran out. She packed the writer's things and kicked him out of the house. If you believe Korendi’s words, then she gave birth to a girl, Valeria, from Severyanin.

Death

In correspondence with Georgy Shengeli, the Northerner often described the state of his health. Based on these letters, it was established that the poet suffered from a severe form of tuberculosis.

Shortly before his death, Igor Vasilyevich moved with Vera Korendi to Estonia, where he got a job as a teacher. Meanwhile, his health was getting worse every day.

Igor Vasilyevich Severyanin died of a heart attack on December 20, 1941 at the age of 54. He was buried at the Alexander Nevsky cemetery in Tallinn.

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Childhood and adolescence
The beginning of a literary journey
Creative flourishing
Estonian emigration
Personal life
Death of poet
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Interesting Facts

Childhood and adolescence

Igor Severyanin was born on May 4 (16), 1887 in St. Petersburg. He graduated from the 4th grade of a real school in Cherepovets. In 1904 he moved to his father in Dalny (Manchuria). For some time he lived in Port Arthur.

Just before the start of the Russo-Japanese War, he returned to his mother in St. Petersburg.

The beginning of a literary journey

Igor Severyanin’s first poems were created in childhood. The first publication appeared in 1905.

The poet's early poems did not receive recognition from either readers, critics, or his colleagues. L.N. Tolstoy, who became acquainted with the work of the aspiring poet, spoke quite derogatory about him. “And this is literature?!” – the great writer exclaimed with annoyance.

Creative flourishing

In 1911, I. Severyanin and I. Ignatiev founded a new direction in literature - egofuturism. A little later, the poet left the group of his colleagues. The separation was scandalous.

The poet's first collection of poems was called “The Thundering Cup.” It was published in 1913. The preface to it was written by the famous writer F. Sologub.

In the autumn of the same year, Severyanin performed together with V. Mayakovsky. At the same time, he met S. Spassky and K. Paustovsky.

In 1918, after a brilliant performance at the Moscow Polytechnic Museum, he received the honorary position of “King of Poets.” Mayakovsky and K. Balmont also fought for it.

Estonian emigration

A short biography of Igor Severyanin includes many dramatic moments.

The beginning of forced Estonian emigration dates back to the first half of March 1918. During the years of living in Estonia, the poet published several collections of poems and four poetic autobiographical novels. Severyanin also translated Estonian poetry into Russian and worked on a major study, “The Theory of Versification.”

In the first years of emigration, the poet traveled a lot to European countries.

Personal life

Before emigrating, Igor Severyanin was in an unregistered marriage with the artist M. Volnyanskaya. The owner of a beautiful, rich voice, she performed gypsy romances.

In 1921, the poet separated from his “common-law” wife and married F. Kruut. For the sake of the Northerner, she, a zealous Lutheran, converted to Orthodoxy. Until 1935, the wife was not only a muse, but also a real guardian angel of Igor Vasilyevich. Thanks to her, his talent did not wither in emigration. The poems became clearer and acquired classical simplicity.

Severyanin had quite a lot of literary muses. He dedicated his works to E. Gutsan, A. Vorobyova, E. Novikova, and the famous fiction writer T. Krasnopolskaya.

The loving poet’s relationships with women were not only platonic. Already married to F. Kruut, he twice entered into romantic relationships during a tour of Europe. The most painful thing for both spouses was Severyanin’s affair with E. Strandell. She was the wife of the owner of a grocery store and the issue of provisions on credit depended on her.

Two children were born in this marriage. The daughter, V.I. Semenova, was born in St. Petersburg, but later left for Estonia, where she died in 1976. The son, Bacchus Igorevich, lived in Sweden until 1944. 4.4 points. Total ratings received: 71.

Russian poet (real name and surname Igor Vasilyevich Lotarev). Aestheticization of salon-urban motifs, playing with romantic individualism in the collections “The Thundering Cup” (1913), “Pineapples in Champagne” (1915). From 1918 he lived in Estonia. The autobiographical novel in verse “Bells of the Cathedral of Senses” (1925) and the collection of sonnets “Medallions” (1934) are imbued with love for the homeland and the nostalgic experience of being torn away from it.

Biography

Born on May 4 (16 n.s.) in St. Petersburg in the family of a retired staff captain - a cultured family that loved literature and music, especially opera ("I heard Sobinov alone at least forty times"). From the age of nine the boy wrote poetry.

He spent his youthful years in the Soyvole estate near Cherepovets, Novgorod province, where he graduated from four classes of a real school. Then he left with his father for Port Dalniy. The North awakened inspiration in the soul of the future poet (hence his pseudonym Severyanin).

Returning to his mother in 1904, he lived with her in Gatchina. The young poet sent his poetic experiments to various editorial offices, which were regularly returned. However, in 1905 the poem “The Death of Rurik” was published, then a number of separate poems.

The first poet to welcome the appearance of Northerner in poetry was Fofanov (1907), the second was Bryusov (1911). From 1905 to 1912 Severyanin published 35 collections of poetry (mostly in provincial publications). Real fame came to him after the publication of the collection “The Loud Boiling Cup” (1913). In the same year, he began giving his own poetry concerts and made his first tour of Russia together with Sologub.

This was followed by other collections of Severyanin’s poems: “Zlatolira” (1914), “Pineapples in Champagne” (1915), etc., which were reprinted many times. The poet's evenings were a huge success, helped by his talent as a performer. B. Pasternak recalled: “...on the stage before the revolution, Mayakovsky’s rival was Igor Severyanin...”

The Lotarev family’s connections with the Estonian region were long-standing: the poet’s father and his brothers studied here. The Northerner first visited these places (the village of Toila) in 1912, then often rested there in the summer months.

In 1918 he moved his sick mother there. Having stopped briefly in Moscow, where at an evening at the Polytechnic Museum he was elected “King of Poets,” he returned to Toila. The occupation of Estonia by the Germans (in March 1918) and the formation of an independent republic (1920) cut it off from Russia. He lived almost constantly in the village with his wife, poet and translator Felissa Kruut.

While in exile, he continued to write. He published collections of poems “Vervena” (1920), “Minstrel” (1921), a novel in verse “Falling Rapids”, etc. He published an anthology of Estonian classical poetry. The Estonian government helped Northerner by providing a subsidy. His last years were hard and lonely.

My ambiguous glory

My unambiguous talent...
I. Severyanin

Childhood of Igor Vasilievich

In fact, Northerner is a literary pseudonym. In one thousand eight hundred and eighty-seven, Igor Vasilyevich Lotarev was born in St. Petersburg into the family of a retired staff captain, a cultured family that loved literature and music, especially opera (“I heard Sobinov alone at least forty times”). Igor's mother came from a noble family of the Shenshin family. A. Fet and N. Karamzin belonged to this famous family. Parents separated. And all subsequent years, Igor Vasilyevich lived in the Novgorod province in the Cherepovets district. The future poet lived on the estate of his father's sister.

Traveling around your native country and the beginning of creativity

Then Igor Severyanin travels with his father throughout Russia. Then he goes to the Far East, where he remains for several years. And in nineteen hundred and four he returns to his mother. It was there that he would meet many future famous poets, writers, and cultural figures. Severyanin himself will call his early publications brochures. The young poet sent his poetic experiments to various editorial offices, which were regularly returned. However, in 1905 the poem “The Death of Rurik” was published, then a number of separate poems.

The appearance of a pseudonym or big name

A new era has begun in Russian literature and poetry. Lotarev, or the future Igor Severyanin, whose biography developed in such a way that he appeared as a poet at the same time, will become truly famous much later. But it was at this time that his literary pseudonym appeared. At first it was Igor the Severyanin, that is, with a hyphen, and a little later this sign will disappear and a big name will remain.

Interesting facts about the poet’s work

The first poet to welcome the appearance of “Severyanin in poetry” was K. Fofanov (1907), the second was V. Bryusov (1911). From 1905 to 1912, Severyanin published 35 poetry collections (mainly in provincial publications).

One of the poems, which begins: “Plunge the corkscrew into the elasticity of the cork...” was read in Tolstoy’s house in Yasnaya Polyana. It was an ordinary noble life - reading books aloud. The entire Severyanin brochure caused an unusual stir, but this work created a real sensation. Everyone laughed at the unusual moves of the author's new poetry. But suddenly Lev Nikolaevich got angry and said: “There are gallows, murders, funerals all around, and they have a corkscrew in a traffic jam.” Soon these words were replicated in many newspapers. This is how Igor Vasilyevich Severyanin gained fame. His biography and work became popular literally the next morning.

The true popularity of the creator and the most famous book

But real fame came after the publication of the book “The Thundering Cup.” This was followed by other collections of Northerner’s poems - “Zlatolira” (1914), “Pineapples in Champagne” (1915), etc., which were reprinted many times. The name of Northerner was associated with a new direction in literature - futurism. In nineteen hundred and twelve, the direction of egofuturism emerged, and Severyanin stood at its head. Then he will move away from his brothers.

Searching for a creative circle

There was a lot of new things in Igor Vasilyevich’s poems. It is no coincidence that he declared himself as a poet who changed the course of Russian literature and poetry. He was an innovator in the field of poetic language, was engaged in word creation, and introduced many new words into Russian literature. The Northerner was so multifaceted.

King of Poets

The northerner spoke at the Polytechnic Museum at a poetry evening. It was February 27, 1918. Evenings were regularly held there where poets from various schools of thought performed. Previously, posters were posted, where everyone was invited to a competition for the title of “King of Poetry.”
The stage was as crowded as a tram. Severyanin’s reading style had a hypnotic effect on the audience.
The election of the “king” was accompanied by a playful crowning with a mantle and a crown, but it is known that the poet himself took this very seriously. In May, the almanac "Poesoconcert" was published with a portrait of Igor the Severyanin on the cover indicating his new title.

From the memoirs of Gergiy Ivanov - “St. Petersburg Winters”:
“Then Northerner was at the zenith of his fame. Triumphant trips around Russia. The huge hall of the City Duma, which could not accommodate everyone who wanted to attend his “poetry evenings”. Thousands of fans, flowers, cars, champagne. It was real, somewhat actorly, perhaps, glory ".

From the memories of Sun. Rozhdestvensky about poetry evenings:

“The poet appeared on stage in a long frock coat, narrow at the waist. He held himself straight, looked slightly down at the audience, occasionally shaking his black, curled curls hanging over his forehead.

Putting his hand behind his back or crossing them on his chest near the lush orchid in his buttonhole, he began in a deathly voice, more and more sing-song, with a special cadence inherent only to him with fading, rising and an abrupt break in the poetic line...

The mournfully intoxicating melody of half-chanting and half-chanting powerfully and hypnotically captured the listeners..."

last years of life

In 1920, Severyanov went on vacation to the Estonian seaside village of Toila, and in 1920, Estonia separated from Russia. The poet found himself in forced emigration.
He lived with Felissa Krut for 16 years. She protected him from all everyday problems. Before his death, he admitted that breaking up with her in 1935 was a tragic mistake.
And there, cut off from Russia, Igor Vasilyevich Severyanin will continue to create and create a kind of epic lyrics that will reflect human life, suffering and ideas about happiness.
While in exile, he published collections of poems “Vervena” (1920), “Minstrel” (1921), a novel in verse “Falling Rapids”, etc. He published an anthology of Estonian classical poetry.
In recent years, his life in Estonia was very bad.

"I have a blue boat,
My wife is a poetess."

He was starving. He spent whole days fishing from his blue boat and began to lose his sight from the sparkling ripples of the water.

The annexation of Estonia to the Soviet Union in 1940 aroused his hopes for the publication of his poems and the possibility of traveling around the country. The illness prevented the implementation of not only these plans, but even his departure from Estonia when the war began.
On December 22, 1941, the Northerner died in Nazi-occupied Tallinn.
A northerner once prophetically wrote: “How good, how fresh the roses will be, / My country threw me into my coffin!”

Brief biography from the book: Russian writers and poets. Brief biographical dictionary. Moscow, 2000.