Life and work of Leskov N. S. Brief biography of Nikolai Semenovich Leskov. Nikolai Semenovich Leskov biography, interesting facts. Brief biography of Leskov, the most important thing Leskov was born in the city

Nikolai Semenovich Leskov is one of the most amazing and original Russian writers, whose fate in literature cannot be called simple. During his lifetime, his works mostly evoked negative attitude and were not accepted by most of the progressive people of the second half of the nineteenth century. Meanwhile, Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy called him “the most Russian writer,” and Anton Pavlovich Chekhov considered him one of his teachers.

It can be said that Leskov’s work was truly appreciated only at the beginning of the twentieth century, when articles by M. Gorky, B. Eikhenbaum and others were published. L. Tolstoy’s words that Nikolai Semenovich was “the writer of the future” turned out to be truly prophetic.

Origin

Leskov’s creative destiny was largely determined by the environment in which he spent his childhood and adulthood.
He was born in 1831, February 4 (16 according to the new style), in the Oryol province. His ancestors were hereditary clergymen. The grandfather and great-grandfather were priests in the village of Leska, which is where the writer’s surname most likely came from. However, Semyon Dmitrievich, the author’s father, broke this tradition and received the title of nobleman for his service in the Oryol chamber of the criminal court. Marya Petrovna, the writer’s mother, nee Alfereva, also belonged to this class. Her sisters were married to wealthy people: one - for the Englishman, the other - for the Oryol landowner. This fact will also have an impact on Leskov’s life and work in the future.

In 1839, Semyon Dmitrievich had a conflict in the service, and he and his family moved to Panin Farm, where his son’s real acquaintance with the original Russian speech began.

Education and beginning of service

The writer N. S. Leskov began his studies in the family of wealthy relatives of the Strakhovs, who hired German and Russian teachers and a French governess for their children. Even then, his extraordinary talent was fully revealed. little Nicholas. But he never received a “great” education. In 1841, the boy was sent to the Oryol provincial gymnasium, from which he left five years later with two classes of education. Perhaps the reason for this lay in the peculiarities of teaching, built on rote learning and rules, far from the lively and inquisitive mind that Leskov possessed. The writer's biography includes further service in the treasury chamber, where his father served (1847-1849), and translation by at will after it tragic death as a result of cholera to the treasury chamber of the city of Kyiv, where his maternal uncle S.P. Alferyev lived. The years of stay here gave a lot to the future writer. Leskov attended lectures at Kiev University as a free listener, independently studied the Polish language, for some time became interested in icon painting and even attended a religious and philosophical circle. Acquaintance with Old Believers and pilgrims also influenced Leskov’s life and work.

Work at Schcott and Wilkens

A real school for Nikolai Semenovich was working in the company of his English relative (aunt’s husband) A. Schcott in 1857-1860 (before the collapse of the trading house). According to the writer himself, these were best years when he “saw a lot and lived easily.” Due to the nature of his service, he had to constantly travel around the country, which provided enormous material in all spheres of life of Russian society. “I grew up among the people,” Nikolai Leskov later wrote. His biography is an acquaintance with Russian life first-hand. This is being in a truly popular environment and personal knowledge of all the hardships of life that befall the common peasant.

In 1860, Nikolai Semenovich returned to Kyiv for a short time, after which he ended up in St. Petersburg, where his serious literary activity began.

Leskov's creativity: formation

The writer's first articles on corruption in medical and police circles were published in Kyiv. They caused a strong response and became the main reason why future writer was forced to leave the service and go in search of a new place of residence and work, which is what St. Petersburg became for him.
Here Leskov immediately declares himself as a publicist and is published in “ Domestic notes", "Northern Bee", "Russian Speech". For several years, he signed his works with the pseudonym M. Stebnitsky (there were others, but this one was used most often), which soon became quite notorious.

In 1862 there was a fire in the Shchukin and Apraksin courtyards. Nikolai Semenovich Leskov responded vividly to this event. short biography his life also includes such an episode as an angry tirade from the tsar himself. In an article about the fires published in the Northern Bee, the writer expressed his point of view regarding who could be involved in them and what their purpose was. He believed that the nihilistic youth, who never enjoyed his respect, were to blame for everything. The authorities were accused of not paying enough attention to the investigation of the fact, and the arsonists remained undetected. The criticism that immediately fell upon Leskov, both from democratically minded circles and from the administration, forced him to leave St. Petersburg for a long time, since no explanations from the writer regarding the written article were accepted.

The western borders of the Russian Empire and Europe - Nikolai Leskov visited these places during the months of disgrace. His biography from then on included, on the one hand, recognition of a writer who was absolutely unlike anyone else, and on the other, constant suspicions, sometimes reaching the point of insults. They were especially evident in the statements of D. Pisarev, who considered that Stebnitsky’s name alone would be enough to cast a shadow both on the magazine publishing his works and on the writers who found the courage to publish together with the scandalous author.

Novel "Nowhere"

His first serious piece of art. In 1864, the Reading Magazine published his novel Nowhere, begun two years earlier during a trip to the West. It satirically depicted representatives of the nihilists that were quite popular at that time, and in the appearance of some of them the features of real people were clearly discernible. And again attacks with accusations of distorting reality and that the novel is the fulfillment of an “order” from certain circles. Nikolai Leskov himself was critical of the work. His biography, primarily creative, was predetermined for many years by this novel: his works were refused to be published by the leading magazines of the time for a long time.

The origin of the fantastic form

In the 1860s, Leskov wrote several stories (among them “Lady Macbeth Mtsensk district"), in which the features of a new style are gradually defined, which later became a kind of calling card of the writer. This is a tale with amazing, unique humor and a special approach to depicting reality. Already in the twentieth century, these works would be highly appreciated by many writers and literary critics, and Leskov, whose biography is one of constant clashes with leading representatives of the second half of the nineteenth century, will be placed on a par with N. Gogol, M. Dostoevsky, L. Tolstoy, A. Chekhov. However, at the time of publication, practically no attention was paid to them, since everyone was still under the impression of his previous publications. The production also attracted negative criticism. Alexandria Theater the play “The Spendthrift” about the Russian merchants, and the novel “On Knives” (all about the same nihilists), because of which Leskov entered into a sharp polemic with the editor of the magazine “Russian Messenger” M. Katkov, where his works were mainly published.

Showing true talent

Only after going through numerous accusations, sometimes reaching the point of direct insults, was N. S. Leskov able to find a real reader. His biography took a sharp turn in 1872, when the novel “Soborians” was published. Its main theme is confrontation with the true Christian faith official, and the main characters are the clergy of old times and the nihilists and officials of all ranks and areas, including church ones, opposed to them. This novel became the beginning of the creation of works dedicated to the Russian clergy and preserving folk traditions local nobles. Under his pen, a harmonious and original world emerges, built on faith. The works also contain criticism of the negative aspects of the current system in Russia. Later, this feature of the writer’s style will still open the way for him to democratic literature.

"The Tale of the Tula Oblique Left-Hander..."

Perhaps the most in a bright way, created by the writer, was Lefty, drawn in a work whose genre - a guild legend - was determined by Leskov himself during its first publication. The biography of one forever became inseparable from the life of the other. And the writer’s writing style is most often recognized precisely by the story about a skilled master. Many critics immediately seized on the version put forward by the writer in the preface that this work was just a retold legend. Leskov had to write an article about the fact that in fact “Lefty” is the fruit of his imagination and long observations of life common man. So briefly, Leskov was able to draw attention to the talent of the Russian peasant, as well as to the economic and cultural backwardness of Russia in the second half of the nineteenth century.

Later creativity

In the 1870s, Leskov was an employee of the educational department of the Academic Committee in the Ministry of Public Education, then an employee of the Ministry of State Property. Service never brought him much joy, so he accepted his resignation in 1883 as an opportunity to become independent. Literary activity has always remained the main thing for the writer. "The Enchanted Wanderer", "The Sealed Angel", "The Man on the Clock", " Non-lethal Golovan", "The Stupid Artist", "Evil" - this is a small part of the works that N. S. Leskov wrote in the 1870-1880s. Stories and tales unite the images of the righteous - straightforward, fearless heroes, unable to put up with evil. Quite often, the basis of the works was made up of memories or surviving old manuscripts. And among the heroes, along with fictional ones, there were also prototypes of real people, which gave the plot special authenticity and truthfulness. Over the years, the works themselves have increasingly acquired satirical and accusatory features. As a result, stories and novels later years, including “Invisible Trace”, “Falcon Flight”, “Hare Remise” and, of course, “Devil's Dolls”, where Tsar Nicholas the First served as the prototype for the main character, were not published at all or were published with extensive censorship edits. According to Leskov, the publication of works, always quite problematic, in his declining years became completely unbearable.

Personal life

Leskov’s family life was not easy either. He married for the first time in 1853 to O. V. Smirnova, the daughter of a wealthy and famous businessman in Kyiv. From this marriage two children were born: daughter Vera and son Mitya (died in infancy). Family life was short-lived: the spouses - initially different people, increasingly moved away from each other. The situation was aggravated by the death of their son, and already in the early 1860s they separated. Subsequently, Leskov’s first wife ended up in psychiatric hospital, where the writer visited her until his death.

In 1865, Nikolai Semenovich became friends with E. Bubnova, they lived in a civil marriage, but also with her common life didn't work out. Their son, Andrei, remained with Leskov after his parents separated. He later compiled a biography of his father, published in 1954.

Such a person was Nikolai Semenovich Leskov, whose brief biography is of interest to every connoisseur of Russian classical literature.

In the footsteps of the great writer

N. S. Leskov died on February 21 (March 5, new style) 1895. His body rests in the Volkov Cemetery (on the Literary Stage), on the grave there is a granite pedestal and a large cast-iron cross. And Leskov’s house on Furshtadskaya Street, where he spent last years life, can be recognized by the memorial plaque installed in 1981.

The memory of the original writer, who more than once returned to his native places in his works, was truly immortalized in the Oryol region. Here, in his father’s house, the only Leskov literary and memorial museum in Russia is opened. Thanks to his son, Andrei Nikolaevich, it contains a large number of unique exhibits related to the life of Leskov: a child, a writer, public figure. Among them are personal items, valuable documents and manuscripts, letters, including the writer's class journal and watercolors depicting native home and relatives of Nikolai Semenovich.

And in the old part of Orel to anniversary date- 150 years since his birth - a monument to Leskov was erected by Yu. Yu. and Yu. G. Orekhov, A. V. Stepanov. The writer sits on a pedestal-sofa. In the background is the Church of the Archangel Michael, which was mentioned more than once in Leskov’s works.

Nikolay Semyonovich Leskov born on February 4 (new style - 16), 1831, the first child in the family. His father, the son of a priest from the village of Leski, graduated from theological seminary, but became an official - he served in the Oryol Criminal Chamber. Semyon Dmitrievich Leskov was known in the province as an excellent investigator, solved the most complex crimes and rose to the rank of hereditary nobility. The writer's mother, Maria Petrovna, née Alfereva, was the daughter of an impoverished nobleman and a merchant's daughter. Her brother Sergei worked as a doctor and served as a professor of medicine at Kiev University. One of the sisters married a wealthy Oryol landowner Strakhov, the other married an Englishman, a professional manager.

In 1839, Semyon Dmitrievich was forced to resign. The grown family from Orel - parents, three sons, two daughters - moved to the small estate of Panino (Panin Khutor) in Kromsky district. They lived poorly: the former investigator had neither the ability nor the desire for agriculture.

At the age of ten, in 1841, Nikolai Leskov entered the Oryol provincial gymnasium. He studied rather poorly, and after five years he received a certificate of completion of only two classes. In 1847, with the help of his father’s former colleagues, Leskov was enlisted in the criminal chamber as a 2nd class clerical officer. He received his first rank of “fourteen sheepskins”—college registrar—in his seventh year of service.

In 1848, Semyon Dmitrievich Leskov died of cholera. Less than a year later, Nikolai was transferred to the Kyiv State Chamber, where he was appointed assistant to the head of the recruitment desk. He received his first rank “of fourteen sheepskins” - collegiate registrar in the seventh year of service, when he took the place of chief. In Kyiv, Nikolai was patronized by his professor uncle. The young official was even allowed to attend lectures at the university, and he took advantage of this right. Unexpectedly for his family, Nikolai Leskov decides to marry the daughter of a wealthy Kyiv businessman. The marriage was unhappy, the relationship became especially complicated after the death of the Leskovs’ first-born, Mitya. The writer practically did not communicate with his daughter.

In 1857, the future writer accepted the offer of his other uncle, the Englishman A.Ya. Scott, to work at his company, Schcott and Wilkens. Thanks to his commercial service, Nikolai Semyonovich traveled all over Russia in three years. But the affairs of the agricultural company were not successful; after its liquidation in mid-1860, Leskov returned to Kyiv, where, in parallel with his service in the office of the Governor-General, he wrote articles for Kyiv and capital magazines. Six months later, inspired by his successes as a publicist, he left for St. Petersburg.

From the pen of Leskov in 1860-1862. A lot of articles on sociology, law and social medicine were published. From the beginning of 1862, he became a permanent contributor to the Northern Bee newspaper, in which capacity he became famous as an opponent of the revolutionary democratic movement. Leskov's marriage broke up.

In May 1862, fires raged in the capital. The so-called nihilists were indiscriminately blamed for the arson. Leskov did not directly reject these rumors in one of his editorials, and Democratic publicists attacked him, as if the author supported the slanderers. The angry Leskov took revenge: under the pseudonym M. Stebnitsky, he published the anti-nihilistic novel “Nowhere” in the magazine “Library for Reading”. In the controversy over the novel, there were even accusations of collaboration with the Third Branch.

Leskov's literary reputation died before it could flourish. For many years he was denied access to the most popular magazines. The only one who agreed to publish his works was Mikhail Nikolaevich Katkov, editor of the Russian Messenger magazine. It was very difficult to work with Katkov: he introduced ideological censorship in his magazine. Subsequently, Nikolai Semyonovich claimed that the editorial edits distorted all of his works of that period, except for “The Captured Angel.” Katkov refused to publish The Enchanted Wanderer at all. Leskov broke the contract with him and found himself in a difficult financial situation.

From 1874 to 1883, Leskov worked in a special department of the Academic Committee of the Ministry of Public Education for the “review of books published for the people.” This brought in a small income. In 1877, thanks to positive feedback Empress Maria Alexandrovna about the novel “Soborians”, he was appointed a member of the educational department of the Ministry of State Property. The same year was marked for Leskov with a divorce from his second wife. His son Andrei (1866–1953) graduated military school, became an officer. In the 1930s-1940s, he wrote a two-volume book of memoirs about his father, which was published only after Stalin’s death, in 1954.

Leskov’s articles on church topics raised doubts about the author’s trustworthiness among the Chief Prosecutor of the Synod, Pobedonostsev. The dismissal order came from the very top, but Nikolai Semyonovich refused to submit his resignation. In 1883, he was dismissed without a request from the Ministry of Public Education and devoted himself entirely to writing.

Nikolai Semenovich Leskov died on March 5 (old style - February 21), 1895 in St. Petersburg, from asthma, which he had been suffering from for the last five years (according to other sources, from angina). Two years before his death, the writer bequeathed: “At my funeral, I ask you not to make any speeches about me. I know that there is a lot of bad things in me and that I do not deserve any praise or regrets. Anyone who wants to blame me should know that I he blamed himself." Nikolai Leskov was buried at the Volkov cemetery with the silence he had bequeathed.

Nikolai Semenovich Leskov, the son of an impoverished nobleman from the Oryol province, was born on February 4, 1831. His childhood was spent first in the city of Orel, and then in the village of Panino, where the future writer had the opportunity to become closely acquainted with life common people.

Childhood and youth

At the age of ten, Nikolai was sent to a gymnasium. Studying was difficult for him. As a result, in five years of study, Leskov managed to complete only two classes.

When Nikolai was sixteen years old, his father helped him get a job in the criminal office of the Oryol court. In the same year, Leskov loses not only his father, who died of cholera, but also all his property that was burned in a fire.

An uncle comes to the aid of the young man, who facilitated his transfer to Kyiv to the position of an official in the treasury chamber. Old City charmed young man. He liked his landscapes; special character local residents. Therefore, even after a three-year period of work in his uncle’s company, which required him to travel frequently throughout Russia and Europe, he returned to Kyiv again upon completion of his career. It is 1860 that can be considered the very “starting point” in his writing. At first these were periodic magazine articles. And after moving to St. Petersburg, serious literary activity began in the newspaper “Northern Bee”.

Creative path

Thanks to his correspondent activities, Leskov managed to travel around the territory of Poland, the Czech Republic, Western Ukraine. At this time, he carefully studies the life of the local population.

1863 was the year of the final return to Russia. Having rethought everything that he had to face during his years of wandering, Leskov tries to present his vision of the life of ordinary people in his first large-scale works, the novels “Nowhere”, “Outlooked”. His position differs from the views of many writers of that time: on the one hand, Leskov does not accept serfdom, and on the other, he does not understand the revolutionary method of overthrowing it.

Since the writer’s position ran counter to the ideas of the revolutionary democrats of that time, he was not particularly willing to be published. Only Chief Editor“Russian Messenger” Mikhail Katkov went to the meeting and helped the writer. Moreover, cooperation with him was incredibly difficult for Leskov: Katkov constantly edited his works, practically radically changing their essence. If I disagreed, I simply didn’t print it. It got to the point that Leskov simply could not finish writing some of his works precisely because of disagreements with the editor of Russky Vestnik. This is what happened with the novel “A Seedy Family.” The only story that Katkov did not edit at all was “The Sealed Angel.”

Confession

Despite the rich literary creativity, Leskov went down in history as the creator of the famous story “Lefty”. It is based on the legend about the skill of the gunsmiths of that time. In the story, the scythe master Lefty managed to skillfully shoe a flea.

The writer’s last large-scale work was the story “The Hare Remise.” It was published in 1894. But since it was based on criticism of the political structure of Russia at that time, the story could only be published after October revolution 1917.

The writer’s personal life was not entirely successful either. His first wife Olga Smirnova suffered from a mental disorder, and his first-born son died young. Life did not work out with his second wife Ekaterina Bubnova, with whom he separated after 12 years of marriage.

The writer died of asthma on February 21, 1895. He was buried in St. Petersburg at the Volkovskoye cemetery. And today, admirers of the writer’s talent can honor his memory at his grave.

Nikolai Leskov is a Russian writer, publicist and memoirist. In his works he paid great attention to the Russian people.

IN late period Leskov wrote a number of his works satirical stories, many of which were uncensored. Nikolai Leskov was a deep psychologist, thanks to which he skillfully described the characters of his heroes.

Most of all he is known for famous work“Lefty”, which amazingly conveys the peculiarities of the Russian character.

There was a lot in Leskov interesting events, the main ones of which we will introduce you to right now.

So, in front of you short biography of Leskov.

Biography of Leskov

Nikolai Semenovich Leskov was born on February 4, 1831 in the village of Gorokhov, Oryol province. His father, Semyon Dmitrievich, was the son of a priest. He also graduated from the seminary, but chose to work in the Oryol Criminal Chamber.

In the future, the stories of his seminarian father and priest grandfather will seriously affect the formation of the writer’s views.

Leskov's father was a very gifted investigator, capable of unraveling the most difficult case. Thanks to his merits, he was awarded the title of nobility.

The writer's mother, Maria Petrovna, came from a noble family.

In addition to Nikolai, four more children were born into the Leskov family.

Childhood and youth

When the future writer was barely 8 years old, his father had a serious quarrel with his leadership. This led to their family moving to the village of Panino. There they bought a house and began to lead a simple lifestyle.

Having reached a certain age, Leskov went to study at the Oryol gymnasium. An interesting fact is that the young man received low grades in almost all subjects.

After 5 years of study, he was given a certificate of completion of only 2 classes. Leskov's biographers suggest that the teachers were to blame for this, who treated their students harshly and often punished them physically.

After studying, Nikolai had to get a job. His father assigned him to the criminal chamber as a clerical servant.

In 1848, a tragedy occurred in Leskov’s biography. Their father died of cholera, leaving their family without support and a breadwinner.

The next year, at his own request, Leskov got a job in the state chamber in Kyiv. At that time he lived with his uncle.

While at his new workplace, Nikolai Leskov became seriously interested in reading books. Soon he began attending the university as a volunteer.

Unlike most students, the young man listened carefully to the lecturers, greedily absorbing new knowledge.

During this period of his biography, he became seriously interested in icon painting, and also made acquaintance with various Old Believers and sectarians.

Then Leskov got a job at the Shcott and Wilkens company, which belonged to his relative.

He was often sent on business trips, and therefore he was able to visit different places. Later Nikolai Leskov would call this period of time the best in his biography.

Leskov's creativity

For the first time, Nikolai Semenovich Leskov wanted to put pen to paper while working at Schcott and Wilkens. Every day he had to meet by different people and witness interesting situations.

Initially, he wrote articles on everyday social topics. For example, he denounced officials for illegal activities, after which criminal cases were opened against some of them.

When Leskov was 32 years old, he wrote the story “The Life of a Woman,” which was later published in a St. Petersburg magazine.

He then submitted several more stories, which were positively received by critics.

Inspired by his first success, he continued his writing career. Soon, very deep and serious essays “Warrior” and “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” came out of Leskov’s pen.

An interesting fact is that Leskov not only skillfully conveyed the images of his heroes, but also decorated his works with intellectual humor. They often contained sarcasm and cleverly disguised parody.

Thanks to these techniques, Nikolai Leskov developed his own and unique literary style.

In 1867 Leskov tried himself as a playwright. He wrote many plays, many of which were staged in theaters. The play “The Spendthrift,” which tells about the life of a merchant, gained particular popularity.

Then Nikolai Leskov published several serious novels, including “Nowhere” and “On Knives.” In them he criticized various kinds of revolutionaries, as well as nihilists.

Soon his novels caused a wave of discontent from the power elite. The editors of many publications refused to publish his works in their magazines.

Leskov’s next work, which today is included in the mandatory school curriculum, became "Lefty". In it, he described in vivid colors the masters of the weapons trade. Leskov managed to present the plot so well that they began to talk about him as an outstanding writer of our time.

In 1874, by decision of the Ministry of Public Education, Leskov was approved for the position of censor of new books. Thus, he had to determine which of the books had the right to be published and which did not. For his work, Nikolai Leskov received a very small salary.

During this period of his biography, he wrote the story “The Enchanted Wanderer,” which no publishing house wanted to publish.

The story was distinguished by the fact that many of its plots deliberately did not have a logical conclusion. Critics did not understand Leskov's idea and were very sarcastic about the story.

After this, Nikolai Leskov released a collection of short stories, “The Righteous,” in which he described the fate of ordinary people encountered on his way. However, these works were also negatively received by critics.

In the 80s, signs of religiosity began to clearly appear in his works. In particular, Nikolai Semenovich wrote about early Christianity.

At the later stage of his work, Leskov wrote works in which he denounced officials, military personnel and church leaders.

By this period creative biography include such works as “The Beast”, “Scarecrow”, “Stupid Artist” and others. In addition, Leskov managed to write a number of stories for children.

It is worth noting that he spoke of Leskov as “the most Russian of our writers,” and they considered him one of their main teachers.

He spoke about Nikolai Leskov like this:

“As an artist of words, N. S. Leskov is fully worthy to stand next to such Russian creators as L. Tolstoy, Turgenev,. Leskov’s talent, in strength and beauty, is slightly inferior to the talent of any of the named creators of the sacred scripture about the Russian land, and in the breadth of coverage of the phenomena of life, the depth of understanding of its everyday mysteries, and his subtle knowledge of the Great Russian language, he often exceeds his named predecessors and comrades.”

Personal life

In the biography of Nikolai Leskov there were 2 official marriages. His first wife was the daughter of a wealthy businessman, Olga Smirnova, whom he married at the age of 22.

Over time, Olga began mental disorders. Later she even had to be sent to a clinic for treatment.

In this marriage, the writer had a girl, Vera, and a boy, Mitya, who died at an early age.

Left virtually without a wife, Leskov began cohabiting with Ekaterina Bubnova. In 1866, their son Andrei was born. Having lived in civil marriage 11 years old, they decided to separate.

An interesting fact is that Nikolai Leskov was a convinced vegetarian throughout almost his entire biography. He was an ardent opponent of killing for food.

Moreover, in June 1892, in the newspaper “Novoye Vremya,” Leskov published an appeal entitled “On the need to publish a well-written, detailed cookbook for vegetarians in Russian.”

Death

Throughout his life, Leskov suffered from asthma attacks, which began to progress in recent years.

He was buried in St. Petersburg at the Volkovskoye cemetery.

Shortly before his death, in 1889-1893, Leskov compiled and published from A. S. Suvorin “ Complete collection works" in 12 volumes, which included for the most part his artistic works.

For the first time, a truly complete (30-volume) collected works of the writer began to be published by the Terra publishing house in 1996 and continues to this day.

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Russian writer-ethnographer. Nikolai Semenovich Leskov was born on February 16 (old style - February 4), 1831 in the village of Gorokhovo, Oryol province, where his mother stayed with rich relatives, and his maternal grandmother also lived there. The Leskov family on the paternal side came from the clergy: Nikolai Leskov’s grandfather (Dmitry Leskov), his father, grandfather and great-grandfather were priests in the village of Leska, Oryol province. It was formed from the name of the village of Leski family name Leskov. Nikolai Leskov's father, Semyon Dmitrievich (1789-1848), served as a noble assessor of the Oryol chamber of the criminal court, where he received the nobility. Mother, Marya Petrovna Alfereva (1813-1886), belonged to noble family Oryol province.

In Gorokhov - in the house of the Strakhovs, Nikolai Leskov's maternal relatives - he lived until he was 8 years old. Nicholas had six cousins. Russian and German teachers and a French woman were taken for the children. Nicholas, gifted with greater abilities than his cousins, and who was more successful in his studies, was not liked and, at the request of the future writer, his grandmother wrote to his father so that he would take his son. Nikolai began to live with his parents in Orel - in a house on Third Noble Street. Soon the family moved to the Panino estate (Panin Khutor). Nikolai's father himself sowed, looked after the garden and the mill. At the age of ten, Nikolai was sent to study at the Oryol provincial gymnasium. After five years of study, the gifted and easy-to-learn Nikolai Leskov received a certificate instead of a certificate, since he refused to re-examine for the fourth grade. Further training became impossible. Nikolai's father managed to assign him to the Oryol Criminal Chamber as one of the scribes.

At seventeen and a half years old, Leskov was appointed assistant to the chief of the Oryol Criminal Chamber. In the same year, 1848, Leskov’s father died and helped in setting up future fate Nicholas was volunteered by his relative - the husband of his maternal aunt, a famous professor at Kyiv University and practicing therapist S.P. Alferyev (1816–1884). In 1849, Nikolai Leskov moved with him to Kyiv and was assigned to the Kyiv Treasury Chamber as an assistant to the head of the recruitment desk of the audit department.

Unexpectedly for his family, and despite advice to wait, Nikolai Leskov decides to get married. The chosen one was the daughter of a wealthy Kyiv businessman. Over the years, the difference in tastes and interests between the spouses became more and more evident. The relationship became especially complicated after the death of the Leskovs’ first-born, Mitya. In the early 1860s, Leskov's marriage actually broke up.

In 1853, Leskov was promoted to collegiate registrar, in the same year he was appointed to the post of mayor, and in 1856 Leskov was promoted to provincial secretary. In 1857, he began serving as an agent in the private firm Shcott and Wilkins, headed by A.Ya. Schcott is an Englishman who married Leskov's aunt and managed the estates of Naryshkin and Count Perovsky. On their affairs, Leskov constantly made trips, which gave him a huge stock of observations. ("Russian biographical dictionary", article by S. Vengerov "Leskov Nikolai Semenovich")"Soon after Crimean War I became infected with the then fashionable heresy, for which I condemned myself more than once later, that is, I abandoned the rather successfully started government service and went to serve in one of the newly formed trading companies at that time. The owners of the business where I got a job were English. They were still inexperienced people and spent the capital they brought here with the stupidest self-confidence. I was the only Russian among the Russians.” (from the memoirs of Nikolai Semenovich Leskov) The company conducted business throughout Russia and Leskov, as a representative of the company, had the opportunity to visit many cities at that time. Three years of wandering around Russia were the reason why Nikolai Leskov took up writing.

In 1860, his articles were published in Modern Medicine, Economic Index, and St. Petersburg Gazette. At the beginning of its literary activity(1860s) Nikolai Leskov published under the pseudonym M. Stebnitsky; later he used such pseudonyms as Nikolai Gorokhov, Nikolai Ponukalov, V. Peresvetov, Protozanov, Freishits, priest. P. Kastorsky, Psalmist, Watch Lover, Man from the Crowd. In 1861 Nikolai Leskov moved to St. Petersburg. In April 1861, the first article “Essays on the distillery industry” was published in Otechestvennye zapiski. In May 1862, in the transformed newspaper “Northern Bee,” which considered Leskov one of the most significant employees, under the pseudonym Stebnitsky, he published a sharp article about the fire in the Apraksin and Shchukin courtyards. The article blamed both the arsonists, whom popular rumor referred to as nihilistic rebels, and the government, which was unable to either put out the fire or catch the criminals. Rumor spread that Leskov connected the St. Petersburg fires with the revolutionary aspirations of students and, despite the writer’s public explanations, Leskov’s name became the subject of offensive suspicion. Having gone abroad, he began writing the novel Nowhere, in which he reflected the movement of the 1860s in a negative light. The first chapters of the novel were published in January 1864 in the “Library for Reading” and created unflattering fame for the author, so D.I. Pisarev wrote: “Is there now in Russia, besides Russky Vestnik, at least one magazine that would dare to print on its pages anything coming from the pen of Stebnitsky and signed with his name? Is there at least one honest writer in Russia who will be so careless and indifferent to his reputation that he will agree to work in a magazine that adorns itself with Stebnitsky’s stories and novels?” In the early 80s, Leskov was published in the Historical Bulletin, from the mid-80s he became an employee of Russian Thought and Week, in the 90s he was published in the Bulletin of Europe.

In 1874, Nikolai Semenovich Leskov was appointed a member of the educational department of the Academic Committee of the Ministry of Public Education; The main function of the department was “the review of books published for the people.” In 1877, thanks to Empress Maria Alexandrovna’s positive review of the novel “Soborians,” he was appointed a member of the educational department of the Ministry of State Property. In 1880, Leskov left the Ministry of State Property, and in 1883 he was dismissed without a request from the Ministry of Public Education. He accepted the resignation, which gave him independence, with joy.

Nikolai Semenovich Leskov died on March 5 (old style - February 21), 1895 in St. Petersburg, from another attack of asthma, which tormented him for the last five years of his life. Nikolai Leskov was buried at the Volkov cemetery in St. Petersburg.

In the 1930s-1940s, Andrei Nikolaevich Leskov (1866–1953), the son of the writer, compiled a biography of Nikolai Semenovich Leskov, published in 1954 in two volumes.

Bibliography
Works by Nikolai Semenovich Leskov

Nikolai Leskov’s works include short stories, novels, essays, and journalistic articles.

• “Essays on the Distilling Industry” (1861; article; published in April 1861 in the journal “Domestic Notes”)
• "The Extinguished Cause" (1862; first story)
• “From a travel diary” (1862-1863; collection of journalistic essays)
• "Russian Society in Paris" (1863; essay)
• “The Life of a Woman” (1863; story)
• "Musk Ox" (1863; story)
• “Nowhere” (1863-1864; “anti-nihilistic” novel depicting the life of a commune organized by “nihilists”)
• “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” (1865; story)
• “Bypassed” (1865; story; the plot was conceived in contrast to the story by N.G. Chernyshevsky “What to do?”)
• "Warrior" (1866, story)
• “The Islanders” (1866; a story about the Germans who lived in St. Pereburg)
• “The Spendthrift” (1867; drama; first production - in 1867 on stage Alexandrinsky Theater in St. Petersburg)
• “Kotin Doilets and Platonida” (1867; story)
• “Old Years in the Village of Plodomasovo” (1869; story)
• “On Knives” (1870-1871; “anti-nihilistic” novel; first published in “Russian Bulletin” in 1870-1871)
• “The Mysterious Man” (1870; biographical sketch about the Swiss A.I. Benny, who came to St. Petersburg on behalf of A.I. Herzen and lived for some time in Leskov’s apartment)
• “The Soborians” (1872; chronicle novel about the clergy)
• “The Sealed Angel” (1873; a story about a community of schismatics, later included in the collection “The Righteous”)
• "The Enchanted Wanderer" (1873; original title- “Black Earth Telemak”; a story later included in the collection “The Righteous”; Leskov himself defined the genre of “The Enchanted Wanderer” as a story)
• "At the End of the World" (1875–1876; story)
• "Iron Will" (1876; story about Russian and German national characters, based on true events that occurred in the 1850-1860s, when Leskov served in the Shcott and Wilkins company)
• “At the End of the World” (1876; story later included in the collection “The Righteous”)
• “The Unbaptized Priest” (1877; story)
• “The Lord’s Court” (1877; essay about Metropolitan Philaret of Kiev)
• “Mirror of the life of a true disciple of Christ” (1877; journalism)
• “Prophecies about the Messiah” (1878; journalism)
• “Little things in the life of a bishop” (1878; a series of essays about the Russian clergy; first published in September-November 1878 in the newspaper “Novosti”)
• “Odnodum” (1879; story later included in the collection “Righteous”)
• “Pointer to the Book of the New Testament” (1879; journalism)
• “Sheramur” (1879; story later included in the collection “The Righteous”)
• “Bishops' Detours” (1879; essay on the Orthodox Church)
• "Diocesan Court" (1880; essay on the Orthodox Church)
• "Cadet Monastery" (1880; story about the director cadet corps, later included in the collection “The Righteous”)
• “The Non-Lethal Golovan” (1880; a story later included in the collection “The Righteous”; the hero of the story belongs to the petty-bourgeois class)
• “The Holy Shadows” (1881; essay on the Orthodox Church)
• "A collection of fatherly opinions on the importance Holy Scripture"(1881)
• “Christ Visiting a Man” (1881; story from the “Yuletide Stories” series)
• “Synodal Persons” (1882; essay on the Orthodox Church)
• “The Ghost in the Engineering Castle” (1882; story from the “Yuletide Stories” series)
• “Travels with a Nihilist” (1882; story from the “Yuletide Stories” series)
• “The Beast” (1883; story from the series “Yuletide Stories”)
• “Pechersk Antiquities” (1883; series of essays)
• “The Stupid Artist” (1883; a story about a serf “hairdresser”)
• “Lefty” (1883; tale, later included in the collection “Righteous”)
• “The Voice of Nature” (1883; story from the series “Stories by the Way”)
• “Alexandrite” (1885; story from the series “Stories by the Way”)
• “The Old Genius” (1884; story from the “Yuletide Stories” series)
• “The Scarecrow” (1885; story from the series “Yuletide Stories”)
• “Interesting Men” (1885; story from the series “Stories by the Way”)
• "Old Psychopaths" (1885; story from the series "Stories by the Way")
• “The Tale of Theodore the Christian and his friend Abram the Jew” (1886)
• “Unmercenary Engineers” (1887; story later included in the collection “Righteous”)
• “The Buffoon Pamphalon” (1887; the original title “The God-loving Buffoon” was not passed by the censor)
• “The Man on the Clock” (1887; a story about a soldier, later included in the collection “The Righteous”)
• "The Lion of Elder Gerasim" (1888)
• “The Dead Estate” (1888; story from the series “Stories by the Way”)
• “Mountain” (1890; the first version of “Zeno the Goldsmith” was not passed by the censor)
• "The Hour of God's Will" (1890; short story)
• "Devil's Dolls" 1890; novel-pamphlet)
• "Innocent Prudentius" (1891)
• "Midnight Owls" (1891; story)
• "Yudol" (1892; story)
• "The Improvisers" (1892; story)
• “The Corral” (1893; story from the series “Stories by the Way”)
• "Product of Nature" (1893; short story)
• "Administrative Grace" (1893; a story that criticized political system Russian Empire; published after the revolutionary coup of 1917)
• “The Hare Remiz” (1894; a story that criticized the political system of the Russian Empire; published after the revolutionary coup of 1917)
• “The Lady and the Fefela” (1894; story from the series “Stories by the Way”)
• “Night Owls” (short story; first published in Vestnik Evropy)

Information sources:

• “Russian Biographical Dictionary” rulex.ru (article by S. Vengerov “Leskov Nikolai Semenovich (M. Stebnitsky)”)
• Encyclopedic resource rubricon.com (Big Soviet encyclopedia, Encyclopedic reference book "St. Petersburg", Literary encyclopedic dictionary)
• Project "Russia Congratulates!"