Аннотация: A money and a politics. How and when to write literary memories. About the literary portrait of N. G. Garin-Mikhailovsky from S. G. Petrov-Skitalets
A money and a politics. How and when to write literary memories. About the literary portrait of N. G. Garin-Mikhailovsky from S. G. Petrov-Skitalets
A writing talent is a complex thing. What component prevails in it?
Initially, when you read the memories by Stepan Gavrilovich Petrov-Skitalets (1869 - 1941) ("Skitalets" - is a literary pseudonym) about Nikolai Georgievich Garin-Mikhailovsky (1852 -1906), you are surprised: how unusual it is written.
Then, you are thinking about Garin-Mikhailovsky - you are recalling the information you knew before the Skitalets' memories - and there are a doubts.
There is a portrait of the old (time to die?) man. Man is a slightly immoral, with the need for meaningless movements, a player, a knacker, a slightly provocative being, a fool, an untidy in relation to state money.
Memories by Skitalets begin with mention about the young and old Garin-Mikhailovsky (don 't forget - he was an old man - "Extraordinary old man"). We remind that Garin-Mikhailovsky died at 54 years old.
An ambiguous public event when Garin was sitting between his two wives (he is a slightly immoral person?).
"Roam around the world" - a restless man with a penchant for meaningless change of places?
"For him the main thing was - the life itself, the game with obstacles, the excitement of risk, the embodiment of beautiful fantasies into reality, the constant furious jump over the edge of the abyss." - the player?
"Thoroughbred horses! - they fall, fall one after the other" - the knacker?
Garin persuaded Skitalets to break the official rules of life "under supervision." Garin promised a fine, but Skitalets had to serve a month in prison. - A provocateur, a little?
Garin 's wife "had, they say, significant capital, which, of course, was soon spent on the wide fantasies of an unquestionably beloved spouse." - the spender?
Using the advance from the state contract, 'First of all, he flew from Kuokkala to Paris for a minute by a special train (what it was worth!), brought fresh fruit from there for the supposed buddy party and an expensive diamond necklace for his wife.' - a fool?
"The millions from the state treasury were spent off, the delivery [of goods in execution of the state contract] was incomplete. There was a scandalous process ahead. ' - a negligent person person in relation to state money?
"At the editorial meeting, Garin suddenly felt bad, grabbed own heart and, crying out: "Came!"- fell dead." - did the old, overworked man died in a natural way?
There are also positive moments in memories by Skitalets.
"He wrote not for fame and not for money, but as the bird sings, so did Garin write - in compliance with impulses, movements of talent."
'He changed clothes, came to us dressed in a high boots, a tight-fitting blue leggings, a Hungarian jacket with a laces, and in this costume he was extremely suitable to the whole setting of the ancient castle in the style of knight times; Probably not without the coquety in front of himself he dressed so, by a special artistic flair guessing the harmony of the environment and costume, and maybe felt it unconsciously. "
So - for what and why?
Here we enter onto a shaky surface of assumptions and guesses.
For some reason another "rich man" - Savva Morozov (1862 - 1905) is remembered. Somehow in a difficult manner his life went, and unclear ended. Also the life of major industrialist Nikolai Pavlovich Schmidt (1883 - 1907) ended in unclear manner. They were both linked by unclear financial relations with the Bolsheviks.
"He was part of the editorial office of the Bolshevik's magazine "Herald of Life," in which he collaborated together with A. V. Lunacharsky, V. V. Vorovsky, V. D. Bonch-Bruyevich. Suddenly died on December 10 (27), 1906 from heart paralysis during the editorial meeting, where that day his dramatic sketch "Teenagers" was read and discussed - we read in Wikipedia about Garin-Mikhailovsky.
'Suddenly the steamboat tilted noticeably, and for one moment I saw mountains of a foaming, shaggy, monstrous waves soaring up to the horizon, the ocean looked at me - he was like a gray-haired, furious old man!' - reports Skitalets words Garin-Mikhailovsky.
Maybe Garin-Mikhailovsky, who financed the Bolsheviks, at some point guessed something, and the ocean of revolution looked at him?... the billowing mountains of foamed, shaggy, monstrous waves?
It is also possible to recall the long-term cooperation of V.I. Lenin with the secret employee of the Security Department of the Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a member of the Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party, the chairman of the Bolshevik faction in the State Duma of the IV convocation Roman Vatslavovich Malinovsky...
As for Maxim Gorky, he apparently intuitively chose the right line of behavior. After the sudden disappearance of huge fees from German theatres, he pretended that nothing special had happened.
Many biographical accounts by Skitalets emphasize his (Skitalets) proximity to Gorky. However, if you read Skitalets' memories about Gorky, it seems that Gorky was extremely polite with Skitalets, but due to the circumstances the distance between them gradually increased...
The romantic Garin-Mikhailovsky did not have the intuition of Maxim Gorky......
February 10, 2020 16:00
Translation from Russian into English: February 12, 2020 12:49.
Владимир Владимирович Залесский 'Деньги и политика. Как и когда писать литературные воспоминания. О литературном портрете Н.Г. Гарина-Михайловского от С.Г. Петрова-Скитальца'.