Lermontov from Lermontov Lermontov from a simple family was expelled from the university due to a scandal Lermontov – a romantic, handsome man Lermontov and a good reputation Lermontov wrote brilliantly since childhood Lermontov – a student of Pushkin Lermontov was killed by a sniper on his orders. Nicholas I
Lermontov from Lermontov
Portrait of M.Yu. Lermontov aged 6-8
RIA Novosti
Many people mistakenly believe that Mikhail Lermontov was born in the Tarkhany estate of his grandmother Elizaveta Arsenyeva (née Stolypina) in the Penza region. The settlement where the architectural and museum complex is currently located is called Lermontovo – this also becomes the cause of misunderstandings. Also in 1842, Lermontov’s ashes were in the grave in Tarkhany.
In fact, the poet was born in Moscow, in the house of Major General Konrad Friedrich von Toll on the Red Gate. This house has been gone for a long time – in 1947-1953, one of Stalin’s seven high-rise buildings was built in its place. On its facade there is a portrait of Lermontov and a carved inscription: “In this place was the house where the great Russian poet Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov was born on October 3 (15), 1814.”
Lermontov comes from a simple family
In the Soviet years, it was often written in Lermontov’s biography that he was born in the family of a simple officer who retired with the rank of infantry captain. However, the poet’s family cannot be called simple: Lermontov’s maternal grandmother, Elizaveta Alekseevna Arsenyeva, came from the noble family of the Stolypins. The poet’s cousin was the famous guards officer Afanasy Stolypin. Lermontov was also present at her wedding to Princess Trubetskoy, which took place at the residence of the heir to the throne of the Russian Empire.
On the paternal side, the noble Lermontov family came from Scotland, his ancestor was Polish Army Lieutenant George (George) Lermont.
Because of the scandal, Lermontov was expelled from the university
Monument to Mikhail Lermontov in Moscow
Konstantin Kokoshkin/Global Look Press
Lermontov did not stay at Moscow University for even two years – he left there “on request”. Many biographers of the poet say that his expulsion was connected with the situation around the rude professor Mikhail Malov, against whom students declared a boycott. The teacher was subsequently fired, and with him the university administration decided to “get rid of” the student instigators.
However, writer and translator Elizaveta Lodyzhenskaya, referring to a relative of Lermontov, stated that he left the university on his own initiative. As evidence, he cited data that all those expelled “for pranks” were sent on leave at the end of May 1831, and the rector provided them with “suitable travel tickets.” Lermontov, in turn, was not listed as a student since June 18, 1832.
The young man, St. He wanted to go to university in St. Petersburg, but he was ignored for the two years he studied at Moscow University. However, Lermontov did not want to re-enroll in the first year.
Lermontov – a romantic and handsome man
Watercolor “Portrait of M. Yu. Lermontov in a hussar frock coat”, 1839.
Pavel Balabanov/RIA Novosti
Probably this opinion was formed among subsequent generations due to Lermontov’s association with the character of Pechorin, “A Hero of Our Time”, and his beautiful portraits. However, contemporaries describe the poet as a stocky man with an ugly figure.
“Lermontov had an ugly figure: small in stature, legs like wheels, very broad shoulders, small eyes, Kalmyk, but lively, hot, expressive. He rode perfectly,” was how Lermontov was described in his notes by his classmate at the Guards School, Second Lieutenant Alexander Tiran.
Lermontov’s friend Vera Annenkova also argued that the poet was not distinguished by outstanding external data. Annenkova describes her first encounter with Lermontov in her memoirs:
“I must confess that I did not like him at all. He had an angry and gloomy appearance, his small black eyes shone with a gloomy fire, his gaze was as rude as his smile. He was short, stocky and ugly, but not as gracefully and attractively ugly as Pushkin, but very rude and it was a little vilely ugly.
Lermontov and a good reputation
Many admirers of Lermontov’s work consider the poet a highly spiritual, docile young man, but his contemporaries spoke differently about him. The same Tyrant stated that he was on good terms with the poet, but knew that a trick could be expected from him.
“But for all this he was a bad man: he never spoke well of anyone; It cost him nothing to tarnish the name of a society woman, to tell an unprecedented story about her, to say impudent things. I don’t know if he was angry or just amused that his gossip was disappearing in the pool, but he was smart and sometimes when he stopped at my house at night he would say: “I’m going to light a fire.” Candle: Is the devil near me? He always laughed at beliefs, belittled those who believed and those who had the ability to feel… Yes, overall he was a “nice” person!” – Tyrant noticed.
According to a colleague, Lermontov often spent the night with her, allegedly because he did not want to heat his apartment, leaving a sword wound on him during one of his shifts.
Lermontov wrote brilliantly since childhood
Because Lermontov’s life ended early, many believe that he became a poet prodigy at a young age. However, critics noted that in the writer’s early works there are many noticeable quotes from his colleagues: he only trained his hand before creating his main works, which he wrote in the last years of his life.
Even his colleagues did not like the work of young Lermontov. For example, Alexander Arnoldi, his fellow cornet soldier in the Life Guards of the Grodno Hussar Regiment, said about him:
“I don’t understand why they talk so much about Lermontov; At heart he was a very empty man, a bad officer and an insignificant poet. We all wrote such poems back then. I lived in the same apartment with Lermontov, saw him writing many times. He sits, sits, chews a lot of feathers, breaks pencils and writes a few lines. So is this a poet?!”
Lermontov – student of Pushkin
There is an opinion that Lermontov moved in the same circles as Pushkin and was his student. He and Pushkin literally had dozens of common acquaintances, and Lermontov was inspired by his work – but they never managed to meet. After Pushkin’s tragic death, Lermontov wrote one of his most famous poems, “Death of the Poet”, in which he expressed his public position regarding the socio-political situation in Russia.
Lermontov was killed by a sniper on the orders of Nicholas I.
Colored drawing by Robert Schwede “M.Yu. Lermontov on his deathbed”, 1841
V. Baranovsky/RIA Novosti
It is known that Nicholas I read Lermontov’s works, and “The Death of a Poet” aroused his anger, allegedly because the author placed responsibility for the murder of Pushkin on the emperor’s entourage. In addition, if the monarch positively welcomed the first part of “A Hero of Our Time”, he categorically disliked the second. In a letter to his wife dated June 24, 1840, Nicholas I wrote:
I read “Hero” all the way through and found the second part disgusting, quite trend-worthy. This is a pathetic book that reveals the gross immorality of its author. The captain’s character is well outlined. When I began this article, I hoped and rejoiced, thinking that he would probably become the hero of our time, for there are many more real people in this class than those usually called so. There are, of course, many such people in the Caucasian troops, but few people know them; However, the captain appears in this novel as a hope that will not come true.”
Many believe the claim that Nicholas consequently “ordered” the poet and that he was killed by a sniper during a duel on imperial orders. However, this version is erroneous, since Lermontov’s comrades Alexander Vasilchikov and Alexey Stolypin described the duel in detail. There is also information left by Lermontov’s murderer, Nikolai Martynov, who challenged the poet to a duel for insult.
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Source: Gazeta
Brandon Hall is an author at “Social Bites”. He is a cultural aficionado who writes about the latest news and developments in the world of art, literature, music, and more. With a passion for the arts and a deep understanding of cultural trends, Brandon provides engaging and thought-provoking articles that keep his readers informed and up-to-date on the latest happenings in the cultural world.