Alexander Pushkin
Alexander Pushkin was born June 6th, 1779 in Moscow. As a young boy he developed a love for poetry as he wrote his first poem at the age of 15. During his lifetime he wrote many plays and works of poetry. He is now considered by many to be Russia's greatest poet and founder of modern Russian literature. He himself created the language of modern Russian poetry by combining elements into his writings from the Western European borrowings, the Church Slavonic, and poetry spoken in the vernacular. Factors that influenced AA\Alexanders writing career include his love for literature at such a young age, and also the strict surveillance under the Tsar's political police.
Famous Works
The novel Eugene Onegin, which is a classic of Russian literature. The Bronze Horseman, a narrative poem and widely considered to be Pushkin's most successful narrative poem.
Guy de Maupassant
Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant was born on July 6th, 1893 born into a prosperous bourgeois families.
Characteristics: Guy is considered to be one of the fathers of modern short stories, but he also wrote novels, short stories, and poetry. is stories are characterized by economy of style and efficient, effortless dramatic structure. He has many of his works take place during the Franco Prussian War. Influence: At a very young age with his fathers absence Maupassant’s mother became the most influential figure in the young boy’s life. She loved to read wand was very fond of literature. From her influence on him, he also developed a love for literature which evolve and grew as he himself grew. Famous works: The Necklace, Boulle de Suif, Pierre et Jean, Duex Amis |
Leo Tolstoy
Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy or better known as Leo Tolstoy was a Russian writer and philosopher. He was born on September 9th, 1828 in the Russian Empire.
Characteristics: As a writer and philospher, Leo primarily wrote novels and short stories. He was a master of realistic fiction and is widely considered one of the world's greatest novelists. Later in his life, he went on to write plays and essays. Influences: Leo was brought up with his 4 siblings by relatives since his parents died very young. He started studying law in 1844 but dropped out and eventually joined the army with his brother. It was during this time that he started to write. He then would use his military experiences to set settings and plots for the works he wrote. Famous works: War and Peace, Anna Karenina, and The Death of Ivan Ilyich |
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was born January 29th, 1860 in Taganrog, Russia which is near the black sea.
Characteristics: Anton is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. Starting his career he only wrote short stories for financial reasons, but as his ambition grew, he made adjustments which have influenced the evolution of the modern short story. He generally wrote daily, short, humors sketches depicting Russian life. Influences: During the time anybody would do a couple extra jobs to get a little bit of money to put food on the table. For Anton, this led to him writing short stories. Famous Works: The Steppe, The Island: A Journey to Sakhallin, The Lady With the Dog |