A n Ostrovsky family. Ostrovsky's works: a list of the best

Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky was born on April 12 (March 31 according to the old style), 1823 in Moscow.

As a child, Alexander received a good education at home - he studied ancient Greek, Latin, French, German, and later - English, Italian, Spanish.

In 1835-1840, Alexander Ostrovsky studied at the First Moscow Gymnasium.

In 1840 he entered the Faculty of Law at Moscow University, but in 1843 he left his studies due to a collision with one of the professors.

In 1943-1945 he served in the Moscow Conscience Court (a provincial court that considered civil cases in the conciliatory procedure and some criminal cases).

1845-1851 - worked in the office of the Moscow Commercial Court, having retired with the rank of provincial secretary.

In 1847, Ostrovsky published in the newspaper "Moscow City Leaf" the first draft of the future comedy "Our People - Let's Settle" under the title "Insolvent Debtor", then the comedy "Picture of Family Happiness" (later "Family Picture") and an essay in prose "Notes of Zamoskvoretsky resident".

Ostrovsky's recognition was brought by the comedy "Our People - Let's Settle" (originally titled "Bankrupt"), which was completed at the end of 1849. Prior to publication, the play received favorable reviews from writers Nikolai Gogol, Ivan Goncharov, historian Timofey Granovsky. The comedy was published in 1950 in the Moskvityanin magazine. The censorship, which saw in the work an insult to the merchant class, did not allow it to be staged - the play was first staged in 1861.

Since 1847, Ostrovsky collaborated as an editor and critic with the Moskvityanin magazine, publishing his plays in it: The Morning of a Young Man, An Unexpected Case (1850), the comedies The Poor Bride (1851), Not in Your Sleigh sit down" (1852), "Poverty is not a vice" (1853), "Do not live as you want" (1854).

Upon the termination of the publication of "Moskvityanin", Ostrovsky in 1856 moved to the "Russian Bulletin", where his comedy "Hangover at a stranger's feast" was published in the second book of that year. But he did not work for this magazine for long.

Since 1856, Ostrovsky has been a permanent contributor to the Sovremennik magazine. In 1857, he wrote the plays "Profitable Place" and "Festive Sleep Before Dinner", in 1858 - "The Characters Didn't Agree", in 1859 - "The Pupil" and "Thunderstorm".

In the 1860s, Alexander Ostrovsky turned to historical drama, considering such plays necessary in the theater repertoire. He created a cycle of historical plays: "Kozma Zakharyich Minin-Sukhoruk" (1861), "Voevoda" (1864), "Dmitry the Pretender and Vasily Shuisky" (1866), "Tushino" (1866), the psychological drama "Vasilisa Melentyeva" (1868 ).

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky; Russian Empire, Moscow; 03/31/1823 - 06/02/1886

One of the greatest playwrights of the Russian Empire is considered to be A.N. Ostrovsky. He left behind a significant contribution not only to Russian, but also to world literature. Plays by A.N. Ostrovsky are still a huge success. This allowed the playwright to take a high place in our rating, and his works to be presented in other ratings of our site.

A N Ostrovsky biography

Ostrovsky was born in Moscow. His father was a priest, and his mother was the daughter of a sexton. But, unfortunately, Alexander's mother passed away when he was only 8 years old. The father remarried the daughter of a Swedish nobleman. The stepmother turned out to be a good woman and devoted a lot of time to her adopted children.

Thanks to his father's large library, Alexander became addicted to literature at an early age. The father wanted his son to be a lawyer. That is why, immediately after graduating from the gymnasium, Ostrovsky went to study at the law faculty of Moscow University. But he did not finish the university, because of a quarrel with a teacher, but went to court as a clerk. It was here that Ostrovsky saw many episodes from his first comedy - "Insolvent Debtor". Subsequently, this comedy was renamed into "Own people - let's settle."

This debut work of Ostrovsky was scandalous, as it represented the merchant class quite badly. Because of this, the life of A.N. Ostrovsky became much more complicated, although such writers as highly appreciated this work. Since 1853, reading Ostrovsky has become more and more popular, his new works are staged at the Maly and Alexandrinsky theaters. Since 1856, Ostrovsky can be read in the Sovremennik magazine, where almost all of his works are published.

In 1960, Ostrovsky's Thunderstorm appeared, which you can read on our website. This work deserves the most rave reviews from critics. Subsequently, the author receives more and more respect and recognition. In 1863 he was awarded the Uvarov Prize and elected a member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. The year 1866 of the life of A. N. Ostrovsky also becomes special. This year he founded the Artistic Circle, of which many other famous writers are members. But, despite this, Alexander Nikolayevich does not stop there, and works on new works, until his death.

Plays by A.N. Ostrovsky on Top Books website

Ostrovsky got into our rating with the work "Thunderstorm". This play is considered one of the best works of the author, so it is not surprising that Ostrovsky's Thunderstorm is loved to be read, despite the age of the work. At the same time, interest in the play is quite stable, which only a truly significant work can achieve. You can get acquainted with the works of Ostrovsky in more detail below.

All works by A. N. Ostrovsky

1. family picture
2. unexpected case
3. Morning of a young man
4. poor bride
5. Do not sit in your sleigh
6. Don't live the way you want
7. Hangover in someone else's feast
8. Plum
9. Festive sleep before dinner
10. Did not get along
11. pupil
12. an old friend is better than two new ones
13. Their dogs are biting, don't pester someone else's
14. Balzaminov's marriage
15. Kozma Zakharyich Minin-Sukhoruk
16. hard days
17. Sin and trouble on whom does not live
18. Governor
19. Jokers
20. In a lively place
21. abyss
22. Dmitry Pretender and Vasily Shuisky
23. Tushino
24. Vasilisa Melentyeva
25. Enough simplicity for every sage
26. Warm heart
27. crazy money
28. Every day is not Sunday
29. There was not a penny, but suddenly Altyn
30. 17th century comedian
31. Late love
32. labor bread
33. Wolves and sheep
34. rich brides
35. Truth is good but happiness is better
36. Belugin's marriage
37. Last victim
38. Kind master
39. savage
40. The heart is not a stone
41. Slaves
42. Shines but does not heat
43. Guilty without guilt
44. talents and fans
45. handsome man
46. Not of this world

Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky (biography 1823 - 1886) - a famous Russian writer and talented playwright. Founder of the modern Russian theater, founder of the Artistic Circle, corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences and winner of the Uvarov Prize.

Brief biography of Ostrovsky A. N. for children

Option 1

Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolaevich (1823-1886), playwright.

Born April 12, 1823 in Moscow in the family of a judicial official. He received a good education at home. At the age of 12, he was sent to the 1st Moscow Gymnasium, from which he graduated in 1840. Then he entered the law faculty of Moscow University. In 1843 he left the university: the legal sciences ceased to interest him, and Ostrovsky decided to take up literature seriously. However, at the insistence of his father, he entered the service of the Moscow Conscientious Court, and then (1845) moved to the office of the Moscow Commercial Court.

His father's law practice and court service for almost eight years provided the future playwright with rich material for his plays. In 1849, the comedy "" was published in the Moskvityanin magazine, and Ostrovsky became an employee of the magazine. In 1851, he left the service to devote himself to literary creativity.

The playwright created about 50 plays ("Profitable Place", 1856; "", 1859; "Mad Money", 1869; "Forest", 1870; "", 1873; "Dowry", 1878, and many others). A whole era in the development of the Russian theater is associated with the name of Ostrovsky. He is the author of translations from Cervantes, Shakespeare, Terence, Goldoni. Creativity Ostrovsky covers a huge period of development of Russia in the XIX century. - from the era of serfdom in the 40s. before the development of capitalism in the 80s.

His dramaturgy played a decisive role in establishing an original and vibrant repertoire on the Russian stage, and contributed to the formation of a national stage school. In 1865, Ostrovsky founded an artistic circle in Moscow and became one of its leaders. In 1870, on his initiative, the Society of Russian Dramatic Writers was created, of which he was the permanent chairman from 1874 until the end of his life.

In 1881-1884. Ostrovsky took part in the work of the commission for the revision of the statutes on the Imperial Theatres. On January 1, 1886, he was appointed head of the repertoire of Moscow theaters. But the playwright's health had already deteriorated greatly by this time, and on June 14, 1886, Ostrovsky died at the Shchelykovo estate in the Kossustroma province.

Option 2

Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky was born in 1823 in Moscow, in Zamoskvorechye, in the heart of the merchant quarter. His father was an official, and later a lawyer with a merchant clientele in the same Zamoskvorechye. The future playwright entered the university, but in 1843, after a scandal with the university authorities, he left and joined the Chamber of Commerce. There he remained until 1851, when he left the service. Eight years in the Chamber of Commerce added a lot to his life, home and social experience of being in a merchant environment and helped him a lot to learn about life.

His first work was published in 1847. It was an excerpt from a comedy bankrupt ( Our people - let's count) , which he completed in 1849. This play, which he read in many Moscow houses, made a huge impression. Since then, Ostrovsky became the center of a circle of young people who were in love with the Russian national character and wild lifestyle. This revelry ruined Apollon Grigoriev and other not so strong personalities, but the main feature of Ostrovsky was a powerful common sense, which helped him to remain a balanced, hard-working person, which he was by nature.

His first play presented on stage was poor bride; this happened in 1853. After that, and until the death of Ostrovsky (in 1886), not a year passed without his new play appearing on the stages of the imperial theaters. The apogee of Ostrovsky's popularity, as well as Turgenev, Goncharova and Pisemsky, – 1856–1860 After this date, Ostrovsky's fame, although it did not decrease, ceased to grow, and critics and the public began to assert that his early plays were better than the new ones.

His personal life passed without any special events, for he devoted all his energy to the theater. In 1885, Ostrovsky was appointed co-director of the Moscow Imperial Theaters and director of the theater school attached to them. He died the following year, 1886.

Option 3

Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolaevich (1823–1886) - Russian dramatic writer, translator. Born March 31, 1823 in Moscow in the family of a civil servant. His father worked in the civil chamber, and after some time became a private lawyer. His mother died early, so Ostrovsky did not receive a home education. The writer's childhood and youth were spent in Zamoskvorechye.

He studied at the gymnasium, and at the end he received a law degree at Moscow University, but did not finish his studies due to a conflict with some professor. He served as a scribe in a conscientious court, and then moved to a commercial one. The comedy "Family Picture" (1856) in the journal "Contemporary" was the first publication of the writer. He also tried to write novels and feuilletons. The comedy “Our people - let's settle” (1850) is published in the “Moskvityanin”, but censorship forbids its presentation and writing criticism about it in the press, and it became possible to make a stage production only in 1861 with a changed ending.

In 1856, Prince Konstantin Nikolayevich ordered the writers to study and describe the production and life of various Russian localities. Ostrovsky studied the Volga and published a trip report in the Naval Collection in 1859.

His impressions of the trip were expressed in the article "Thunderstorm" (1860) and the dramatic chronicle "Kozma Zakharyich Minin-Sukhoruk" (1862).

Ostrovsky also translated into Russian plays by foreign writers: Shakespeare's Pacification of the Wayward (1865), Italo Franchi's The Great Banker (1871), Goldoni's Coffee House (1872), Teobaldo Ciconi's Lost Sheep (1872) and The Criminal's Family » Giacometti (1872). Remade from French "The Slavery of Husbands". The translated 10 interludes by Cervantes were published in a separate book in 1886.

Ostrovsky wrote 49 plays, created the Artistic Circle in Moscow in 1866, and in 1874 the Society of Russian Drama Writers and Opera Composers, which he headed for the rest of his life. In 1881, he created a commission under the directorate of the Imperial Theaters, which considered bills on theatrical activities. In 1885, he worked as the head of the repertoire of Moscow theaters and headed the theater school. Active labor activity crippled the health of the writer.

Biography of Ostrovsky A. N. by years

Option 1

Ostrovsky's chronological table helps to highlight the main stages of the writer's life. This article presents information about the life and work of Ostrovsky by dates in a convenient form. Information about the biography of A.N. Ostrovsky, a famous Russian playwright, will be of interest to schoolchildren and everyone who is interested in Russian classical literature.

Ostrovsky made a unique contribution to theatrical art. Theatrical work occupies an honorable place in Ostrovsky's life. The periodization of his creative path reflects the dates of the development of the Russian theater associated with the founding of the Artistic Circle. The works of Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky in the table are listed in chronological order. You can learn more about the work of the playwright in a special section.

1823 March 31- Born A.N. Ostrovsky in Moscow in the family of the official of the Moscow departments of the Senate Nikolai Fedorovich Ostrovsky and his wife Lyubov Ivanovna.

1831 - Death of mother A.N. Ostrovsky.

1835 - Admission to the third grade of the 1st Moscow gymnasium.

1840 – Admission to the law faculty of Moscow University.

determined to serve in the Moscow conscientious court.

1847 February 14- Reading the play "The Picture of Family Happiness" by S.P. Shevyreva, the first success.

1853 January 14- Premiere on the stage of the Maly Theater of the comedy "Do not get into your sleigh" - the first play by A. N. Ostrovsky, staged at the theater.

1856 – Collaboration with the Sovremennik magazine.

1860 January– The play "Thunderstorm" was first published in No. 1 of the Library for Reading magazine.

1865, March-April– The charter of the Moscow artistic circle was approved (A.N. Ostrovsky, V.F. Odoevsky, N.G. Rubinshtein).

1865 October- In No. 9 of Sovremennik, the play "In a Busy Place" was printed; the opening of the Artistic Circle.

1868 November– In issue 11 of Otechestvennye Zapiski magazine, the comedy “Enough Stupidity is Enough for Every Wise Man” was published.

1870 November– On the initiative of A. N. Ostrovsky, the Assembly of Russian Dramatic Writers was established in Moscow, later transformed into the Society of Russian Dramatic Writers and Opera Composers.

1874 - A. N. Ostrovsky was unanimously elected chairman of the Society of Russian Dramatic Writers and Opera Composers.

1879 – In No. 5 of “Notes of the Fatherland” the drama “Dowry” was published.

1882 January- The comedy Talents and Admirers was published in No. 1 of Otechestvennye Zapiski.

1882 February- Honoring A. N. Ostrovsky on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of his creative activity.

1886 June 2- Death of A.N. Ostrovsky. He was buried in the cemetery in Nikolo-Berezhki near Shchelykovo.

Option 2

1823 , March 31 (April 12) - was born in Moscow on Malaya Ordynka in the family of Nikolai Fedorovich Ostrovsky, a court attorney who dealt with property and commercial affairs, a collegiate assessor, who received the nobility in 1839.

1835–1840 - studies at the Moscow Provincial Gymnasium, graduated ninth out of eleven students in his group.

1840 - enrolled as a student of the law faculty of Moscow University. At the insistence of his father, he enters the unloved Faculty of Law instead of the coveted Faculty of History and Philology.

1843 - Became an official of the Moscow Conscientious Court.

1845 - goes to serve in the Moscow Commercial Court. Rewriting and examining civil cases first in the Constituent Court, and then financial cases in the Commercial Court, the census official did not so much advance in his service as he collected material.

1847 - in the "Moscow City List" Ostrovsky's first works are published - "Notes of a resident outside Moscow", excerpts from the comedy "Insolvent Debtor" and the one-act comedy "The Picture of Family Happiness".

1848 - the first trip to the estate of his father Shchelykovo (Kostroma province). Since 1868, Ostrovsky has been spending every summer here.

1849 - completed the first big comedy - "Bankrupt" ("Own people - let's settle"). In the course of work, "Insolvent Debtor" turned into "Bankrupt". This four-act play was no longer perceived as the first step of a novice talent, but as a new word in Russian dramaturgy.

1849–1850 , winter - Ostrovsky and P. Sadovsky read the play "Bankrupt" in Moscow literary circles. The play, with its accusatory power and artistic skill, makes a huge impression on the listeners, especially on democratic youth.

1851 , January 10 - Ostrovsky was dismissed due to the police supervision established for him. (In 1850, the secret department of the office of the Moscow Governor-General began the "Case of the Writer Ostrovsky" in connection with the prohibition of his comedy "Own people - let's settle".)

1853 - completed and staged for the first time on the stage of the Maly Theater comedy "Do not get into your sleigh", in a benefit performance by Nikulina-Kositskaya. The presentation was a great success. It was Ostrovsky's first play, played on the theater stage. The beginning of February - Ostrovsky is in St. Petersburg, directing the production of the comedy "Do not get into your sleigh" at the Alexandrinsky Theater.
November - in an amateur performance, in Moscow, in the house of S. A. Panova, Ostrovsky played the role of Malomalsky in the comedy "Don't get into your sleigh." Ostrovsky finished the comedy "Poverty is not a vice."
End of December - Ostrovsky is in St. Petersburg, watching the rehearsals of the play "Poverty is not a vice" at the Alexandrinsky Theater.

1854 , January - in St. Petersburg, Ostrovsky is present at a dinner at. Meets with.
The first performance of Ostrovsky's comedy "Poverty is no vice" took place at the Maly Theatre. The performance was a huge success.
September 9 - the first performance of Ostrovsky's comedy "Poverty is not a Vice" took place at the Alexandrinsky Theater in a benefit performance directed by Yablochkin. The presentation was a great success.

1856 , January 18 - the first performance of Ostrovsky's comedy "Hangover at a stranger's feast" took place at the Alexandrinsky Theater for a benefit performance by Vladimirova.
April-August - a trip along the upper reaches of the Volga. The comedy "Profitable Place" was written.

1858 , October 17 - censorship allowed the printing of the Collected Works of Ostrovsky in two volumes, in the edition of gr. G. A. Kusheleva-Bezborodko (on the title page of the publication is the date - 1859).
December 7 - completed scenes from village life - the play "The Pupil".

1859 March 10 - Ostrovsky in St. Petersburg delivered a speech at a dinner in honor of the great Russian artist A. E. Martynov; he met here with N. G. Chernyshevsky, N. A. Nekrasov, M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, L. N. Tolstoy, I. S. Turgenev, I. A. Goncharov.
Terence's "Getsira" translated. Written drama "Thunderstorm".
December 2 - the first performance of Ostrovsky's drama "Thunderstorm" took place at the Alexandrinsky Theater for the benefit of Linskaya.

1860 , January - Ostrovsky's drama "Thunderstorm" was published in No. 1 of "Libraries for Reading".
February 23 - in St. Petersburg, at a literary evening in favor of the Literary Fund, Ostrovsky reads an excerpt from the comedy "Our people - we will settle."
October - No. 10 of the Sovremennik magazine published an article by N. ‑bov (N. A. Dobrolyubov) “A ray of light in a dark kingdom”.

1861 , January - Ostrovsky in St. Petersburg directs the production of the comedy "Our people - we will settle" at the Alexandrinsky Theater.
January 16 - the first performance of Ostrovsky's comedy "Our People - Let's Settle" took place at the Alexandrinsky Theater for a benefit performance by Linskaya.
December - work on the dramatic chronicle "Kozma Zakharyich Minin-Sukhoruk" was completed.

1862 , January 9 - Ostrovsky in St. Petersburg at the chairman of the Literary Fund E. P. Kovalevsky read his drama “Kozma Zakharyich Minin-Sukhoruk”.
February - Ostrovsky refused to put his signature under the protest of a group of St. Petersburg reactionary and liberal writers against the democratic journal Iskra by V. Kurochkin, which sharply criticized Pisemsky's reactionary articles in Library for Reading.
The end of March - before leaving for the border, Ostrovsky met with N. G. Chernyshevsky in St. Petersburg.

1863 , January 1 - the first performance of Ostrovsky's comedy "For what you go, you will find" ("The Marriage of Balzaminov") took place at the Alexandrinsky Theater.
January - the first performance of Ostrovsky's drama "Sin and trouble does not live on anyone" took place at the Alexandrinsky Theater.
September 27 - the first performance of Ostrovsky's comedy "Profitable Place" took place at the Alexandrinsky Theater for Levkeeva's benefit performance.
November 22 - the first performance of Ostrovsky's play "The Pupil" took place at the Alexandrinsky Theater for the benefit of Zhuleva.

1864 , April 15 - allowed by censorship No. 3 (March) of the magazine "Russian Word", in which an article by D. I. Pisarev about the work of Ostrovsky "Motives of Russian Drama" was published

1865 , end of February - beginning of March - Ostrovsky in St. Petersburg is busy with permission to establish a Moscow artistic circle.
April 23 - the first performance of Ostrovsky's comedy "Voevoda" took place at the Mariinsky Theater, in the presence of the author.
September 25 - the first performance of Ostrovsky's comedy "In a Busy Place" took place at the Alexandrinsky Theater for a benefit performance by Levkeeva.

1866 , May 6 - the first performance of Ostrovsky's drama "Abyss" took place at the Alexandrinsky Theater in the benefit performance of Vasiliev 1st.

1867 , January 16 - censorship allowed the libretto of V. Kashperov's opera "Thunderstorm", written by Ostrovsky.
On March 25, Ostrovsky in St. Petersburg in the Benardaki Hall gives a public reading in favor of the Literary Fund of the drama “Dmitry the Pretender and Vasily Shuisky”.
July 4 - Ostrovsky visited N. A. Nekrasov in Karabikha.
October 30 - the first performance of V. Kashperov's opera "Thunderstorm" took place simultaneously at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg and at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow.
Ostrovsky and his brother Mikhail Nikolaevich bought from their stepmother, Emilia Andreevna Ostrovskaya, an estate in Shchelykovo, where the playwright subsequently spent the summer months.

1868 , November 1 - the first performance of Ostrovsky's comedy "Enough Stupidity in Every Wise Man" took place at the Alexandrinsky Theater for a benefit performance by Burdin.
November - Otechestvennye zapiski, published in the beginning of 1868 under the editorship of N. A. Nekrasov and M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, published Ostrovsky’s comedy “Enough Stupidity for Every Wise Man” in No. 11 of the Otechestvennye Zapiski magazine. From that time on, Ostrovsky collaborated in Otechestvennye Zapiski constantly, until the magazine was closed by the tsarist government in 1884.

1869 , January 29 - the first performance of Ostrovsky's comedy "Hot Heart" took place at the Alexandrinsky Theater for a benefit performance by Linskaya.
February 12 - Ostrovsky enters into a church marriage with the artist M.V. Vasilyeva (Bakhmetyeva). (Ostrovsky had four sons and two daughters from this marriage.)

1870 , February - in No. 2 of "Notes of the Fatherland" Ostrovsky's comedy "Mad Money" was published.
April 16 - the first performance of Ostrovsky's comedy "Mad Money" took place at the Alexandrinsky Theater.

1871 , January - in No. 1 of "Notes of the Fatherland" Ostrovsky's comedy "Forest" was published.
January 25 - Ostrovsky gives a public reading in favor of the Literary Fund of the comedy "Forest" in the hall of the St. Petersburg Assembly of Artists.
September - No. 9 of Otechestvennye Zapiski published Ostrovsky's comedy "Not All the Cat's Carnival".
November 1 - the first performance took place at the Alexandrinsky Theater in the benefit performance of Burdin.
December 3 - in St. Petersburg, Ostrovsky at a dinner with N. A. Nekrasov read the comedy “There was not a penny, but suddenly an altyn”.

1872 , January - in No. 1 of the Otechestvennye Zapiski magazine, Ostrovsky's comedy "There was not a penny, but suddenly an altyn" was published.
January 13 - the first performance of Ostrovsky's comedy "Not All the Cat's Shrovetide" took place at the Alexandrinsky Theater.
February 17 - the first performance of Ostrovsky's drama "Dmitry the Pretender and Vasily Shuisky" took place at the Mariinsky Theater for the benefit of Zhuleva; Ostrovsky, who was present at the performance, was presented with a gilded wreath and an address from the troupe.
March 27 - Moscow merchants, admirers of the playwright's talent, honor Ostrovsky with dinner and present him with a silver vase with images and.
September 20 - the first performance of Ostrovsky's comedy "There was not a penny, but suddenly an altyn" took place at the Alexandrinsky Theater for Malyshev's benefit performance.

1873 , end of March - April - Ostrovsky finished the play "The Snow Maiden".
September - Ostrovsky's play "The Snow Maiden" was published in issue 9 of the Vestnik Evropy magazine.
December 21 - in St. Petersburg, Ostrovsky signed an agreement with N. A. Nekrasov and A. A. Kraevsky for the publication of his collected works.

1874 , January - Ostrovsky's comedy "Late Love" was published in No. 1 of the Otechestvennye Zapiski magazine.
October 21 - The founding meeting of the Society of Russian Dramatic Writers and Opera Composers was held in Moscow, organized on the initiative of Ostrovsky. The playwright was unanimously elected chairman of the Society.
The collection of Ostrovsky's works in eight volumes, published by Nekrasov and Kraevsky, comes out of print.

1875 , November - Ostrovsky's comedy "Wolves and Sheep" was published in No. 11 of the Otechestvennye Zapiski magazine.
The first performance of Ostrovsky's comedy "Rich Brides" took place at the Alexandrinsky Theater for Levkeeva's benefit performance.
December 8 - the first performance of Ostrovsky's comedy "Wolves and Sheep" took place at the Alexandrinsky Theater for a benefit performance by Burdin.

1876 , November 22 - the first performance of Ostrovsky's comedy "Truth is good, but happiness is better" took place at the Alexandrinsky Theater for a benefit performance by Burdin.

1877 , January - in No. 1 of the journal "Domestic Notes" Ostrovsky's comedy "Truth is good, but happiness is better" was published.
December 2 - the first performance of Ostrovsky's comedy "The Last Victim" took place at the Alexandrinsky Theater for a benefit performance by Bourdin.

1878 , January - in No. 1 of the Otechestvennye Zapiski magazine, Ostrovsky's comedy "The Last Victim" was published.
October 17 - Ostrovsky graduated from the drama "Dowry".
November 22 - the first performance of Ostrovsky's drama "Dowry" took place at the Alexandrinsky Theater for a benefit performance by Burdin.
December - the IX volume of Ostrovsky's works was published by Salaev.

1879 , January - Ostrovsky's play "The Dowry" was published in No. 1 of the Otechestvennye Zapiski magazine.

1880 , February - N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov began the opera "The Snow Maiden", independently compiling a libretto based on the text of Ostrovsky's play of the same name.
April 24 - Ostrovsky visited I. S. Turgenev, who arrived in Moscow in connection with the preparation of Pushkin's celebrations.
June 7 - during a dinner arranged by the Moscow Society of Lovers of Russian Literature in the Noble Assembly for writers participating in Pushkin's celebrations, Ostrovsky said "A Table Word about Pushkin."
August 12 - N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov finished the opera The Snow Maiden.

1881 , April - Ostrovsky directs the production of the comedy "Our People - Let's Settle" in the first private theater in Moscow - the Pushkin Theater of A. Brenko.
November 1 - in St. Petersburg, Ostrovsky participated in a meeting of the commission on the revision of the Regulations on Theaters and presented to the commission a "Note on the situation of dramatic art in Russia at the present time." Ostrovsky took part in the work of this commission for several months, but "the commission was in fact a deceit of hopes and expectations," as Ostrovsky later wrote about it.
December 6 - Ostrovsky graduated from the comedy "Talents and Admirers".

1882 , January - Ostrovsky's comedy "Talents and Admirers" was published in No. 1 of the Otechestvennye Zapiski magazine.
The first performance of Ostrovsky's comedy "Talents and Admirers" took place at the Alexandrinsky Theater for the benefit performance of Strelskaya.
The first performance of N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov's opera The Snow Maiden took place at the Mariinsky Theatre.
February 12 - I. A. Goncharov in his letter congratulated Ostrovsky on the 35th anniversary of his literary activity and highly appreciated the work of the playwright.
April 19 - Alexander III allowed Ostrovsky to establish a private theater in Moscow.

1883 , April 28 - the first performance of Ostrovsky's comedy "Slaves" took place at the Alexandrinsky Theater with the participation of M. N. Yermolova in the role of Evlalia.
Summer - Ostrovsky began work on the play Guilty Without Guilt.
December 17 - Ostrovsky visited St. Petersburg.

1884 , January 20 - the first performance of Ostrovsky's play "Guilty Without Guilt" took place at the Alexandrinsky Theater.
Otechestvennye Zapiski, No. 1, published Ostrovsky's drama Guilty Without Guilt.
March 5 - Ostrovsky was received by Alexander III in the Gatchina Palace in connection with the granting of a lifetime pension in the amount of three thousand rubles (instead of the requested six thousand).
April 20 - the government closed the Otechestvennye Zapiski magazine, in which Ostrovsky had published 21 plays since 1868, including two written in collaboration with other authors and one translated.
August 28 - Ostrovsky finished his "Autobiographical note", in which he summed up his many years of literary and theatrical activity.
November 19 - in St. Petersburg, Ostrovsky signed an agreement with the publisher Martynov on the publication of a collection of his works.

1885 , January 9 - the first performance of Ostrovsky's play "Not of this world" took place at the Alexandrinsky Theater for the benefit performance of Strepetova.
From January to May came out vols. I–VIII Collected Works of Ostrovsky in the edition of N. G. Martynov.
December 4 - in St. Petersburg, Ostrovsky sold to N. G. Martynov the right to the second edition of his dramatic translations.

1886 January 1 - Ostrovsky assumed the position of head of the repertoire of the Moscow Imperial Theaters.
April 19 - The Society of Lovers of Russian Literature elected Ostrovsky as its honorary member.
May 23 - addressed to Ostrovsky with a letter in which he asked to allow the Posrednik publishing house to reprint some of Ostrovsky's plays in a cheap edition. In this letter, L. N. Tolstoy calls Ostrovsky “undoubtedly a writer of the whole people in the broadest sense.”
June 2 - at 10 o'clock in the morning, the great Russian playwright Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky died from a severe attack of angina pectoris (angina pectoris) in his working room in Shchelykovo.

A complete biography of Ostrovsky A. N.

Option 1

Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky is a Russian playwright and writer, on whose works the classical repertoire of Russian theaters is built. His life is full of interesting events, and his literary heritage amounts to dozens of plays.

Childhood and youth

Alexander Ostrovsky was born in the spring of 1823 in Zamoskvorechye, in a merchant's house on Malaya Ordynka. In this area, the playwright spent his early years, and the house where he was born exists to this day. Ostrovsky's father was the son of a priest. After graduating from the theological academy, the young man decided to devote himself to a secular profession and went to the judiciary.

Mother Lyubov Ostrovskaya died when her son was 8 years old. 5 years after the death of his wife, Ostrovsky Sr. married again. Unlike the first marriage with a girl from the world of the clergy, this time the father turned his attention to a woman from the nobility.

The career of Nikolai Ostrovsky went uphill, he received the title of nobility, devoted himself to private practice and lived on income from providing services to wealthy merchants. Several estates became his property, and by the end of his career, he moved to the Kostroma province, to the village of Shchelykovo, where he became a landowner.

The son entered the First Moscow Gymnasium in 1835 and graduated in 1840. Already in his youth, the boy was fond of literature and theatrical business. Indulging his father, he entered the Moscow University at the Faculty of Law. During the years of study there, Ostrovsky spent all his free time at the Maly Theater, where actors Pavel Mochalov and Mikhail Shchepkin shone. The young man's passion made him leave the institute in 1843.

The father hoped that this was a whim, and tried to attach his son to a profitable position. Alexander Nikolaevich had to go to work as a clerk in the Moscow Conscientious Court, and in 1845 in the office of the Moscow Commercial Court. In the latter, he became an official who received petitioners orally. The playwright often used this experience in his work, recalling many interesting cases he heard during his practice.

Literature

Ostrovsky became interested in literature in his youth, reading the works of Gogol and Belinsky. To some extent, the young man imitated his idols in the first works. In 1847, the writer made his debut in the Moscow City Leaflet newspaper. The publishing house published two scenes from the comedy "Insolvent Debtor". This is the first version of the well-known to readers play "Our people - we will settle down."

In 1849, the author completed work on it. The characteristic manner of the writer can be seen in his very first work. He describes national themes through the prism of family conflict. The characters in Ostrovsky's plays have colorful and recognizable personalities.

The language of the works is light and simple, and the finale is marked by a moral background. After the play was published in the Moskvityanin magazine, Ostrovsky was a success, although the censorship committee forbade the production and re-publication of the work.

Ostrovsky was included in the list of "unreliable" authors, which made his position disadvantageous. The situation was complicated by the playwright's marriage to a bourgeois, who was not blessed by his father. Ostrovsky Sr. refused to finance his son, and young people were in need. Even the difficult financial situation did not prevent the writer from refusing to serve and from 1851 to devote himself entirely to literature.

The plays “Do not sit in your sleigh” and “Poverty is not a vice” were allowed to be staged on the stage. With their creation, Ostrovsky made a revolution in the theater. The audience went to look at a simple life, and this, in turn, required a different actor's approach to the embodiment of images. Declamation and frank theatricality had to be replaced by the naturalness of existence in the proposed circumstances.

Since 1850, Ostrovsky became a member of the “young editorial board” of the Moskvityanin magazine, but this did not fix the financial problem. The editor was stingy with paying for the large amount of work that the author did. From 1855 to 1860, Ostrovsky was inspired by revolutionary ideas that influenced his worldview. He got close to Turgenev and Tolstoy, became an employee of the Sovremennik magazine.

In 1856 he participated in a literary and ethnographic journey from the Naval Ministry. Ostrovsky visited the upper reaches of the Volga and used memories and impressions in his work.

1862 was marked by a trip to Europe. The writer visited England, France, Germany, Italy, Austria and Hungary. In 1865, he was among the founders and leaders of the artistic circle, from which talented Russian artists emerged: Sadovsky, Strepetova, Pisareva and others. In 1870, Ostrovsky organized the Society of Russian Dramatic Writers and was its chairman from 1874 until the last days of his life.

Throughout his life, the playwright created 54 plays, translated works of foreign classics: Goldoni,. The popular works of the author include "The Snow Maiden", "Thunderstorm", "", "The Marriage of Balzaminov", "Guilty Without Guilt" and other plays. The biography of the writer was closely connected with literature, theater and love for the motherland.

Personal life

Creativity Ostrovsky was no less interesting than his personal life. He was in a civil marriage with his wife for 20 years. They met in 1847. Agafya Ivanovna, together with her young sister, settled near the writer's house. The lonely girl became the chosen one of the playwright. Nobody knew how they met.

Ostrovsky's father was against this connection. After his departure to Shchelykovo, young people began to live together. The common-law wife was next to Ostrovsky, no matter what drama took place in his life. Need and deprivation did not extinguish their feelings.

Mind and cordiality Ostrovsky and his friends especially appreciated in Agafya Ivanovna. She was famous for her hospitality and understanding. Her husband often turned to her for advice while working on a new play.

Their marriage did not become legal even after the death of the writer's father. The children of Alexander Ostrovsky were illegitimate. The younger ones died in childhood. The eldest son Alexei survived.

Ostrovsky turned out to be an unfaithful husband. He had an affair with the actress Lyubov Kositskaya-Nikulina, who played the role of Katerina in the premiere performance of The Thunderstorm in 1859. The actress preferred a rich merchant to the writer.

The next lover was Maria Bakhmeteva. Agafya Ivanovna knew about the betrayals, but did not lose her pride and endured the family drama steadfastly. She died in 1867. The location of the woman's grave is unknown.

After the death of his wife, Ostrovsky lived alone for two years. His beloved Maria Vasilievna Bakhmetyeva became the first official wife of the playwright. The woman bore him two daughters and four sons. The marriage with the actress was happy. Ostrovsky lived with her until the end of his life.

Death

Ostrovsky's health was depleted in proportion to the load that the writer took on. He had a great social and creative activity, but all the time he found himself in debt. Performances of plays brought considerable fees. Ostrovsky also had a pension of 3,000 rubles, but these funds were constantly insufficient.

The poor financial situation could not but affect the author's well-being. He was in the worries and troubles that affected the work of the heart. Active and lively, Ostrovsky was in a string of new plans and ideas that needed to be implemented as soon as possible.

Many creative ideas were not realized due to the deterioration of the writer's health. On June 2, 1886, he died at the Shchelykovo estate in Kostroma. The cause of death is believed to be angina pectoris. The funeral of the playwright took place near the family nest, in the village of Nikolo-Berezhki. The grave of the writer is located in the cemetery of the church Nicholas the Wonderworker.

The funeral of the writer was organized at the expense of a donation ordered by the emperor Alexander III. He gave the relatives of the deceased 3,000 rubles and assigned the same pension to Ostrovsky's widow. The state allocated 2,400 rubles annually for the upbringing of the writer's children.

Option 2

Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky was born on April 12 (March 31 according to the old style), 1823 in Moscow.

As a child, Alexander received a good education at home - he studied ancient Greek, Latin, French, German, and later - English, Italian, Spanish.

In 1835-1840, Alexander Ostrovsky studied at the First Moscow Gymnasium.

In 1840 he entered the Faculty of Law at Moscow University, but in 1843 he left his studies due to a collision with one of the professors.

In 1943-1945 he served in the Moscow Conscience Court (a provincial court that considered civil cases in the conciliation procedure and some criminal ones).

1845-1851 - worked in the office of the Moscow Commercial Court, having retired with the rank of provincial secretary.

In 1847, Ostrovsky published in the Moscow City Leaf newspaper the first draft of the future comedy “Our people - we will settle down” under the title “Insolvent Debtor”, then the comedy “Painting of Family Happiness” (later “Family Picture”) and an essay in prose “Notes of Zamoskvoretsky resident."

Ostrovsky was recognized by the comedy “Our people - let's settle” (originally called “Bankrupt”), which was completed at the end of 1849. Prior to publication, the play received favorable reviews from writers Nikolai Gogol, Ivan Goncharov, historian Timofey Granovsky. The comedy was published in 1950 in the Moskvityanin magazine. The censorship, which saw in the work an insult to the merchant class, did not allow it to be staged - the play was first staged in 1861.

Since 1847, Ostrovsky collaborated as an editor and critic with the Moskvityanin magazine, publishing his plays in it: The Morning of a Young Man, An Unexpected Case (1850), the comedy Poor Bride (1851), Not in Your Sleigh sit down” (1852), “Poverty is not a vice” (1853), “Do not live as you want” (1854).

After the publication of The Moskvityanin was discontinued, Ostrovsky in 1856 moved to the Russky Vestnik, where his comedy Hangover at a Strange Feast was published in the second book of that year. But he did not work for this magazine for long.

Since 1856, Ostrovsky has been a permanent contributor to the Sovremennik magazine. In 1857, he wrote the plays “Profitable Place” and “Festive Sleep Before Dinner”, in 1858 - “The Characters Did Not Agree”, in 1859 - “The Pupil” and “Thunderstorm”.

In the 1860s, Alexander Ostrovsky turned to historical drama, considering such plays necessary in the theater repertoire. He created a cycle of historical plays: “KozmaZakharyich Minin-Sukhoruk” (1861), “Voevoda” (1864), “Dmitry the Pretender and Vasily Shuisky” (1866), “Tushino” (1866), the psychological drama “Vasilisa Melentyeva” (1868) .

The cycle of the play of 1873 was completed: “Comedian of the 17th century”, and the dramatic fairy tale in verse “The Snow Maiden” - a pseudo-historical utopia of Russian life.

The playwright wrote everyday comedies and dramas Hard Days (1863), Jokers (1864), Deeps (1865).

After the closure of the Sovremennik magazine in 1866, Ostrovsky published almost all of his plays in the Otechestvennye Zapiski magazine. He wrote the plays Mad Money (1870), Forest (1871), Wolves and Sheep (1875) and others.

In the works of the 1870s–1880s, one of the central themes of the playwright was the fate of a talented and unfairly circumvented Russian woman, reflected in the plays Rich Brides (1876), The Dowry (1878), Talents and Admirers (1882), Guilty Without Guilt (1884).

In total, the playwright wrote 47 plays, as well as over 20 translated plays by Carlo Goldoni, Niccolo Macchiaveli, Miguel Cervantes, Publius Terence and other foreign authors. A number of works were created jointly with other playwrights - Stepan Gedeonov, Nikolai Solovyov, Pyotr Nevezhin.

He created the Artistic Circle (1865) and the Society of Russian Dramatic Writers and Opera Composers (1874), where the playwright was chairman. Working since 1881 at the Directorate of the Imperial Theaters in the commission for changing the legislation on theatrical business, he achieved an improvement in the position of artists and the improvement of theater education. Since 1885, Ostrovsky was in charge of the repertoire of Moscow theaters and was the head of the theater school.

14 (2 old style) June 1886 in the Shchelykovo estate of the Kostroma region, Alexander Ostrovsky died at his desk from an attack of angina pectoris.

Option 3

The greatest Russian playwright Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky was born on March 31 (April 12), 1823 in Moscow on Malaya Ordynka.

The beginning of the way

The father of Alexander Nikolayevich first graduated from the Kostroma Theological Seminary, then the Moscow Theological Academy, but eventually began to work, in modern terms, as a lawyer. In 1839 he received the noble rank.

The mother of the future playwright was the daughter of junior church employees, she died when Alexander was not even eight years old.

The family was wealthy and enlightened. A lot of time and money was spent on educating children. Since childhood, Alexander knew several languages ​​and read a lot. From an early age, he felt the desire to write, but his father saw him in the future only as a lawyer.

In 1835, Ostrovsky entered the 1st Moscow Gymnasium. After 5 years - becomes a student of the Faculty of Law at Moscow University. The future profession does not attract him, and perhaps that is why the conflict with one of the teachers becomes the reason for leaving the educational institution in 1843.

At his father's insistence, Ostrovsky first served as a clerk in the Moscow Constituent Court, then in the Commercial Court (until 1851).

Observation of his father's clients, then of the stories that were dealt with in court, gave Ostrovsky the richest material for future creativity.

In 1846, Ostrovsky first thought about writing a comedy.

Creative success

His literary views were formed back in his student years under the influence of Belinsky and Gogol - Ostrovsky immediately and irrevocably decides that he will write only in a realistic manner.

In 1847, in collaboration with actor Dmitry Gorev, Ostrovsky wrote the first play, Notes of a Zamoskvoretsky Resident. The following year, his relatives move to live in the Shchelykovo family estate in the Kostroma province. Alexander Nikolayevich also visits these places and remains under an indelible impression of nature and the Volga expanses for life.

In 1850, Ostrovsky published his first big comedy, “Own people - let's settle!” in the magazine "Moskvityanin". The play is a great success and rave reviews from writers, but it is forbidden for re-publishing and staging on the complaint of merchants sent directly to the emperor. The author was dismissed from service and placed under police supervision, which was removed only after the accession to the throne of Alexander II. The very first play by Ostrovsky revealed the main features of his dramatic works, which were characteristic of all his work in the future: the ability to show the most complex all-Russian problems through personal and family conflict, create memorable characters for all characters and “voice” them with lively colloquial speech.

The position of the "unreliable" worsened the already difficult affairs of Ostrovsky. Since 1849, without the blessing of his father and without getting married in a church, he began to live with a simple bourgeois Agafya Ivanovna. The father completely deprived his son of material support, and the financial situation of the young family was difficult.

Ostrovsky begins a permanent collaboration with the Moskvityanin magazine. In 1851 he publishes The Poor Bride.

Under the influence of the main ideologist of the journal A. Grigoriev, Ostrovsky's plays of this period began to sound not so much the motives of exposing class tyranny, but the idealization of ancient customs and Russian patriarchy (“Don't get into your sleigh”, “Poverty is not a vice” and others). Such sentiments reduce the criticality of Ostrovsky's works.

Nevertheless, Ostrovsky's dramaturgy becomes the beginning of a "new world" in all theatrical art. A simple everyday life with "live" characters and spoken language enters the scene. Most of the actors accept Ostrovsky's new plays with enthusiasm, they feel their novelty and vitality. Since 1853, almost every season at the Maly Theater in Moscow and the Alexandrinsky Theater in St. Petersburg for 30 years, new plays by Ostrovsky appear.

In 1855–1860, the playwright became close to the revolutionary democrats. He goes to the Sovremennik magazine. The main "event" of Ostrovsky's plays of this period is the drama of a simple man opposing "the powers that be". At this time, he writes: “In a strange feast, a hangover”, “Profitable place”, “Thunderstorm” (1860).

In 1856, at the direction of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, the best Russian writers were sent on a business trip around the country with the task of describing industrial production and life in various regions of Russia. Ostrovsky travels by steamboat from the upper reaches of the Volga to Nizhny Novgorod and makes many notes. They become real encyclopedic notes on the culture and economy of the region. At the same time, Ostrovsky remains an artist of the word - he transfers many descriptions of nature and life into his works.

In 1859 the first collected works of Ostrovsky were published in 2 volumes.

Appeal to history

In the 60s, Alexander Nikolaevich turned his special interest towards history and made acquaintance with the famous historian Kostomarov. At this time, he wrote the psychological drama Vasilisa Melentyeva, the historical chronicles Tushino, Dmitry the Pretender and Vasily Shuisky, and others.

He does not stop creating everyday comedies and dramas (“Hard Days” -1863, “Abysses” -1865, etc.), as well as satirical plays about the life of the nobility (“Enough Simplicity for Every Wise Man” -1868, “Mad Money” -1869 , Wolves and Sheep, etc.).

In 1863, Ostrovsky was awarded the Uvarov Prize for historical writings and was elected a corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.

The following year pleases him with the birth of his first son, Alexander. In total, Ostrovsky will become the father of six children.

From 1865-1866 (the exact date has not been determined), Alexander Nikolayevich created an Artistic Circle in Moscow, from which many talented theater workers would subsequently emerge. In 1870 (according to other sources - in 1874), the Society of Russian Dramatic Writers and Opera Composers was organized in Russia, the head of which the playwright would remain until the end of his life. During this period, the whole color of the Russian cultural society stays in Ostrovsky's house. I.S.Turgenev, F.M.Dostoevsky, P.M.Sadovsky, M.N.Ermolova, L.N.Tolstoy and many other prominent personalities of our time will become his sincere friends and buddies.

In 1873, Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky and the young composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, in a few months, would write the opera The Snow Maiden, amazing in its beauty of style and sound, created on the basis of folk tales and customs. Both the playwright and the composer will be proud of their creation all their lives.

With the theater - to the end

In the last years of his life, Ostrovsky often refers to women's destinies in his works. He writes comedies, but mostly deep socio-psychological dramas about the fate of spiritually gifted women in the world of practicality and self-interest. “The Dowry”, “The Last Victim”, “Talents and Admirers” and other plays are published.

In 1881, under the directorate of the imperial theaters, a special commission was organized to create new legislative acts on the work of theaters throughout the country. Ostrovsky takes an active part in the work of the commission: he writes many "notes", "considerations" and "projects" on the topic of organizing work in theaters. Thanks to him, many changes are adopted that significantly improve the pay of acting.

Since 1883, Ostrovsky received from Emperor Alexander III the right to an annual pension in the amount of three thousand rubles. In the same year, the last literary masterpiece of Alexander Nikolayevich, the play Guilty Without Guilt, is released - a classic melodrama that strikes with the strength of the characters of its heroes and an impressive plot. It was a new surge of great dramatic talent under the influence of a memorable trip to the Caucasus.

After 2 years, Ostrovsky was appointed head of the repertoire of Moscow theaters and head of the theater school. The playwright is trying to form a new school of realistic acting in the country, highlighting the most talented actors.

Ostrovsky works with theatrical figures, he has a lot of ideas and plans in his head, he is busy translating foreign (including antique) dramatic literature. But his health fails more often. The body is depleted.

On June 2 (14), 1886, in the Shchelykovo estate, Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky died of angina pectoris.

He was buried at the church cemetery near the Church in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the village of Nikolo-Berezhki, Kostroma province.

The funeral was carried out with funds provided by Alexander III. A widow with children was granted a pension.

Few people can boast of such a significant contribution to the development of the Russian theater as the great playwright Alexander Ostrovsky. This amazing man had a strong personality and amazing talent, which brought him great fame during his lifetime. The plays written by him are still regularly staged on the stage of Russian theaters.

Interesting facts from the life of Ostrovsky.

1. Ostrovsky had thirteen brothers and sisters, but half of them died in childhood. The future playwright was the eldest child in the family.
2. At the age of eight, young Alexander lost his mother. His father remarried, and the stepmother surrounded his children with genuine care.
3. At his father's insistence, Ostrovsky went to the gymnasium to study as a lawyer, but was forced to stop studying after failing the exam in Roman law.
4. For more than twenty years, the playwright cohabited in a civil marriage with the peasant woman Agafya, since he could not marry her because of the public condemnation of such a union.
5. For a long time, Ostrovsky had problems with censorship - they simply did not want to publish his plays.
6. In many of Ostrovsky's plays, court officials are shown in a rather unattractive light. This is a reflection of the personal experience of the playwright, who, on his father's orders, had to work for some time in court.
7. Ostrovsky's work was first published in 1847. The comedy "Insolvent Debtor", later revised and called "Own People - Let's Settle", received Gogol's recognition, but it also served as the reason for the ban on further publications of the playwright.
8. Ostrovsky spoke seven languages, not counting Russian, including Latin and ancient Greek.
9. It was the great playwright who, thanks to his translations, introduced many people to the works of Shakespeare.
10. Ostrovsky's main outside hobby throughout his life was fishing.
11. Contemporaries recalled that the playwright perceived any, even the mildest criticism, extremely painfully and sometimes even aggressively.
12. Ostrovsky's creative activity lasted more than forty years.
13. The theater school founded by Ostrovsky was further improved by Bulgakov.
14. In total, 49 plays came out from the pen of the great playwright.
15. Ostrovsky died of a heart attack right at work, in the process of writing his 50th play.

Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky is a Russian playwright and writer, whose work played an important role in the development of the Russian national theater. Several of the most famous works belong to his pen, some of which are included in the literature for the school curriculum.

Writer's family

Ostrovsky's father, Nikolai Fedorovich, the son of a priest, served as a judicial solicitor in the capital and lived in Zamoskvorechye. He graduated from the Moscow Theological Seminary, as well as the seminary in Kostroma. His mother was from a rather poor family and died when Ostrovsky was seven years old. In addition to Alexander, three more children were born in the family. When their mother died, a couple of years later, the father remarried, and Baroness Emilia Andreevna von Tessin became his chosen one. She further took care of the children, taking upon herself the chores of raising them and obtaining a proper education.

In 1835, Alexander Ostrovsky entered the Moscow gymnasium, and 5 years later - at the University of the capital for law. Just during this period of time, he begins to experience an increased interest in theatrical productions. Young Ostrovsky often visits the Petrovsky and Maly theaters. His studies are suddenly interrupted by a failure in an exam and a quarrel with one of the teachers, and he leaves the university of his own free will, after which he gets a job as a scribe in a Moscow court. In 1845 he finds a job in the commercial court, in the chancellery department. All this time, Ostrovsky accumulates information for his future literary work.

During his life, the writer was married twice. With his first wife, Agafya, whose surname has not survived to this day, he lived for about 20 years. His children from this marriage, unfortunately, died while still very young. The second wife is Maria Bakhmetyeva, from her he had six children - two daughters and four sons.

Creative activity

The first literary publication - "Waiting for the Groom", appears in 1847 in the "Moscow City List", with a description of scenes from the merchant life of those times. The following year, Ostrovsky finishes writing the comedy "Own people - let's settle!". It was staged on the theater stage and received considerable success, which served as an incentive for Alexander to finally come to the decision - to devote all his strength to dramaturgy. Society reacted warmly and with interest to this work, but it also became the reason for persecution by the authorities, because of too frank satire and oppositional nature. After the first show, the play was banned from theaters, and the writer was under police surveillance for about five years. As a result, in 1859 the play was substantially altered and republished with a completely different ending.

In 1850, the playwright visited a circle of writers, where he received the unspoken title of a singer untouched by the falsity of civilization. Since 1856, he became the author of the Sovremennik magazine. At the same time, Ostrovsky and his colleagues went on an ethnographic expedition, the task of which was to describe the peoples living on the banks of the rivers of Russia, in its European part. Basically, the writer studied the life of the peoples living on the Volga, in connection with which he wrote a great work “Journey along the Volga from the origins to Nizhny Novgorod”, reflecting in it the main ethnic features of people from those places, their life and customs.

In 1860, Ostrovsky's most famous play, The Thunderstorm, saw the light of day, the action of which takes place precisely on the banks of the Volga. In 1863 he received a prize and an honorary membership in the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.
Ostrovsky died in 1886 and was buried in the village of Nikolo-Berezhki.

• Ostrovsky's conceptual view of the theater is the construction of scenes based on convention, using the richness of Russian speech and its competent use in revealing characters;
• The theater school, which Ostrovsky founded, was further developed under the leadership of Stanislavsky and Bulgakov;
• Not all actors reacted well to the playwright's innovations. For example, the founder of realism in Russian theatrical art, the actor M. S. Shchepkin, left the dress rehearsal of The Thunderstorm, which was conducted under the direction of Ostrovsky.

Date of birth: April 12, 1823
Date of death: June 14, 1886
Place of birth: Moscow

Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky- famous Russian playwright, Ostrovsky A.N.- public figure, born April 12, 1823. His father was an ordinary judicial officer in Moscow and lived in Zamoskvorechye. He was an enlightened person, he graduated from the seminary of Moscow and the seminary of Kostroma, but his priestly career did not go uphill and he worked as a court lawyer, in charge of commercial and property matters.

Alexander's mother came from a poor family and died when he was only 7 years old. In addition to Alexander, the family had three more children. After the death of his mother, his father remarried Baroness Emilia Andreevna von Tessin, who took care of the upbringing and education of the children.

In 1835, Alexander entered the Moscow gymnasium, and in 1840 he entered the department of jurisprudence at the University of Moscow. He immediately showed great interest not only in Russian literature, but also in the theater.

He was a regular at the Petrovsky and Maly theatres. His education was interrupted by a quarrel with a teacher, after which Alexander left the university of his own free will. He got a job as a scribe in a Moscow court. His activities concerned property litigation between children and parents.

In 1845 he moved to the commercial court, where he continued to work in the office. For a long time he collected information for his subsequent literary activity. Around the same time, he wrote the comedy "Own people - let's settle!", Which was staged and immediately received success.

This success became the impetus for Ostrovsky to devote himself to drama and literature. His first publication was several scenes from the comedy "Waiting for the Groom" ("The Insolvent Debtor"), which appeared on the pages of the "Moscow City List" in 1847. These scenes became the basis for the comedy "Own People - Let's Settle!". Many researchers believe that his first dramatic creations were written in the period from 43 to 47 years of the nineteenth century, but the drafts were not preserved, and they did not get into print.

Comedy "Own people - let's settle!" It was an undeniable success. Society and independent critics reacted to it with great warmth, but at the same time, the oppositional nature and outright satire caused persecution by the authorities. This play was forbidden to be performed on the stage of all theaters, and the playwright himself was under the supervision of censors and the police for five whole years. This play was republished in 1859, but after significant alterations, including a completely different ending.

Ostrovsky in 1850 joined the circle of writers of the magazine "Moskvityanin" and received the unspoken title "singer untouched by falsity of civilization." In the same year, the Moskvityanin published the first edition of the comedy "Own people - let's settle!" It is noteworthy that the draft of this work was named "Bankrupt". Since 1853, his plays have been staged on various theatrical stages.

In 1856, the Sovremennik magazine included him among its regular contributors. Together with his colleagues in the magazine in the same year, he went on an ethnographic expedition organized by the Naval Ministry. The main task of this expedition was to describe the peoples of Russia who lived on the shores of the seas and rivers of the European part of Russia.

Ostrovsky himself studied the life of the upper reaches of the Volga. At this time, he wrote an extensive research article "Journey along the Volga from its sources to Nizhny Novgorod", which reflected the main ethnic features of the inhabitants of these places, their way of life and work. The playwright collected a huge amount of information, which later became an important part of his literary work. In 1860, the most famous play by the master, The Thunderstorm, was released, about the heroine of which Dobrolyubov wrote A Ray of Light in a Dark Kingdom. This play was completed in October 1859, but it took a long time to pass censorship. The action of this play takes place on the banks of the Volga.

Ostrovsky was married twice. His first wife was Agafya Ivanovna, a trick from the common people, history has not preserved her last name. Ostrovsky lived with her in a civil marriage for twenty years. Unfortunately, the children from the first marriage died when they were children. He married a second time to Maria Vasilyevna Bakhmetyeva two years after the death of his first wife. The second marriage was official, he married Bakhmetyeva. He had six children from his second marriage - four sons and two daughters.

On June 14, 1886, Ostrovsky died and was buried in the village of Nikolo-Berezhki. Despite early persecution by the authorities, his influence on the development of the Russian theater can hardly be overestimated. His dramatic talent was appreciated during his lifetime. In 1863 he received the Uvarov Prize and also became a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences.

In 1865, under the leadership of Ostrovsky, an artistic circle was created, which produced many talented theater actors. In 1870, he created the Society of Russian Dramatic Writers, in which he himself presided until his death.

Important milestones in the life of Alexander Ostrovsky:

Born 12 April 1823
- Began studying at the Moscow gymnasium in 1835
- Publication of scenes from the comedy "Insolvent Debtor" in 1847
- Started working with the magazine "Moskvityanin" and published the comedy "Own people - let's settle!" in 1850
- Began cooperation with the Sovremennik magazine and went on an ethnographic expedition in 1856
- Publication of the play "Thunderstorm" in 1860
- European travel in 1862
- Receiving the Uvarov Prize and membership in the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences in 1863
- Creation of the Artistic Circle in 1865
- Foundation of the Society of Russian Dramatic Writers in 1874
- Work in the commission for the revision of the laws on the imperial theaters in 1881-1884

Interesting facts from the biography of Alexander Ostrovsky:

The theater school founded by Ostrovsky developed further under the leadership of Bulgakov and Stanislavsky
- His conceptual view of the theatrical production was to build the theater on various conventions, use the richness of the Russian language, the correct use of native speech on stage and a deep analysis of the psychology of the characters
- Ostrovsky was deeply convinced that acting is the most important part of the theater, because the play can be read
- Some actors and theater directors were against Ostrovsky's innovations, Ostrovsky's contemporary actor M.S. Shchepkin left the dress rehearsal of the thunderstorm, which was held under the direction of the playwright.