Writer and classic of Soviet and Russian literature K. G. Paustovsky was born on May 19, 1892. And before getting acquainted with his biography, it should be noted that he was a member of the Union of Writers of the USSR, and his books were translated into different languages of the world. Since the middle of the 20th century, his works began to be studied in Russian literature in secondary schools. Konstantin Paustovsky (photos of the writer are presented below) received many awards - prizes, orders and medals.
Reviews about the writer
Secretary Valery Druzhbinsky, who worked for the writer Paustovsky in 1965-1968, wrote about him in his memoirs. What surprised him most was that this famous writer managed to go through a period of time constantly praising Stalin without writing a word about the leader. Paustovsky also managed not to join the party and not to sign a single letter or denunciation stigmatizing any of those with whom he communicated. And even on the contrary, when the writers A.D. Sinyavsky and Yu.M. Daniel were tried, Paustovsky openly supported them and spoke positively about their work. Moreover, in 1967, Konstantin Paustovsky supported Solzhenitsyn’s letter, which was addressed to the IV Congress where he demanded the abolition of censorship in literature. And only then, the terminally ill Paustovsky sent a letter to the Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers A.N. Kosygin in defense of Taganka director Yu.P. Lyubimov with a plea not to fire him, and this order was not signed.
Konstantin Paustovsky: biography
To understand the whole life story of this amazing writer, you can read his autobiographical trilogy “The Tale of Life”. Konstantin Paustovsky was the son of railway extras Georgy Maksimovich and Maria Grigorievna Paustovsky, who lived in Moscow in Granatny Lane.
His paternal lineage goes back to the family of the Cossack hetman P.K. Sagaidachny. After all, his grandfather was also a Chumak Cossack, and it was he who introduced his grandson Kostya to Ukrainian folklore, Cossack stories and songs. My grandfather served under Nicholas I and was captured in the Russian-Turkish war, from where he brought his wife, Turkish Fatma, who was baptized in Russia with the name Honorata. Thus, the writer’s Ukrainian-Cossack blood was mixed with Turkish blood from his grandmother.
Returning to the biography of the famous writer, it should be noted that he had two older brothers - Boris, Vadim - and a sister Galina.
Love for Ukraine
Born in Moscow, Paustovsky lived in Ukraine for more than 20 years, where he became a writer and journalist, which he often mentioned in his autobiographical prose. He thanked fate for having grown up in Ukraine, which was like a lyre to him, the image of which he carried in his heart for many years.
In 1898, his family moved from Moscow to Kyiv, where Konstantin Paustovsky began studying at the First Classical Gymnasium. In 1912, he entered Kiev University at the Faculty of History and Philology, where he studied for only two years.
First World War
With the outbreak of the war, Paustovsky moved back to Moscow to live with his mother and relatives, then moved to Moscow University. But soon he interrupted his studies and got a job as a tram conductor, then he served as an orderly on hospital trains. After the death of his brothers in the war, Paustovsky returned to his mother and sister. But again, after some time, he left and worked, either at the metallurgical plants of Yekaterinoslavl and Yuzovsk, then at a boiler plant in Taganrog or in a fishing cooperative in Azov.
Revolution, civil war
After this, the country plunged into civil war, and Paustovsky was forced to return to Ukraine again to Kyiv, where his mother and sister had already moved from the capital. In December he was drafted into the Hetman's army, but after the change of power - to serve in the Red Army in a security regiment created from former Makhnovists. This regiment was soon disbanded.
The path to creativity
The life of Konstantin Paustovsky changed, and after that he traveled a lot in the south of Russia, then lived in Odessa, worked at the publishing house “Moryak”. During this period, he met I. Babel, I. Ilf, L. Slavin. But after Odessa he went to the Caucasus and lived in Batumi, Sukhumi, Yerevan, Tbilisi, and Baku.
In 1923, Konstantin Paustovsky returned to Moscow and worked for several years in the editorial office of ROSTA. They are starting to print it. In the 30s, he again traveled and worked as a journalist for the publishing houses “30 Days”, “Our Achievements”, and the newspaper “Pravda”. His essays “Talk about Fish” and “Blue Fire Zone” were published in the magazine “30 Days”.
At the beginning of 1931, on instructions from ROSTA, he traveled to the Perm region, to Berezniki, to build a chemical plant. His essays on this topic were included in the book “The Giant on the Kama”. At the same time, he completed the story “Kara-Bugaz”, which he began in Moscow, which became key for him. He soon left the service and became a professional writer.
Konstantin Paustovsky: works
In 1932, the writer visited Petrozavodsk and began working on the history of the plant. As a result, the stories “The Fate of Charles Lonseville”, “Lake Front” and “Onega Plant” were written. Then there were trips to northern Russia, the result of which were the essays “The Country Beyond Onega” and “Murmansk”. Through time - essay “Underwater Winds” in 1932. And in 1937, the essay “New Tropics” was published in the Pravda newspaper after a trip to Mingrelia.
After trips to Novgorod, Pskov and Mikhailovskoye, the writer wrote the essay “Mikhailovsky Groves”, published in the magazine “Red Night” in 1938.
In 1939, the government awarded Paustovsky with Trudov for his literary achievements. It is not known exactly how many stories Konstantin Paustovsky wrote, but there were plenty of them. In them, he was able to professionally convey to readers his entire life experience - everything that he saw, heard and experienced.
The Great Patriotic War
During the war with the Nazis, Paustovsky served on the Southern Front. Then he returned to Moscow and worked in the TASS office. But he was released to work on a play at the Moscow Art Theater. And at the same time, he and his family were evacuated to Alma-Ata. There he worked on the play “Until the Heart Stops” and the epic novel “Smoke of the Fatherland.” The production was prepared by the Moscow Chamber Theater of A. Ya. Tairov, which was evacuated to Barnaul.
For almost a year, from 1942 to 1943, he spent time either in Barnaul or in Belokurikha. The premiere of the play, dedicated to the fight against the German conquerors, took place in Barnaul in the spring of April 4, 1943.
Confession
In the 1950s, the writer gained worldwide recognition. He immediately had the opportunity to visit Europe. In 1956, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize, but Sholokhov received it. Paustovsky was a favorite writer. He had three wives, one adopted son, Alexey, and his own children, Alexey and Vadim.
At the end of his life, the writer suffered from asthma for a long time and suffered a heart attack. He died in Moscow on July 14, 1968 and was buried in the cemetery of the city of Tarusa, Kaluga region.
