In the works of Russian emigrant writers, motifs of despair and nostalgia are often found. But there are also bright, optimistic works. One of them is the story “How I became a writer” (Shmelev). A summary is presented in the article.
about the author
Ivan Shmelev is one of the writers who left Russia after the revolution. In his work an important place was occupied by childhood and adolescent memories. The author, who reflected in his creations the pre-revolutionary past, for obvious reasons, was little known in Soviet times.
What is described in the work "How I became a writer" Shmelev? A brief summary of the story is outlined below, however, from the title it can be understood that we are talking about the first steps in the literature.
The writer does not begin his story with memories of visiting the publishing house. He does not talk about how difficult it is to break into the world of literature. According to his own statement, he took up writing "inadvertently."
Work plan
The chapter “How I became a writer” Shmelev did not divide into chapters. The summary can still be divided into several parts. The first two are about living in a parental home and about relationships with teachers. Then the author recalls an important event in his life: the publication of the first work. The story plan could be:
- Pictures of childhood.
- Jules Verne.
- Criticism of Batalin.
- Fedor Vladimirovich Tsvetaev.
- Debut in the literature.
With a description of the impressions of early childhood, the work “How I became a writer” begins by Shmelev.
Summary: "Roman orator"
As a child, the Russian hero of his autobiographical work most of all liked to fantasize. The boy watched natural phenomena, plants, animals. From an early age, he not only thought about everything that was going on around him, but also used to voice his thoughts. For the continuous chatter, they nicknamed the future writer "Roman orator." However, talkativeness was the cause of many troubles.
Criticism of Batalin
About literary activity, while still a gymnasium student, Ivan Shmelev dreamed. “How I became a writer,” an analysis of which is part of the school curriculum, is a story about a talented young author.
The boy read hard. One of the favorite writers was Jules Verne. Impressed by the adventurous prose of a French writer, a schoolboy composed a story about a teachers' journey in a balloon. The composition was a great success. Subsequently, the boy's favorite school assignment was an essay.
In the fifth grade, the hero of the story suffered because of a love of literature. Impressed by the work of the Russian poet Semyon Nadson, the schoolboy wrote a poem. Passion for the author, whose works are not included in the student curriculum, provoked the stormy anger of teacher Batalin. The hero of this story was left in the second year.
Creative freedom
The next year, the schoolboy got to another teacher. Tsvetaev Fedor Vladimirovich - that was the name of this unforgettable teacher - did not limit the freedom of creativity. And the hero of the work of Shmelev got the opportunity to write as he wants. In subsequent years, he composed many poetic works. And in the graduation class a literary debut took place.
It is worth saying that despite the failures of the young writer, the story is far from sad. The writer Ivan Shmelev spoke not without irony about his first literary works.
“How I became a writer”: a lesson in grade 8
As already mentioned, the school curriculum includes several works by this writer. In the story discussed in this article, modern adolescents can first of all see criticism of the pedagogical method that was used in gymnasiums at the end of the last century. However, making an analysis of the work of Shmelev, one should pay attention to the hero's selfless attitude to literary work. The author of the story sought to convey to the reader the idea that a creative person would never give up his work. Even after the teacher criticized the essay to the nines, the novice writer did not give up his dream.