The heyday of the work of the Ukrainian writer Storozhenko Aleksey Petrovich (1806-1874) falls on the 50s of the XIX century, just at the very controversial and crucial period when the struggle against serfdom was everywhere and the correct revolutionary theory was born under this yoke. As a result, society approached the abolition of serfdom, reforms began in the socio-economic sphere. The cultural and artistic life of the whole Russian Empire is being revived, and among many peoples, including, Ukraine has also appeared.
Oleksa Storozhenko
At this very time of awakening, the name of A. Storozhenko appeared on the horizon of the Ukrainian literary field, which was already noticed by stories, essays and the play "Garkush" in the publishing house "Basis". However, the tsarist repressive measures, which were also aimed at Ukrainian literature, soon forced Storozhenko to subside. Only sometimes did he allow himself to write, but only in Russian. At that time, difficult for writers, reactionary figures of the Jewish society “Zion” began to accuse the leaders of the Ukrainian cultural movement of intentions to separate Ukraine from the Russian Empire. Therefore, Oleksa Storozhenko published only two chapters from the story “Marco the Damned” (Pravda, Lviv, 1970).
Exam life
But be that as it may, a talented Ukrainian writer and prose writer passed the test of time. He did not lose his creative skills, fueled by folk speech and sparkling humor in the traditions of meters such as N. Gogol and G. Kvitka-Osnovyanenko. In his works, Ukrainian folk life of peasants, customs and beliefs intertwined with the history of the heroic struggle of the Zaporozhye Cossacks against foreign invaders is very vividly and organically portrayed.
Such features of the talent of Olex Storozhenko gave such a special originality in his works, which sometimes provoked very conflicting opinions of critics, which nevertheless did not prevent him from standing out from the whole mass of Ukrainian writers and occupying his own niche.
Biography of Olex Storozhenko
The writer was born in the village of Lesogory, Borznyansky district (Chernihiv) on November 24, 1806 in the family of the small landowner Pyotr Danilovich Storozhenko, who was a retired Russian officer, a participant in the Russian-Turkish wars, whose pedigree roots go back to the old Cossack family.
Oleksa spent his childhood in the Poltava region. First, the boy studied at home, then in the "noble boarding house" at the provincial gymnasium of the city of Kharkov. A very strong impression on him was made by the meeting with Nikolai Gogol, which contributed to the formation of aesthetic tastes and artistic literary talent among the young man. He described all the details of this event in his literary work “Remembrance”. He presented the image of Gogol there very expressively and vividly, because he was still a pupil of the Nizhyn High School of Higher Sciences.
Officer life
Alexey Petrovich Storozhenko was in military service for thirteen years. Since 1824 he made a career from a non-commissioned officer to a lieutenant in a dragoon regiment, then became a senior officer in the headquarters of the cavalry corps.
The biography of Olex Storozhenko indicates that he traveled a lot in the south of Ukraine with official assignments. And, thanks to this, he studied peasant life well. From people he heard a lot of different amazing stories and legends about the Zaporizhzhya Sich. This collected material became the basis of his future works.
The writer had to participate in the Russian-Turkish war of 1828-1829, in suppressing the uprising of the Poles in 1831, in a campaign against Hungary in 1849, where he received a shell shock.
From 1850 to 1863, Oleksa Storozhenko was on special assignment from the Kiev Governor-General Bibikov. He often traveled and traveled on various investigative matters. This work captivated him and was especially pleased when he managed to solve a complex crime, which was the best reward for his faithful service.
Literary works
Since 1857, his name appears in Russian magazines and newspapers as the author of the novel “Twin Brothers” and several stories - popular beliefs of Ukrainian antiquity of the 18th century.
In 1861, Oleksa became famous, his works are published as separate editions, and are published in the journal Osnova. In 1863, two volumes of his "Ukrainian Stories" were published in Petersburg.
Then O. Storozhenko was transferred to the city of Svobodno under the command of Governor General M. Muravyov. His literary work at that time was directed against the Polish national liberation movement, which began in the 60s.
last years of life
Since 1868, he has resigned from the post of state adviser and leader of the nobility and spends his last years of his life on a farm near the Belarusian city of Brest. He loved fishing, hunting, gardening. He wore Ukrainian clothes, he had a magnificent Cossack mustache. The writer Storozhenko was a strong and energetic man, he could bend a two-horned man and make a load of ten pounds on a mountain. In addition, he loved playing the cello, modeling and drawing, for which he was awarded a medal from the Academy of Arts.
On long winter evenings, he loved to talk about literary news. He spent a lot of time working on the journalistic novel "The Past." He also conducted friendly correspondence with Odessa writer I. Bely.
Once, in the late fall, he returned home, accidentally fell into icy water and caught a cold, and besides, severely injured his leg. November 18, 1874 he was gone. The writer was buried at the local cemetery in Brest.