Ginzburg Lidia Yakovlevna is a serious and thoughtful literary critic and memoirist. Her memoirs formed the basis of many biographical articles about writers and poets of the XX century. Her books make you think and reflect, their philosophical and psychological sounds affect the heart and mind.
Childhood
Back in 1902, Lidia Yakovlevna Ginzburg was born in the family of a famous bacteriologist, whose brief biography originates in a bustling seaside city.
Odessa with its endless sea distance and subdued bustle of the city was the birthplace of the future memoirist. Her parents lived here, brother, uncle, in whose family she was brought up from the age of eight after the death of her father.
Youth
At eighteen, the girl graduated from high school, and before her was a choice: which life path to choose? What to devote your youth and future life to?
A brother who was fond of theatrical art and created his own miniature theater, invited her to play on his stage. For more than a year, Lydia Ginzburg tried herself in the role of an actress, speaking with Arkady Pogodin and Rina Zelenaya.
But the mastery of acting was unnaturally phlegmatic and balanced nature of young Lydia, although she had the necessary inclinations to become a famous actress.
The beginning of scientific activity
In 1922, after much doubt and thought, Lydia Ginzburg moved to Petrograd, whose biography and work from now on take on a new direction.
A young girl enters the Institute of Art History at the Faculty of Literature. Four years later, after graduation, the leadership leaves her at the given educational institution and transfers her to scientific staff.
Since 1926, a young graduate student begins to work on her first scientific works in the field of literature and literature. Her early works belong to “Russian formalism” - a society for studying the theory of poetic language, and are also close to literary and artistic avant-garde - experimenting with new concepts, maximally simplifying the depicted subject. They even planned to publish the works of Lydia Ginzburg in the collections "Radix" and "Bath of Archimedes".
The novice researcher studied various essays, memoirs, diaries, autobiographies, thanks to which she created her own theory about “intermediate literature”, its importance and impact on social culture.
Times of Repression
The period of the late 1920s - early 1930s is characterized by harsh attacks on the teachings of the "formal school" by the authorities, and later by severe harassment of adherents of this theory.
Therefore, by a decree from above, the institute in which Lydia Ginzburg worked was closed, and the young woman herself was forced to become an ordinary teacher at the working faculty. In 1933, Lidia Yakovlevna even survived a two-week arrest, which, however, had no serious consequences.
The formation of creativity
In 1935, Ginzburg Lidia Yakovlevna was admitted to the Writers' Union, and five years later she defended her doctoral dissertation at the University of Leningrad with her own research work “Lermontov’s Creative Path”.
The woman met the Great Patriotic War in Leningrad, survived the worst blockade in history, buried her mother, who died of starvation.
Lydia Ginzburg reflected all the horrors and nightmares of the blockade in her subsequent memoirs, as well as in books based on the recollections of eyewitnesses.
Despite possible personal fears and feelings, during the occupation, Lidia Yakovlevna tried to benefit the homeland, she worked as an editor of the radio committee. Her inspiring programs and programs instilled vigor and confidence in the starving, suffering people, were imbued with the spirit of true patriotism and love for their native land. For the inexpressible courage and courage of Ginzburg, Lidia Yakovlevna was awarded the medal “For the Defense of Leningrad”. This happened in the summer of 1943.
Post-War Art
But a year after the end of the bloody war, a brave woman came under ideological cleansing as “unreliable”. Because of this, she could not get a job at the University of Leningrad, was forced to take the post of assistant professor of literature at Petrozavodsk. If not for the death of Stalin, Lydia Ginzburg could fall under the terrible article “enemy of the people” and lose not only work or freedom, but also life.
In 1957, Lidia Yakovlevna published a monograph on Herzen. Since then, the woman declared herself not only as a progressive scientific worker, but also as a deeply thinking philologist of the Soviet Union, carrying mass literary and spiritual enlightenment.
Ginzburg later published such important works on literary criticism as On Psychological Prose, On Lyrics, Literature in Search of Reality, and Old and New.
“Notes of the besieged person”
The terrible time that many experienced in the occupied city was reflected in her work by Lydia Ginzburg - “Notes of the besieged man”. The idea to write a book did not come to her immediately, but only with time, when she began to think about what those long days of the siege of Leningrad mean for the people's memory.
The work is not based on the writer's memories alone. Before giving the book to the publishers, Lydia Ginzburg spent a lot of time talking with people who had survived the blockade, she thought deeply about how to mention a particular fact that should be described or explained to an uninitiated reader.
And although the narration is conducted on behalf of a man with the original name En, it immediately becomes clear that he is a conditional collective image, and that the main character of this book is a woman with a capital letter.
A woman who was able to endure hunger and cold, who saw her loved ones die, and tried to help them, who stood in long lines for a piece of bread and on which the life of the whole family depended.
And although this woman is sick and hungry, although she is almost unconsciously weaving home, she is a real winner in the struggle for the life of all relatives and the whole Fatherland.
And those who could not endure hardships and suffering and were martyred - they are also victors, because they left their descendants an example of how important it is to fight and not give up.
On the blockade period, there are many different books and works written by eyewitnesses, as well as historians and political scientists. It is noteworthy how Lydia Ginzburg portrayed in her work the feelings and feelings of unhappy people. “Notes of the besieged man” are filled with bitterness and suffering, hunger and cold, but not fear at all. This is because the brave woman herself, having experienced everything from personal experience, never experienced horror. She always knew that it was necessary to hold on and move forward, no matter what the cost.
Talented, vital and truthful “Notes of the besieged person” were translated and published in many languages of the world.
"Notebooks"
Another important work written by Ginzburg is her Notebooks. These are memoirs and memories of events and acquaintances from the life of both the writer herself and the people around her.
Lidia Yakovlevna was closely acquainted with many prominent legendary personalities, such as Mayakovsky, Akhmatova, Mandelstam. She possessed a sharp mind and good observation, a vibrant vibrant syllable and an individual deep manner of description. Therefore, “Notebooks” are very interesting and entertaining not only for literary scholars, but also for ordinary people.
From the pages of Ginzburg's memoirs you can find out what really were famous poets, composers and writers, in what mood they were, what drove them in certain cases ...
Noting the smallest details and delving into all sorts of subtleties, Lidia Yakovlevna makes readers look at celebrities from a side that has been hidden from the public for many years.
The book also contains her in-depth analyzes and thoughts on the world around, on literature and art, which make you think about the obvious, see the inconspicuous, and rethink your views and beliefs.
Practical wisdom
The contribution that Ginzburg made to Russian literature is not limited only to its memoirs and memoirs.
Educated and sensible, noticing small details and able to instantly understand the essence of the matter, witty and concrete - that was the wonderful writer Lidia Yakovlevna Ginsburg, whose quotes and aphorisms are still considered relevant and instructive.
Here are some of them:
- "It is terrible that being miserable is easy. Happiness, like all that is beautiful, is given with difficulty."
- "Ideal old age is a natural and reconciled obsolescence."
- "A person who harms by virtue of beliefs can be persuaded; a man who harms by personal malice can be softened. Only the harder because of fear is invulnerable and adamant."
The death of a writer
The old age of the writer was happy and respected. The elderly Lydia Ginzburg, whose photos and interviews appeared in many periodicals, whose books were published in significant editions and read openly, died at the age of eighty-eight years, surrounded by young, highly regarded writers.
The talented memoirist lived a long and difficult, but very meaningful and beneficial life.