Many ingenious literary works were written in the last century. And one of the significant figures in literary circles was the writer Dmitry Balashov. His works are becoming classics, and to this day there are people who like his great work.
Parents
The real name given to Balashov at birth is Edward Mikhailovich Gipsy. His father was an actor, a poet published one poetry collection. In the famous film "Chapaev" the father of the future writer got a cameo role. The surname Gipsy was the pseudonym of Mikhail Mikhailovich Kuznetsov, he was born in 1891 and lived until the blockade in 1942.
The writer's mother was called Anna Nikolaevna Vasilyeva, her profession is an artist-decorator. In the middle of the war, the future writer and his brother Henryk were evacuated in the Altai Territory. When the hostilities ended, they decided to change the names, so they became Dmitry and Grigory, and the name was taken by the Balashovs, and they chose it in the usual telephone directory.
Study and diplomas
Balashov Dmitry Mikhailovich graduated from the A. Ostrovsky Leningrad Theater Institute, became a candidate of philological sciences, writer, folklorist and historian. In 1967 he entered the graduate school of the Institute of Russian Literature, where he studied for four years. From 1961 to 1968 he worked in Petrozavodsk at the Karelian branch of the Institute of Literature, History and Language.
Expeditions and housing
At that time, Dmitry Balashov organized several expeditions to the northern part of the world, thanks to which he wrote his scientific collections: “Folk Ballads”, published in 1963, “Russian Wedding Songs” in 1969 and “Tales of the Terek Coast of the White Sea” a year later. In addition, he was an activist in the community protecting antiquities.
In 1972, Dmitry Balashov, whose books were already published, was set up in a house located in the village of Chebolaksha near Lake Onega. He lived there until 1983, but the house burned down, and the writer was forced to change his place of residence, so he moved and settled in Veliky Novgorod.
The beginning of literary works
Dmitry Mikhailovich Balashov published his first story in 1967 in the journal Young Guard. He called it "Mr. Veliky Novgorod," where he described Novgorod society of the 18th century, taking into account the then dialect, life and spiritual development of citizens. It is believed that he very reliably and maturely recreated the real atmosphere of that time. This was the beginning of the literary career of a great writer, he actively begins to work in this direction, while not forgetting about scientific activity.
The first historical novel was a work entitled "Martha the Posadnitsa", which was released five years after the story. The novel is dedicated to the period when Novgorod was annexed to the Moscow Principality. The novel was based on the works of the historian Yanin, thanks to whom Dmitry managed to reflect the veche device and the crisis of that time. The plot was based on the tragic image of Martha, who entered the struggle against the future capital. Balashov succeeded in the impossible: he combined the documentary vision of the era with vivid dramatic images of heroes. It is also worth noting that the author is more sympathetic to heretics of Novgorod than to figures of the Moscow Orthodox Church.
The main thing in fiction
If we consider Balashov as a representative of fiction, then his main creation can safely be called a cycle of novels called "Sovereigns of Moscow". It included ten works written from 1975 to 2000. The most popular among them is the novel, which in the interval between 1991 and 1997 was written by Dmitry Balashov - "Holy Russia". This is a unique historical epic chronicle, affecting Russian history from 1263 to 1425. The story begins with the death of Prince Alexander Nevsky. It was Dmitry who, for the first time, managed to recreate the Russian Middle Ages so clearly and plausibly and fill his novels with historical authenticity and philosophy.
He, in sufficient detail, observing the chronology of time, described not only the geopolitical position of the country and the main events of history, but also showed the fates, characters and looks of hundreds of famous people. Balashov was able to combine epic and moral-psychological tension, and also introduced the spiritual plan of people into the works. In this regard, his novels were included in the list of world famous literary creations that very realistically reflect the world as a whole and man in particular.
Death
Dmitry Balashov left this world, not having time to finish his last novel from the cycle, in July 2000. He was killed in his own house, located in the village of Kozynevo. Law enforcement officials confirmed that this was a murder, as a head injury and signs of strangulation were found, and the corpse itself was wrapped in matting. The case was opened two years later, then Evgeni Mikhailov, who lived in Novgorod, and Dmitry's son, Arseny, were convicted of the murder of the writer.
It is believed that he hid the murder and stole his father’s car. But a year later, the case was reviewed, and the criminals were released. At the moment, the son is not under investigation, he changed his name and surname. But Eugene was convicted again. The grave of the writer Balashov is located next to the grave of his mother near St. Petersburg at the Zelenogorsk cemetery.
Bibliography
Dmitry Mikhailovich wrote many historical novels, works of scientific literature and even poetry. Most of the attention of readers is attracted to the cycle of works, which was written by Dmitry Balashov - "Sovereigns of Moscow". The first book tells about the struggle between the two sons of Nevsky for power. Their relationship with the Horde and much more are clearly and clearly shown with regard to that time. The second book of the cycle, entitled "The Great Table", tells of the tragic events taking place during the confrontation between Moscow and Tver. Almost all books from the cycle tell of the great princes and people who played their part in the history of Russia. The author did not have time to finish the last novel, entitled "Yuri".
In addition to fiction, his historical novels, of which there are three, are also significant. Dmitry Balashov will forever be remembered by readers for the realism of the narrative and the depth of the images of his heroes.