Alexandra Kalmykova is a contemporary of Leo Tolstoy and Vladimir Lenin, educator and public figure. Her main idea was public education; Kalmykova combined her activities in this field with active revolutionary work.
Childhood and youth
The beginning of the biography of Kalmykova (née Chernova) is quite common for the end of the 19th century in Russia. Alexandra was born in the Ukraine, in the city of Yekaterinoslav in 1849, into a middle-class family. Little is known about the childhood of the future enlightener; she herself always emphasized that her real life began in the late 1860s. The young girl was carried away by social activities and dreamed of a teaching career. After grammar school, she entered the Mariinsky Women's School on the first attempt, graduated with honors and received a teacher's diploma.
An exemplary student stayed in her native school, worked there for 4 years. By the 70s, the educational institution was transformed into a gymnasium. Around the same time, Alexandra got married and was forced to move to Simferopol, and then to Kharkov. Here the young woman joined the South Territory circle, which promotes the idea of public unification and general education. Alexandra Mikhailovna teaches classes at the Sunday school for girls, helps in compiling the almanac "What to read to the people."
Social and revolutionary activities
In 1885, the Kalmykova family moved to St. Petersburg. The main occupation of Alexandra Mikhailovna is teaching in a girls' school. The bosses are quite a new teacher, but they do not know the main thing - the young woman actively participates in the work of the university Marxist circle. She studies contemporary publications, writes her own articles, and distributes clandestine literature. When the school management finds out about this, the teacher is fired with a "wolf ticket".
Alexandra Mikhailovna focuses on social work. Kalmykova joins the Social Democratic Party. At her apartment, she creates a warehouse of party literature, organizes meetings of associates, acts as a liaison, treasurer and literary secretary. Alexandra Mikhailovna compiles lists of available books for workers and rural libraries, collaborates with L. N. Tolstoy in the preparation of his work "The Greek teacher Socrates." At the same time, she is published in the Russian School magazine. Subsequently, the works of Kalmykova withstood several reprints and were highly appreciated by contemporaries.
The pre-revolutionary time could not leave Alexander Kalmykova indifferent. The educator worked closely with members of the Union of Struggle organization: Ulyanova-Elizarova, Krupskaya, Nevzorova, Yakubova. At Kalmykova's apartment, party meetings of Social Democrats and Narodnaya Volya members were held, the editorial offices of Marxist newspapers met. Alexandra Mikhailovna maintained contacts with Leo Tolstoy, Gorky, Korolenko, Lenin, provided all possible material assistance to needy party members.
In 1901, the educator was exiled abroad for 3 years. Returning to St. Petersburg, she taught at women's courses and at the zemstvo school, lectured at the university. Despite the active Marxist activity, Alexandra Mikhailovna did not fall into the field of attention of the police and was considered quite reliable. Such a reputation helped her to help transport and store prohibited literature, organize illegal meetings in her apartment.
After the revolution, Kalmykova began work at the Commissariat of Education, taught at the Institute. Ushinsky. Another important occupation is the maintenance of vast archives and catalogs, which were used to form people's libraries.
Personal life
Little is known about Alexandra Mikhailovna's personal life. Like other professional revolutionaries, she always put social activities first, not considering family as the main purpose of a woman. However, Kolmakova had a family. In 1869 she married a like-minded person, D. A. Kalmykov. The husband held a prominent public position and the rank of privy councilor, served in the civil cassation department. The couple had a son. His mother tried to instill in him her own ideals, but the only heir chose a different path.
For a long time, another professional revolutionary, writer and philosopher, Pyotr Struve, lived in the Kalmykova family. He was a classmate of Alexandra Mikhailovna's son, and one day Dmitry brought him into the house with the words: "You, mother, dreamed about such a son." Struve's father died, and relations with his mother did not work out, so the guest stayed in his friend's family for a long time. Later biographers noted that the relationship with the new tenant was very peculiar: despite the significant difference in age, Struve became for Kolmakova not only an adopted son and lodger, but also a lover. However, Alexandra Mikhailovna herself never hid that she considered the institution of marriage obsolete and restricting the freedom of women. Kalmykova financially supported Struve, edited his literary works, and helped with journal publications.
Alexandra Kalmykova died in Detskoye Selo in 1926, at the age of 75. She is buried in St. Petersburg, at the Volkovskoye cemetery. A modest stone stele is installed on the grave of the enlightener at Literatorskie Mostki. In her native Yekaterinoslav (now Dnieper), next to the school where Kalmykova taught for many years, there is a small monument with a memorial plate.
