An exciting, daring "decadent Madonna", not afraid to speak openly, shocking society with frank diaries and poems that were banned in the USSR, faithful to the only man with whom she created her incredible works, one of the most mysterious women at the turn of 19 and 20 centuries - Zinaida Nikolaevna Gippius.
Childhood and upbringing
The future famous poetess was born in November 1869 in a small town in the Tula region, Belev. Father was a sought-after lawyer and often moved from place to place, and therefore Gippius' four daughters received almost exclusively home education, without staying in any of the educational institutions.
Unfortunately, the father passed away early, and the mother and the girls moved first to Moscow and then to Tiflis in 1885 for the sake of a healthier climate for a constantly ill child - Zinochka. Tiflis is modern Tbilisi. It was there, surrounded by endlessly beautiful mountains and lush gardens, that a young, dark-haired and very pious young lady began to write poetry. She gladly read her humorous poetic sketches to the family, and hid the more serious things from everyone, as they were called "depravity."
Personal life and early career
At the age of 19, Zinaida met the already famous poet Dmitry Merezhkovsky. Both immediately felt in the other a close, dear soul, and a year later they got married. Together they lived for more than half a century, "not parting for a day," as Gippius wrote, forming one of the most fruitful and original creative unions of that era. The biographies of these two poets are inseparable from each other.
Soon after the wedding, the young couple moved to St. Petersburg, where Zinaida met the local bohemia, quickly becoming her own in the company of eminent poets, writers, artists and musicians. Her first stories and critical articles began to appear in the Severny Vestnik. The talent of the young "Sataness", as her contemporaries called her, became a constant theme in secular literary salons.
In St. Petersburg, Zinaida began attending the literary club of Vladimir Spasovich, organized religious and philosophical events, became an active member of the literary Russian community, met the famous philosopher Vladimir Solovyov, who became an inseparable friend of the four poets, and was constantly with them until his death in 1900 year. His worldview seriously influenced the works of Zinaida. During this period, she was published in the publication "New Way", signing her maiden name.
Soon the Merezhkovskys' apartment became a real center of the cultural life of St. Petersburg. Any novice writer simply had to visit the house of a famous couple to be "accepted in society."
Two revolutions and emigration
The revolution of 1905 was a turning point for the work of Gippius. The woman begins to take an interest in social and political issues, civil, rebellious motives appear in her poetry.
Because of the revolt of Zinaida, Merezhkovsky had to flee to Paris for almost three years, but they continued to cooperate with Russian publishing houses, releasing a drama co-written with the deceased friend Solovyov's Poppy Color.
In 1908, the couple returned to Russia. By that time, Zinaida wrote prose almost all the time - novels, short stories, and published her "Literary Diary" - a series of critical essays that caused a real scandal in literary circles under the pseudonym Anton Krainy.
The revolution of 1917 became a real shock for the poetess, the collapse of the familiar world. She was convinced that Russia had died irrevocably, and at the beginning of 1920 illegally left abroad, to Poland, together with her husband and her secretary. And then the couple moved to France, where they settled for the rest of their lives.
In Paris in 1927, Zinaida became the founder of the legendary literary community "Green Lamp", which operated until 1940. Writers, poets, musicians began to gather in the Merezhkovsky house again, discussing their works and leading endless philosophical conversations. The last collection of poems by Gippius, imbued with distinct notes of nostalgia, was released in 1939.
In 1941, Dmitry died, and Zinaida realized that her life was also over. She briefly outlived her beloved - in September 1945, the poetess died and was buried next to her husband.
