Alexander Herzen is known as a publicist and founder of Russian uncensored book printing. Herzen fiercely criticized serfdom, becoming a symbol of the revolutionary struggle of his time. Before the first Russian revolution, Herzen's works were banned in Russia. Collected works of his saw the light only after the October uprising.
From the biography of Alexander Ivanovich Herzen
The famous Russian philosopher, publicist and prose writer was born in Moscow on April 6, 1812. His parents were the landowner Ivan Yakovlev and Louise Hague, a German by nationality. The marriage between them was not officially registered, so Alexander turned out to be illegitimate. He was considered a pupil of his father, who invented the surname Herzen for him. Translated from German, it means "child of the heart."
Herzen's childhood years were spent in his uncle's house. At that time, Sasha was not deprived of attention, but the status of an illegitimate child instilled in the boy a feeling of orphanhood.
From childhood, Alexander fell in love with reading. He especially liked the works of Voltaire, Beaumarchais, poetry by Goethe. Herzen early adopted the skepticism of free-thinking and preserved it until the last days of his life.
In 1829, Alexander became a student at Moscow University, entering the physics and mathematics department. He studied at the same time as Nikolai Ogarev, who became a university student a year later. Soon, young people organized a circle of like-minded people, where the most acute problems of social and political life were discussed. The young men were attracted by the ideas of the French Revolution of 1830, they enthusiastically discussed the ideas of Saint-Simon, who hoped to build an ideal society by eradicating private property.
The beginning of Herzen's social activities
In 1833, Herzen completed his studies at the university with a silver medal. After that, Alexander entered the service in the Moscow expedition of the Kremlin structure. He had enough time to engage in literary creativity. Herzen's plans included the publication of his own magazine, where he was going to cover issues of literature, natural science and social development.
In the summer of 1834, Herzen was arrested. The reason for the repression was his performance at one of the parties of songs that offend the royal family. During the investigation, Herzen's guilt was not proven. However, the commission decided that the young man poses an immediate danger to the state. In April 1835, Herzen was exiled to Vyatka. Here he was to do public service under the supervision of local authorities.
Since 1836, Herzen began to use the pseudonym Iskander in his publications. A year later, he was transferred to live in Vladimir. He received the right to visit the capital cities. Here he met Vissarion Belinsky, Ivan Panaev, Timofei Granovsky.
In 1840, the gendarmes intercepted a letter that Alexander had addressed to his father. In this message, Herzen talked about a security guard who killed a passer-by. The authorities felt that Herzen was spreading unsubstantiated rumors. He was deported to Novgorod, banned from entering large cities.
In 1842, Herzen retired and, after a petition, returned to Moscow. Here he created the stories "Doctor Krupov", "Forty-thief", the novel "Who is to blame?", Many articles and political feuilletons. Herzen became friends with prominent public figures and writers of his time, often visited literary salons.
Outside Russia
In the spring of 1846, Herzen's father passed away. The fortune that remained after him allowed Alexander to go abroad. He leaves Russia and makes a long trip to Europe. At this time, multiple recollections of a publicist appear, interspersed with historical and philosophical research.
In 1852, Herzen settled in London. Even then, he was perceived as a key figure in the Russian emigration. A year later, the publicist founded the Free Russian Printing House in the capital of Britain. In collaboration with Ogarev, Herzen began to publish revolutionary publications: the almanac "Polar Star" and the newspaper "Kolokol".
The program, which Herzen developed, included the main democratic demands: the liberation of the Russian peasants, the abolition of corporal punishment and censorship. Herzen was the author of the theory of Russian peasant socialism. The Kolokol newspaper was printed on thin paper and imported into Russia illegally.
In those same years, Herzen began to create the main work of his life - the autobiographical novel Past and Thoughts. It was a synthesis of journalism, memoirs, short stories and historical chronicle.
In the mid-60s, Herzen left England and traveled to Europe. He gradually moved away from the radical revolutionary movement. In 1869, Herzen settled in the capital of France. He planned to engage in literary and publishing activities, but the publicist's plans were not destined to come true. On January 21, 1870, Herzen died. He was buried in the Pere Lachaise cemetery; then Herzen's ashes were transported to Nice.
Personal life of Alexander Herzen
Herzen's wife was his cousin Natalya Zakharyina, the daughter of the writer's uncle. Having got married in 1838, the young people secretly left Moscow. Several children were born in the family, but only three of them survived: the eldest son Alexander, daughters Natalia and Olga.
In 1852, Natalya Zakharyina died. Since 1857, Herzen was in a de facto civil marriage with Natalia Tuchkova-Ogareva, who at the same time was the official wife of Nikolai Ogarev.
