Alexander Herzen is known as a publicist and founder of Russian uncensored 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. His collected works were published 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 landowner Ivan Yakovlev and Louise The Hague, a German by nationality. The marriage between them was not officially registered, so Alexander was illegitimate. He was considered a pupil of his father, who came up with the name Herzen. Translated from German, this means "child of the heart."
Herzen's childhood passed in his uncle's house. At that time, Sasha was not deprived of attention, but the status of an illegitimate child instilled a feeling of orphanhood in the boy.
Since childhood, Alexander fell in love with reading. He especially liked the works of Voltaire, Beaumarchais, and Goethe's verses. Herzen early assimilated the skepticism of wisdom and retained 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 socio-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 erect 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 of the Moscow expedition of the Kremlin building. He had enough time to engage in literary work. Herzen's plans included the publication of his own journal, where he was going to cover issues of literature, 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 songs that offend the royal surname. During the investigation, Herzen's guilt was not proven. However, the commission decided that the young man posed an immediate danger to the state. In April 1835, Herzen was sent to Vyatka. Here he was to perform 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 a residence in Vladimir. He received the right to visit the capital cities. Here he meets Vissarion Belinsky, Ivan Panayev, Timofei Granovsky.
In 1840, the gendarmes intercepted a letter that Alexander addressed to his father. In this message, Herzen talked about a murderer-wanderer who killed a passerby. The authorities considered that Herzen was spreading groundless rumors. He was sent to Novgorod, banning entry into large cities.
In 1842, Herzen retired and, after applying for a Drui, returned to Moscow. Here he created the novels “Doctor Krupov”, “The Forty-Thief”, the novel “Who is to Blame?”, Many articles and political feuilleton. Herzen met 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 condition remaining after him allowed Alexander to go abroad. He leaves Russia and makes a long journey through Europe. At this time, numerous publicist recollections appear, interspersed with historical and philosophical studies.
In 1852, Herzen settled in London. He was already perceived as a key figure in Russian emigration. A year later, a publicist founded the Free Russian Printing House in the British capital. In collaboration with Ogarev, Herzen began to publish revolutionary publications: the Polar Star almanac and the Kolokol newspaper.
The program that Herzen developed included the basic democratic requirements: the release of Russian peasants, the abolition of corporal punishment and censorship. Herzen was the author of the theory of Russian peasant socialism. The newspaper "Bell" 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 "The Past and Thoughts". It was a synthesis of journalism, memoirs, short stories and historical chronicles.
In the mid-60s, Herzen left England and went on a trip 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 plans of the publicist were not destined to come true. On January 21, 1870, Herzen passed away. He is buried in the Pere Lachaise cemetery; then Herzen's ashes were transported to Nice.
