Daniil Kharms is often called the genius of the absurd. The capacious pseudonym "Harms" (according to the passport the surname is Yuvachev) the future writer came up with back in his school years. And he eventually entered the world literature under this pseudonym.
The early years and care in literature
Daniil Yuvachev was born on December 30, 1905 in Petrograd (the then capital), in the family of a sailor and a volunteer who, after certain events and upheavals, became a very religious person. It is known that Harms studied at the school with an in-depth study of German, and then entered the Leningrad Electrotechnical College. However, he almost immediately dropped out of school and decided to seriously engage in literature. In 1925 he joined the literary and philosophical community "Chinari". In general, Harms quickly and easily gained fame in a bohemian environment. At the same time, he managed to become a member of the All-Russian Union of Poets - he was accepted there in 1926.
In 1927, Samuel Marshak, who then led the entire publishing house, gave Harms the opportunity to find himself in children's literature. So Harms got his first official publications and first fees. And this was actually the only source of his income. Harms did not build a career, he did not have another job, he often borrowed and did not always return money.
In February 1928, the Hedgehog magazine for children was released with the first Harms' works in this genre. Soon Harms begins to write for the magazine Chizh (also children's). Harms did not create too many children's books and poems, but in all of them you can recognize the bright style of this author, a very special poetics.
Further literary experiments and the first criminal case
Harms is considered one of the co-founders of the avant-garde creative group OBERIU. The first shocking performance of this group happened in 1928. And a few years later, the activities of OBERIU were subjected to severe defeat by the Soviet press.
In December 1931, Kharms was arrested (along with several other Oberiuts), accused of anti-Soviet and sentenced to three years in a camp. At the last moment, the real sentence was replaced with expulsion from the capital, and the poet had to go to the provincial Kursk.
Kharms was in Kursk until November 1932, and then returned to Leningrad. Then he continued to periodically meet people close in spirit and created several books for children. The last lifetime publication (children's poem) of Harms dates from 1937. After that, they stopped publishing it at all in the Union. As a result, Daniel and his wife Marina Malich were on the verge of survival. It is worth noting that Marina's love for the poet was really very strong - she supported her husband even in poverty and on hungry days.
