Mikhail Ye. Saltykov-Shchedrin, a Russian satirical writer, publicist, and journalist, was born

Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin was a Russian satirical writer, journalist, and publicist who continued the tradition of Russian and international satirical literature. He is also knows as "diagnostician of social ills and ailments".

He was born on January 27, 1826, in the village of Spasskoye, Tver governorate. His real name was Saltykov, but he used the pseudonym N. Shchedrin.

Saltykov-Shchedrin's parents were E. V. Saltykov and O. M. Zabelina. He studied at the Moscow Noble Institute from 1836 to 1838 and then at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum from 1838 to 1844. During his time at the Lyceum, Saltykov was influenced by the works of N. V. Gogol and M. Yu. Lermontov and developed a passion for literature. After graduating, he joined the Ministry of War's office.

In St. Petersburg, M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin became interested in socialist ideas and attended the circle of M. V. Petrashevsky. In 1847, he published his first novel, Contradictions, followed by A Complicated Case in 1848. These works revealed his idealistic sense of truth and instinctive search for social justice. The stories contained satirical portraits of government officials and the so-called "little man", who was depicted with great sympathy.

As a result of his free-thinking, he was exiled to Vyatka in April 1848, where he spent seven years working in the provincial government.

He returned to the capital in 1856 and was appointed to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Under the pseudonym N. Shchedrin, he published Provincial Essays. The book, inspired by his service in Vyatka, combines the features of social essays with elements of memoirs and autobiography, exposing the vices and customs of provincial bureaucracy, and bringing literary fame to its author.

In March 1858, Mikhail E. Saltykov-Shchedrin was appointed as the vice-governor of Ryazan. In 1860, he was transferred to a similar position in Tver. During his time in these positions, he strictly pursued those who were involved in corruption and dismissed officials who were convicted of dishonest and unethical behavior. He also sought to find ways to reconcile the interests of landowners and peasants, and his career provided him with a wealth of material for his literary creativity.

During this period, he wrote a number of works that were later included in two collections: Innocent Stories and Satires in Prose. The first edition of these works was published in 1863, with subsequent reprints in 1881 and 1885. In 1862, Saltykov-Shchedrin moved to St. Petersburg and became close with N.A. Nekrasov, collaborating with him at the journal Sovremennik. He published satirical essays there, which later became the basis for the cycle Pompadours and Pompadouresses (1863-1874).

In November 1864, M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin rejoined the service and was appointed chairman of the Penza Treasury Chamber. In November 1866, he was transferred to the same position in Tula and in October 1867, to Ryazan. This frequent change of duty stations can be explained by M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin's independent position, as he often came into conflict with his superiors and local officials.

In 1868, he resigned from public service and became a co-editor and shareholder of the journal Otechestvenny Zapiski. After the death of N. A. Nekrasov in 1878, Mikhail Evgraphovich replaced him as editor of the magazine.

In the years 1868-1884, a number of works by M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin were published for the first time in the journal Otechestvennye Zapiski. These included Gentlemen of Tashkent (1869-1872), Well-Intentioned Speeches (1872-1876), In the Middle of Moderation and Accuracy (1874-1878), The Refuge of Monrepos (1878-1879), Letters to My Aunt (1881-1882), and the chronicle The History of a City (1869-1870).

Additionally, M. E's work includes the novel Gentlemen Golovlev (1875-1880) and the grotesque novel Modern Idyll (1877-1883), which both expose the shortcomings of the bureaucracy and Russian identity. M. E believed that the fundamental flaws in Russian society were a lack of professionalism and self-confidence, as well as a lack of initiative. Despite these issues, M. E remained optimistic about the future of Russia and its people.. During his lifetime and even after his death, Saltykov-Shchedrin indicated that behind the diverse images of Russian life, often harsh, there was a genuine love for his homeland and faith in the future of the Russian people. His last work, completed shortly before his death in 1889, was the novel The Poshekhonians' Antiquity: The Life of Nikanor Zatepyon, a Poshekhonian Nobleman, which describes the childhood of the Poshekhonian nobleman Nikanor in the era of serfdom.

Saltykov-Shchedrin passed away on April 28 (May 10) in 1889 and was buried at the Volkovo Cemetery in St. Petersburg, next to I.S. Turgenev, as he had wished. In 1936, his grave was relocated to the Literary Bridge.

Lit.: Бушмин А. С. Художественный мир Салтыкова-Щедрина: Избр. труды. Л., 1987; Пыпин А. Салтыков Михаил Евграфович // Русский биографический словарь А. А. Половцова. Т. 18. СПб., 1904. С. 87–100; Ранчин А. М. Салтыков-Щедрин Михаил Евграфович // Большая российская энциклопедия: научно-образовательный портал [Электронный ресурс]. Режим доступа: https://bigenc.ru/c/saltykov-shchedrin-mikhail-evgrafovich-28a2d7/?v=4150119; Салтыков Михаил Евграфович // Большая советская энциклопедия. Т. 37. М., 1955. С. 628–634.

Based on the materials of the Presidential Library:

Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin (1826-1889): [digital collection]