Garshin, Vsevolod Mikhaylovich

Garshin, Vsevolod Mikhaylovich

▪ Russian writer
born February 2 [February 14, New Style], 1855, Bakhmutsky district, Russian Empire
died March 24 [April 5], 1888, St. Petersburg

      Russian short-story writer whose works helped to foster the vogue enjoyed by that genre in Russia in the late 19th century.

      Garshin was the son of an army officer whose family was wealthy and landed. The major Russo-Turkish war of the 19th century broke out when Garshin was in his early twenties, and, perhaps feeling obligated by his father's profession, he renounced his youthful pacifism to serve.

      He wrote of the plight of injured soldiers in his first story, “Chetyre dnya” (1877; “Four Days”), the title of which refers to the length of time the wounded main character remains unattended on the battlefield. The theme of wartime casualty is continued in his “A Very Short Novel,” the story of a soldier whose injury precipitates an emotional crisis when he returns home. In perhaps his most famous story, “Krasny tsvetok” (1883; “The Red Flower”), a madman dies after destroying a flower he believes to contain all of the world's evil. Haunted by similar delusions in his own life, Garshin committed suicide by throwing himself down a stairwell.

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  • Garshin — biographical name Vsevolod Mikhaylovich 1855 1888 Russian writer …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Russian literature — Introduction       the body of written works produced in the Russian language, beginning with the Christianization of Kievan Rus in the late 10th century.       The unusual shape of Russian literary history has been the source of numerous… …   Universalium

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