Aleksandr Stepanovich Grinevsky (better known by his pen name, Aleksandr Green / Grin (spelling varies in non-Russian literature), rus, Александр Грин, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ɡrʲin, a=Ru-Aleksandr Grin.ogg, 23 August 1880 – 8 July 1932) was a Russian writer, notable for his

romantic Romantic may refer to: Genres and eras * The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries ** Romantic music, of that era ** Romantic poetry, of that era ** Romanticism in science, of that e ...

novels and short stories, mostly set in an unnamed

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

land with a European or Latin American flavor (Grin's fans often refer to this land as

Grinlandia Grinlandia (russian: Гринландия) is the fantasy world where most of the romantic novels and short stories of Alexander Grin Aleksandr Stepanovich Grinevsky (better known by his pen name, Aleksandr Green / Grin (spelling varies in non- ...

). Most of his writings deal with sea, adventures, and love.The Soviet Union, A Biographical Dictionary, Macmillan, NY, 1990.

Biography

Aleksandr Green was born Aleksandr Stepanovich Grinevsky (russian: Алекса́ндр Степа́нович Грине́вский) in a suburb of Vyatka in 1880, the son of the

Pole Pole may refer to: Astronomy *Celestial pole, the projection of the planet Earth's axis of rotation onto the celestial sphere; also applies to the axis of rotation of other planets *Pole star, a visible star that is approximately aligned with the ...

Stefan Hryniewski (russianized as ''Stefan Grinevsky''), deported after the

January Uprising The January Uprising ( pl, powstanie styczniowe; lt, 1863 metų sukilimas; ua, Січневе повстання; russian: Польское восстание; ) was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at ...

of 1863, and of a

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

nurse, Anna Lyapkova. In 1896, after graduating from a school in Vyatka, Grinevsky went to

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...

and lived the life of a vagabond. He worked as a sailor, gold miner, and construction worker, but often found himself without a job and sustained himself by begging and with money sent to him by his father. After joining the Russian army, he became a member of the

Socialist-Revolutionary Party The Socialist Revolutionary Party, or the Party of Socialist-Revolutionaries (the SRs, , or Esers, russian: эсеры, translit=esery, label=none; russian: Партия социалистов-революционеров, ), was a major politi ...

, was arrested, and spent time in jail for "revolutionary propaganda". He published his first short story in a newspaper in 1906. In the same year he was arrested in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

and sentenced to four years of exile in a remote area of

Tobolsk Governorate Tobolsk Governorate (russian: Тобольская губерния) was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, Russian Republic and RSFSR located in the Ural Mountains and Siberia. It existed from 1796 to 1920; its ...

. However, very soon after arriving in Tobolsk, Grin escaped and returned to Petersburg to live illegally. He was again arrested in 1910 and sent to live in

Arkhangelsk Governorate Arkhangelsk Governorate (russian: link=no, Архангельская губерния, ''Arkhangelskaya guberniya'') was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and Russian SFSR, which existed from 1796 until 1929. ...

. In a small village called Kegostrov, Grin and his first wife Vera Pavlovna Abramova (whom he married in 1910) lived from 1910 to 1912. In 1912 he returned to Saint Petersburg and divorced his wife. At that time, Grin published mostly short stories; most of his larger works were written after the 1917

October revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

and enjoyed significant popularity in the first half of the 1920s. In 1921 he married . In 1924 they moved to

Feodosiya uk, Феодосія, Теодосія crh, Kefe , official_name = () , settlement_type= , image_skyline = THEODOSIA 01.jpg , imagesize = 250px , image_caption = Genoese fortress of Caffa , image_shield = Fe ...

to live near the sea. In his late days, Grin's romantic visions contrasted starkly with mainstream

Soviet literature Russian literature refers to the literature of Russia and its émigrés and to Russian-language literature. The roots of Russian literature can be traced to the Middle Ages, when epics and chronicles in Old East Slavic were composed. By the Ag ...

; publishers in Moscow and Leningrad refused to consider his romantic writings, and Grin and his wife lived in extreme poverty. Grin suffered from

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...

and

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

, which eventually ruined his health. He died of

stomach cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a cancer that develops from the lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a number of subtypes, including gastric adenocarcinomas. Lymph ...

in 1932 in

Stary Krym Staryi Krym (russian: Старый Крым; uk, Старий Крим; crh, Eski Qırım, italic=yes; in all three languages) is a small historical town and former bishopric in Kirovske Raion of Crimea, Ukraine. It has been illegally occupie ...

. In his book ''

Sculpting in Time ''Sculpting in Time'' (Russian "Запечатлённое время", literally "Captured Time") is a book by Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky about art and cinema in general, and his own films in particular. It was originally published in 19 ...

'', filmmaker

Andrei Tarkovsky Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky ( rus, Андрей Арсеньевич Тарковский, p=ɐnˈdrʲej ɐrˈsʲenʲjɪvʲɪtɕ tɐrˈkofskʲɪj; 4 April 1932 – 29 December 1986) was a Russian filmmaker. Widely considered one of the greates ...

describes how Grin, when dying of hunger, "went off into the mountains with a home-made bow-and-arrow to shoot some sort of game". He offers Grin as an example of a poet in the deepest sense: one with "an awareness of the world, a particular way of relating to reality... a philosophy to guide a man throughout his life".

Works

Most of Alexander Grin's writings bear no direct relation to the reality of

Imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texa ...

and

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

Russia that he lived in. The setting of most of his novels and short stories is an unnamed land by the sea, apparently far from Europe but with all characters being Western European in name and appearance. Even his literary pseudonym (Grin) is a de-Russified form of his real last name (Grinevsky). Stamp of Ukraine ua133st

Described by some critics as "adolescent fiction", Grin's works have many things in common with the reality of the early 20th century (such as automobiles and banks). Populated by sea captains, sailors, scientists, travelers, criminals, extravagant aristocrats, childlike girls, elegant villains, and strong-spirited heroes who always stay true to their dreams, Grin's world is often referred to as

by fans. Some of his novels contain an element of magic – not as an established part of his world, but always as a miracle that changes the lives of those who encounter it.

Bibliography

The most notable of his novels include: * '' Scarlet Sails'' ( ''Алые паруса'', 1923), a simple but powerful love story, perhaps the most famous of Grin's works. It was made into a 1961 film, when during the

Khrushchev Thaw The Khrushchev Thaw ( rus, хрущёвская о́ттепель, r=khrushchovskaya ottepel, p=xrʊˈɕːɵfskəjə ˈotʲ:ɪpʲɪlʲ or simply ''ottepel'')William Taubman, Khrushchev: The Man and His Era, London: Free Press, 2004 is the period ...

, Grin's works enjoyed a revival of popularity. * '' The Shining World'' (''Блистающий мир'', 1923) * ''

The Golden Chain The "Golden Chain" is a list of names that was seized in March 2002 in a raid by Bosnian police of the premises of the Benevolence International Foundation in Sarajevo. The Golden Chain is a list of sponsors of Al-Qaeda. The list included twenty- ...

'' (''Золотая цепь'', 1925) * ''

She Who Runs on the Waves She most commonly refers to: *She (pronoun), the third person singular, feminine, nominative case pronoun in modern English. She or S.H.E. may also refer to: Literature and films *''She: A History of Adventure'', an 1887 novel by H. Rider Haggar ...

'' (''Бегущая по волнам'', 1928) * ''

Jessie and Morgiana Jessie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jessie (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Jessie (surname), a list of people Arts and entertainment * ''Jessie'' (2011 TV series), a 2011–15 Disney Channel ...

'' (1929, Wikisource: ''Джесси и Моргиана''). It was made into a Czechoslovak film '' Morgiana'' in 1972.Morgiana
at IMDb. * '' The Road to Nowhere'' (''Дорога никуда'', 1930)

Books

* ''Selected Short Stories''. Translated by Nicholas Luker. Ann Arbor, Mich.:

Ardis Publishers Ardis Publishing (the name of the original company is Ardis Publishers, which is the correct name for the company up until 2002), began in 1971, as the only publishing house outside of Russia dedicated to Russian literature in both English and Rus ...

, 1987. *''Fandango and Other Stories.'' Translated by Bryan Karetnyk. New York: Columbia University Press, 2020 (The Russian Library).

Film Adaptations

* ''Watercolor'' (1958), directed by

Otar Iosseliani Otar Iosseliani ( ka, ოთარ იოსელიანი, born 2 February 1934) is a Georgian-born film director. He was born in the Georgian capital city of Tbilisi, where he studied at the Tbilisi State Conservatoire and graduated in 1952 ...

* '' Scarlet Sails'' (1961), directed by

Alexandr Ptushko Aleksandr Lukich Ptushko (russian: Александр Лукич Птушко, – 6 March 1973) was a Soviet animation and fantasy film director, and a People's Artist of the USSR (1969). Ptushko is frequently (and somewhat misleadingly) referred ...

* ''

The Lanfier Colony ''The Lanfier Colony'' ( cs, Kolonie Lanfieri, russian: Колония Ланфиер) is a 1969 Czech-Soviet Action film, action, Romantic film, romantic, drama film directed by Jan Schmidt (director), Jan Schmidt. It was entered into the 6th M ...

'' (1969), directed by Jan Schmidt * '' Morgania'' (1972), directed by

Juraj Herz Juraj Herz (4 September 1934 – 8 April 2018) was a Czechoslovak film director, actor, and scene designer, associated with the Czechoslovak New Wave movement of the 1960s. He is best known for his 1969 horror/black comedy ''The Cremator'', ofte ...

* ''

The Rat Savior ''The Rat Saviour'' ( hr, Izbavitelj) is a 1976 Croatian fantasy horror film directed by Krsto Papić. It was released in 1976, but won Best Film at the 1980 Paris Festival and 1982 Fantasporto. The film was selected as the Yugoslav entry for th ...

'' (1976), directed by

Krsto Papić Krsto Papić (7 December 1933 – 7 February 2013) was a Croatian screenwriter and film director whose career spanned over five decades. He is generally considered among the best directors of former Yugoslavia and the only director from Croatia th ...

* ''The Shining World'' (1984), directed by

Bulat Mansurov Bulat is both a masculine give name and surname with various origins. As a masculine given name, it is derived from a Turkic word meaning "steel", ultimately from Persian. Notable people with the surname include: * Alexandra Bulat, Romanian-Eng ...

* ''

Mister Designer ''Mister Designer'' (russian: Господин оформитель, Gospodin oformitel) is a 1987 Soviet horror film produced and directed by Oleg Teptsov, and based on the short story ''The Gray Automobile'' by Alexander Grin. Plot Set in St. P ...

'' (1988), directed by Oleg Teptsov * ''She Who Runs on the Waves'' (2007), directed by Valery Pendrakovskiy * ''Scarlet'' (2022), directed by

Pietro Marcello Pietro Marcello (born 2 July 1976) is an Italian film director. He has directed more than eight documentary films since 2004. In 2015 he directed his first fiction film, '' Lost and Beautiful''. Several of his films have been presented at internat ...

References

External links

NYT Review of Grin's English translation

The road to nowhere, a road to glory: Vladimir Nabokov and Aleksandr Grin.(Critical Essay), by Margarit Tadevosyan, in The Modern Language Review, April 2005

Dictionary of Literary Biography on Aleksandr Stepanovich Grin

Most of Grin's works in Russian, as well as some English translations

Grinlandia, a fan site

A. Grin — Life and works (Rus)

The English translation of Scarlet Sails by Helen Sharif
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grin, Alexander 1880 births 1932 deaths People from Kirov Oblast People from Slobodskoy Uyezd Socialist Revolutionary Party politicians People from the Russian Empire of Polish descent Fantasy writers from the Russian Empire Novelists from the Russian Empire Short story writers from the Russian Empire Soviet short story writers Soviet novelists Soviet male writers Deaths from stomach cancer Deaths from cancer in the Soviet Union