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Aleksandr Ivanovich Kuprin (russian: link=no, Александр Иванович Куприн;  – 25 August 1938) was a Russian writer best known for his novels ''The Duel'' (1905)Kuprin scholar Nicholas Luker, in his biography ''Alexander Kuprin'', calls ''The Duel'' his "greatest masterpiece" (chapter IV) and likewise literary critic
Martin Seymour-Smith Martin Roger Seymour-Smith (24 April 1928 – 1 July 1998) was a British poet, literary critic, and biographer. Biography Seymour-Smith was born in London and educated at Highgate School and St Edmund Hall, Oxford, where he was editor of ''Isi ...
calls ''The Duel'' "his finest novel" (''
The Guide to Modern World Literature ''The Guide to Modern World Literature'' is a reference book by Martin Seymour-Smith that aims to describe every important 20th-century author (as of 1985), in all languages, in an encyclopedic presentation. It was first published in 1973 with a c ...
'', p. 1051)
and '' Yama: The Pit'' (1915), as well as ''
Moloch Moloch (; ''Mōleḵ'' or הַמֹּלֶךְ‎ ''hamMōleḵ''; grc, Μόλοχ, la, Moloch; also Molech or Molek) is a name or a term which appears in the Hebrew Bible several times, primarily in the book of Leviticus. The Bible strongly co ...
'' (1896), '' Olesya'' (1898), " Captain Ribnikov" (1906), "Emerald" (1907), and '' The Garnet Bracelet'' (1911) – the latter made into a 1965 movie.


Early life

Aleksandr Kuprin was born 1870 in Narovchat, Penza, to Ivan Ivanovich Kuprin, a government official in
Penza Governorate Penza Governorate (russian: Пензенская губерния) was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and Russian SFSR, located in the Volga Region. It existed from 1796 to 1797 and again from 1801 to 1928; it ...
.The Literature Network-Kuprin
/ref> and Liubov Alekseyevna Kuprina, Kulunchakova.
/ref> His father was
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 ...
, his mother belonged to a noble
Volga Tatar The Volga Tatars or simply Tatars ( tt-Cyrl, татарлар, tatarlar) are a Turkic ethnic group native to the Volga-Ural region of Russia. They are subdivided into various subgroups. Volga Tatars are Russia's second-largest ethnicity after t ...
family who had lost most of their wealth during the 19th century. Aleksandr had two older sisters, Sofia (1861–1922) and Zinaida (1863–1934). In 1871 his father, aged 37, died of
cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...
. Three years later Aleksandr's mother moved, with young Aleksandr, into the Widows' Home in Kudrino, Moscow, a period reflected in his tale "A White Lie" (1914). In 1876 he entered the Razumovsky boarding school, the source of what he later referred to as 'childhood grievances', but also an environment which nourished his riotous nature and in which he found himself popular among peers as storyteller.


Cadet Corps: 1883-1887

In 1880, inspired by Russia's victory in the
Russo-Turkish War The Russo-Turkish wars (or Ottoman–Russian wars) were a series of twelve wars fought between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire between the 16th and 20th centuries. It was one of the longest series of military conflicts in European histor ...
, Kuprin was enrolled into the Second Moscow Military High School, and turned over to the
Cadet Corps A corps of cadets, also called cadet corps, was originally a kind of military school for boys. Initially such schools admitted only sons of the nobility or gentry, but in time many of the schools were opened also to members of other social classes. ...
in 1882. Several of Kuprin's autobiographical stories, like "At the Turning Point" (1900), "The River of Life" (1906) and "Lenochka" (1910), refer to this period. "The memory of the birching at the Cadet Corps stayed with me for the rest of my life," he wrote not long before his death. Yet it was there that he develop an interest in literature and started to write poetry. Most of Kuprun's thirty youthful poems date from 1883 to 1887, the four years when he was in the Cadet Corps. Kuprin also made several translations of foreign verse (including Béranger's "Les Hirondelles" and
Heine Heine is both a surname and a given name of German origin. People with that name include: People with the surname * Albert Heine (1867–1949), German actor * Alice Heine (1858–1925), American-born princess of Monaco * Armand Heine (1818–1883) ...
's "Lorelei"). His early political awareness found expression in these works; according to the scholar Nicholas Luker, "perhaps the most interesting of Kuprin's early poems is the political piece "Dreams", written on 14 April 1887, the day before sentence was passed on the terrorists who had plotted to assassinate Alexander III in March of that year." Kuprin was 17 years of age at that date.


46th Dnieper Infantry Regiment: 1888-1894

In the autumn of 1888, Kuprin left the Cadet Corps to enter the Alexander Military Academy in Moscow. In the summer of 1890, he graduated from the Academy ranked
sublieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...
and was posted to the 46th Dnieper Infantry Regiment (which he chose at random) stationed in
Proskurov Khmelnytskyi ( uk, Хмельни́цький, Khmelnytskyi, ), until 1954 Proskuriv ( uk, Проску́рів, links=no ), is a city in western Ukraine, the administrative center for Khmelnytskyi Oblast (region) and Khmelnytskyi Raion (dist ...
(now Khmelnitsky), where he spent the next four years.


Literary career

In 1889 Aleksandr Kuprin met Liodor Palmin, an established poet who arranged for the publication in the ''Russian Satirical Leaflet'' of Kuprin's debut short story " The Last Debut", based on a real life incident, the 1881 suicide by poisoning on stage of the singer Yevlalya Kadmina, a scandalous tragedy which had also inspired
Ivan Turgenev Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (; rus, links=no, Ива́н Серге́евич Турге́невIn Turgenev's day, his name was written ., p=ɪˈvan sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ tʊrˈɡʲenʲɪf; 9 November 1818 – 3 September 1883 (Old Style dat ...
's tale "Clara Milich". Three years would pass between the appearance of "The Last Debut" and Kuprin's second publication "Psyche" in December 1892. Like " On a Moonlit Night" which followed, "Psyche" showed the aberrations of a deranged mind, investigating the thin line between fantasy and reality. Kuprin's years of military service saw the publication of a short novel '' In the Dark'' (1893) and several short stories, mostly the artful studies of abnormal states of mind ("A Slav Soul", "Madness" and "The Forgotten Kiss", all 1894). Only "
The Inquiry The Inquiry was a study group established in September 1917 by Woodrow Wilson to prepare materials for the peace negotiations following World War I. The group, composed of around 150 academics, was directed by the presidential adviser Edward Hou ...
" (1894), his first publication to arouse critical comment, was concerned with the army, starting a series of Russian army-themed short stories: "A Place to Sleep" (1897), "The Night-shift" (1899), "Praporshchik" (1897), and "The Mission" (1901) which finally resulted in his most famous work, ''The Duel''. Aside from his personal dissatisfaction with army life, the publication of "The Inquiry" was probably the major reason for Kuprin's resignation, in the summer of 1894. "There can be no doubt that the appearance of such a work, written by an officer and signed with his full name, would have had unpleasant consequences for him," Luker argues.Pitlyar, I., Collected works, Vol. I, pp. 485–501 After retiring from the service, without any definite plans for the future, or "any knowledge, academic or practical" (according to "Autobiography"), Kuprin embarked upon a five-year-long trip through the South-West of the Russian Empire. He tried many types of job, including dental care, land surveying, acting, being a circus performer, psalm singer, doctor, hunter, fisher, etc., each of these subsequently reflected in his fictional work. All the while he was engaged in self-education and reading.
Gleb Uspensky Gleb Ivanovich Uspensky ( rus, Глеб Иванович Успенский; October 25, 1843 April 6, 1902), was a Russian Empire writer, and a prominent figure of the Narodnik movement. Biography Early life Gleb Uspensky was born in Tula, t ...
, with his sketches, became his favorite author. In summer 1894 Kuprin arrived in
Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
and by September had begun working for local newspapers ''Kyivskoe Slovo'' (Kyiv Word), ''Zhizn i Iskusstvo'' (Life and Art), and later '' Kievlianin''. The qualities necessary for a good journalist, he believed, were "mad courage, audacity, breadth of view, and amazing memory," gifts he considered himself to possess in full measure. While on frequent journeys to Russia's Southwest he contributed to newspapers in
Novocherkassk Novocherkassk (russian: Новочерка́сск, lit. ''New Cherkassk'') is a city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located near the confluence of the Tuzlov and Aksay Rivers, the latter a distributary of the Don River. Novocherkassk is best known as t ...
,
Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don ( rus, Ростов-на-Дону, r=Rostov-na-Donu, p=rɐˈstof nə dɐˈnu) is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East Eu ...
,
Tsaritsyn Volgograd ( rus, Волгогра́д, a=ru-Volgograd.ogg, p=vəɫɡɐˈɡrat), formerly Tsaritsyn (russian: Цари́цын, Tsarítsyn, label=none; ) (1589–1925), and Stalingrad (russian: Сталингра́д, Stalingrád, label=none; ) ...
,
Taganrog Taganrog ( rus, Таганрог, p=təɡɐnˈrok) is a port city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, on the north shore of the Taganrog Bay in the Sea of Azov, several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don River. Population: History of Taganrog The ...
, and
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 ...
. In 1896 ''
Russkoye Bogatstvo ''Russkoye Bogatstvo'' (russian: Русское богатство, Russian Wealth) was a monthly literary and political magazine published in St. Petersburg, Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental cou ...
'' published ''
Moloch Moloch (; ''Mōleḵ'' or הַמֹּלֶךְ‎ ''hamMōleḵ''; grc, Μόλοχ, la, Moloch; also Molech or Molek) is a name or a term which appears in the Hebrew Bible several times, primarily in the book of Leviticus. The Bible strongly co ...
'', Kuprin's first major work, a critique of the rapidly growing Russian capitalism and a reflection of the growing industrial unrest in the country. Since then only twice did he briefly returned to the theme, in "A Muddle" (1897) and "In the Bowels of the Earth" (1899). "On this basis one is tempted to conclude that his concern for the industrial worker in ''Moloch'' was little more than a passing phase," Luker opines. Alongside
feuilleton A ''feuilleton'' (; a diminutive of french: feuillet, the leaf of a book) was originally a kind of supplement attached to the political portion of French newspapers, consisting chiefly of non-political news and gossip, literature and art criti ...
s and chronicles, Kuprin wrote small sketches investigating particular environments, or portraying people of specific occupations or circumstances, later gathered into a collection. March 1896 saw the publication of eight such sketches in a small edition entitled ''Kyiv Types'', Kuprin's first book.Rothstein, E., Collected works, Vol. 9, pp. 349–381 In October 1897 his second collection, ''Miniatures'', came out, with one of his best known circus stories, "Allez!", earning high praise from
Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...
. In 1905 Kuprin described ''Miniatures'' as his "first childish steps along the road of literature". ''Miniatures'', as well as his "Industrial Sketches", made in 1896–1899 after his visit to the
Donbass The Donbas or Donbass (, ; uk, Донба́с ; russian: Донба́сс ) is a historical, cultural, and economic region in eastern Ukraine. Parts of the Donbas are controlled by Russian separatist groups as a result of the Russo-Ukrai ...
region, definitely marked a further stage in his maturing as a writer.Pitlyar, I., Collected works, Vol. 2, pp. 479–494 In 1897 Kuprin traveled to
Volhynia Volhynia (also spelled Volynia) ( ; uk, Воли́нь, Volyn' pl, Wołyń, russian: Волы́нь, Volýnʹ, ), is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between south-eastern Poland, south-western Belarus, and western Ukraine. Th ...
to work as an estate manager, then went to the Polesye area in Southern
Belorussia Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...
, where he helped to grow makhorka. "There I absorbed my most vigorous, noble, extensive, and fruitful impressions... and came to know the Russian language and landscape," he remembered in 1920. Three stories of his unfinished "Polesye Cycle" – "The Backwoods", his much acclaimed love piece '' Olesya'', and "The Werewolf" (a horror story) – were published between 1898 and 1901. ''Moloch'' and ''Olesya'' did much to help Kuprin build his literary reputation. In September 1901
Viktor Mirolyubov Viktor Sergeyevich Mirolyubov (russian: Виктор Серге́евич Миролюбов, 22 January 1860, Moscow, Russian Empire – 26 October 1939, Leningrad, USSR) was a Russian journalist, editor and publisher. Having started out as an ...
, the editor of ''
Zhurnal Dlya Vsekh ''Zhurnal Dlya Vsekh'' (russian: Журнал для всех, ''Journal For Everybody'') was a Russian monthly magazine published in Saint-Petersburg in 1895–1906. Concentrating on literature and poetry, it also had popular science, history an ...
'', invited Kuprin to join this popular Petersburg monthly, and in December he moved to the capital.


Saint Petersburg: 1901–1904

In Petersburg Kuprin found himself in the center of Russian cultural life. He became friends with
Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...
, whom he regularly corresponded with up until the latter's death in 1904, often seeking his advice. Kuprin's friendship with
Ivan Bunin Ivan Alekseyevich Bunin ( or ; rus, Ива́н Алексе́евич Бу́нин, p=ɪˈvan ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ ˈbunʲɪn, a=Ivan Alyeksyeyevich Bunin.ru.vorb.oga;  – 8 November 1953) was the first Russian writer awarded the ...
would last almost forty years, continuing in emigration. Another important figure for Kuprin was the scholar and critic
Fyodor Batyushkov Fyodor Dmitrievich Batyushkov (Фёдор Дмитриевич Батюшков, September 7 .s. August 26 1857, Kosma village, Tver Governorate, Russian Empire – March 19, 1920, Petrograd, Soviet Russia) was a Russian philologist, editor (''Ko ...
of '' Mir Bozhiy''. The 150 letters that are extant represent a minor part of their vast correspondence. Later Kuprin expressed much gratitude to Viktor Mirolyubov, who, as well as
Maxim Gorky Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (russian: link=no, Алексе́й Макси́мович Пешко́в;  – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (russian: Макси́м Го́рький, link=no), was a Russian writer and social ...
, exerted strong influence upon his career.Pitlyar, I., Tamarchenko, A., Collected works, Vol. 3, pp. 369–399 In 1901 Kuprin joined the Moscow Sreda (Wednesday) literary society, which was founded in 1899 by
Nikolay Teleshov Nikolai Dmitryevich Teleshov (russian: Никола́й Дми́триевич Телешо́в) (November 10, 1867 - March 14, 1957) was a Russian/Soviet writer. Biography Teleshov was born in Moscow where his father was a merchant. His poems wer ...
, and united mostly the young realist writers, among whom were Gorky, Bunin, and
Leonid Andreyev Leonid Nikolaievich Andreyev (russian: Леони́д Никола́евич Андре́ев, – 12 September 1919) was a Russian playwright, novelist and short-story writer, who is considered to be a father of Expressionism in Russian litera ...
. In February 1902 Kuprin married Maria Karlovna Davydova, the adopted daughter of Alexandra Davydova, the editor of ''Mir Bozhy''. The latter died that same year. Maria Karlovna took over the publication; and soon Kuprin left ''Zhurnal Dlya Vsekh'', to head the fiction section of the magazine that his wife was now editing. In February 1903 the Gorky-founded Znanye (Knowledge) published the collection of eight tales by Kuprin, among them "The Enquiry" and ''Moloch''.
Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...
praised the collection for its vivid language; and critics were almost unanimous in their approbation, pointing to Kuprin's closeness in themes and technique to Chekhov and Gorky.
Angel Bogdanovich Angel Ivanovich Bogdanovich (russian: А́нгел Ива́нович Богдано́вич, October 14 .s. 2 1860, Haradok, Vitebsk Governorate, Russian Empire (modern Belarus) - April 6 .s. March 24 1907, Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire) was ...
of ''Mir Bozhy'' (who in 1897 had written unflatteringly of ''Moloch'') now praised Kuprin's compact style and his ability to convey a feeling of effervescent
joie de vivre ( , ; "joy of living") is a French phrase often used in English to express a cheerful enjoyment of life, an exultation of spirit. It "can be a joy of conversation, joy of eating, joy of anything one might do… And ''joie de vivre'' may be ...
. Gorky himself, writing to Teleshov in March 1903, ranked Kuprin a third Russian author, next to Chekhov and Andreyev. Despite his literary success, Kuprin's first years in Petersburg were stressful. His employment with the magazine left him little time for his own writing; and when his work did appear in ''Mir Bozhy'', rumor had it that he owed his success to his family connections. "Life is hard: scandal, gossip, envy, hatred ... I feel very lonely and sad," he confessed to one of his Kyiv friends in a letter. Kuprin wrote less between 1902 and 1905 than he had in the provinces; but, according to Luker, "if the quantity of his writing was reduced – some twenty tales in all – its quality was incomparably higher... More conscious now of the blatant contrasts prevalent in Russian society, he turned his attention to the plight of the 'little man' - thus following the best traditions of Russian literature." Among the noticeable stories were "At the Circus" (1902) praised by Chekhov and Tolstoy, "The Swamp" (1902), linked thematically with the Polesye cycle, and "The Jewess" (1904), demonstrating Kuprin's profound sympathy for this persecuted minority in Russian society at a time when
pogrom A pogrom () is a violent riot incited with the aim of massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe 19th- and 20th-century attacks on Jews in the Russia ...
s were regular occurrences in the Russian South West. Other themes of Kuprin's prose of this period include hypocrisy ("A Quiet Life", 1904; "Good Company", 1905), bigotry ("Measles", 1904), and the degeneration of the idle class ("The High Priest", 1905).


''The Duel'' (1905)

In 1904 Kuprin started working on '' The Duel''. This novel, conceived in his second year in the army, and commenting on the "horror and tedium of army life," was published on 3 May 1905. The creation of this novel was a cathartic experience for Kuprin. "I must free myself from the heavy burden of impressions accumulated by my years of military service. I will call this novel The Duel, because it will be my duel ... with the tsarist army. The army cripples the soul, destroys all a man's finest impulses, and debases human dignity... I have to write about all I have known and seen. And with my novel I shall challenge the tsarist army to a duel," he informed his wife in a letter.Koretskaya, I.V., Collected works, Vol. 4, pp. 478–495 ''The Duel'' became the literary sensation of the year in Russia. In 1905 some 45.5 thousand copies were sold, a vast number for the early 1900s. The controversy this novel caused continued until 1917. Critics on the left welcomed ''The Duel'' as "another nail in the coffin of autocracy," while their conservative counterparts condemned it as a "perfidious assault on the ruling order." One officer even challenged Kuprin to a duel through a Petersburg paper, while a group of twenty officers sent Kuprin a letter in 1905, expressing their gratitude. ''The Duel'', according to Luker, marked "the summit of Kuprin's career... assuring him immortality in the annals of Russian literature." The first edition in English, translated by W.F. Harvey, was published in London in 1907.


1905 Revolution & Aftermath: 1905–1913

After the
1905 Revolution The Russian Revolution of 1905,. also known as the First Russian Revolution,. occurred on 22 January 1905, and was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. The mass unrest was directed again ...
Kuprin became openly critical of the regime. He established links with sailors of the
Black Sea Fleet Chernomorskiy flot , image = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet , dates = May 13, ...
in
Sevastopol Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...
, and even attempted to enlist on the battleship Potyomkin, which mutinied in June 1905. Regarded as politically unreliable, he was put under secret police surveillance. In "Events in Sevastopol" he described the destruction of the cruiser ''Ochakov'', which Kuprin witnessed in
Balaklava Balaklava ( uk, Балаклáва, russian: Балаклáва, crh, Balıqlava, ) is a settlement on the Crimean Peninsula and part of the city of Sevastopol. It is an administrative center of Balaklava Raion that used to be part of the Crim ...
. His later tale "The Caterpillar" (1918) reveals that he helped to rescue several sailors who escaped from the blazing cruiser. The Black Sea Fleet commander, Admiral Grigory Chukhnin, generally seen as responsible for the tragedy, ordered Kuprin to leave Sevastopol within 48 hours, and instituted legal proceedings for
defamation Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...
. In June 1906 Chukhnin was assassinated; but the case was not closed; and two years later in Zhitomir Kuprin was sentenced to a fine and ten days' house arrest. Among his better known stories of the mid-1900s were "Dreams", "The Toast", "Art", and "The Murderer", the latter taking up the issue of violence that swept over Russia at the time. " Junior Captain Rybnikov" (1906), which told the tale of a Japanese spy posing as a Russian officer, was praised by Gorky. Much discussed were "An Insult" (1906) - and "Gambrinus" (1907), an emotional summation of many motifs of his writing after 1905, echoing the declamatory tone of "Events in Sevastopol", according to Luker. From 1905 onwards, Kuprin again became engaged in numerous non-literary fields. He put himself forward as an elector to the first
State Duma The State Duma (russian: Госуда́рственная ду́ма, r=Gosudárstvennaja dúma), commonly abbreviated in Russian as Gosduma ( rus, Госду́ма), is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, while the upper house ...
for the city of Petersburg. In 1909–1910 he made an air balloon flight with a renowned sportsman, Sergey Utochkin, then ventured into the
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...
depths as a diver, and accompanied the airman Ivan Zaikin in his airplane trips. In 1907 he divorced his first wife - and married Yelizaveta Geinrikh (1882–1943), who in 1908 gave birth to their daughter Ksenia.Koretskaya, I.V., Collected works, Vol. 5, pp. 401–418In 1908 Kuprin's relationship with Gorky deteriorated, and he quit Znanye. The same year saw the publication of "Seasickness", a short story telling of the rape of a Social Democrat heroine - and showing her revolutionary husband in an unfavorable light, which Gorky regarded as a deliberate slur on the Russian Socialists. Among Kuprin's other works of the period are "Emerald" (1907), the most famous of his animal stories, "Sulamith" (1908), an ode to 'eternal love', closely based on The Song of Songs, the autobiographical "Lenochka" (1910), and '' The Garnet Bracelet'' (1911), his famous 'doomed romanticism' novella, where hopeless love finds its quietly tragic apotheosis. ''The Lestrigons'' (1907–11), a set of sketches on the fishermen of Balaklava, provided a lyrical paean to the simple life and an epic glorification of the virtues of its simple folk. In October 1909 Kuprin and Bunin were jointly awarded the
Pushkin Prize The Pushkin Prize (russian: Пушкинская премия) was established in 1881 by the Russian Academy of Sciences to honor one of the greatest Russian poets Alexander Pushkin (1799–1837). The prize was awarded to the Russian who achieve ...
.


''The Pit'' (1909)

In 1908 Kuprin started working on '' The Pit'', his most ambitious and controversial work. The first part of this novelistic study of prostitution appeared in 1909, the second in 1914, and the third in 1915.Rothstein, E., Collected works, Vol. 6, pp. 450–469 Part I, as it came out, provoked widespread controversy; parts II and III were met with almost universal indifference. Kuprin, who could not decide, apparently, whether his novel should be a documentary or fiction, either oscillated between the two or attempted to combine them in an artificial way. "He is more successful when in documentary vein, and so Part I, with its details of life in the brothel, is by far the best," argues Luker. The novel was criticized by some Russian critics and authors (Leo Tolstoy among them) for excessive naturalism; among those who admired it was the young
Nina Berberova Nina Nikolayevna Berberova (russian: Ни́на Никола́евна Бербе́рова) (St Petersburg, 26 July 1901 – Philadelphia, 26 September 1993) was a Russian writer who chronicled the lives of anti-communist Russian refugees in ...
. ''The Pit'' was Kuprin's last major work, and to many it signaled the decline of his creativity. His best-known 1912–1914 stories are "Black Lightning" and "Anathema", while his visit to the South of France between April and July 1912 gave rise to "The Cote d'Azur", the twenty sketches forming a cycle of travel impressions. In 1911 he moved his family to
Gatchina The town of Gatchina ( rus, Га́тчина, , ˈɡatːɕɪnə, links=y) serves as the administrative center of the Gatchinsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies south-south-west of St. Petersburg, along the E95 highway which ...
, near Saint Petersburg. As
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
broke out, Kuprin opened a military hospital in his Gatchina home, then visited towns on the Western front. Towards the end of 1914 he appealed through the press for money for the wounded, and in December rejected the idea of celebrating the 25th anniversary of his literary career. As a reserve officer he was called up in November 1914, and commanded an infantry company in Finland till May 1915, when he was discharged on grounds of ill health. That was the reason why he could not become a war correspondent, a career he aspired to during the
Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...
of 1904–1905. Among his few stories that reflected the war, most notable were his satires ("Goga Veselov", "The Cantaloups", "Daddy", "Grunya"), taking a swipe at the cynics who were making fortunes upon the nation's grievances. The
February Revolution The February Revolution ( rus, Февра́льская револю́ция, r=Fevral'skaya revolyutsiya, p=fʲɪvˈralʲskəjə rʲɪvɐˈlʲutsɨjə), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and somet ...
found Kuprin in
Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
, where he had gone on medical advice. Returning to Gatchina, he expressed his enthusiasm at the collapse of
tsarism Tsarist autocracy (russian: царское самодержавие, transcr. ''tsarskoye samoderzhaviye''), also called Tsarism, was a form of autocracy (later absolute monarchy) specific to the Grand Duchy of Moscow and its successor states th ...
in a series of articles, and in May started editing 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 ...
's newspaper ''Svobodnaia Rossiya'' (Free Russia), contributing also to ''Volnost'' (Freedom) and ''Petrogradskii Listok'' (The Petrograd Leaflet). While welcoming the freedom brought by the February Revolution, he foresaw the excesses that further upheaval might bring, and warned against Russia's plunging into an orgy of bloodshed. The
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 ...
did little to clarify Kuprin's political position. In the articles he contributed to various papers till mid-1918 – ''Petrogradskoe Ekho'' (Petrograd Echo), ''Vecherneye Slovo'' (Evening Word), and ''Zaria'' (Dawn) among them – his attitude to the new regime remained ambivalent. He recognized the historical significance of the Bolshevik Revolution, and admired
Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 19 ...
as "an honest and courageous man," stating that "Bolshevism constitutes a great, pure, disinterested doctrine, that is inevitable for mankind." Still, while working for a brief time with
Maxim Gorky Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (russian: link=no, Алексе́й Макси́мович Пешко́в;  – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (russian: Макси́м Го́рький, link=no), was a Russian writer and social ...
at the
World Literature World literature is used to refer to the total of the world's national literature and the circulation of works into the wider world beyond their country of origin. In the past, it primarily referred to the masterpieces of Western European lit ...
publishing company, he criticized
prodrazverstka ''Prodrazvyorstka'', also transliterated ''Prodrazverstka'' ( rus, продразвёрстка, p=prədrɐˈzvʲɵrstkə, short for , ) was a policy and campaign of confiscation of grain and other agricultural products from peasants at nominal ...
and the policy of
War Communism War communism or military communism (russian: Военный коммунизм, ''Voyennyy kommunizm'') was the economic and political system that existed in Soviet Russia during the Russian Civil War from 1918 to 1921. According to Soviet histo ...
, arguing that the Bolsheviks threatened Russian culture, and that their insufficient knowledge of the country had brought suffering to peasants. In June 1918 Kuprin was arrested for a short time for an article in the paper ''Molva'' (Rumor) critical of the regime. One of his 1918 stories ("The Caterpillar") praised the heroism of women revolutionaries, another ("The Ghost of Gatchina") was an anti-Bolshevik tale of the tyranny of Russia's new masters. At the end of 1918 Kuprin drew up elaborate plans for ''Zemlia'' (Land), a paper designed especially for the peasantry. His proposed program involved assisting the government in the radical transformation of rural life, along lines not conflicting with the principles of communism. Supported by Gorky and approved by
Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 19 ...
, who met Kuprin on 25 December 1918, the project remained unrealized.Vyacheslavov, P., Rothstein, E., Mikhaylov, O., Collected works, Vol. 7, pp. 392–417


Years in emigration

On 16 October 1919 Gatchina was taken by the
White Army The White Army (russian: Белая армия, Belaya armiya) or White Guard (russian: Бѣлая гвардія/Белая гвардия, Belaya gvardiya, label=none), also referred to as the Whites or White Guardsmen (russian: Бѣлогв ...
, led by General
Nikolai Yudenich Nikolai Nikolayevich Yudenich ( – 5 October 1933) was a commander of the Russian Imperial Army during World War I. He was a leader of the anti-communist White movement in Northwestern Russia during the Civil War. Biography Early life Yuden ...
. For a fortnight Kuprin was editing ''Prinevsky Krai'' (Neva Country), a paper published by Yudenich's army headquarters. In October, as the Whites retreated westward, Kuprin traveled with them to
Yamburg Kingisepp (russian: Ки́нгисепп or ), formerly Yamburg (), Yam (), and Yama (; Votic: ), is an ancient town and the administrative center of Kingiseppsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located along the Luga River southwest o ...
, where he joined his wife and daughter. Via
Narva Narva, russian: Нарва is a municipality and city in Estonia. It is located in Ida-Viru County, Ida-Viru county, at the Extreme points of Estonia, eastern extreme point of Estonia, on the west bank of the Narva (river), Narva river which ...
the family reached Revel in Estonia, and in December left for Finland. After half a year in Helsinki, they sailed for France, arriving in Paris in early July 1920. The next seventeen years in Paris saw the decline of Kuprin's creativity and his succumbing to
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 ...
. Grieved at his separation from Russia, he became lonely and withdrawn. The family's poverty made the situation worse. "I am left naked ... and destitute as a homeless old dog," Kuprin wrote to Ivan Zaikin, an old friend. All this combined to hinder his writing.Rothstein, E., Mikhaylov, O., Vyacheslavov, P., Collected works, Vol. 8, pp. 426–438 "The more talented a man is, the harder is for him life without Russia," Kuprin told a reporter in 1925. Kuprin's nostalgia explains the retrospective quality of his work after he had emigrated. He returned to familiar themes from his earlier writing - and dwelled on personal experiences, linking him with the homeland he had lost. His visit to southwest France in 1925 inspired "Crimson Blood" (1926), a colorful account of a bullfight in
Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine re ...
, followed in 1927 by "The Blessed South", four sketches on
Gascony Gascony (; french: Gascogne ; oc, Gasconha ; eu, Gaskoinia) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part o ...
and the Hautes Pyrenees. Then came the predominantly urban sketches made in
Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
, the result of Kuprin's visit to
Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
in 1928, to attend a conference of Russian writers who had also emigrated. The three major works of Kuprin's Parisian years were ''The Wheel of Time'' (13 sketches styled as a novel, 1929), the autobiographical ''The Junkers'' (1932), and the romantic "Jeannette" (1933), describing an elderly professor's affection for a little girl in his neighborhood.


Return to Russia and death

By 1930 Kuprin's family was in poverty and debt. His literary fees were meager; heavy drinking dogged his Parisian years; after 1932 his sight began to deteriorate; and his handwriting became impaired. His wife's attempts to establish a book-binding shop and a library for émigrés were financial disasters. A return to the Soviet Union offered the only solution to Kuprin's material and psychological difficulties. In late 1936 he finally decided to apply for a visa. On 29 May 1937, seen off only by their daughter, the Kuprins left the
Gare du Nord The Gare du Nord (; English: ''station of the North'' or ''Northern Station''), officially Paris-Nord, is one of the six large mainline railway station termini in Paris, France. The station accommodates the trains that run between the capital ...
for Moscow. On 31 May they were met there by representatives of writers' organizations, and installed in the Metropole Hotel. In early June they moved to a
dacha A dacha ( rus, дача, p=ˈdatɕə, a=ru-dacha.ogg) is a seasonal or year-round second home, often located in the exurbs of post-Soviet countries, including Russia. A cottage (, ') or shack serving as a family's main or only home, or an outbu ...
, owned by the
Soviet Union of Writers The Union of Soviet Writers, USSR Union of Writers, or Soviet Union of Writers (russian: Союз писателей СССР, translit=Soyuz Sovetstikh Pisatelei) was a creative union of professional writers in the Soviet Union. It was founded ...
, at Golitsyno, outside Moscow, where Kuprin received medical attention, and rested till the winter. In mid-December he and his wife moved to an apartment in Leningrad. The years in Paris had broken his health, and transformed him into an old man. The tragic change was noticed by the writer Nikolay Teleshov, his friend of the early 1900s. Visiting Kuprin shortly after his arrival, Teleshov found him confused, rambling, and pathetic. "He left Russia ... physically very robust and strong," he wrote later, "but returned an emaciated, ... feeble, weak-willed invalid. This was no longer Kuprin – that man of outstanding talent; it was something ... weak, sad, and visibly dying." Later Bunin insisted that Kuprin's role was purely passive: "He did not go to Russia – he was taken there, very ill, already in his second childhood," he wrote. Kuprin's return earned publication of his works within the Soviet Union, but he wrote practically nothing new after that. In June 1937, to mark the first anniversary of Gorky's death in June, ''
Izvestiya ''Izvestia'' ( rus, Известия, p=ɪzˈvʲesʲtʲɪjə, "The News") is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Russia. Founded in 1917, it was a newspaper of record in the Soviet Union until the Soviet Union's dissolution in 1991, and describes i ...
'' published Kuprin's "Fragments of Memoirs". In October the sketch "My Native Moscow" came out. Memoirs about Kuprin's last days, published in the Soviet Union, give us a picture of a man, happy with his return to his native country. On the other hand, in her account of Kuprin's last months, the writer Lydia Nord painted a picture of a disillusioned old man, who felt he was a stranger in his native country. In January 1938 Kuprin's health deteriorated. By July his condition was grave. Already suffering from a kidney disorder and sclerosis, he had now developed cancer of the
oesophagus The esophagus (American English) or oesophagus (British English; both ), non-technically known also as the food pipe or gullet, is an organ in vertebrates through which food passes, aided by peristaltic contractions, from the pharynx to the ...
. Surgery did little to help. Alexander Kuprin died on 25 August 1938, and was interred in
Volkovo Cemetery The Volkovo Cemetery (also Volkovskoe) (russian: Во́лковское кла́дбище or Во́лково кла́дбище) is one of the largest and oldest non-Orthodox cemeteries in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Until the early 20th century it ...
's Literaturskiye Mostki (Literary Bridge) in
Leningrad 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 ...
two days later.


Private life

In February 1902, Kuprin married Maria Karlovna Davydova (1881—1966), the adopted daughter of Alexandra Davydova, the widow of the
Saint Petersburg Conservatory The N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory (russian: Санкт-Петербургская государственная консерватория имени Н. А. Римского-Корсакова) (formerly known as th ...
's director who, after her husband's death in 1889, became editor of ''
Mir Bozhy ''Mir Bozhiy'' (God's World, Мир божий) was a Russian monthly magazine published in Saint Petersburg in 1892–1906. It was edited first by Viktor Ostrogorsky (1892-1901), then by Fyodor Batyushkov (1902-1906). In July 1906 ''Mir Bozhiy' ...
''. When she died in 1902, Maria Karlovna took over it and soon Kuprin became the head of the fiction section of his wife's journal. They had one daughter, Lidia (1903–1924). In the mid-1900s their relationships deteriorated, Kuprin's alcohol abuse being the major reason. On one occasion, outraged by his behavior in the company of drunkards and prostitutes whom he brought to their dacha, Maria Karlovna crashed a decanter over his head. Another incident when, during an ugly row, he tried to set her dress on fire, proved to be their last: in 1907 the couple divorced.А.И. Куприн
Biography at history-tema.com
Maria Davydova later married the Soviet diplomat Nikolai Iordansky; in 1966 her book of memoirs ''Years of Youth'' (Годы молодости, 1966) came out. Kurpin's second wife was Yelizaveta Geinrikh (1882–1942), a daughter of the Hungarian revolutionary Morits Rotoni-Geinrich, brought up by the family of
Dmitry Mamin-Sibiryak Dmitry Narkisovich Mamin-Sibiryak (russian: Дми́трий Нарки́сович Ма́мин-Сибиря́к) (October 25, 1852 – November 2, 1912) was a Russian author most famous for his novels and short stories about life in the Ur ...
, her sister
Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...
's husband. In the early 1900s she was a sister of mercy, later Lidia's governess and Alexandra Davydova's good friend. In 1907 the couple married and settled in Gatchina. In 1908 their daughter Ksenia was born. Their second daughter Zinaida was born in 1909 and died of pneumonia in 1912. After the Kuprins' return to Russia Yelizaveta Kuprina-Geinrikh devoted herself to compiling and publishing her husband's literary legacy. She committed suicide in 1942, during the
Siege of Leningrad The siege of Leningrad (russian: links=no, translit=Blokada Leningrada, Блокада Ленинграда; german: links=no, Leningrader Blockade; ) was a prolonged military blockade undertaken by the Axis powers against the Soviet city of L ...
.
Ksenia Kuprina Ksenia Alexandrovna Kuprina (russian: Ксе́ния Алекса́ндровна Куприна́, 21 April 1908 – 8 December 1981) was a French model and actress of Russian and Hungarian origins. A daughter of the Russian writer Alexander Kupr ...
(1908–1981) in the late 1920s became a
Paul Poiret Paul Poiret (20 April 1879 – 30 April 1944, Paris, France) was a French fashion designer, a master couturier during the first two decades of the 20th century. He was the founder of his namesake haute couture house. Early life and care ...
model and then actress who, as Kissa Kuprine, appeared in 11 films, starting with ''Le Diable au cœur'' (1927) by
Marcel L'Herbier Marcel L'Herbier (; 23 April 1888 – 26 November 1979) was a French filmmaker who achieved prominence as an avant-garde theorist and imaginative practitioner with a series of silent films in the 1920s. His career as a director continued unti ...
. After her return to the USSR in 1958, she worked as stage actress, translator, author and scriptwriter. Her book of memoirs ''My Father Kuprin'' (Мой отец – Куприн) came out in 1978.


Legacy

According to Nicholas Luker:
Kuprin's position in the history of Russian literature is highly significant, if not unique. Born into an age overshadowed by the great Russian novel, which had reached its zenith in the 1860s. he turned to the short story as the genre suited both to his own restless temperament and to the manifold preoccupations of his generation... With his contemporaries Chekhov, Gorky, and Bunin. he brought the genre of the short story to an efflorescence without parallel in Russian letters. What he conceded in restraint to Chekhov, conviction to Gorky, and subtlety to Bunin, Kuprin made up for in narrative pace, construction of plot, and richness of theme. These latter qualities, coupled with his abiding interest in the human soul, make him still very readable today.
Made famous by his novel '' The Duel'' (1905), Kuprin was highly praised by fellow writers including
Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...
,
Maxim Gorky Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (russian: link=no, Алексе́й Макси́мович Пешко́в;  – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (russian: Макси́м Го́рький, link=no), was a Russian writer and social ...
,
Leonid Andreyev Leonid Nikolaievich Andreyev (russian: Леони́д Никола́евич Андре́ев, – 12 September 1919) was a Russian playwright, novelist and short-story writer, who is considered to be a father of Expressionism in Russian litera ...
, Nobel Prize-winning
Ivan Bunin Ivan Alekseyevich Bunin ( or ; rus, Ива́н Алексе́евич Бу́нин, p=ɪˈvan ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ ˈbunʲɪn, a=Ivan Alyeksyeyevich Bunin.ru.vorb.oga;  – 8 November 1953) was the first Russian writer awarded the ...
and
Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...
who acclaimed him a true successor to Chekhov. Although he lived in an age when writers were carried away by literary experiments, Kuprin did not seek innovation and wrote only about the things he himself had experienced and his heroes are the next generation after Chekhov's pessimists.
Vladimir Nabokov Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov (russian: link=no, Владимир Владимирович Набоков ; 2 July 1977), also known by the pen name Vladimir Sirin (), was a Russian-American novelist, poet, translator, and entomologist. Bo ...
styled him "the Russian
Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much o ...
" for his stories about pathetic adventure-seekers, who are often "neurotic and vulnerable." All through the 20th century Alexander Kuprin remained "one of the widest read classics in Russian literature," with many films based on his works, partly due to "his vivid stories of the lives of ordinary people and unhappy love, his descriptions of the military and brothels, making him a writer for all times and places."''THE MOSCOW WINDOWS'HOME''. Sergei Sossinsky.
Moscow News ''The Moscow News'', which began publication in 1930, was Russia's oldest English-language newspaper. Many of its feature articles used to be translated from the Russian language ''Moskovskiye Novosti.'' History Soviet Union In 1930 ''The Mo ...
(Russia). HISTORY; No. 6. 17 February 1999.
A
minor planet According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), a minor planet is an astronomical object in direct orbit around the Sun that is exclusively classified as neither a planet nor a comet. Before 2006, the IAU officially used the term ''minor ...
3618 Kuprin, discovered by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh in 1979, is named after him.


Selected works


Novels

* ''The Duel'' (Поединок, 1905; translated as The Duel in 1916) * '' The Pit'' (Яма, 1909–1915) * ''The Wheel of Time'' (Колесо времени, 1929) * ''Junkers'' (Юнкера, written 1928–1932, published 1933), autobiographical novel


Novellas

* '' In the Dark'' (Впотьмах, 1893) * ''
Moloch Moloch (; ''Mōleḵ'' or הַמֹּלֶךְ‎ ''hamMōleḵ''; grc, Μόλοχ, la, Moloch; also Molech or Molek) is a name or a term which appears in the Hebrew Bible several times, primarily in the book of Leviticus. The Bible strongly co ...
'' (Молох, 1896) * '' Olesya'' (Олеся, 1898) * ''Sulamith: A Romance of Antiquity'' (Суламифь, 1908) * '' The Garnet Bracelet'' (Гранатовый браслет, 1911)


Short stories and sketches

* " The Last Debut" (Последний дебют, 1889) * "Psyche" (Психея, 1892; translated as "Psyche" in 1929) * " On a Moonlit Night" (Лунной ночью, 1893) * "
The Inquiry The Inquiry was a study group established in September 1917 by Woodrow Wilson to prepare materials for the peace negotiations following World War I. The group, composed of around 150 academics, was directed by the presidential adviser Edward Hou ...
" (Дознание, 1894) * ''The Kiev Types'' (Киевские типы, 1896, a collection of sketches) * ''Miniatures'' (Миниатюры, 1897, short story collection) * "At the Circus" (В цирке, 1902) * "The Horse Thieves" (Конокрады, 1903) * " Captain Ribnikov" (Штабс-капитан Рыбников, 1906) * "The River of Life" (Река жизни, 1906) * "The Outrage - A True Story" (unknown)


References


Cited sources

* *


External links


Kuprin
dedicated website


Aleksandr Kuprin's IMDb.com page

Biography
at The Literature Network * * (plain text and HTML) * *
Grave of Kuprin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuprin, Aleksandr 1870 births 1938 deaths People from Penza Oblast Pushkin Prize winners Deaths from cancer in the Soviet Union Deaths from esophageal cancer Poets from the Russian Empire 19th-century poets White Russian emigrants to Finland White Russian emigrants to France Military personnel of the Russian Empire Short story writers from the Russian Empire Novelists from the Russian Empire French emigrants to the Soviet Union