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 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 take place. The name of the country is never mentioned by the author himself, and the name Grinlandia was sugges ...

). 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 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 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 and sentenced to four years of exile in a remote area of Tobolsk Governorate. 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. 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 and enjoyed significant popularity in the first half of the 1920s. In 1921 he married . In 1924 they moved to Feodosiya to live near the sea. In his late days, Grin's romantic visions contrasted starkly with mainstream Soviet literature; publishers in Moscow and Leningrad refused to consider his romantic writings, and Grin and his wife lived in extreme poverty. Grin suffered from alcoholism and tuberculosis, 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. In his book '' Sculpting in Time'', 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 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'' (''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 ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

'' (''Дорога никуда'', 1930)

Books

* ''Selected Short Stories''. Translated by Nicholas Luker. Ann Arbor, Mich.: Ardis Publishers, 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 * '' Scarlet Sails'' (1961), directed by Alexandr Ptushko * ''

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 * ''

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

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