Fyodor Mikhaylovich Reshetnikov (russian: Фёдор Миха́йлович Реше́тников; – ) was a Russian author. In his short 29 ½ years, he published to critical acclaim a number of novels dealing with the plight of the lower classes.

Early life

Reshetnikov was born in

Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburg ( ; rus, Екатеринбург, p=jɪkətʲɪrʲɪnˈburk), alternatively romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( rus, Свердло́вск, , svʲɪrˈdlofsk, 1924–1991), is a city and the administra ...

. His father was a post office clerk, his mother died one year after his birth. After his mother's death, Reshetnikov was brought up in

Perm Perm or PERM may refer to: Places *Perm, Russia, a city in Russia ** Permsky District, the district **Perm Krai, a federal subject of Russia since 2005 **Perm Oblast, a former federal subject of Russia 1938–2005 **Perm Governorate, an administra ...

by his uncle, also a postal employee. At age fourteen he was prosecuted for stealing mail. After a lengthy trial, he was convicted and sentenced to a three-month term at a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

. After eventually graduating, Reshetnikov served as a clerk in Yekaterinburg and Perm.

Literary career

Reshetnikov began experimenting with writing in 1860 at age 19. Around that time he started his lifelong research into the condition of the lower classes. Of particular interest to Reshetnikov were the lowly ''

burlak A burlak ( rus, бурла́к, p=bʊrˈlak) was a towpath puller in Russian Empire. Overview The exact origin of the word is unknown. Different versions include old middle-German ''bûrlach'' (working team with fixed rules, artel), or Tatar ''b ...

i'', who became the subjects of the author's first major work, the "ethnographic essay" ''Podlipovtsy'', a withering indictment of their deplorable condition. In 1863 Reshetnikov moved to

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 earned a meager existence by publishing essays in a newspaper, then becoming a clerk in the Ministry of Finance. Shortly after arriving he was introduced to

Nikolay Nekrasov Nikolay Alexeyevich Nekrasov ( rus, Никола́й Алексе́евич Некра́сов, p=nʲɪkɐˈlaj ɐlʲɪkˈsʲejɪvʲɪtɕ nʲɪˈkrasəf, a=Ru-Nikolay_Alexeyevich_Nekrasov.ogg, – ) was a Russian poet, writer, critic and publi ...

, who agreed to publish ''Podlipovtsy'' in his authoritative literary journal

Sovremennik ''Sovremennik'' ( rus, «Современник», p=səvrʲɪˈmʲenʲːɪk, a=Ru-современник.ogg, "The Contemporary") was a Russian literary, social and political magazine, published in Saint Petersburg in 1836–1866. It came out f ...

(1864). During the balance of the 1860s, Reshetnikov undertook investigative trips to the

Ural Mountains The Ural Mountains ( ; rus, Ура́льские го́ры, r=Uralskiye gory, p=ʊˈralʲskʲɪjə ˈɡorɨ; ba, Урал тауҙары) or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western ...

region of his birth, and wrote numerous essays and novels exposing and critiquing the plight of the laborer and peasant classes. Fyodor Mikhailovich Reshetnikov

Personal life

Reshetnikov married S. S. Kargopolova in 1865; they had two children. Closer to the end of his life Reshetnikov became depressed due to the difficulty of raising a family on a writer's income. He also battled with

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 ...

. Reshetnikov died in Saint Petersburg in 1871 and was buried in that city's

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 ...

. The cause of death was

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

English Translations

*''The Podlipnayans'', (Novel), University of South Carolina Press, 1973.

Sources

Reshetnikov's bibliography, full text of many of his works, several full-text biographical sketches

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reshetnikov, Fyodor Mikhaylovich 1841 births 1871 deaths Writers from Yekaterinburg People from Yekaterinburgsky Uyezd Russian male novelists Russian male essayists 19th-century novelists from the Russian Empire 19th-century male writers from the Russian Empire 19th-century essayists Deaths from pneumonia in Russia