Marfa Semyonovna Kryukova (russian: Марфа Семёновна Крюкова, born 1876,
Verkhnyaya Zolotitsa,
Arkhangelsky Uyezd Arkhangelsky Uyezd (''Архангельский уезд'') was one of the subdivisions of the Arkhangelsk Governorate of the Russian Empire. It was situated in the central part of the governorate. Its administrative centre was Arkhangelsk.
Demogr ...
,
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. ...
(currently
Primorsky District, Arkhangelsk Oblast
Primorsky District (russian: Примо́рский райо́н) is an administrative district (raion), one of the twenty-one in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia.Law #65-5-OZ As a municipal division, it is incorporated as Primorsky Municipal Distric ...
), Russia — 7 January 1954, Verkhnyaya Zolotitsa) was a Russian
folklore
Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...
performer and a
storyteller.
Early life
![Marfa and Pavla Kryukovs](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Marfa_and_Pavla_Kryukovs.jpg)
Marfa Kryukova was born in the
Pomor
Pomors or Pomory ( rus, помо́ры, p=pɐˈmorɨ, ''seasiders'') are an ethnographic group descended from Russian settlers, primarily from Veliky Novgorod, living on the White Sea coasts and the territory whose southern border lies on a wa ...
village of Verkhnyaya Zolotitsa on the
White Sea
The White Sea (russian: Белое море, ''Béloye móre''; Karelian and fi, Vienanmeri, lit. Dvina Sea; yrk, Сэрако ямʼ, ''Serako yam'') is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is su ...
north-east of
Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk (, ; rus, Арха́нгельск, p=ɐrˈxanɡʲɪlʲsk), also known in English as Archangel and Archangelsk, is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies o ...
. Her mother,
Agrafena Kryukova
Agrafena Matveyevna Kryukova (russian: Аграфена Матвеевна Крюкова, , 1855, Chavanga, Kolsky Uyezd, Arkhangelsk Governorate, currently Murmansk Oblast, Russia — April 27, 1921, Verkhnyaya Zolotitsa, Arkhangelsky Uye ...
, was known as a storyteller and a folklore performer. Kryukova never married; her lifelong interest in literature was apparently an obstacle to potential suitors.
She lived most of her life in poverty.
In 1899, as Russian interest in northern folklore was at its peak,
Alexey Markov
Alexei Mikhailovich Markov (; born 26 May 1979 in Moscow) is a Russian former professional track and road bicycle racer.
Major results Track
;1996
: 2nd Team pursuit, Summer Olympics
;1997
: UCI World Cup
::1st Individual pursuit, Cali
...
, then a student, visited Verkhnyaya Zolotitsa and recorded a number of tales and from Agrafena and Marfa Kryukova, which he subsequently published. After the initial publication of her work by Markov, interest in her stories declined.
Soviet era
In 1934,
Vladislav Chuzhimov, a folklore collector, visited Verkhnyaya Zolotitsa. By that time, Agrafena Kryukova had already died, so Chuzimov worked with Marfa Kryukova. That same year, Chuzimov published two of the Kryukovas' tales.
Anna Astakhova
Anna Mikhaylovna Astakhova (russian: Анна Михайловна Астахова, – 30 April 1971) was a Soviet scholar notable for her studies of the folklore (primarily bylinas) of the Russian North.
Astakhova was born in Kronstadt, close ...
, a folklorist and organizer of many folklore-collecting expeditions to Arkhangelsk Oblast, wrote an essay on the tales. In her essay, she noted the rich and fine details of the stories and the quality of improvisation that they employed. In 1937, Astakhova herself visited Nizhnaya Zolotitsa and collected a number of from Kryukova. In the same year, folklore collectors Borodina and Lipets started to work with Kryukova, and in 1939 they published a two-volume edition of narrated by Kryukova.
In total, Kryukova recorded about 150 , which include most traditional folktales.
The Soviet authorities wanted to establish a new genre of folklore to conform to the ideological paradigms of the time. As part of this effort, Kryukova was invited in 1937 to perform in
Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk (, ; rus, Арха́нгельск, p=ɐrˈxanɡʲɪlʲsk), also known in English as Archangel and Archangelsk, is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies o ...
and
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
; she was also assigned a literary agent,
Viktorin Popov. This trip was Kryukova's first occasion to leave her home village. Popov persuaded Kryukova to write a poem about
Vladimir 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 ...
and provided the necessary biographical details.
The works she developed were given a new name, , to distinguish them from the traditional . This new form, rather than being based on folklore, was to be written on a topic related to the modern history of the Soviet Union.
Until her death in 1954, Kryukova recorded many , and consequently earned high regard from Soviet officials and in Soviet culture. She was invited to travel across the country, and her books were widely publicized. In recognition of her contributions, Arkhangelsk authorities built a house for her in her native village.
Kryukova was accepted into the
Union of Soviet 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 ...
. She was awarded the
Order of Lenin
The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration b ...
and the
Order of the Red Banner of Labour
The Order of the Red Banner of Labour (russian: Орден Трудового Красного Знамени, translit=Orden Trudovogo Krasnogo Znameni) was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to th ...
.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kryukova, Marfa
1876 births
1954 deaths
People from Arkhangelsky Uyezd
Recipients of the Order of Lenin
Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour
Storytellers from the Russian Empire
Soviet storytellers
Women storytellers