Aleksey Chapygin | |
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Born | October 17, 1870 Olonets region, Russia |
Died | October 21, 1937 Leningrad, USSR |
(aged 67)
Aleksey Pavlovich Chapygin (Russian: Алексе́й Па́влович Чапы́гин; 17 October [O.S. 5 October] 1870 - 21 October 1937) was a Russian writer, and one of the founders of the Soviet historical novel.[1]
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Chapygin was born in the Olonets region. His northern peasant origins are reflected in his works.[1] His first book of stories, Those Who Keep Aloof, and his novel The White Hermitage, describing northern life, were published before the Russian Revolution of 1917.[2] He is best known for his two novels about peasant uprisings in the 17th century, Itinerant Folk (1934–37) and Stepan Razin (1926–27). Stepan Razin is considered a classic of Soviet literature.[1]
Chapygin drew upon Russian folklore for both the style of Stepan Razin and for the positve and romanticized portrait of Razin himself. The Soviets excused this modernization of history as a justifiable polemic against the negative portrayal of Razin in 19th century Russian literature.[1] Stepan Razin was published in the magazine Red Virgin Soil.[3]