Konstantin Balmont: biography of the poet of the Silver Age

Konstantin Dmitrievich Balmont (15.06.1867, Gumnischi, Vladimir Province - December 23, 1942, Noisy-le-Grand, France) is a Russian poet.

Konstantin Balmont: Biography

By origin the future poet was a nobleman. Although his great-grandfather bore the surname Balamut. Later the name was changed to a foreign language. Balmont's father was the chairman of the zemstvo council. Konstantin received training in the Shuya grammar school, however, was expelled from it, since he visited an illegal circle. A short biography of Balmont tells that he created his first works at the age of 9 years.

In 1886, Balmont began his studies at the Faculty of Law of Moscow University. A year later, because of his participation in student riots, he was expelled before 1888. Soon he left the university of his own accord, enrolled in the Demidov legal lyceum, from which he was also expelled. It was then that the first poetic collection that Balmont wrote was printed.

The biography of the poet tells that at the same time, because of constant quarrels with his first wife, he tried to commit suicide. Attempted suicide ended for him with a broken leg and lifelong lameness.

Among the first books of K. Balmont is worth mentioning the collections "Burning buildings" and "In vastness." The poet's relationship with the authorities was tense. So, in 1901, for the verse "Little Sultan", he was deprived of the right of residence in university and metropolitan cities for 2 years. K. Balmont, whose biography has been studied in some detail, leaves for the Volkonsky estate (now the Belgorod region), where he works on the poetic collection "Let's be like the sun". In 1902 he moved to Paris.

In the early 1900's, Balmont created many romantic poems. So, in 1903, the collection "Only love. Seven-flowered ", in 1905 -" Liturgy of Beauty ". These collections bring Balmont fame. The poet himself is traveling at this time. So, by 1905, he had visited Italy, Mexico, England and Spain.

When Russia begins political unrest, Balmont returns to his homeland. He cooperates with the social-democratic edition "New Life" and with the magazine "Red Flag". But at the end of 1905 Balmont, whose biography is rich in travels, again comes to Paris. In subsequent years he continues to travel a lot.

When in 1913 the political emigrants were granted an amnesty, K. Balmont returned to Russia. The poet welcomes the February Revolution, but opposes the October Revolution. In this regard, in 1920, he again leaves Russia, settling in France.

While living in exile, Balmont, whose biography is inextricably linked with his homeland, worked actively in Russian periodicals published in Germany, Estonia, Bulgaria, Latvia, Poland and Czechoslovakia. In 1924 he published a book of memoirs entitled "Where is my house?", Wrote essays on the revolution in Russia "The White Dream" and "The Torch in the Night." In the 20-th Balmont publishes such collections of poems as "Gift of the Earth", "Marevo", "Bright Hour", "Song of the Worker's Hammer", "In the Extended Distance". In 1930, K. Balmont completed the translation of the ancient Russian work The Lay of Igor's Host. The last collection of his poems was published in 1937 under the name "Litigation".

At the end of his life the poet suffered from mental illness. K. Balmont died in a shelter, known as the "Russian House", located near Paris.