Mikhail Shishkin: biography, reviews, criticism

Writer Mikhail Shishkin: a brief biography, the main works, the attitude to the creativity and lifestyle of the writer on the part of critics. Prizes and awards received by the writer. Reviews about his work.

Mikhail Shishkin: Biography

To say that Mikhail Shishkin appeared in the family would be wrong, because he did not have a family before birth. The mother of the future writer is a schoolteacher of Ukrainian origin. Supporting rebellious mood in the school, she fell into the story, the only way out of which was leaving for maternity leave and the birth of a child. So on January 18, 1961, Michael appeared, but this fact never returned to his father's family, who served in the navy as a submariner.

Difficulty at a young age

Mother brought up the boy alone, and Michael had to go to work quite early. Young Shishkin had to work as a janitor and asphalt paver. At the same time, the young man did not leave a dream of entering the institute. In 1982, Mikhail graduated from the Roman-German faculty of the Moscow State Pedagogical University.

Rise and fall

Work in the popular in those days magazine "Rovesnik" was associated with the need for everything to agree with the policy of the government. But the negative attitude to the power of the Soviets developed in Mikhail's still in school times. In the 80's personal opinion was not welcomed yet. As a result, a good journalist Shishkin found himself at a school where he worked as a teacher of English and German. It was impossible to call such a change of career a career, rather the reverse.

Wives and children

The first wife of the writer is Irina, Russian. She has a son from Michael. The second, Franceska Stöcklin, is from Switzerland. At the time of her acquaintance with Shishkin she was engaged in Slavic studies. In 1995, Michael and Francesca had a son, Constantine. From that time the writer began to reside permanently in Switzerland. There he not only wrote novels, but also gave lessons, did translations.

In 2011, the writer marries a third time. His wife was Evgenia Frolkova, with whom Mikhail also has children.

The best works

Shishkin wrote four novels: "Notes of Larionov", "Taking Ishmael", "Venerin hair", "The Letterman". All of them became famous and found their readers. In addition to novels, Shishkin wrote the story "The Blind Musician" and "St Mark's Campaign", as well as several short stories, among them "The Lesson of Calligraphy" and "The Saved Language."

Mikhail Shishkin writes an average of one novel in five years. After writing the novel "Venus of Hair" for four years, Michael did not write. The novel "The Letterman" was written for a year and left five years after the "Venus Hair".

Shishkin's works: what are they about?

It seems that the novel "Taking Ishmael" should tell how the famous fortress was taken. But the writer, intriguing the people with a title, describes the events of the past quite unexpectedly, not the way it is done in military historical works.

"Venus of Hair" tells about events that took place in different countries at different times. The main component of all the destinies described in the novel is love. It is happy and tragic, beyond eras and distances.

It would seem that everything has been told about the fate of the landlords long ago in the century before last, but no, Shishkin in his novel "Larionov's Notes" reveals the old theme in a new way. The fate of the landlord Larionov is described in such a way that it is impossible to not get interested in the first lines of this narrative.

First love, letters, mystery, connection of times. All this is Shishkin's new novel, The Letterman.

Criticism

All criticism at the moment is not fixated on the assessment of Shishkin's creativity, but on his refusal to go to the US for a book fair. The writer explained his act, as always, with disagreement with the policy of the government. But is it any wonder if this is what he "sinned" since childhood? Who knows what guided Mikhail Shishkin this time, is it really political considerations or an opportunity to attract more attention to his person in this way? I must say, the second it turned out, as well as possible.

If we talk in general about the work of the writer Shishkin, then the attitude of critics to him is ambiguous. Some people call him talented, others think that the reader needs too much to solve all the secrets, which are abundant in the writer's works. In spite of everything, books awarded with so many various awards and nominations can not be mediocre, each of them has found its reader.

Mikhail Shishkin: Feedback

Like the revelations of critics, readers' reviews of Shishkin's work - as two sides of the same coin. Some say that this is the best that they have read in their lives, the opinions of others are diametrically opposed.

Some readers write that the book "The Letterman" is terrible: you want to relax your soul for reading, and you have to experience all the difficulties of being, ups and downs together with the heroes. Intoxicated to intolerance are the monologues of the heroes, other readers who realized that this narrative is about love and the meaning of life. Such diverse opinions have developed among different people about the "Letter".

The book "Notes of Larionov" does not cause readers such a storm of passion. If you do not know who the author of this work is, you can assume that the book is written by the contemporary of the main character, so the language of the narrative in it is consonant with that era.

The same diverse opinions among readers and about the novel "Taking Ishmael". Some feel sorry for the author for what he had to experience far from his homeland, others call this work a reduction of accounts. There are also those who believe that they did not read anything better in their life.

Awards, prizes and nominations

Mikhail Shishkin is a writer whose work does not remain unnoticed by the reading public. All his novels are awarded with any awards. In 2011, the writer received the "Big Book" award for his novel "The Letterman". In the same year Shishkin Mikhail Pavlovich became a laureate of the International Literary Prize of the Berlin House of Culture of the Peoples of the World for the novel "The Venus of Hair". 2010 - the portal "Imhonet" gives Shishkin the first prize in the category "Favorite writer". The same year - the Order of the magazine "Banner". In 2006, the writer becomes the winner of the "Big Book" award, and in 2005 - the "National best seller" for the novel "Venerin hair". For "Taking Ishmael" in 2000 - the prize "Russian Booker". For the same work in 1999 Shishkin receives the Globus award.

Conclusion

Despite the ambiguous opinions about the creativity and lifestyle of this man, one can not help saying that Mikhail Shishkin is a significant figure in Russian literature. Of course, life abroad left its mark in the mind of the writer and his manner of presentation, which, in particular, is evidenced by readers' comments about the novel "Taking Ishmael." But after all, as it was said before, the tandem "Michael Shishkin - criticism of government policy" is inseparable, which, nevertheless, does not prevent the writer from creating good books, and the reader - with pleasure to plunge into the world of his illusions and passions.