Stepan Kondurushkin and Maxim Gorky:to the problem of literary contacts in the historical and cultural context of the epoch
The article is devoted to the analysis of the correspondence between S. S. Kondurushkin and A. M. Gorky in 1908-1913. Despite the fact that most of Gorky’s Mordovian correspondent writers are well known to modern science, there are still gaps in the study of this period of Russian culture. The article reconstructs the pages of the biography of the writer and journalist Kondurushkin, whose work is an integral part of the most complex period of formation of the Mordovian literature.Kondurushkin’s popularity among the readers of the newspapers “Rech” (“The Speech”) and “Zemlya” (“The Earth”), journals “Russkoe Bogatstvo” (“The Russian Wealth”), “Istoricheskiy Vestnik” (“The Historical Bulletin”) and “Niva”, his work in a wide genre range (from a short story and novella to a travel essay and feuilleton, journalistic article and political note) had a great influence on Mordovian writers entering the literary and journalistic path. A special page is his personal and creative contacts with S. V. Anikin, one of the founders of Erzya literature, who became the author of the newspaper “Rech” with Kondurushkin’s participation.Objective: to analyze episodes of personal and creative relations between Stepan Kondurushkin and Maxim Gorky on a broad historical and literary background.Research materials: materials of the diary and personal archive of the writer S. S. Kondurushkin, reviews and responses to collections of his stories.Results and novelty of the research: based on the analysis of the correspondence between Kondurushkin and Gorky and materials reflecting the intellectual history and cultural life of the turn of the XIX-XX centuries, episodes and contexts of personal and professional relationships of writers are reconstructed and analyzed. The preserved letters and the biography of Kondurushkin published for the first time allow us to assess the personality of correspondent Gorky in a new way, correlate his works with the creative ideas of the young writer, and clarify his artistic and aesthetic views and positions.In his dialogue with Gorky, Kondurushkin, recognizing the authority of the great writer and following his advice, demonstrates creative independence and independence in literary and critical evaluations and preferences. As evidenced by Kondurushkin’s letters and diary entries, the writer’s communication with Gorky became an important part of his professional development and, to a certain extent, contributed to his acquisition of literary skill and creative maturity.