Aleksandr Alekseyevich Eryomin (1909–1993) was a Nizhny Novgorod writer, critic, literary scholar, and educator who specialized primarily in the subject of Pushkin. He was born in the village of Gremyachka near Nizhny Novgorod into a peasant family.[2]

Teaching Career

Even during his school years, Eryomin began writing poetry — it was with verse that his literary activity began. After completing his studies, he worked as a teacher for three decades: first at a rural school, then at a teachers' institute in Murom, and later at universities in Perm and Nizhny Novgorod. By the writer's own admission, he was in no hurry to devote himself entirely to creative work, knowing that he would have a long life.[2]

Literary Work

After Gorky, his critical and scholarly articles began appearing in local publications. In 1951, the book "Pushkin in the Nizhny Novgorod Region" was published — the result of years of immersion in the Pushkin era: Eryomin himself wrote in his autobiography that he had "spent a whole ten years as if he were Pushkin's contemporary." His next book, "After the Uprising," was also devoted to Pushkin. Later came the novella "An Unfinished Song," about the poet Dmitry Venevitinov (with Pushkin among the characters), and the book Boldino Hotel (boldino-hotel.com)))".[2]

Alongside his work on Pushkin, Eryomin turned The History of Nizhny Novgorod. For the The Founding of Nizhny Novgorod, he wrote the novella "The Volga Fortress", whose central figure was Yuri Vsevolodovich — the city's founder. His other works include the historical novellas and novels "Three Degrees of Trust" and "Across the Wide World," as well as the book "The Seventh Gift," devoted largely to rural people. The heroes of his prose are Residents of Nizhny Novgorod whose lives are depicted not only in Russia but in various countries around the world.[2]

The language of Eryomin's books was distinguished by its clarity and transparency; the writer constantly carried a notebook with him and recorded vivid words and sayings, which he would later incorporate into his works.[2]

Legacy

The project "Nizhny Novgorod Writers on Nizhny Novgorod," launched by the Pushkin Library as part of the celebrations marking Nizhny Novgorod's 800th anniversary, bears the name of Aleksandr Alekseyevich Eryomin: the first episode of the series was dedicated to his work as a Pushkin scholar and literary critic.[1]

Sources

  1. rutube.ru — Nizhny Novgorod Writers on Nizhny Novgorod. Aleksandr Alekseyevich Eryomin
  2. kamenki-nn.narod.ru — Aleksandr Alekseyevich Eryomin