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😉 Hello everyone! Thank you for choosing the article “Nikolai Gumilyov: Brief Biography, Personal Life” on this site! Here are the main stages in the life of the poet of the Silver Age, traveler and founder of acmeism.
Nikolai Stepanovich Gumilev: a short biography
The future poet was born on April 15, 1886 in Kronstadt in the noble family of the doctor Stepan Yakovlevich Gumilyov and his wife Anna Ivanovna (Lvov).
The boy grew up weak and was often ill. The slightest noise led to severe headaches. In 1894, Nikolai was assigned to a gymnasium, but due to illness, he was transferred to home schooling. A year later, the family moved to St. Petersburg.
In 1900, doctors discovered that the Gumilevs’ eldest son, Dmitry, had a severe form of progressive tuberculosis, and the family moved to Tiflis.
Three years later, the family returned to Tsarskoe Selo, where Nikolai continued his studies. Frequent changes of educational institutions, with different levels of teaching and various requirements, negatively affected the teenager’s academic performance and they even wanted to expel him.
The director of the gymnasium, I. Annensky, spoke out against this decision, who said at the teachers’ council: “He studies poorly, but he composes excellent poetry.” It was only in 1906 that Nikolai received a certificate where the five stood alone – logically.
Gumilyov’s travels
To continue his studies, Gumilev entered the Paris Sorbonne. His occupations are varied: a course of lectures, studying painting and visiting exhibitions, traveling across France and Italy. At the Sorbonne, he meets Elizaveta Dmitrieva.
The poet returns to his homeland in 1907 to pass the draft board. In 1908 he traveled to Turkey, Greece and Egypt.
Nikolai Gumilyov can rightfully be called one of the major travelers across the endless expanses of Africa. He led several expeditions around this continent and enriched the St. Petersburg Kunstkamera with a large and unique collection he personally collected.
Duel between Gumilyov and Voloshin
In 1909, already in Russia, Gumilev accidentally met E. Dmitrieva, they began an affair. He proposes to her, but the poet Dmitrieva preferred Maximilian Voloshin. A short time later, a scandal erupts in the media with the exposure of the so-called Cherubina de Gabriac.
Gumilyov speaks unflatteringly about Dmitrieva. On 22 November 11 a duel took place between Gumilyov and Voloshin. Fortunately, fate saved both poets.
Founder of Acmeism
In the spring of 1910 Nikolai Stepanovich married Anna Andreevna Gorenko (later – Akhmatova).
In 1912, Gumilev founded a new poetic trend – acmeism, which he proclaimed the main condition of poetry – the objectivity of the theme and images. And in the Gumilev family at this time, a son, Levushka, was born.
In 1913, a new expedition to Abyssinia was organized, led by Gumilev. In the summer of 1914, Nikolai and his brother went to the front. For the skilful organization of night reconnaissance before the battle behind enemy lines and personal fearless participation in them, he was successively awarded with two St. George’s crosses.
In April 1918, Gumilyov returned to Russia, and four months later divorced his wife. In 1919 he married Anna Engelhardt, who gave birth to his daughter Lena.
Elizaveta Dmitrieva, Anna Gorenko, Olga Vysotskaya, Anna Engelhardt
Death of Gumilyov
Nikolai Stepanovich was always extremely honest and did not hide his views and beliefs. Once he voiced in a circle of poets that he is a convinced monarchist.
On August 3, 1921, Gumilyov was arrested as a participant in a conspiracy against Soviet power. He was executed three weeks later. In total, about 60 people were shot in this case. The place of execution and their common grave are unknown. The exact date of the execution was not established until 2014.
71 years after the execution, Gumilyov was rehabilitated for lack of corpus delicti!
Children of Nikolai Gumilyov
Lev Nikolaevich Gumilev became world famous as a scientist, writer, translator, archaeologist, orientalist, geographer, historian, ethnologist and philosopher, author of the Passionary theory. He spent many years in camps and in exile. He passed away in 1992.
Daughter Elena and her mother died of hunger during the siege of Leningrad.
Olga Nikolaevna Vysotskaya (1885-1966) gave birth in 1913 to Nikolai Gumilyov’s son Orest, who died in 1992. Children of Orest: two daughters and a son are the only descendants of the poet and traveler.
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