Why today Sergei Yesenin would have been called gigolo and abuser

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

It is likely that if the fem movement had been developed during the time of Sergei Yesenin, then he would not have been reputed at all as a praised lyric poet, romantic hooligan and "the last poet of the village", but as a tyrant, womanizer and bogeyman. However, for all this, a fashionable word "abuser" is invented, which is used to refer to anyone who commits violence against others, including psychological. In fact, Yesenin was not at all as romantic and gentle as it might seem to those who are familiar with his work and why it is worth taking Yesenin's poems separately from himself.

In a short period, because the poet lived for only 30 years, he managed to fall in love, seek attention, marry, and divorce many times. Mental torment gave him the basis for creativity. Here are just sublime words, verses that amaze with beauty and take the soul, in no way combined with what he did in life with his women. The latter were drawn to him like a magnet and it was not only his talent and the fact that women love with their ears, and Sergei had no equal in this. Isadora Duncan, for example, was extremely far from the Russian language, but this did not prevent her from being fascinated by Yesenin.

In addition, Yesenin always looked for profit or convenience in women, in someone money and connections, in others he found a calm berth. Probably, if he loved, then he used his talent, which he cherished and tried to teach profitably.

First wife and mother of his son

Yesenin appeared in Moscow at the age of 18, it must be assumed that by this time, the dashing resident of the village of Konstantinovo, in the Ryazan province, had managed to gain a romantic experience. In addition, they already tried to woo him, however, Sergei himself flatly refused such adventures.

In Moscow, Sergei gets a job as a proofreader assistant in a printing house. Anna Izryadnova also worked there, the girl was 4 years older than the poet. She liked him immediately, so much so that she agreed to cohabit with him. Describing her first impressions of Sergei, she shared that he did not at all look like a village boy. He wore a brown suit, a green shirt with a starched collar. For his angelic gaze and golden curls, he was dubbed a cherub in the printing house.

At the same time, Anna said that she immediately noticed how much arrogance and pride there was in him. He immediately noticed Anya, spun around her, and kept reciting poetry to her. Could a quiet and correct girl resist Yesenin's unearthly charm? Unlikely. Despite the fact that she was an independent girl - she earned her own living, active - participated in rallies and had her own point of view, she entered into this initially abusive relationship.

He was extremely demanding and jealous, jealous even of women and forbade communicating with them, arguing that they had a bad influence on Anya. The initial charm and desire to please someone immediately disappeared somewhere, he was constantly in a bad mood, was irritable, whined that he was a poet, and poems were not accepted for publication, he spent all the money he earned on books and magazines, while Anya dragged all life on yourself.

However, the relationship at that time did not bother Sergei, very soon he began to believe that he was in a hurry with the marriage, moreover, they had a son, who was named Yuri. Caring about his family did not bother him at all, he left for Yalta, alone. From there he sent Anna letters with threats and demands to send money. Anna considered such behavior permissible and worried that Yesenin had to tinker with her anyway, arrange a hospital (for the birth of his child), look for a rented apartment (to live in it himself).

After Yalta, he does not return to his family, he goes to St. Petersburg in order to try his hand at local magazines. To the local creative intelligentsia, he appeared prepared - in the form of a simple rural boy, with a pure soul and thoughts, and in between writing brilliant poetry. His close friend Anatoly Mariengof was sure that Sergei was neither simple nor naive. Ostensibly Yesenin himself shared with him the secret of success in the northern capital, talking about how you need to pretend to be a fool, "we love a fool a lot." By the way, many writers used a similar scheme. The same Maxim Gorky exploited the image of a peasant and even dressed appropriately.

True or not, the technique worked, pretty soon Sergey became a popular and fashionable poet, he was loved not only in magazines, but also in prestigious houses, where he was invited to social events. From time to time he visited Anna, using her devotion as a life jacket. And modern psychologists would say that he kept her on a psychological leash, preventing the victim from feeling free, getting out of his control and power.

"Letter to a Woman" and the poet's second wife

By the revolution, Yesenin was already a recognized poet and handsome man who broke the heart of more than one girl. He becomes a real playthrough of life, he is often invited to literary salons, taverns, just to fashion houses. It was at one of these parties that he met the beautiful, aspiring actress Zinaida Reich.

Their life together was extremely stormy, if the first wife Anna silently endured all the complexities of Yesenin's character, then Reich was not like that. Violent scandals one after another, often with assault, did not prevent them from having two children together. The eldest daughter Tatyana at one time lived with her mother in Orel, and Yesenin lived his life in a Moscow apartment. Zinaida periodically returned, but life with the poet was unbearable and she left back. Children eventually become two - the son of Constantine is born. This does not prevent Sergey from starting a parallel relationship, raising his hand, and then writing poetry dedicated to his beloved Zinaida. The famous "Letter to a Woman" is dedicated to her.

After the final break, Zinaida remarried the director Vsevolod Meyerhold. The career of an actress goes uphill, but in 1939 her husband was arrested. She, trying to save him, begins walking around the offices of the NKVD, without achieving a result, in despair writes to Stalin. The letter turns out to be emotional, she accuses him that he does not understand art and demands to release her husband.

At night, Zinaida was dealt with in her apartment, the killers remained unknown, although everyone understood who did it. No one came to her funeral, it was too dangerous.

Love quadrangle

Yesenin successfully found women with whom he was comfortable. While they provided him with a comfortable life, gave birth to children, earned money on their own, he could devote time to his beloved, write poetry and build his own poetry career. Such a woman was found again. Galina Benislavskaya worked as a journalist, was close to literature. They met at common events. Very soon she became his secretary, helped in the publication of his works, ran around the editorial offices, used her acquaintances and connections.

He lived in her apartment, periodically left, came back, drank, met with other women, and raised his hand to her. However, nothing out of the ordinary.

Their relationship did not end very nicely, although it would be more correct to say - they broke off. Yesenin went to another, but he forgot to warn Galina about it or did not consider it necessary. Yes, and there was something to lose his head from. As eccentric and wild as himself, talented and heavy, it seems that Isadora Duncan was the prototype of the poet himself. She had many relationships, she was older than Yesenin, she buried her two children.

It cannot be said unequivocally that Yesenin was captivated more - her charisma, energy and talent or fame and consistency. But the fact remains, he went to Isadora. Very soon, they officially registered the relationship. Both are too narcissistic and famous, they were not ready to part with their last names and both took double. Sergei first moved to Isadora, then they began to travel together. Their relationship was as loud and scandalous as all of Yesenin's previous novels.

The spouses did not have a common language, Isadora did not know Russian, Yesenin did not speak English. Apparently they spoke the language of love. Duncan was invited to Russia by the People's Commissar of Education for the development of choreography. However, all the plans of the talented dancer collided with Soviet reality. The devastation and lack of elementary conditions deprived Isadora of motivation and she left back, Yesenin went with her.

Abroad, she helped him with translations of texts and promoted him in every possible way. But all was in vain, he was and remained for the foreign public only the husband of Isadora, for Sergei it was the collapse of all hopes. His pride could not bear this and he suffered. And Yesenin knew how to suffer so that it was bad for everyone around him. Generously sharing toxicity with his wife, he was moping. Then they come to Russia, and Isadora goes on tour, the couple were supposed to meet in the Crimea. However, Yesenin does not go to her, but only sends a letter, they say, he loves another, is married and happy.

The “other” turned out to be Galina, who still loved Yesenin, and this, despite the fact that after he left her without explaining anything, she ended up in a psychiatric clinic. He entered her house again, a pathetic, evil, unrecognized genius. She again began to take care of him and love him endlessly. After Yesenin again spread his wings of drunkenness, scandals and fights resumed.

Often she rushed to look for him in taverns, brought him home drunk, beating him off from drunken drinking companions. The latter cursed Galina for what the world was worth, calling her an enemy and insulting her in every possible way with Yesenin's tacit consent, since she did not allow him to drink and, in general, lead a riotous lifestyle. After Yesenin recovered a little after his relationship with Duncan, he leaves Galina and goes to Sophia Tolstoy. In these relations, he was most attracted by the prospect of becoming related with Lev Nikolaevich.

Sophia was an educated, intelligent, even aristocratic girl. She worked as the head of the library of the Writers' Union. Despite her origin and position, Yesenin did not consider her any worthwhile person. Sophia was devoted to her writer like her grandmother, she was ready to put her life at Yesenin's feet.

The poet did not hide that Sophia was more comfortable for him. She collected his poems for collected works. This circumstance did not prevent him from walking in taverns, having mistresses, and making scandals at home. During this period, Galina Benislavskaya falls ill, after Yesenin's departure, her mental illness worsens. Despite the fact that Yesenin was aware of this, he was in no hurry to come to her aid, because he preferred to communicate only with those women who were beneficial and useful to him. Galina, apparently, at that time worked out her resource and was not interested in the abuser.

Sofya Tolstaya made a huge contribution to the preservation of Yesenin's legacy, as her grandmother once did for Tolstoy. She wrote a memoir about the poet, and for the rest of her life she collected his unpublished poems, printed them and lived only in memory of his name. It was Sophia who had to endure all the torments of the last months of the poet's life.

Meanwhile, Galina is undergoing treatment and goes on vacation, at this time Yesenin breaks up with Sophia and asks her former love to meet. Galina refuses him, apparently wanting to preserve the remnants of her mental health. But soon after that, Sergei's body was found in one of the hotels. This was a strong blow to the one who loved him more than life. She finally closed in on herself, at first she began to put in order all the papers that remained from Yesenin, wrote a memoir about him.

Alas, this was preparation, the completion of burning cases before suicide. She shot herself right on the grave of Sergei Yesenin, leaving a note about what is most dear to her in this grave. Galina was buried next to Yesenin, and on the monument there is an inscription "Faithful Galya". His other muse - Isadora Duncan will die from a scarf - it turned out that he was wrapped around the axle of the car she was driving.

This is a list of women who left the most noticeable mark on the poet's life, but in fact there were many more of them. For example, he dedicated a cycle of poems to Augusta Miklashevskaya, which is known as "The Love of a Bully." The girl did not reciprocate, she loved another, but she did not refuse to communicate, they spent a lot of time together, talked and laughed.

Another child of Sergei was born from Nadezhda Volpin, she also wrote poetry, worked as a translator. From a short-term romance, they had a son, Alexander, he will live a long life in exile in America.

Such is the seamy side of the bully and the romance that caught fire brightly and quickly went out. His crazy energy and unconditional talent did not leave anyone indifferent. Just a pretty appearance and golden curls would clearly not be enough to be able to attract women of this level. Alas, his fire burned so brightly that it burned those who were nearby. And, in the end, he burned himself to the ground.