Marietta Shaginian
Marietta Shaginian was a notable Russian-Armenian author born on March 21, 1888, in Moscow. Raised in an intellectually stimulating environment, she was encouraged by her parents to think independently, a rarity for women of her time. After the death of her father in 1902, Shaginian and her sister took on family responsibilities and later returned to Moscow to continue their education, where she graduated with a degree in history and philosophy in 1912. Shaginian's literary career began at the young age of fifteen with the publication of her first poem, which resonated with local communities and spurred her involvement in journalism. Throughout her life, she explored various genres, including poetry and fiction, and gained recognition for her detective novel "Mess-mend." Despite facing opposition from political authorities due to her research on Lenin's family, she was awarded the Lenin Prize in 1972 for her contributions to literature. A prolific writer, Shaginian continued her work until her passing on March 20, 1982, just shy of her ninety-fourth birthday, leaving behind a legacy as a significant chronicler of the twentieth century.
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Marietta Shaginian
Writer
- Born: March 21, 1888
- Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
- Died: March 20, 1982
- Place of death: Moscow, Russia
Biography
Russian-Armenian author Marietta Shaginian was born in Moscow on March 21, 1888. Her father was a doctor and her mother was a gifted musician. She was the eldest of two daughters and she and her sister, Magdalina, were very close. Her parents treated the girls as equals and encouraged independent thought, which was most unusual at the time. During her childhood, her father’s health began to fail and he died of liver cirrhosis in 1902. Because of dwindling family resources, she and her sister became responsible for the family finances. Both girls interrupted their studies after their father’s death and moved to Nakhichevan’-on-Don to live with family. With the assistance of two wealthy aunts, the girls returned to Moscow as boarding students. While in school they tutored other students and took in copying to supplement their income. Shaginian graduated from school in 1907.
At the age of fifteen, Shaginian published her first poem. She wrote about an incident between the townspeople of Gelendzhik and some Greek merchants who had erected a firewood supply depot on the local beach, thus preventing the townspeople from using the area. Her poem was published in the local newspaper, Chernomorskoe poberezh’e, and became a rallying cry for the local population. Encouraged by the reception of her poem, she began to write for two small circulation workers’ newspapers in Moscow. Between 1906 and 1912, her work regularly appeared in several newspapers.
Shaginian entered the university in Moscow where she studied history and philosophy. She graduated in 1912 with the equivalent of a master’s degree. During this time, she was an active participant in the Literary-Artistic Circle where she made the acquaintance of other Russian writers. Around the same time, she became involved with a group of Christian orthodox mystics known as The Renegades. She wrote two books of poetry, the first published in 1909 and the second in 1913.
Shaginian returned to school and began to write a thesis on German philosopher Jakob Frohschammer. Her research took her to Weimar, Germany, and she chronicled her travels in her book, Puteshestvie v Veimar (1923). She began teaching at the Rostov Conservatory where she met her future husband, Iakov Samosonovich Khachatriants.
In the 1920’s and 1930’s, she began to explore many genres of fiction. During this time she wrote the detective novel Mess-mend, which was to become her most popular book. During the late 1930’s, she began researching the lives of Vladimir Illich Lenin’s family. As a result of her efforts, she angered members of the Communist Party. However, she continued her work and was awarded a Lenin Prize in 1972 for her efforts.
In 1970, Shaginian began her last work, Chelovek i vremia (1980; Man and Time, 1980), an autobiographical account of her life from childhood through the 1920’s. A prolific writer, she wrote many novels and books of poetry. She is considered by Russian literary critics as a great chronicler of the events of the twentieth century. Shaginian continued to write and publish until the age of ninety-three. She died on March 20, 1982, a day before her ninety-fourth birthday