Aleksandra Stanislavovna Shabel'skaia
Aleksandra Stanislavovna Shabel'skaia was a Russian writer born in 1845 in the Kharkov province. She attended the Kharkov Institute for Daughters of the Nobility, graduating in 1858, and later married a doctor named Mykola Tolochinov. Shabel'skaia practiced midwifery and resided in both Kharkov and Kiev during her lifetime. Her literary contributions spanned from 1880 to 1900, during which she published numerous stories and novels, many of which have unfortunately been lost over time. Notable works include her debut novel *Gore pedezhdennym* (1881) and the story collection *Nabroski karandashem* (1884). She was recognized for her ability to portray realistic and naturalistic narratives, focusing on characters outside the nobility, particularly women. Additionally, Shabel'skaia wrote several acclaimed plays, including the Ukrainian-language *Pid Ivana Kupala* (1887). After a prolific writing career, she ceased to publish after 1900 and lived until 1921, passing away at the age of seventy-six.
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Aleksandra Stanislavovna Shabel'skaia
Writer
- Born: 1845
- Birthplace: Kharkov province, Russia
- Died: 1921
Biography
Little is known about the life and work of Aleksandra Stanislavovna Shabel’skaia. She was born in 1845 in the Russian province of Kharkov and attended the Kharkov Institute for Daughters of the Nobility, graduating in 1858. She apparently married a doctor, Mykola Tolochinov, practiced midwifery for a time, and lived in both Kharkov and Kiev. She published a great number of stories and novels between 1880 and 1900, but unfortunately much of her work has been lost. Most of her fiction was first serialized in Russian journals before it was published in book form.
For example, her debut novel, Gore pedezhdennym (1881), appeared first in the journal Delo and was published as a novel later that year. Her collection of stories Nabroski karandashem (1884) included pieces such as “Magistr i frosia,” which had initially appeared in the journal Russkaia mysl’ in 1883. Her last novel, Druz’ia (1894), was published in the journal Russkoe bogatstvo in 1894. She also wrote several plays which were produced to wide acclaim. Her Ukrainian-language play Pid Ivana Kupala, for example, appeared in 1887. Shabel’skaia has links to two important nineteenth century Russian novelists, Leo Tolstoy and Ivan Turgenev, because like them, she was writing stories and novels that were both realistic and naturalistic and broke the restraints imposed by earlier Romantic writers. Her fiction is full of detail and often treats characters other than the nobility, especially women. Shabel’skaia apparently stopped writing after 1900. Her husband died in 1908 and she died in 1921, at the age of seventy- six.