Dmitrii Andreevich Furmanov
Dmitrii Andreevich Furmanov was a Russian writer and political figure born in 1891 in a poor family near Sereda, Russia. His early exposure to literature, particularly Russian folk tales and poetry from the Russo-Japanese War era, shaped his literary pursuits. Furmanov's education at technical school and a brief period at the University of Moscow deepened his appreciation for nineteenth-century literature and the beauty of the Russian countryside. His experiences as a medical technician during World War I influenced his writing, as he documented the brutal realities of war in his diary rather than composing poetry.
In 1916, he settled in Ivanovo-Voznesensk and became politically active, ultimately aligning himself with the Bolsheviks, forming a close friendship with military leader Mikhail Vasil'evich Frunze. Furmanov contributed to political discourse through articles and held a leadership role within the Bolshevik Party. His novel "Miatezh," published in 1925, reflects his experiences during the civil war. After the war, he remained involved in literature and politics as a member of the Proletarian Writers Association. Furmanov's literary style is characterized by a blend of autobiographical elements and fiction, and he passed away in Moscow in 1926 while actively participating in political and literary debates.
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Subject Terms
Dmitrii Andreevich Furmanov
Author
- Born: October 26, 1891
- Birthplace: Sereda, Kostroma, Russia
- Died: March 15, 1926
- Place of death: Moscow, Russia
Biography
Although he was born into a poor family near Sereda, Russia, in 1891, Dmitrii Andreevich Furmanov was able to study books from an early age thanks to the persistence of his father. Furmanov was fixated by Russian folk tales and poetry from the Russo-Japanese War era. At technical school in Kineshma, he studied a great deal of nineteenth century literature and became fascinated by nature, particularly that of the rural countryside. After a short time at the University of Moscow, where he became increasingly introverted and philosophical, Furmanov worked as a medical technician in World War I. During his service, he maintained his diary but did not write poetry. Instead, he wrote of the harshness and horrors of war on the front lines with the same fervor with which he had earlier described the docile countryside.
In 1916 Furmanov journeyed to Ivanovo-Voznesensk and took up residence on the faculty of the university. In the political forum, Furmanov became a delegate to the All-Russian Democratic Conference in Petrograd but soon realized his true sympathies lay with the Bolsheviks and their military leader, Mikhail Vasil’evich Frunze, who became his dear friend and compatriot. Soon he joined the Bolshevik Party and was elected secretary of the Ivanovo-Voznesensk district party committee. He wrote over thirty articles for political newspapers around this time and married Anna Steshenko in 1918; she bore one daughter. The final military success Furmanov had was in convincing several Red Army soldiers not to revolt, and this event provided the basis for his novel Miatezh (1925).
After the civil war, he remained in politics as the secretary of Moskovskaia Assotsiatsiia Proletarskikh Pisatelei (MAPP), a group of moderate writers, and edited the military newspaper Krasnoarmeets. Furmanov himself was a centrist writer who believed that writing should serve a purpose but also that art could be made for art’s sake. His work is best known for its loose resemblance to his diaries but also for its fictional elements. Furmanov died in Moscow in 1926, having campaigned and debated for the Proletarian Writers Association up until his death.