Evdokiia Apollonovna Nagrodskaia
Evdokiia Apollonovna Nagrodskaia (1866-1930) was a notable Russian writer hailing from a literary family in St. Petersburg. Her upbringing in a household connected to the arts, with grandparents who were actors and a mother who was a writer, set the stage for her literary pursuits. After facing financial hardship due to her father's early death, Nagrodskaia found stability through her marriage to Vladimir Arnoldovich Nagrodskii, allowing her to focus on her writing. Between 1910 and 1916, she published a significant body of work, including three novels, three volumes of short stories, a book of poetry, and a screenplay, while also hosting a salon for prominent poets and thinkers of her time.
Her literary contributions were marked by their candid exploration of sexual themes, including homosexual relationships, which garnered controversy and labeled her as an early feminist. She challenged societal norms, notably opposing the double standard regarding sexual behavior between men and women. Following the Bolshevik Revolution, Nagrodskaia and her husband relocated to Paris, where she continued to write until her death. Her legacy remains significant in the context of early 20th-century Russian literature and feminist discourse.
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Evdokiia Apollonovna Nagrodskaia
Fiction Writer
- Born: 1866
- Birthplace: St. Petersburg, Russia
- Died: May 19, 1930
- Place of death: Paris, France
Biography
Evdokiia Apollonova Nagrodskaia was born in St. Petersburg in 1866, the daughter of a literary family. Her grandparents had been actors at the Aleksandrinskii Theater, and her mother was a writer, while her father was a journalist. However, following her father’s early death in 1877, the family was suddenly thrown into dire straits.
During the early 1880’s she was employed in some capacity in the theater, although not necessarily as an actress. She married Vladimir Arnoldovich Nagrodskii, a high official in the czar’s government, and thus freed herself of monetary difficulties so that she could finally devote herself fully to literature.
During the brief period between 1910 and 1916, she published three novels, three volumes of short stories, a book of poetry and a screenplay. She also ran a fashionable salon that was frequented by poets and thinkers. Her novels were controversial because of the frank and open way in which they dealt with sexual elements, including homosexual relationships. She was an early feminist, and some considered her to be immoral because she did not support the double standard by which men could play without consequence while any woman who strayed became “fallen.”
After the Bolshevik Revolution, she and her husband fled to Paris, where they quickly established themselves in the émigré community. Nagrodskaia continued to write prolifically until her death on May 19, 1930.