Igor' Severianin
Igor' Severianin, born Igor' Vasil'evich Lotarev on May 16, 1888, in St. Petersburg, Russia, was a notable poet of Estonian descent. He began his literary career in 1904, publishing poetry that often addressed themes related to the Russo-Japanese War and historical events. His early work was featured in army journals and various literary almanacs, showcasing a penchant for light, humorous verse under playful pseudonyms. By 1912, he had established himself as a prolific poet, producing numerous collections, though many were brief pamphlets. Throughout the tumultuous years of World War I and the Russian Revolution, he experimented with the Futurist style, influenced by contemporaries like Vladimir Mayakovsky. In 1918, Severianin relocated to Estonia, becoming an unwilling émigré following the country's independence in 1920. Despite his personal challenges, including multiple relationships, he continued to write and translate poetry, gaining recognition from fellow poets such as Marina Tsvetaeva. Severianin passed away in Tallinn, Estonia, on December 20, 1941, during the hardships of World War II.
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Igor' Severianin
Writer
- Born: May 16, 1887
- Birthplace: St. Petersburg, Russia
- Died: December 20, 1941
- Place of death: Talinn, Estonia
Biography
Igor’ Severianin was born Igor’ Vasil’evich Lotarev in St. Petersburg, Russia, on May 16, 1888, the son of an army officer of Estonian ethnic origin. He received no formal schooling beyond what he could obtain at home and a few years of elementary school. In 1904 he began to publish a few slender volumes of poetry about various subjects, including the Russo- Japanese War and various historical topics. Some of his earliest poems appeared in an army journal, and many of his light humorous verses were published under various absurd pseudonyms in literary almanacs.
By 1912, Severianin had proved himself a prolific poet, producing thirty-five collections of his verse, although several of them were little more than slender pamphlets rather than serious compilations. Throughout World War I and the Russian Revolution he continued to write, mostly in the Futurist style as pioneered by such poets as Vladimir Mayakovsky. At the beginning of 1918, Severianin moved to Toila in Estonia, although he continued to visit Moscow and other Russian cities regularly. When Estonia gained its independence in 1920, he suddenly became an unwilling emigré. He soon returned to Estonia with his mother and his common-law wife, Mariia Vassil’evna Dombrovskaiia. However, the relationship did not last, and in 1921 he married an Estonian girl, Felissa Kruut, a relationship that would last for the next fifteen years. After 1935 he had a relationship with the poet Vera Borisovna Korendi, but that relationship was kept secret from the general public.
Throughout the 1920’s and 1930’s, Severianin continued to write and to translate Estonian poetry into Russian, and some of his works appeared in Soviet journals. He was in contact with a number of other emigré poets, and was praised by poet Marina Tsvetaiva. He died in Tallin, Estonia, on December 20, 1941, under the shadow of World War II.