Alexander Grin (Russian: Александр Грин, born August 23, 1880, died July 7, 1932) was a Russian writer, notable for his romantic novels and short stories, mostly set in an unnamed fantasy land with a European or Latin American flavor (Grin's fans often refer to this land as Grinlandia). Most of his writings deal with sea adventures and love. Jump to: navigation, search August 23 is the 235th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (236th in leap years), with 130 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1880 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 177 days remaining. ... 1932 is a leap year starting on a Friday. ... Grinlandia (Russian: ) is the fantasy world where most of the novels and short stories of Alexander Grin take place. ...

Biography

Alexander Grin was born Alexander Stefanovich Grinevsky (Russian: Александр Стефанович Гриневский) in a suburb of Vyatka in 1880. In 1896, after graduating from a school in Vyatka, Grinevsky went to Odessa and started the life of a vagabond. He was a sailor, gold miner, construction worker, but often he found himself without any job and sustained himself by begging and by small help sometimes sent by his father. After he joined the Russian army, he became a member of the Socialist-Revolutionary Party, was arrested and spent time in jail for "revolutionary propaganda". His first short story was published in 1906. In 1912, he moved to Saint Petersburg where he at first published short stories; most of his larger works were written after the October revolution and enjoyed significant popularity in the first half of 1920s. In 1924, he moved to Feodosia to spend the rest of his life near the sea. In his late days, Grin's romantic visions were in stark conflict with the mainstream Soviet literature so he was mostly forgotten when, in 1932, he died of cancer in Feodosia. Kirov (Ки́ров) is a city in eastern European Russia, on the Vyatka River, capital of Kirov Oblast. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1880 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1896 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search ODESSA (German Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen; The Organization of Former SS-Members) was an alleged Nazi-German fugitive network set up towards the end of World War II by a group of SS officers. ... A vagabond is a generally poor itinerant person. ... The Socialist-Revolutionary Party (SRs, or Essaires; Партия социалистов-революционеров (ПСР), эсеры in Russian) were a Russian political party active in the early 20th century. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1906 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1912 was a leap year starting on Monday. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland... Jump to: navigation, search The October Revolution, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was the second phase of the Russian Revolution of 1917, the first having been instigated by the events around the February Revolution. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1924 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Feodosiya ( Russian: Феодосия; Ukrainian: Феодосія) is a port and resort city in southern Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of Crimea at coordinates 45. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... 1932 is a leap year starting on a Friday. ...

Works

Most of Alexander Grin's writings bear no direct relation to the reality of Czarist and Soviet Russia that he lived in. The setting of most of his writings is an unnamed land by the sea, apparently far from Europe but with all characters being Western European in names and appearance. Even his literary pseudonim (Grin) is a de-Russified form of his real last name (Grinevsky). Some of the readers of his early publications (such as Paustovsky who remained an admirer of Grin for the rest of his life) thought at first that they were reading translations of works by a foreign author. Konstantin Georgiyevich Paustovsky (Russian: , 1892- July 14, 1968) was a Russian writer. ...

Desribed by some critics as "adolescent fiction", Grin's works in fact have a universal appeal. Like the authors of fantasy of the second half of 20th century, Grin deals with human desires and emotions in their most pure form. His world is not a fairy tale; it has many things in common with the reality of the early 20th century (such as automobiles and banks), but it's always more romantic and "childish" in the general feel. Populated by sea captains, sailors, scientists, travellers, criminals, extravagant aristocrats, childlike girls, elegant villains, and strong-spirited heroes who always stay true to their dream, Grin's world (often referred to as Grinlandia by Grin's fans) is one of the most attractive and "livable" fantasy worlds in literature. Some of his novels contain an element of magic - not as an established part of his world, but always as a miracle that changes the lives of those who encounter it. Jump to: navigation, search Look up fantasy on Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Grinlandia (Russian: ) is the fantasy world where most of the novels and short stories of Alexander Grin take place. ...

Grin's writings are also notable for their powerful writing style, pretty much unique in the entire Russian literature (though some liken it to the style of Andrey Platonov). Grin's prose is very poetic and descriptive, with strikingly apt metaphors and colorful vocabulary. Andrei Platonov (Russian: Андрей Плато́нов) (1899-1951) was the pen name of Andrei Platonovich Klimentov, a Russian writer of the Soviet period whose works anticipate existentialism. ...

Sadly, Grin's works are almost unknown outside of Russia. Most notable of his novels include:

• Scarlet Sails (Алые паруса, 1923), a simple but powerful love story, perhaps the most famous of Grin's works. It was made into a movie in 1961, when during the Khrushchev Thaw Grin's works enjoyed a revival of popularity.

• The Shining World (Блистающий мир, 1923)

• The Golden Chain (Золотая цепь, 1925)

• The Wave Runner (Бегущая по волнам, 1928)

• Jessie and Morgiana (Джесси и Моргиана, 1929)

• The Road to Nowhere (Дорога никуда, 1930)

Jump to: navigation, search 1923 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... In Soviet history, Kruschevs Thaw or Khrushchev Thaw refers to the period between the end of 1950s and the beginning of 1960s, when repressions and censorship reached a low point. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1923 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1925 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1928 was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1929 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1930 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ...

External links

• Most of Grin's works in Russian, as well as some English translations
• Grinlandia, a fan site
• Grin's museum in Vyatka