Maria Prilezhayeva facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maria Prilezhayeva
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Maria Prilezhayeva in 1980s
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| Born | June 22, 1903 Yaroslavl, Russian Empire |
| Died | April 8, 1989 (aged 85) Moscow, USSR |
| Education | Moscow University (1925-1929) |
| Period | 1936 - 1980s |
| Genre | Children's literature, criticism, memoirs |
| Subject | Soviet school life Political leaders’ biographies |
| Notable works | The Life of Lenin (1970) |
Maria Pavlovna Prilezhayeva (born June 22, 1903, died April 8, 1989) was a famous Russian and Soviet writer. She wrote many books for children. Maria was also a literary critic, meaning she reviewed other authors' books. She was an official in the Soviet Union of Writers. Prilezhayeva is most known for her novel The Life of Lenin. This book won her important awards like the Nadezda Krupskaya RSFSR State Prize and the Order of Lenin.
Early Life and Education
Maria Prilezhayeva was born in Yaroslavl, a city in the Russian Empire. Her family was once wealthy but had become poor. She spent her childhood years in a town called Alexandrov.
When she was 16, Maria finished school. She then started working as a teacher in a small village. In 1925, she went to Moscow University. She studied teaching there and graduated five years later. After university, she continued to teach in schools in different cities. These cities included Arkhangelsk, Zagorsk, and Moscow.
Becoming a Writer
In 1936, Maria Prilezhayeva began working for magazines and newspapers. She wrote reviews about books by both Russian and foreign authors. Her first novel, Etot God (That Year), was written in 1941. She wrote it after hearing that one of her favorite students had died in the Winter War.
Maria wrote several more books about school life. These included Semiklassnitsy (The 7th Form Girls) in 1944. Another popular book was Yunost Mashi Strogovoi (The Youth of Masha Strogova) in 1948. She described her writing style as 'lyrical realist'. She was inspired by famous writers like Lev Tolstoy, Anton Chekhov, and Alexander Blok.
Books About Leaders
From the mid-1950s, Prilezhayeva's books started to focus more on political topics. Her 1955 novel, S Beregov Medveditsy (From the Medveditsa River Banks), told the life story of Mikhail Kalinin. He was an important Soviet leader.
Her most famous novel, Zhizn Lenina (The Life of Lenin), came out in 1970. This book was about the life of Vladimir Lenin, the founder of the Soviet Union. It won her the N.K. Krupskaya RSFSR State Prize in 1971. Later, she also received the Lenin Komsomol Prize in 1983 for her work.
Supporting Young Authors
Maria Prilezhayeva was an official in the Soviet Union of Writers. This meant she attended meetings about writers who were seen as "dissidents." These were people who disagreed with the government. Compared to her colleagues, she was considered more open-minded.
She tried to help poet Lev Kvitko, who faced difficulties during a time called the 'uprooting cosmopolitism' campaign. Maria did a lot to support new and young writers. Some of the authors she helped included Anatoly Aleksin, Mikhail Alekseev, Albert Likhanov, and Azat Abdullin.
Maria Prilezhayeva passed away on April 8, 1989, in Moscow.
