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The Feather of Finist the Falcon

2014-01-18T16:12:10Z

Averaver: /* References */ {{Wikisource|The Feather of Finist the Falcon|The Feather of Finist the Falcon}}

[[File:Ivan Bilibin 007.jpg|300px|thumb|Illustration by [[Ivan Bilibin]]]]
'''The Feather of Finist the Falcon''' or '''Finist the Falcon''' is a Russian [[fairy tale]]<ref>Post Wheeler, ''Russian Wonder Tales'' "[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/russian/russianwondertales/featherfinistfalcon.html The Feather of Finist the Falcon]"</ref> collected by [[Alexander Afanasyev]] in ''[[Narodnye russkie skazki]]''.

It is [[Aarne–Thompson classification system|Aarne–Thompson]] type 432, the [[prince as bird]]. Other tales of this type include ''[[The Green Knight (fairy tale)|The Green Knight]]'', ''[[The Blue Bird (fairy tale)|The Blue Bird]]'', and ''[[The Greenish Bird]]''.

==Synopsis==

A merchant asked his three daughters what they want him to bring them from the fair. The older two ask for dresses or shawls, but the [[Youngest son#Youngest daughters|youngest]] wants either the feather of Finist the Falcon or a red flower. In some variants, he went to the fair twice, able to bring back what her older sisters had asked for, but not hers, but she did not vary her request.

In the [[Rule of three (writing)|third]] or first visit, he found the feather, or else found the flower and must promise that his daughter will marry Finist the Falcon for it. Whether the flower or the feather, the thing brought Finist the Falcon to her at night, and he wooed her. If she was given the flower, he gave her a feather that would magically aid her. Her sisters discovered the visit; they might have spied, or she may have appeared in finer clothing, from use of the feathers, than they knew she had, or she may have appeared in church as a strange woman (like [[Cinderella]] at the ball) because of her rich clothing, and not hidden it quickly enough when she returned home. Once they became suspicious, they often listened and, hearing a man's voice, tried to persuade their father that their sister had a lover, but failed.

However they discovered it, the sisters put knives in the window, so that he was injured. He said that she must search for him to find him, which would wear out three pairs of iron shoes, and three iron staves. He did not return. She set out to find him.

She finds a hut with a witch (sometimes referred to as a [[Baba Yaga]]), who gives her a gift (such as a silver [[spinning wheel]] and a golden [[spindle (textiles)|spindle]]), and sends her on to another witch. This witch gives her another gift (such as a silver dish and a golden egg), and sends her on to yet a third witch. This one gives her a third gift (such as a golden [[embroidery frame]] and a [[sewing needle|needle]] that sewed of itself), and sent her to the castle where Finist was to marry.

In some variants, she found someone trying to wash the blood from Finist's shirt and washed it herself. In all, she managed to trade the witches' gifts to the [[False hero|bride]] to let her stay a night with Finist. The princess either put a magical pin in his hair to keep him asleep or gave him a sleeping draught; the third night, either Finist is warned not to drink the draught, or the pin falls out. He woke and knew her.

In some variants, he asked the nobles whom he should marry: the woman who had sold him, or the woman who had bought him. They agreed the woman who bought him should have him.

In other variants, she went home to her father. When he and her sisters went to church, she dressed finely and went with Finist, and her sisters came back with stories of the prince and princess who came to church. The third time, her father saw the carriage stopped at his own door, and the daughter had to confess. She married Finist.

==Adaptations==
[[Josepha Sherman]] drew on this fairy tale for her novel ''The Shining Falcon''.

==See also==
*[[The Singing, Springing Lark]]
*[[Beauty and the Beast]]

*[[The Canary Prince]]
*[[The Three Sisters (fairy tale)|The Three Sisters]]

*[[East of the Sun and West of the Moon]]
*[[Black Bull of Norroway]]
*[[The Enchanted Pig]]
*[[The Two Kings' Children]]

==References==
{{commonscat|The Feather of Finist the Falcon (Bilibin)}}
{{Wikisource|The Feather of Finist the Falcon|The Feather of Finist the Falcon}}
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://stpetersburg-guide.com/folk/finist.shtml The Tale of Finist the Falcon]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Feather of Finist the Falcon}}
[[Category:Russian fairy tales]]
[[Category:Shapeshifting]]

Point Theatre

2013-05-28T20:10:15Z

Averaver: /* External links */ -iwiki

:''For other uses, see [[The Point (disambiguation)|The Point]]. For the rebranded venue (after July 2008), see [[The O2 (Dublin)|The O2 (Dublin)]].''
The '''Point Theatre''' (often referred to as the '''Point Depot''' or simply as the '''Point''') was a [[concert]] and [[media event|events]] [[Music venue|venue]] in [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]], that operated from 1988–2007, enjoyed by in excess of 2 million people.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dublintourist.com/details/point_theatre.shtml|title=The Point Theatre|accessdate=2008-09-20|publisher=[[DublinTourist.com]]}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> It was located on the North Wall Quay of the [[River Liffey]], amongst the [[Dublin Docklands]]. The Point was closed in the summer of 2007 for a major redevelopment and underwent a rebranding as [[The O2, Dublin|the O2]] in July 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/ontherecord/2008/07/02/meet-the-new-venue-on-the-block-the-o2/|title=Meet the new venue on the block - The O2|date=2008-07-02|accessdate=2008-09-20|publisher=''[[The Irish Times]]''}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/arts/2008/0702/pointtheatre.html|title=Point Theatre to re-open under new name|date=2008-07-01|accessdate=2008-09-19|publisher=[[Radio Telefís Éireann|RTÉ]]}}</ref> Prior to the redevelopment the seated capacity was 8,500; the rebranded O2 has a seated capacity of 14,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/o2-wins-naming-rights-for-stunning-new-point-1425944.html|title=O2 wins naming rights for 'stunning' new Point|date=2008-07-03|accessdate=2008-09-20|publisher=''[[Irish Independent]]''}}</ref>

The Point was noted for its flexible seating configurations - over the years it served not only as a music venue, but had also been turned into an [[ice rink]], a [[Boxing ring|boxing arena]], a [[conference hall]], an [[Convention center|exhibition centre]], a [[wrestling ring]], a [[theatre]], an [[opera house]] and a three ring [[circus]]. It hosted the Eurovision Song Contest on three separate occasions in the 1990s and the 1999 MTV European Music Awards.

== History ==
[[Image:The Point Rocket.JPG|thumb|right|The rocket, located just outside the venue itself.]]
The building was constructed in 1878 as a [[train depot]] to serve the nearby busy port. In the late 1980s, after many years of neglect and disuse, it was bought by local developer, Harry Crosbie along with Apollo Leisure (now Live Nation) fitted out the venue with [[Balcony|balconie]]s, offices and backstage facilities. Before it was renovated, [[U2]] recorded track #2 of their 1988 album, ''[[Rattle and Hum]]'', "[[Van Diemen's Land (song)|Van Diemen's Land]]" there,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/release/443803|title=U2 - Rattle And Hum|accessdate=2008-09-20|publisher=[[Discogs]]}}</ref> and footage from the building of performances of this song and "[[Desire (U2 song)|Desire]]" appear in the accompanying "Rattle and Hum" movie.

The Point opened in 1988. [[Melissa Etheridge]] being the support act for [[Huey Lewis and the News]] was the first to play there. [[U2]] played four nights at the venue near the end of their [[Lovetown Tour]] from December 26–31, 1989.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.u2gigs.com/show1066.html|title=1989-12-26: Point Depot - Dublin, Ireland|accessdate=2008-09-20|publisher=[[U2]] - [[Lovetown Tour]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.u2gigs.com/show1067.html|title=1989-12-27: Point Depot - Dublin, Ireland|accessdate=2008-09-20|publisher=[[U2]] - [[Lovetown Tour]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.u2gigs.com/show1068.html|title=1989-12-30: Point Depot - Dublin, Ireland|accessdate=2008-09-20|publisher=[[U2]] - [[Lovetown Tour]]}}</ref> Their December 31 concert was broadcast live on radio stations around the world. It later received an official online release via [[iTunes]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.u2gigs.com/show1070.html|title=1989-12-31: Point Depot - Dublin, Ireland|accessdate=2008-09-20|publisher=[[U2]] - [[Lovetown Tour]]}}</ref>

In the 1990s, the Point was seen by millions of [[Europe]]an television viewers, as it was the venue for the Eurovision Song Contest on three separate occasions over four years, in 1994,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nulpoints.150m.com/1994.htm|title=Nul Points - Eurovision 1994|accessdate=2008-10-08}}</ref> [[Eurovision Song Contest 1995|1995]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nulpoints.150m.com/1995.htm|title=Nul Points - Eurovision 1995|accessdate=2008-10-08}}</ref> and [[Eurovision Song Contest 1997|1997]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nulpoints.150m.com/1997.htm|title=Nul Points - Eurovision 1997|accessdate=2008-10-08}}</ref> becoming the only venue to have hosted the final three times. Riverdance was first performed in the Point Depot, as the interval act during the Eurovision Song Contest 1994.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.riverdance.ie/htm/multimedia/video_clips/index.htm|title=Video Clips|accessdate=2008-09-20|publisher=[[Riverdance]]}}</ref>

Tragedy struck the Point on May 11, 1996, when a 17 year-old fan, [[Bernadette O'Brien]] was crushed to death. Singer [[Billy Corgan]] warned the crowd that people were getting hurt, while at one point, [[bassist]] [[D'arcy Wretzky]] announced: "There's a girl dying backstage, do you care?" The show was eventually abandoned, and a show in [[Belfast]] the following night was cancelled out of respect. [[Garda Síochána|Gardaí]] were said to be investigating why the bars in the Point remained open for the teen-packed show.<ref>{{cite web | year=1996 | title= Fan Crushed at Smashing Pumpkin's Show | publisher =MTV.com | url= http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1434230/19960517/smashing_pumpkins.jhtml | accessdate=2006-06-23}}</ref>

The [[MTV Europe Music Awards#1999|1999]] [[MTV Europe Music Awards]] were held in the Point Depot on November 11.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1999_Oct_4/ai_55990383|title=MTV Unveils the Nominations for the 1999 MTV Europe Music Awards|date=1999-10-04|accessdate=2008-09-21|publisher=[[BNET]]}}</ref> Hosted by [[Ronan Keating]], there were performances <ref>{{cite web|url=http://tv.yahoo.com/the-1999-mtv-europe-music-awards/show/917/castcrew|title=The 1999 MTV Europe Music Awards: Show Description, Cast & Crew|accessdate=2008-09-21|publisher=[[Yahoo! TV]]}}</ref> from Mariah Carey, [[The Corrs]], [[Whitney Houston]], [[Iggy Pop]], [[Marilyn Manson]] and [[Britney Spears]] <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gobritney.com/album198/index.html|title=Go Britney Spears Pics >Britney Spears Award Shows > 1999 > Europe Music Awards 1999|accessdate=2008-09-21|publisher=[[GoBritney.com]]}}</ref> on the night.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0369676/fullcredits#cast|title=Full cast and crew for MTV Europe Music Awards 1999|accessdate=2008-09-21|publisher=[[Internet Movie Database|IMDb]]}}</ref> Award presenters <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywood.com/tv/The_1999_MTV_Europe_Music_Awards/5169156|title=The 1999 MTV Europe Music Awards (1999)|accessdate=2008-09-21|publisher=[[Hollywood.com]] |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20080602151137/http://www.hollywood.com/tv/The_1999_MTV_Europe_Music_Awards/5169156  |archivedate = 2008-06-02}}</ref> included [[Alicia Silverstone]], [[Mick Jagger]], [[Pierce Brosnan]], [[Carmen Electra]], [[LL Cool J]], [[Mary J. Blige]], [[Iggy Pop]], [[Fun Lovin' Criminals]], [[Des'ree]], [[Five (band)|Five]], [[Christina Aguilera]], [[Damon Albarn]], [[Geri Halliwell]] <ref>{{cite web|url=http://shop.rexfeatures.com/pictures_507270/MTV-EUROPE-MUSIC-AWARDS-CEREMONY-IN-DUBLIN-EIRE-1999.html|title=MTV EUROPE MUSIC AWARDS CEREMONY IN DUBLIN, EIRE - 1999|accessdate=2008-09-21|publisher=[[Rex 84|REX]]}}</ref> and [[Gary Barlow]]. The largest winner was Britney Spears who won four awards (Best Female, Best Pop, Best Breakthrough Artist, and Best Song for "[[...Baby One More Time (song)|...Baby One More Time]]"). [[Boyzone]] won two awards (Best UK & Ireland Act and Best Album for ''[[By Request (Boyzone album)|By Request]]'').<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/miscellaneous-retail-retail-stores-not/4610503-1.html|title=Spears Tops 1999 Mtv Europe Music Awards|date=1999-11-12|accessdate=2008-09-21|publisher=[[All Business]]}}</ref>

The final event to take place before closure and rebranding was a [[boxing]] card featuring local [[Boxing|boxer]], [[Bernard Dunne]] on August 25, 2007. Promoter Brian Peters had moved his European title defense against [[Kiko Martinez]] from Dublin's boxing-specific [[National Stadium (Ireland)|National Stadium]] across the [[River Liffey|Liffey]] to the Point Depot where Dunne shattered former heavyweight champion [[Lennox Lewis]]'s previous attendance record for the venue.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=3482003|title=Time to prioritize: How much does Dunne want it?|date=2008-07-11|accessdate=2008-09-20|publisher=[[ESPN]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/boxing-martinez-cashes-in-with-rapid-win-463108.html|title=Boxing: Martinez cashes in with rapid win|date=2007-08-27|accessdate=2008-09-20|publisher=''[[The Independent]]'' | location=London | first=Steve | last=Bunce}}</ref>

==Notable events==
[[Kylie Minogue]] performed at the venue in November 1991, on her [[Let's Get To It]] European tour, which was filmed for a VHS release the following year. She returned to the Point (after a 14-year absence) in May 2005 with her [[Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour|Showgirl Tour]]. She played six nights at the Dublin venue, just weeks before she was told she had [[breast cancer]].

Irish band [[Westlife]] performed at the venue for a record breaking 13 consecutive nights at year 2001 on their [[Where Dreams Come True Tour]] from 19, March, 2001 to 31, March, 2001.

On June 19, 1992, [[Def Leppard]] began their Seven Day Weekend Tour of Europe in the Point Depot, a tour designed to support their multi-million selling record, ''[[Adrenalize]]''. The show was the first time Def Leppard had brought their "[[Theatre in the round|in the round]]" stage show outside the [[United States]] and [[Canada]]. The stage was set in the middle of the arena and featured a revolving [[drum kit]] which could move to any point around the stage and a lighting rig which would move out over the audience during "[[Rocket (Def Leppard song)|Rocket]]".<ref>[http://www.deflepparduk.com/adren921.html www.deflepparduk.com - Information on the Def Leppard Dublin Show]</ref> It was the first time any band had brought an "in the round" stage show on an international concert tour and was also the first full show the band played with their new [[guitarist]], [[Vivian Campbell]] (who had joined following the death of [[Steve Clark]]).<ref>[http://www.deflepparduk.com/savint92.html Interview: Hot Metal Magazine Issue 11 April 1992]</ref>

[[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] began their summer 1992 European tour in support of Nevermind, at The Point on June 21, 1992 playing to a sell out crowd.

On November 30th, 1992, [[Faith No More]] played a gig at The Point, having supported [[Guns N' Roses]] at [[Slane Concert#1992|Slane]] in May of that year. [[L7 (band)|L7]] provided support for the night.

The Point was the venue that introduced ''[[Riverdance]]'' to the world at the [[Eurovision Song Contest 1994|1994]] [[Eurovision Song Contest]].

The Point was the host of the [[MTV Europe Music Awards]] (EMA's) in 1999, with Ronan Keating presenting.

In 2003 Rap superstar [[Akon]] played the SCREAM Event to over 8000 people at the Point with back up from M.V.P and DJ Rankin.

[[50 Cent]]'s 2003 performance at the Point is briefly shown on the special features of his own film, ''[[Get Rich or Die Tryin' (film)|Get Rich or Die Tryin']]''.

On May 8, 2004 [[Cher]] began the European leg of her marathon [[Living Proof: The Farewell Tour]].

[[Britney Spears]] performed to a sell-out crowd at what would be her last performance for three years.{{Citation needed|date=September 2008}} Her concert entourage for the [[The Onyx Hotel Tour|Onyx Hotel Tour]] was the biggest ever hosted at the Point and Spears returned to the newly revamped venue now called [[The O2 (Dublin)|The O2]] in the summer of 2009 with her [[The Circus Starring Britney Spears|Circus Tour]].

Also in 2004, on December 16 the [[punk rock]] trio [[Blink-182]] played their last show, before going on a four year hiatus.

[[Oasis (band)|Oasis]] have played several concerts in the Point, most recently in December 2005. Footage from one of the 2005 gigs was included in Oasis's 2007 [[rockumentary]], ''[[Lord Don't Slow Me Down]]''.

On August 23, 2006, [[Pearl Jam]] opened their first European tour in six years at the Point. They were originally to play the [[Reading and Leeds Festivals]] first, before playing [[Slane Concert]]; however Pearl Jam felt the Point was the perfect place to begin their tour. The concert gained wide radio play in the UK and Ireland.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chimpomatic.com/reviews/?id=224|title=PEARL JAM - THE POINT, DUBLIN - AUGUST 23RD 2006|accessdate=2008-09-21|publisher=[[Chimpomatic]]}}</ref>
[[Image:McFly Live Dublin 3.JPG|thumb|right|300px|[[McFly]] performed at the Point in 2006.]]
[[Celtic Woman]] performed their debut concert in Ireland at the Point Theatre in February 2006, following a lengthy and enormously successful North American tour. While their first performance in Ireland was technically at The Helix in Dublin (which was filmed for PBS), the Point performance marked the group's first unveiling of the theatrical show that had taken America by storm. [[Jay-Z]] played here in 2006 also.

[[Tool (band)|Tool]] made their third ever Irish appearance there in 2006 during their [[10,000 Days]] tour with support from [[Mastodon (band)|Mastodon]], after previously appearing at the SFX centre in 2001 and inadvertently headlining the [[Ozzfest]] in 2002 at [[Punchestown Racecourse]], when [[Ozzy Osbourne]] cancelled, due to illness.

== Live recordings ==
The Theatre has been the venue for numerous live recordings subsequently released as [[live album]]s. [[David Gray (musician)|David Gray]]'s live performance video, ''[[David Gray: Live]]'', released on March 19, 2001, was recorded at a sell-out show at the Point at the end of an Irish tour in December 1999.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.warnermusic.com.au/product,w_prod,8573859982AU|title=DAVID GRAY LIVE AT THE POINT, DUBLIN|accessdate=2008-09-20|publisher=[[Warner Music Australasia]] |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20080725180352/http://www.warnermusic.com.au/product,w_prod,8573859982AU  |archivedate = 2008-07-25}}</ref> [[David Bowie]] filmed his ''[[A Reality Tour (film)|A Reality Tour]]'' DVD in the Point during two sell-out shows there on November 22–24, 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cluas.com/music/gigs/david_bowie.htm|title=David Bowie - The Reality Tour|accessdate=2008-09-20|publisher=[[CLUAS]]}}</ref> [[R.E.M.]] filmed and recorded their live double CD/DVD set, ''[[R.E.M. Live]]'' in the Point on February 26–27, 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://catalog.ebay.co.uk/R-E-M-Live-Point-Depot-Dublin-26-27-Feb-2005-DVD-Digipak-CD-2007_W0QQ_fclsZ1QQ_pidZ62133498QQ_tabZ3|title=R.E.M. - Live (Point Depot, Dublin 26-27 Feb 2005/+DVD) [Digipak] (CD 2007)|accessdate=2008-09-20|publisher=[[eBay]]}}</ref> [[Bruce Springsteen]] recorded his 2007 album, ''[[Bruce Springsteen with The Sessions Band: Live in Dublin|Live in Dublin]]'' at the Point from November 17–19, 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.buzzflash.com/store/reviews/644|title=Bruce Springsteen: Live in Dublin (Just Released 2-CDs)|accessdate=2008-09-20|publisher=[[BuzzFlash]]}}</ref> [[Bell X1 (band)|Bell X1]]'s live album ''[[Tour De Flock]]'' was recorded at their sell-out December 1, 2006 performance at the Point.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/arts/2007/0620/bellx1tourdeflock.html|title=Bell X1 - Tour de Flock: Live at the Point|accessdate=2008-09-20|publisher=[[Radio Telefís Éireann|RTÉ]]}}</ref>

== Sports events ==
===Boxing===
The Point has hosted many boxing fights featuring local fighter [[Bernard Dunne]] most notabally his fight for the EBU Super-Bantamweight title against [[Kiko Martinez]]. Other boxing events at the venue have been headlined by world champions Lennox Lewis, Naseem Hamed, Steve Collins and Wayne McCullough

=== Wrestling ===
The Point has hosted a number of [[World Wrestling Entertainment|WWE]] [[WWE Friday Night SmackDown|Smackdown]] & [[WWE Raw|Raw]] live events.

== Criticism ==
The Point was often criticised for its poor quality of general atmosphere encompassing sound control and sightlines. There were also notably lengthy queues for the building's bars and restrooms, particularly for female attendees.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/day-and-night/features/the-o2-welcome-to-the-future-1564580.html|title=The O2: Welcome to the future|date=2008-12-05|accessdate=2008-12-07|publisher=''[[Irish Independent]]''}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.theo2.ie/ Official site]
* [http://www.riverdance.ie/htm/multimedia/video_clips/index.htm Official clips of Riverdance in 1994]
* [http://www.smashingpumpkins.com/audio_upload/audio/1996-05-22_dublin_ireland/files/17%204th%20&%20Final%20Warning%20%5BConcert%20Abandoned%5D.mp3 Official Smashing Pumpkins audio of deadly 1996 show - includes warnings and word of abandonment]
* 1999 MTV Europe Music Awards : [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1999_Oct_4/ai_55990383 Nominations]
* [http://shop.rexfeatures.com/pictures_507270/MTV-EUROPE-MUSIC-AWARDS-CEREMONY-IN-DUBLIN-EIRE-1999.html Photos] [http://tv.yahoo.com/the-1999-mtv-europe-music-awards/show/917/castcrew Presenters and performers] [http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/miscellaneous-retail-retail-stores-not/4610503-1.html Winners]

{{coord|53|20|51|N|06|13|43|W|type:landmark_scale:3000|display=title}}

{{S-start}}
{{succession box |
title=[[Eurovision Song Contest]] Venue|
before=[[Oslo Spektrum]] [[Oslo]]|
after=[[National Indoor Arena]] [[Birmingham]]|
years=[[Eurovision Song Contest 1997|1997]]
}}
{{succession box |
title=[[Eurovision Song Contest]] Venue|
before=[[Green Glens Arena]] [[Millstreet]]|
after=[[Oslo Spektrum]] [[Oslo]]|
years=[[Eurovision Song Contest 1994|1994]], [[Eurovision Song Contest 1995|1995]]
}}
{{S-end}}

{{Eurovision Song Contest}}

[[Category:Indoor arenas in the Republic of Ireland]]
[[Category:Music in Dublin (city)]]
[[Category:Music venues in Ireland]]
[[Category:North Wall, Dublin]]
[[Category:Theatres in Dublin (city)]]
[[Category:Sports venues in Dublin (city)]]

Kusunda people

2013-05-26T16:24:26Z

Averaver: /* External links */ -iwiki

The '''Kusunda''' or Ban Raja ("people of the forest"), known to themselves as the ''Mihaq'' or ''Myahq'' (< *''Myahak''),<ref>[http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~witzel/kusunda.htm B. K. Rana (Linguistic Society of Nepal), "New Materials on Kusunda Language"] (Presented to the Fourth Round Table International Conference on Ethnogenesis of South and Central Asia, Harvard University, Cambridge MA, USA. May 11–13, 2002)</ref> are a tribe of former [[hunter-gatherer]]s of the forests of western [[Nepal]], who are now intermarried with neighboring peoples and settled in villages.

In 1968 American anthropologist Johan Reinhard located a few of the last surviving Kusunda near Gorkha in Central Nepal, and in 1969 and 1975 he found further members in Dang and Surkhet valleys in western Nepal, collecting basic linguistic and ethnographic data (see references below). Shortly earlier, in about 1956, René Nebesky-Wojokowitz wrote a report after he was told by villagers of Kusundas conducting [[silent trade]] with Nepali farmers. The Kusunda were said to have brought a deer hunted recently and left it for a farm household with the unspoken expectation that the farmers would give the Kusunda farm goods.<ref>Nebesky-Wojkowitz, René. 1959. Kusunda and Chepang: Notes on Two Little-Known Tribes of Nepal. Bulletin of the International Committee on Urgent Anthropological and Ethnological Research 2: 77-84.</ref> The Kusunda mainly hunted birds resting in trees at night with bows and exceptionally long (ca. 160 cm) unfeathered arrows, which were poorly suited for the hunting of land animals. Their custom of eating only the meat of wild animals extended until recent times. The Kusunda are followers of [[animism]], though [[Hindu]] overtones may be seen in their religious rituals. According to the 2001 Nepal census, there are a total of 164 ethnic Kusunda of whom 160 were Hindus and 4 were Buddhists. The [[Nepali language|Nepali]] word ''Kusunda'' originally meant "savage", as the neighboring [[Chepang]] and other groups traditionally thought of them as savages.

==Kusunda language==
{{main|Kusunda language}}
[[David E. Watters|Watters]] (2005) published a mid-sized grammatical description of the [[Kusunda language]], plus vocabulary, which shows that Kusunda is indeed a language isolate. Nepali is now their language of everyday communication. The language is almost [[moribund]], with no children learning it, as all Kusunda speakers have married outside their ethnicity. Only one speaker survives in Nepal, an elderly woman.<ref>{{cite web|last=Gautam|first=Bimal|title=Nepal's mystery language on the verge of extinction|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17537845|work=BBC News|publisher=BBC|accessdate=30 September 2012|date=May 12, 2012}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*Reinhard, Johan (1968) “The Kusunda: Ethnographic Notes on a Hunting Tribe of Nepal.” ''Bulletin of the International Committee on Urgent Anthropological Ethnological Research'' 10:95-110, Vienna.

*Reinhard, Johan (1969) "Aperçu sur les Kusunda: Peuple Chasseur du Népal." ''Objets et Mondes'' 9(1):89-106, Paris.

*Reinhard, Johan (1976) “The Bana Rajas: A Vanishing Himalayan Tribe.” ''Contributions to Nepalese Studies'' 4(1):1-22, Kathmandu.

*Reinhard, Johan and Sueyoshi Toba (1970) ''A Preliminary Linguistic Analysis and Vocabulary of the Kusunda Language''. Kathmandu: Summer Institute of Linguistics/Tribhuvan University.

*D. E. Watters (2005): [http://www.linguistics.ucsb.edu/HimalayanLinguistics/grammars/HLA03.html Notes on Kusunda Grammar: A language isolate of Nepal. Himalayan Linguistics Archive 3. 1-182.] NFDIN Katmandu, ISBN 99946-35-35-2.

==External links==
* [http://nepaliaashish.wordpress.com/2006/08/26/genetic-evidence-for-origins-of-ban-rajas-kusundas-of-nepal/ Genetic evidence for origins of Ban Rajas (Kusundas) of Nepal]
* [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=kgg Ethnologue] reports the Kusunda language to be extinct.
* P. Whitehouse, T. Usher, M. Ruhlen & William S.-Y. Wang (2004): [http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/101/15/5692 Kusunda: An Indo-Pacific language in Nepal], PNAS 101:5692–5695 (free access) attempts to link Kusunda to other languages, using old data.
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17537845 BBC News: Nepal's mystery language on the verge of extinction]

[[Category:Ethnic groups in Nepal]]

Coal Creek (Washington)

2013-05-14T18:47:51Z

Averaver: /* External links */ -iwiki

{{Geobox | River

| name = Coal Creek
| category =
| category_hide =

| image = Coal Creek Falls 04067.JPG
| image_size = 250
| image_caption = Footbridge with Coal Creek Falls behind

| etymology =

| country = United States
| country_flag = 1
| state = [[Washington (U.S. state)|Washington]]
| district_type = County
| district = [[King County, Washington|King]]

| source = [[Cougar Mountain]]
| source_location =
| source_region =
| source_state =
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| source_elevation_note =
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| mouth_name = [[Lake Washington]]
| mouth_location = Newport Shores, [[Bellevue, Washington|Bellevue]]
| mouth_district =
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| length_imperial = 7
| length_round = 0
| length_note =
| watershed_imperial = 7.11
| watershed_round = 1
| watershed_note = <ref name=waterQuality/>
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'''Coal Creek''' is a [[Stream|creek]] in [[Newcastle, Washington|Newcastle]], [[Washington (U.S. state)|Washington]], USA, on [[Seattle]]'s [[Eastside (King County, Washington)|Eastside]]. It is named for the [[coal mining]] industry prominent in the area in the 19th century. There is a popular trail which parallels the creek, allowing views of defunct coal mining equipment and even some bits of [[coal]] sitting on the ground in spots.

The source of Coal Creek is 1,400 feet above sea level on [[Cougar Mountain]]. It flows approximately 7 miles to the northwest, emptying into [[Lake Washington]] at Newport Shores.<ref name=waterQuality>{{cite web | title=Coal Creek Site 0442 | url=http://green.kingcounty.gov/WLR/Waterres/StreamsData/WaterShedInfo.aspx?Locator=0442| accessdate=2011-03-04 }}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of rivers of Washington]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://wdr.water.usgs.gov/wy2008/pdfs/12119705.2008.pdf USGS gage 12119705 Coal Creek], USGS Water-Date Report 2008
*{{GNIS|1504038|Coal Creek}}

{{coord|47.537717|-122.129002|display=title}}

[[Category:Landforms of King County, Washington]]
[[Category:Rivers of Washington (state)]]

{{KingWA-geo-stub}}

Born to Fight (1989 film)

2013-05-13T19:07:20Z

Averaver: /* External links */ -iwiki

{{Infobox film
| name = Born to Fight
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| director = [[Bruno Mattei]]
| producer = Franco Gaudenzi
| writer = [[Claudio Fragasso]]
| narrator =
| starring = [[Brent Huff]] [[John van Dreelen]] [[Werner Pochath]]
| music = Al Festa
| cinematography = Richard Grassetti
| editing = Bruno Mattei
| distributor = Flora Film
| released = July 17, 1989 ([[Portugal]])
| runtime = 85 min.
| country = [[Italy]]
| language = [[English language|English]], [[Italian language|Italian]]
| budget =
| preceded_by =
| followed_by =
| website =
}}
'''''Born to Fight''''' (aka '''''Nato per combattere''''') is a 1989 [[action film]], starring [[Brent Huff]], [[John van Dreelen]] and [[Mary Stavin]]. The film was shot on [[Philippines]] due to [[low budget film|low budget]] in 1988 and is the third time − after ''[[Strike Commando 2]]'' (1988) and ''[[Cop Game]]'' (1988) − when Brent Huff worked with director [[Bruno Mattei]].

==Plot==
Super tough Vietnam Veteran Sam Woods (Huff) is a survivor of a vicious prison camp where he was brutally and painfully tortured before finally managing to escape. When Wood returned to rescue his friends, he found that they were already dead. Some time later a woman named Maryline Kane (Stavin) offers him a tremendous amount of money if he will accompany her back to the area where the prison camp was to do interviews for a documentary story. It all turns out to be a lie − her father is now a prisoner of that same camp where Wood was tortured, and she knows that only a man like Wood can help set him free. Sam adopt a proposal, but then situation came out to be much more complicated, because the camp is now run by an old nemesis Duan Loc (Pochath).

==Cast==
* [[Brent Huff]] as Sam Wood
* [[Werner Pochath]] as Duan Loc
* Romano Puppo as Alex Bross
* [[John van Dreelen]] as Gen. Weber
* [[Mary Stavin]] as Maryline Kane
* Don Wilson (IV) as Gen. Weber's Aide
* [[Claudio Fragasso]] (as Clyde Anderson) as one of the prisoners

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0096970|Born to Fight}}

{{Bruno Mattei}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Born To Fight (1989 Film)}}
[[Category:1980s action films]]
[[Category:1989 films]]
[[Category:English-language films]]
[[Category:Italian-language films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Bruno Mattei]]
[[Category:Films shot in the Philippines]]
[[Category:Italian films]]
[[Category:War films]]

{{1980s-Italy-film-stub}}

Courante

2013-04-09T18:31:22Z

Averaver: /* Further reading */ -iwiki

{{redirect|Corrente|the surname|Corrente (surname)}}
{{distinguish|Corante}}
{{Refimprove|date=October 2007}}

The '''courante''', '''corrente''', '''coranto''' and '''corant''' are some of the names given to a family of [[triple metre]] dances from the late [[Renaissance]] and the [[Baroque|Baroque era]].

[[File:Courante dance pattern 1.png|thumb|right|250px|Courante [[rhythm]].<ref name="Blatter">Alfred Blatter, ''Revisiting Music Theory: A Guide to the Practice'' (New York: Routledge, 2007), p. 28. ISBN 0-415-97440-2.</ref>]]
Modern usage will sometimes use the different spellings to distinguish types of courante ([[Italian language|Italian]] spelling for the [[Italy|Italian]] dance, etc.), but in the original sources spellings were inconsistent. (In the [[Partitas, BWV 825-830|Partitas of the Clavierübung]], [[Bach]] use the different spellings courante and corrente to differentiate between the [[France|French]] and Italian styles, respectively.)<ref>[[Alfred Dürr]], preface to Johann Sebastian Bach, ''Französische Suiten: die verzierte Fassung / The French Suites: Embellished Version: BWV 812–817'', new, revised edition, edited by Alfred Dürr. Bärenreiter Urtext (Kassel: Bärenreiter-Verlag, 1980).</ref> However, in ''Dance and the Music of J. S. Bach'' by Meredith Little and Natalie Jenne, the courante and corrente are given separate chapters and treated as distinct dances.<ref>Meredith Little and Natalie Jenne, ''Dance and the Music of J. S. Bach'', expanded edition. Music: Scholarship and Performance (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2001) ISBN 0-253-33936-7 (cloth); ISBN 0-253-21464-5 (pbk); pp. 114-142.</ref> The courante had the slowest tempo of all French court dances, and was described by Mattheson, Quantz and Rousseau as grave and majestic.<ref name="Suzanne G. Cusick 2001">Meredith Ellis Little and Suzanne G. Cusick, "Courante", ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell (London: Macmillan Publishers, 2001).</ref> In Bach's unaccompanied [[Partita for Violin No. 2 (Bach)|Partita for Violin No. 2]] the first movement (titled Allemanda) begins as if in 3/4 [[time signature|time]] in a manner one might initially perform and hear as a courante. The second movement is titled corrente and is rather lively. On the other hand, many "courante" movements by Bach are actually correntes as well: in the original engraving of the keyboard Partitas, movements are clearly labelled either "corrente" or "courante", but editors have frequently ignored the distinction.<ref name="Suzanne G. Cusick 2001"/> Although an indication of faster tempo appears to exist in Baroque composer [[Georg Muffat]]'s instructions on Lullian bowing, his reference to the "rapid tempo of courantes" is a confusion in translation. A more literal translation of the text indicates only "the speed of the movement of the notes."<ref>Meredith Little and Natalie Jenne, ''Dance and the Music of J. S. Bach'', expanded edition (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2001) p. 115. ISBN 0-253-33936-7 (cloth); ISBN 0-253-21464-5 (pbk).</ref>

[[File:Courante dance pattern 2.png|thumb|right|250px|Another{{Vague|date=January 2011}} courante rhythm.<ref name="Blatter"/>]]
Courante literally means running, and in the later Renaissance the courante was danced with fast running and jumping steps, as described by [[Thoinot Arbeau]].

In ''Der vollkommene Capellmeister'' (Hamburg, 1739), [[Johann Mattheson]] wrote that, "The motion of a courante is chiefly characterized by the passion or mood of sweet expectation. For there is something heartfelt, something longing and also gratifying, in this melody: clearly music on which hopes are built."<ref name="Alfred Dürr 1980">Quoted in Alfred Dürr, preface to Johann Sebastian Bach, ''Französische Suiten: die verzierte Fassung / The French Suites: Embellished Version: BWV 812–817'', new, revised edition, edited by Alfred Dürr. Bärenreiter Urtext (Kassel: Bärenreiter-Verlag, 1980).</ref>

The courante was most commonly used in the [[baroque]] period. During this period, there were two types of courante: French and Italian. In a Baroque [[dance suite]], an Italian or French courante typically comes between the [[allemande]] and the [[sarabande]], making it the second or third [[Movement (music)|movement]]. The French type is usually notated in 3/2 or 6/4, occasionally alternating between the two meters; the Italian type, on the other hand, is a significantly faster dance. In the ''Musicalisches Lexicon'' (Leipzig, 1732), [[Johann Gottfried Walther]] wrote that the rhythm of the courante is "absolutely the most serious one can find."<ref name="Alfred Dürr 1980"/>

==See also==
* [[Renaissance dance]]
* [[Baroque dance]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*Lenneberg, Hans. 1958. "Johann Mattheson on Affect and Rhetoric in Music: A Translation of Selected Portions of ''Der vollkommene Capellmeister'' (1739)". ''Journal of Music Theory'' 2, no. 1 (April) and no. 2 (November): 47–84, 193–236.
*Mattheson, Johann. 1739. ''[http://www.koelnklavier.de/quellen/matth-1739/_start.html Der vollkommene Capellmeister: Das ist, Gründliche Anzeige aller derjenigen Sachen, die einer wissen, können, und vollkommen inne haben muß, der einer Capelle mit Ehren und Nutzen vorstehen will]''. Hamburg: verlegts Christian Herold. Facsimile reprint, fifth edition, edited by Margarete Reimann. Documenta Musicologica 1. Reihe, Druckschriften-Faksimiles 5. Kassel: Bärenreiter-Verlag, 1991. ISBN 978-3-7618-0100-0.
*Mattheson, Johann. 1981. ''Johann Mattheson's Der vollkommene Capellmeister", a revised translation with critical commentary by Ernest Charles Harriss. Studies in musicology 21. Ann Arbor: UMI Research Press. ISBN 0-8357-1134-X.
*Walther, Johann Gottfried. 1732. ''[http://www.archive.org/details/JohannGottfriedWalther-MusicalischesLexiconOderMusicalischeBibliothec Musicalisches Lexicon oder, Musicalische Bibliothec]''. Leipzig: verlegts Wolffgang Deer. Facsimile reprint, edited by Richard Schaal. Documenta musicologica, 1. Reihe, Druckschriften-Faksimiles, 3. Kassel: Bärenreiter-Verlag, 1953. Modern edition of the text and musical illustrations, edited by Friederike Ramm. Kassel: Bärenreiter-Verlag & Karl Vötterle GmbH & Co. KG, 2001. ISBN 3-7618-1509-3.

[[Category:Dances]]
[[Category:Early dance]]
[[Category:Historical dance]]
[[Category:Renaissance dance]]
[[Category:Baroque music]]
[[Category:Dance forms in classical music]]

Space settlement

2013-04-04T19:29:16Z

Averaver: /* External links */ -iwiki

[[Image:Spacecolony1.jpg|thumb|right|A pair of [[O'Neill cylinder]]s]]
[[File:Spacecolony3edit.jpeg|thumb|right|Interior view of an [[O'Neill cylinder]], showing alternating land and window stripes]]

A '''space habitat''' (also called an '''orbital colony''', or a '''space colony''', '''city''', or '''settlement''') is a [[space station]] intended as a [[space colonization|permanent settlement]]{{Citation needed (lead)|date=February 2011}} rather than as a simple [[waystation]] or other specialized facility. No space habitats have yet been constructed, but many design proposals have been made with varying degrees of realism by both engineers and [[science fiction]] authors.

==History==
[[File:Noordung space station.jpg|thumb|Description of a rotating wheel space station in [[Hermann Noordung]]'s ''The Problem of Space Travel'' (1929)]]
About 1970, near the end of [[Project Apollo]], [[Gerard K. O'Neill]], an experimental physicist, was looking for a topic to tempt his physics students, most of whom were [[freshmen]] in Engineering. He hit upon the creative idea of assigning them feasibility calculations for large space habitats. To his surprise, the habitats seemed to be feasible even in very large sizes: cylinders five miles (8 km) in diameter and twenty miles (34 km) long, even if made from ordinary materials such as steel and glass. Also, the students solved problems such as radiation protection from cosmic rays (almost free in the larger sizes), getting naturalistic sun angles, provision of power, realistic pest-free farming and orbital attitude control without reaction motors. O'Neill published an article about these colony proposals in ''[[Physics Today]]'' in 1974.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}} (See the above illustration of such a colony, a classic "O'Neill Colony"). The article was expanded in his 1976 book ''[[The High Frontier: Human Colonies in Space]]''.

The result motivated [[NASA]] to sponsor a couple of summer workshops led by Dr. O'Neill.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.nas.nasa.gov/About/Education/SpaceSettlement/75SummerStudy/Table_of_Contents1.html| title=Space Settlements: A Design Study| year=1975|accessdate=2006-12-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://space.alglobus.net/spaceres/toc.html| title=Ames Summer Study on Space Settlements and Industrialization Using Nonterrestial Materials| year=1977| accessdate=2006-05-28}}</ref> Several designs were studied, some in depth, with sizes ranging from 1,000 to 10,000,000 people.<ref name="Pournelle, Jerrold E. 1977">Pournelle, Jerrold E., Dr. ''A Step Farther Out''; O'Neill, Gerard K., Dr. ''The High Frontier: Human Colonies in Space'' (New York: William Morrow & Company, 1977); Heppenheimer, Fred, Dr. ''Habitats in Space''.</ref>{{full|date=November 2012}}

At the time, colonization was definitely seen as an end in itself. The basic proposal by O'Neill had an example of a payback scheme: construction of [[solar power satellite]]s from lunar materials. O'Neill's intention was not to build solar power satellites as such, but rather to give an existence proof that orbital manufacturing from lunar materials could generate profits. He, and other participants, presumed that once such manufacturing facilities were on-line, many profitable uses for them would be found, and the colony would become self-supporting, and begin to build other colonies as well.

The proposals and studies generated a notable groundswell of public interest. One effect of this expansion was the founding of the [[L5 Society|L5 Society]] in the U.S., a group of enthusiasts that desired to build and live in such colonies. The group was named after the space-colony orbit which was then believed to be the most profitable, a kidney-shaped orbit around either of Earth's lunar [[Lagrange point]]s 5 or 4.

In this era, Dr. O'Neill also founded the quieter, and more targeted [[Space Studies Institute]], which initially funded and constructed prototypes of much of the radically new hardware needed for a space colonization effort, as well as number of paper studies of feasibility. One of the early projects, for instance, was a series of functional prototypes of a [[mass driver]], the essential technology to be used to move [[ore]]s economically from the Moon to space colony orbits.

The space habitats have inspired a large number of fictional societies in [[Science Fiction]]. Some of the most popular and recognizable are the Japanese [[Gundam]] universe, and [[Babylon 5|Babylon 5]].

==Motivation==
Several motivations for building [[Space colonization|space colonies]] have been proposed: survival, security, energy, raw materials and money.{{Citation needed|date=June 2011}}

Space habitats are immune to most of the natural disasters that plague the Earth, such as earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, floods and tornadoes. A space habitat can be the passenger compartment of a large spacecraft for colonizing [[asteroid]]s, moons, distant stars<ref>L. R. Shepherd described a generation starship in 1952 comparing it to a small planet with many people living in it. [http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/G/generationship.html Encyclopedia of Science]</ref> or other planets (see: [[Space and survival]]). Spreading our population out into multiple self-sufficient space habitats across the Solar System will increase our odds of survival, a possible ruin of the Earth's population as a whole not dooming all our species, any more.<ref name=Doehring>James Doehring, Michael Anissimov et al: [http://lifeboat.com/ex/space.habitats Lifeboat Foundation Space Habitats]. ''[[Spacefuture|Spacefuture.com]]'', 2002-2011, retrieved June 29, 2011</ref>

Space has an abundance of light produced from the Sun. In Earth orbit, this amounts to 1400 watts of power per square meter.<ref name=KoppLean11>{{cite journal|last=G. Kopp|coauthors=J. Lean|title=A new, lower value of total solar irradiance: Evidence and climate significance|journal=Geophys. Res. Lett.|year=2011|pages=L01706|doi=10.1029/2010GL045777|bibcode = 2011GeoRL..3801706K }}</ref> This energy can be used to produce electricity from [[Photovoltaics|solar cells]] or [[heat engine]] based power stations, process ores, provide light for plants to grow and to warm space colonies.

Most asteroids are a mixture of the aforementioned materials, virtually all stable elements on the [[periodic table]] can be found in the [[asteroids]] and [[comets]]{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}} and more importantly, because these bodies do not have substantial gravity wells, it is very easy to draw materials from them and haul them to a construction site.<ref name="Pournelle, Jerrold E. 1977"/>{{full|date=November 2012}}

There is estimated to be enough material in the main asteroid belt alone to build enough space habitats to equal the habitable surface area of 3,000 Earths.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://settlement.arc.nasa.gov/75SummerStudy/Chapt7.html#LIM| title=Space Settlements: A Design Study (Chapter 7)| year=1975|accessdate=2010-08-12}}</ref>

==Power generation==
Colonies would have constant access to [[solar energy]] up to very large distances from the Sun. Weightlessness allows the construction of large flimsy structures such as mirrors for concentrating [[sunlight]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}}

==Resources==
Space habitats may be supplied with resources from extraterrestrial places like [[Mars]], [[asteroid]]s, or the [[Moon]] ([[in-situ resource utilization]] [ISRU];<ref name=Doehring /> see [[Asteroid mining]]). One could produce breathing oxygen, drinking water, and rocket fuel with the help of ISRU.<ref name=Doehring /> It may become possible to manufacture solar panels from Lunar materials.<ref name=Doehring />

==Population==
Habitats may be constructed to give an immense total population capacity. Using the free-floating resources of the solar system, current estimates extend into the trillions.<ref>O'Neill, Gerard K. ''The colonization of space'', ([[Physics Today]], September 1974). Retrieved on 2006-10-15.</ref>

==Trade==
Earth-to-space habitat trade would be easier than Earth-to-planetary colony trade, as colonies orbiting Earth will not have a gravity well to overcome to export to Earth, and a smaller gravity well to overcome to import from Earth.

==Initial capital outlay==
Even the smallest of the habitat designs mentioned below is more massive than the total mass of all items ever launched by mankind into Earth orbit.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}} Prerequisites to building habitats are either cheaper launch costs or a mining and manufacturing base on the Moon or other body having low [[delta-v]] from the desired habitat location.<ref name="Pournelle, Jerrold E. 1977"/>{{full|date=November 2012}}

==Internal life support systems==
Air [[pressure]], with normal partial pressures of [[oxygen]], [[carbon dioxide]] and [[nitrogen]], is a basic requirement of any space habitat.{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}} Basically, most space colony designs propose large, thin-walled pressure vessels. The required oxygen could be obtained from lunar rock. Nitrogen is most easily available from the Earth, but is also recycled nearly perfectly. Also, nitrogen in the form of ammonia may be obtainable from comets and the moons of outer planets. Nitrogen may also be available in unknown quantities on certain other bodies in the [[outer solar system]]. The air of a colony could be recycled in a number of ways. The most obvious method is to use [[photosynthesis|photosynthetic]] [[gardening|garden]]s, possibly via [[hydroponics]] or [[forest gardening]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}} However, these do not remove certain industrial pollutants, such as volatile oils, and excess simple molecular gases. The standard method used on [[nuclear submarines]], a similar form of closed environment, is to use a [[catalytic]] burner, which effectively removes most organics. Further protection might be provided by a small cryogenic distillation system which would gradually remove impurities such as [[mercury (element)|mercury]] vapor, and noble gases that cannot be catalytically burned. {{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}

[[Organic chemistry|Organic]] materials for food production would also need to be provided. At first, most of these would have to be imported from the moon, asteroids, or the Earth. After that, recycling should reduce the need for imports. One proposed recycling method would start by burning the cryogenic distillate, plants, garbage and sewage with air in an electric arc, and distilling the result.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}} The resulting carbon dioxide and water would be immediately usable in agriculture. The nitrates and salts in the ash could be dissolved in water and separated into pure minerals. Most of the nitrates, potassium and sodium salts would effectively recycle as fertilizers. Other minerals containing iron, nickel, and silicon could be chemically purified in batches and reused industrially. The small fraction of remaining materials, well below 0.01% by weight, could be processed into pure elements with zero-gravity [[mass spectrometry]], and added in appropriate amounts to the fertilizers and industrial stocks. This method's only current existence is a proof considered by NASA studies.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}} It's likely that methods would be greatly refined as people began to actually live in space habitats.

==Zero g recreation==
If the station is equipped with zero g facilities, weightlessness enables the creation of zero g pool and stadiums,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.spacefuture.com/archive/artificial_gravity_swimming_pool.shtml | title=Artificial-Gravity Swimming-Pool | publisher=spacefuture.com | year=1997}}</ref><ref name="Kalpana" /> infinite [[hang gliding]] flights <ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.nss.org/settlement/ColoniesInSpace/colonies_chap11.html | title=Colonies in Space, Chapter 11: What's to Do on Saturday Night ? | accessdate=1977 | author=T. A. Heppenheimer}}</ref> and the use of [[Human-powered aircraft]].

==Artificial gravity==
{{Main|Artificial gravity}}
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2011}}
Long-term on-orbit studies have proven that zero gravity weakens bones and muscles, and upsets calcium metabolism and immune systems. Most people have a continual stuffy nose or sinus problems, and a few people have dramatic, incurable motion sickness. Most colony designs would rotate in order to use [[inertia]]l forces to [[Artificial gravity|simulate gravity]]. NASA studies with chickens and plants have proven that this is an effective physiological substitute for gravity.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}} Turning one's head rapidly in such an environment causes a "tilt" to be sensed as one's inner ears move at different rotational rates. Centrifuge studies show that people get motion-sick in habitats with a rotational radius of less than 100 metres, or with a rotation rate above 3 rotations per minute. However, the same studies and statistical inference indicate that almost all people should be able to live comfortably in habitats with a rotational radius larger than 500 meters and below 1 RPM. Experienced persons were not merely more resistant to motion sickness, but could also use the effect to determine "spinward" and "antispinward" directions in the centrifuges.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}

==Protection from hostile external environment==
{{main|Effect of spaceflight on the human body}}
*'''[[Cosmic ray|Radiation]]:''' Some very large space habitat designs could be effectively shielded from [[cosmic ray]]s by their structure and air.{{Citation needed|date=April 2007}} Smaller habitats could be shielded by stationary (nonrotating) bags of rock. Sunlight could be admitted indirectly via mirrors in radiation-proof louvres, which would function in the same manner as a [[periscope]].

:For instance, 4 metric tons per square meter of surface area could reduce radiation dosage to several mSv or less annually, below the rate of some populated [[background radiation|high natural background areas]] on Earth.<ref>NASA SP-413 [http://settlement.arc.nasa.gov/75SummerStudy/5appendE.html Space Settlements: A Design Study. Appendix E Mass Shielding] Retrieved 3 May 2011.</ref> Alternative concepts based on active shielding are untested yet and more complex than such passive mass shielding, but usage of magnetic and/or electric fields to deflect particles could potentially greatly reduce mass requirements.<ref name = spacecraftshielding>[http://engineering.dartmouth.edu/~simon_g_shepherd/research/Shielding/ Spacecraft Shielding] engineering.dartmouth.edu. Retrieved 3 May 2011.</ref>

:If a space habitat is located at [[Lagrangian_point#L4_and_L5|L4 or L5]], then its orbit will take it outside of the protection of the Earth's [[magnetosphere]] for approximately two-thirds of the time (as happens with the Moon), putting residents at risk of [[Proton#Exposure|proton exposure]] from the [[solar wind]].
:See ''[[Health threat from cosmic rays]]''

*'''Heat rejection:''' The colony is in a vacuum, and therefore resembles a giant thermos bottle. The sunlight to radiated energy ratio can be reduced and controlled with large venetian blinds. Habitats also need a [[radiator]] to eliminate heat from absorbed sunlight and organisms. Very small habitats might have a central vane that rotates with the colony. In this design, [[convection]] would raise hot air "up" (toward the center), and cool air would fall down into the outer habitat. Some other designs would distribute coolants, such as chilled water from a central radiator.

*'''Foreign objects:''' The habitat would need to withstand potential impacts from [[space debris]], [[meteoroid]]s, dust, etc.
[[Radar]] will sweep the space around each habitat mapping the trajectory of debris and other man-made objects and allowing corrective actions to be taken to protect the habitat.{{citation needed|date=September 2012}}
Meteoroid strikes would pose a risk to a space habitat much stronger than they do to the Earth, unless there should be developed a method to avert them, because a space habitat does not possess a sheltering atmosphere.

==Transportation and maneuvering==
*'''Orbital stationkeeping:''' The optimal habitat orbits are still debated, and so [[orbital stationkeeping]] is probably a commercial issue. The lunar {{L4}} and {{L5}} orbits are now thought to be too far away from the moon and Earth. A more modern proposal is to use a two-to-one resonance orbit that alternately has a close, low-energy (cheap) approach to the moon, and then to the Earth. This provides quick, inexpensive access to both raw materials and the major market. Most colony designs plan to use [[tether propulsion|electromagnetic tether propulsion]], or [[mass driver]]s used as rocket motors. The advantage of these is that they either use no reaction mass at all, or use cheap reaction mass.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}

*'''Attitude control:''' Most mirror geometries require something on the habitat to be aimed at the sun and so [[attitude control]] is necessary. The original O'Neill design used the two cylinders as [[momentum wheel]]s to roll the colony, and pushed the sunward pivots together or apart to use [[precession]] to change their angle. Later designs rotated in the plane of their orbit, with their windows pointing at right angles to the sunlight, and used lightweight mirrors that could be steered with small electric motors to follow the sun.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}

==Designs/solutions==

===NASA designs===
Designs proposed in NASA studies included:
*[[Bernal sphere]]: "Island One", a spherical habitat for about 20,000 people.
*[[Stanford torus]]: A larger alternative to "Island One."
*[[O'Neill cylinder]]: "Island Three" (pictured), an even larger design.
*[[Bishop Ring (habitat)]]: The largest design.
*[[McKendree cylinder]]: a scaled up O'Neill cylinder design
*[[Lewis One]]:<ref>{{cite web| url=http://alglobus.net/NASAwork/papers/RNR-91-018/RNR-91-018.html| title=Lewis One Space Colony| first=Al| last=Globus| accessdate=2006-05-28}}</ref> A cylinder of radius 250m with a non rotating radiation shielding. The shielding protects the micro-gravity industrial space, too. The rotating part is 450m long and has several inner cylinders. Some of them are used for agriculture.
* [[Kalpana One]], revised:<ref name="Kalpana">{{cite web| url=http://www.nss.org/settlement/space/2007KalpanaOne.pdf|title=The Kalpana One Orbital Space Settlement Revised|first=Al|last=Globus|accessdate=2009-08-29}}</ref> A short cylinder with 250 m radius and 325 m length. The radiation shielding is 10 t/m2 and rotates. It has several inner cylinders for agriculture and recreaction.
* A "bola": a spacecraft or habitat connected by a cable to a [[counterweight]] or other habitat. This design has been proposed as a Mars ship, initial construction shack for a space habitat, and [[transhab|orbital hotel]]. It has a comfortably long and slow rotational radius for a relatively small station mass. Also, if some of the equipment can form the counter-weight, the equipment dedicated to artificial gravity is just a cable, and thus has a much smaller mass-fraction than in other designs. This makes it a tempting design for a deep-space ship. For a long-term habitation, however, radiation shielding must rotate with the habitat, and is extremely heavy, thus requiring a much stronger and heavier cable.{{Citation needed|date=September 2010}}
* "[[Beaded habitats]]":<ref>{{cite web| url=http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20070032685_2007018823.pdf|title=A Minimized Technological Approach towards Human Self Sufficiency off Earth|accessdate=2010-12-18}}</ref> This speculative design was also considered by the NASA studies, and found to have a roughly equivalent mass fraction of structure{{Clarify|date=August 2010}} and therefore comparable{{Clarify|date=August 2010}} costs. Small habitats would be mass-produced to standards that allow the habitats to interconnect. A single habitat can operate alone as a bola. However, further habitats can be attached, to grow into a "dumbbell" then a "bow-tie," then a ring, then a cylinder of "beads," and finally a framed array of cylinders. Each stage of growth shares more radiation shielding and capital equipment, increasing redundancy and safety while reducing the cost per person. This design was originally proposed by a professional architect because it can grow much like Earth-bound cities, with incremental individual investments, unlike designs that require large start-up investments. The main disadvantage is that the smaller versions use a large amount of structure to support the radiation shielding, which rotates with them. In large sizes, the shielding becomes economical, because it grows roughly as the square of the colony radius. The number of people, their habitats and the radiators to cool them grow roughly as the cube of the colony radius.<ref>Curreri, Peter A. (2207). ''[http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20070032685_2007018823.pdf A minimized technological approach towards human self sufficiency off Earth.]'' (pdf format) Space Technology and Applications International Forum (STAIF) Conference, Albuquerque, NM, 11-15 Feb. 2007.</ref>
*[[Nautilus-X]] Multi-Mission Space Exploration Vehicle (MMSEV): this 2011 NASA proposal for a long-duration crewed space transport vehicle included an [[artificial gravity]] space habitat intended to promote crew-health for a crew of up to six persons on missions of up to two years duration. The [[gravity|partial-g]] [[torus|torus-ring]] [[centrifuge]] would utilize both standard metal-frame and [[Inflatable space habitat|inflatable]] spacecraft structures and would provide 0.11 to {{nowrap|0.69[[Standard gravity|g]]}} if built with the {{convert|40|ft}} diameter option.<ref name=fiso20110126b>
[http://spirit.as.utexas.edu/~fiso/telecon/Holderman-Henderson_1-26-11/Holderman_1-26-11.ppt NAUTILUS-X: Multi-Mission Space Exploration Vehicle], Mark L. Holderman, ''Future in Space Operations (FISO) Colloquium'', 2011-01-26, accessed 2011-01-31.</ref><ref name=stn20110128>
[http://www.hobbyspace.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=26786 NASA NAUTILUS-X: multi-mission exploration vehicle includes centrifuge, which would be tested at ISS], ''RLV and Space Transport News'', 2011-01-28, accessed 2011-01-31.</ref><ref name=yn20110128>
{{cite news |title=Nautilus X MMSEV Is More Outside-the-Box Space Thinking from NASA |url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20110128/sc_ac/7725094_nautilus_x_mmsev_is_more_outsidethebox_space_thinking_from_nasa |accessdate=2011-02-13 |newspaper=YahooNews |date=2011-01-28}}</ref> {{as of|2011}}, developing and assembling the NAUTILUS-X "would take at least five years and require two or three rocket launches. It would cost about $3.7 billion."<ref name=ps20110214>
{{cite news |last=Boyle|first=Rebecca |title=New NASA Designs for a Reusable Manned Deep-Space Craft, Nautilus-X |url=http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-02/new-nasa-reusable-spacecraft-concept-could-serve-multiple-missions-future |accessdate=2011-02-15 |newspaper=Popular Science |date=2011-02-14 |quote=''Construction would take at least five years and require two or three rocket launches. It would cost about $3.7 billion.''}}</ref> NASA has released a short animation of NAUTILUS-X in space; the link is included in the External links section below.

*[[ISS]] [[Nautilus-X#ISS_centrifuge_demonstration|Centrifuge Demo]]: Also proposed in 2011 as a demonstration project preparatory to the final design of the larger torus centrifuge space habitat for the Multi-Mission Space Exploration Vehicle. The structure would have an outside diameter of {{convert|30|ft}} with a {{convert|30|in}} ring interior cross-section diameter and would provide 0.08 to {{nowrap|0.51g}} partial gravity. This test and evaluation centrifuge would have the capability to become a Sleep Module for ISS crew.<ref name=fiso20110126b/>

===Gallery===
<gallery>
File:Curreri space habitat.png|Bola space station
File:Nasa mars artificial gravity 1989.jpg|Bola Mars spacecraft
Kalpana One space station.png|Kalpana One Orbital space station
File:Concepts from 1975 NASA Summer Study at Stanford.png, 75summerstudyConcepts.png|Various Concepts
</gallery>

===Bubbleworld===
The Bubbleworld or Inside/Outside concept was originated in 1964 by [[Dandridge M. Cole]] and Donald W. Cox in a nonfiction book, ''Islands in Space: The Challenge of the Planetoids''.<ref>{{cite book|
last=Cole|first=Dandridge M.|coauthors=Cox, Donald W.|
year=1964|
title=Islands in space: The challenge of the planetoids|
url=http://www.amazon.com/Islands-space-planetoids-Dandridge-Cole/dp/B0007DZSR0}}</ref>

The concept calls for drilling a tunnel through the longest axis of a large asteroid of iron or nickel-iron composition and filling it with a [[Volatility (chemistry)|volatile]] substance, possibly water. A very large solar reflector would be constructed nearby, focusing solar heat onto the asteroid, first to weld and seal the tunnel ends, then more diffusely to slowly heat the entire outer surface. As the metal softens, the water inside expands and inflates the mass, while rotational forces help shape it into a cylindrical form. Once expanded and allowed to cool, it can be spun to produce artificial gravity, and the interior filled with soil, air and water. By creating a slight bulge in the middle of the cylinder, a ring-shaped lake can be made to form. Reflectors will allow sunlight to enter and to be directed where needed. Clearly, this method would require a significant human and industrial presence in space to be at all feasible.

The Bubbleworld concept was popularized by [[science fiction]] author [[Larry Niven]] in his fictional [[Known Space]] stories, describing such worlds as the primary habitats of the [[Belter (Niven)|Belters]], a civilization who had [[Colonization of the asteroids|colonized the Asteroid Belt]].

=== Asteroid Terrarium ===
A similar idea to the bubbleworld, the [[Terrarium (space habitat)|asteroid terrarium]], appears in the book [[2312 (novel)|'2312']], authored by [[hard science fiction]] writer [[Kim Stanley Robinson]].

===Hypothetical designs===
In the 1990s, as the potential usefulness of [[carbon nanotube]]s as structural material became apparent, proposals were advanced for much larger habitats taking advantage of this material. The technology to produce nanotubes of the required length is not available, so these designs remain speculative.

* [[Bishop Ring (habitat)|Bishop ring]]:<ref>[http://www.iase.cc/openair.htm Institute of Atomic-Scale Engineering: Open Air Space Habitats]</ref> A torus 1000 km in radius, 500 km in width, and with atmosphere retention walls 200 km in height. The design would be large enough that it could be "roofless", open to space on the inner rim.
* [[McKendree cylinder]]:<ref>[http://www.zyvex.com/nanotech/nano4/mckendreePaper.html#RTFToC17 Implications of Molecular Nanotechnology Technical Performance Parameters on Previously Defined Space System Architectures]</ref> Paired cylinders in the same vein as the O'Neill cylinder/Island Three design, each 460 km in radius and 4600 km long (versus 3.2 km radius and 32 km long in the Island Three design).

===Bigelow Commercial Space Station===
The [[Bigelow Next-Generation Commercial Space Station]] was announced in mid-2010.<ref name=baocc20100715>
[http://bigelowaerospace.com/orbital-complex-construction.php Bigelow Aerospace — Next-Generation Commercial Space Stations: Orbital Complex Construction], Bigelow Aerospace, accessed 2010-07-15.</ref>
The initial build-out of the station is expected in 2014/2015, and will consist of two [[Sundancer]] modules and one [[BA-330]] module.<ref name=aw20100506>
[http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/asd/2010/05/06/11.xml&channel=space Bigelow Marketing Inflatable Space Stations], ''[[Aviation Week]]'', 2010-05-06, accessed 2010-10-30.</ref>
Bigelow has publicly shown space station design configurations with up to nine BA-300 modules containing {{convert|100000|cuft|abbr=on}} of habitable space<ref name=pm20101028>
[http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/space/news/bigelow-aerospace-ba2100-hotel Bigelow Aerospace Shows Off Bigger, Badder Space Real Estate], ''[[Popular Mechanics]]'', 2010-10-28, accessed 2010-10-30.</ref>
Bigelow began to publicly refer to the initial configuration—two [[Sundancer]] modules and one [[BA-330]] module—as "Space Complex Alpha" in October 2010.<ref name=tsr20101101>
[http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1719/1 Bigelow still thinks big], ''[[The Space Review]]'', 2010-11-01, accessed 2010-11-02.</ref>

Bigelow recently announced that it has agreements with six [[sovereign state]]s to utilize on-orbit facilities of the commercial space station: [[United Kingdom]], [[Netherlands]], [[Australia]], [[Singapore]], [[Japan]] and [[Sweden]].<ref name=pm20101028/>

==See also==
{{commons category|Space habitat}}

*[[Generation ship]]
*[[Human outpost]] (artificially created controlled human habitat)
*[[Inflatable space habitat]]
*[[Mars to Stay]]
*[[Space manufacturing]]
*[[Space stations and habitats in popular culture]]
*"[[The Brick Moon]]"
*[[Transhab]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|2}}

==References==
{{Refbegin}}
*[http://www.nas.nasa.gov/About/Education/SpaceSettlement/ NASA's table of contents for the studies] See the "online books" about halfway down the page.
{{Refend}}

==External links==
*[http://lifeboat.com/ex/space.habitats Lifeboat Foundation Space Habitats], a space habitat advocacy group.
*Paul Lucas (2005), [http://www.strangehorizons.com/2005/20050221/homesteading-a.shtml Homesteading the High Frontier: The Shape of Space Stations to Come], ''Strange Horizons''
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=8zJ__F7ktvo NASA animation of NAUTILUS-X in space]
*[http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2011/05/01/135895195/visions-of-the-high-frontier-space-colonies-of-1970 NPR visualization of a large-colony space habitat], May 2011.
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgrdAUFFMrA NASA video about space habitats and space settlements construction as seen around 1970"s (5 min)]

{{Space tourism}}
{{Space stations}}
{{Spaceflight}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Space Habitat}}
[[Category:Space colonization]]
[[Category:Space stations]]
[[Category:Human habitats]]

Bonfire

2013-04-03T19:39:57Z

Averaver: /* External links */ -iwiki

{{Other uses}}
{{Distinguish|campfire}}
[[File:Christmas bonfire.jpg|thumb|Christmas bonfire in Guelph, Canada]]
[[File:Bonfire on Mississippi River levee St. James Parish Louisiana.jpg|thumb|A bonfire burns during a night event]]
[[File:Jahresfeuer ganz1Ausschn.png|thumb|Distribution of ''Funkenfeuer'' in Alemannic Europe, France and Northern Italy. Red shows traditions of ''Funkensonntag'' (the Sunday following [[Ash Wednesday]]), blue shows traditions of 1 March.]]

A '''bonfire''' is a controlled outdoor [[fire]] used for informal disposal of burnable waste material or as part of a celebration. Celebratory bonfires are typically designed to burn quickly and may be very large. The name 'bonfire' is from 'bone-fire'.<ref>[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=bonfire Etymology Online].</ref>

==Celebratory bonfires==
{{see also|Bonfire Night}}
In many regions of continental Europe, bonfires are made traditionally on January 16,{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} the [[solemnity]] of [[John the Baptist]], as well as on Saturday night before [[Easter]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} Bonfires are also a feature of [[Walpurgis Night]] in central and northern [[Europe]], and [[Bonfires of Saint John|the celebrations on the eve of St. John's Day in Spain]]. In [[Finland]] bonfires are tradition on [[Midsummer|Midsummer Eve]] and Easter, also in midst of May celebrations.

===Alpine and Central Europe===
{{Further|Pre-Christian Alpine traditions}}
Bonfire traditions of early spring, lit on the Sunday following [[Ash Wednesday]] (''Funkensonntag''), are widespread throughout the [[Alemannic German]] speaking regions of Europe and in parts of [[France]]. The burning of "winter in effigy" at the [[Sechseläuten]] in [[Zürich]] (introduced in 1902) is inspired by this Alemannic tradition. In Austria "[[Osterfeuer]]", Easter Fires, are widespread, but also regulated in some cities, districts and countries to hold down the resulting annual peak of PM10-dust immission. There are also "Sonnwendfeuer" (Solstice Fires) ignited on the evening of 21 June.

Since 1988 "Feuer in den Alpen" (Fires in the Alps) have been lit on a day in August on mountains so they can be seen from afar as an appeal for sustainable development of mountain regions.<ref>[http://www.feuerindenalpen.com/ Organizers of "Feuer in den Alpen"], see: "Hintergründe"</ref>

===Australia===
In [[Australia]], bonfires may be lit to celebrate [[Commonwealth Day]]{{Citation needed|date=July 2011}} or the [[Queen's Official Birthday]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2011}}

===Canada===
Due to their historic connection to Britain the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador have many communities that celebrate Bonfire night, this is one of the times when small rural communities come together.

===India===
[[File:Holika Dahan, Kathamandu, Nepal.jpg|left|thumb|Preparations for [[Holika Dahan]]]]
In [[India]], particularly in [[Punjab (India)|Punjab]], people gather around a bonfire and eat peanuts and sweets during the festival of [[Lohri]] to commemorate the conquest of good over evil. Families who have a new-born son usually build a bonfire outside their house to celebration this event. The festival falls in the second week of January every year. In [[Assam]] in the northeastern part of [[India]], a harvest festival called [[Bhogali Bihu]] is celebrated to mark the end of the [[harvest season]] in mid-January. In southern parts of [[India]], particularly in [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Tamil Nadu]] and [[Mumbai]], the Bhogi festival is celebrated on the last day of 'Maarkali', which is also the first day of the farmer festival [[Pongal]]. People collect unwanted items from their houses and set them on fire in a bonfire to celebrate. During the ten days of [[Vijayadashami]], effigies of Ravana, his brother Kumbhakarna and son Meghanad are erected and burnt by enthusiastic youths at sunset.Traditionally a bonfire on the day of Holi marks the symbolic annihilation of [[Holika]] the [[demoness]] as described above.<ref name=ori>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/holydays/holi_1.shtml Origins of Holi] ''[[BBC]]''.</ref>

===Ireland===
Throughout [[Ireland]], bonfires are lit on the night of 31 October to celebrate [[Halloween]]<ref>[http://www.independent.ie/national-news/council-faces-euro1m-cleanup-bill-after-halloween-horror-2403219.html Council faces €1m clean-up bill after Halloween horror] ''[[Irish Independent]]''</ref> or [[Samhain]]. Bonfires are also held on April 30th, particularly in [[Limerick]] to celebrate the festival of [[Bealtaine]] and on St. John's eve, June 23rd, to celebrate [[Midsummer|Midsummer's eve]], particularly in [[County Cork]] where it is also known as 'Bonna Night'.<ref>[http://www.citylocal.ie/Cork/news-in-Cork/crackdown-after-66k-cork-bonfire-clean-up-15223/] ''[[City Local - Cork]]''</ref>

===Scotland===
[[File:Burning wicker man by Bruce McAdam.jpg|upright|thumbnail|right|[[Wicker man]] [[effigy]] on fire at the Archaeolink outdoor museum, [[Oyne]], Aberdeenshire, Scotland]]

The annual rock and dance music [[Wickerman Festival]] takes place in [[Kirkcudbrightshire]], Scotland. Its main feature is the burning of a large wooden [[effigy]] on the last night.<ref>[http://www.thewickermanfestival.co.uk/gallery.html Gallery],
Thewickermanfestival.co.uk</ref>
The Wickerman festival is inspired by the horror film [[The Wicker Man (1973 film)|The Wickerman]], a film itself inspired by the Roman accounts of the Celtic Druids ritual burning of a wicker effigy.

===Israel===
In [[Israel]], on the eve of [[Lag BaOmer]], bonfires are lit on to commemorate the [[Mishnah|Mishnaic]] sage Rabbi [[Shimon Bar Yochai]] who according to tradition died on [[Lag BaOmer]]. Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai is accredited with having composed the [[Kabbalah|Kabalistic]] work The [[Zohar]] (literally "The Shining" - hence the custom of lighting fire to commemorate him). The main celebration takes place at Rabbi Shimon's tomb on [[Mt. Meron]] in northern Israel, but all over the country bonfires are lit in open spaces. Linked by Modern Jewish tradition to the Bar Kokhba Revolt against the [[Roman Empire]] (132-135 CE), [[Lag BaOmer]] is very popularly observed and celebrated as a symbol for the fighting Jewish spirit. As Lag Ba'Omer draws near, children begin collecting material for the bonfire: wood boards and planks, old doors, and anything else made of wood. Building contractors employ extra night watchmen at their building sites to prevent eager youngsters from taking building materials.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-2911701,00.html |title= קבלנים: ל"ג בעומר עולה לנו ביוקר - כלכלה |publisher=ynet.co.il |date=1995-06-20 |accessdate=2010-09-13}}</ref> On the night itself, families and friends gather round the fires and youths will burn their bonfires till daybreak.

===Italy===
In [[Northeast Italy|Northeastern]] [[Italy]], the celebration ''[[Panevin]]'' (in English "bread and wine") or ''[[Foghera]]'' or ''[[Pignarul]]'' is held in the evening of [[Epiphany (holiday)|Epiphany's]] eve (5 January).
A straw witch dressed with old clothes, is placed on a bonfire and burned to ash. The witch symbolizes the past and the direction of the smoke indicates whether the new year is going to be good or bad.

The Northern [[Italy|Italian]] ''La vecchia'' ("the old lady") is a version of the [[wicker man]] bonfire [[effigy]], which is burned once a year as part of town festivals. As depicted in the film ''[[Amarcord]]'' by [[Federico Fellini]], it has a more pagan-Christian connotation when it is burned on Mid-[[Lent]] [[Thursday]].

===Japan===
Every August 16, the ancient city of [[Kyoto]] holds the [[Gozan no Okuribi]], a [[Buddhist]], bonfire based spectacle, which marks the end of the *[[O-Bon]] season.

===Nordic Countries===
In [[Iceland]], bonfires are traditional on [[New Year's Eve]], and on January 6, which is the last day of the Icelandic Christmas season.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} In Norway and Denmark,{{Citation needed|date=December 2010}} large bonfires are lit on June 23 to celebrate "Jonsok" or "St Hansaften" the evening before John the Baptist's birthday. As many other traditions in Scandinavia, St. Hans is believed to have a pagan origin, the celebration of mid summer's eve.
In Sweden [[Walpurgis Night]] is celebrated on April 30 which includes the burning of a bonfire. In Finland, [[Midsummer|Midsummer Eve]] is celebrated with large bonfires.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lonelyplanet.com/finland/travel-tips-and-articles/76682|title=Finland’s Midsummer Madness|last=Dunford|first=George|date=15 June 2011|work=LonelyPlanet.com|publisher=BBC Worldwide|accessdate=23 June 2011}}</ref>

[[File:3 Midsummer fire at San river, Trepcza (Sanok).jpg|thumb|240px|Midsummer fire (''sobótka'') at [[San (river)]], (Poland).]]

===Poland===
In [[Poland]], bonfires are traditionally and still enthusiastic burned during ''Feast of Saints Peter and Paul'', ''Pentecost'' day and ''Saint John Night'' as ''Sobótki'',<ref>"sobótka ognisko palone w wigilie św. Jana, przy którym odbywały się obrzędy i zabawy związane z odejściem wiosny i nadejściem lata, kontynuacja pogańskiego zwyczaju ludowego. " in: Marian Kucała. Słownik polszczyzny Jana Kochanowskiego. 1994 s. 560</ref> ''ognie świętojańskie''<ref>"In the south of Poland, from the [[Silesia]]n frontier as far as the bend of the San river including the districts of mountains and foothills, [[Whitsun]] and Saint John's fires were customary. In the low country both kinds of annual fires were called ''sobótki''; in the mountains term like ognie, fakty, składanie watry, and palenie watry were usedes sobótki." in: Zeitschrift für Ostforschung, t. 22, Johann Gottfried Herder-Forschungsrat. wyd. 1, 1973, str. 115</ref>([[Śląsk]], [[Małopolska]], [[Podkarpacie]]), ''Palinocka'' ([[Warmia]], [[Mazury]], [[Kashubia|Kaszuby]]) or ''[[Noc Kupały]]'' ([[Mazowsze]] and [[Podlasie]]) on June 23/24.
On the 23 and 24 June, according to ancient custom, an immense number of Polish persons of both sexes repaired to the banks of the [[San (river)]], [[Vistula]] and [[Oder|Odra]] river, to consult Fate respecting their future fortunes, jumping through a fire on the Eve of Saint John's was a sure way to health. The leaping of the youths over fire (sobótka) must be a custom derived from remote antiquity. [[Jan Kochanowski]], who died in 1584, mentions it in a song from an ancient tradition. Varro and Ovid relate, that in the [[Palilia]], celebrated in honour of the goddess [[Pales]], on the 20th of April, the anniversary of the foundation of [[Rome]], the young Romans leaped over burning bundles of hay. In modern Italy, this kind of saltation is continued by the name of ''Sabatina'',<ref>"Włochy mają Sobótki pod imieniem Sabatina; znane są i w Niemczech." in: [[Oskar Kolberg]]. Dzieła wszystkie: Mazowsze.; "sobótka, ital. sabatina, cat. coena sabbathina" in: [[Samuel Bogumił Linde]]. Słownik języka polskiego R-T ;</ref> though [[Pope Sergius III]] prohibited.

===Slavic Europe===
In [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Croatia]], [[Serbia]] and [[Slovenia]], bonfires are traditionally lit on the evening before May 1, commemorating [[Labour Day]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}

In the [[Czech Republic]] and [[Slovakia]], bonfires are also held on the last night of April and are called 'Phillip-Jakob's Night' or "Burning of the Witches". They are considered to be historically linked with [[Walpurgis_Night#Czech_Republic|Walpurgis Night]] and [[Beltane]].

In [[Russia]], bonfires are traditionally burned on November 17.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}

In some Slavic countries{{which|date=November 2012}} a bonfire is referred to as a "bond fire" because of the bond developed between friends around the fire.{{Citation needed|date=November 2012}}

===Turkey===
In Turkey bonfires lit on [[Hıdırellez|Hidirellez Day]] believed to be the awakening day of nature at the beginning of spring. Celebrated on 5 May.

===United Kingdom===
{{Refimprove section|date=September 2012}}
In the [[United Kingdom]] and some [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] countries, bonfires are lit on [[Guy Fawkes Night]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bonfirenight.net/ |title=Guy Fawkes Night |publisher=Bonfirenight.net |date=2008-04-13 |accessdate=2010-09-13}}</ref> a yearly celebration held on the evening of 5 November to mark the failure of the [[Gunpowder Plot]] of 5 November 1605, in which a number of [[Roman Catholic|Catholic]] [[Conspiracy (crime)|conspirators]], including [[Guy Fawkes]], attempted to destroy the [[Palace of Westminster|House of Lords]] in London.

In the ancient druid religions,{{citation needed|date=October 2011}} bonfires were held between 31 October and 5 November{{citation needed|date=October 2011}} to celebrate Samhain, a harvest festival where they used bonfires{{citation needed|date=October 2011}} to burn the bones of the slaughtered livestock they had stored for the winter months. People and their livestock would often walk between two bonfires as a cleansing ritual,{{citation needed|date=October 2011}} and the bones of slaughtered livestock were cast into its flames.{{citation needed|date=October 2011}} Some modern day Druids and Pagans {{who|date=October 2011}} see bonfire night as a significant celebration to end the harvest festival.{{citation needed|date=October 2011}}

In [[Northern Ireland]], bonfires are lit on [[Halloween]], October 31.<ref>[http://www.u.tv/News/Halloween-fire-calls-every-90-seconds/15324334-54c7-4167-b118-40fd763bf701 Halloween fire calls 'every 90 seconds'] ''[[UTV News]]''</ref> and each 11 July, bonfires are lit by many [[Protestant]] communities to celebrate the victory of [[Williamite]] forces at the [[Battle of the Boyne]],<ref>[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6685061.ece ]{{dead link|date=September 2010}}</ref> which took place on 12 July 1690. This is often called the "[[Eleventh night]]". Bonfires have also been lit by [[Catholic]] communities on August 9th since 1972 to protest and commemorate [[Operation Demetrius|Internment]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.demotix.com/news/1378866/cleanup-begins-after-trouble-flared-anti-internment-bonfire#media-1378859 |title=Internment Bonfires |date=2012-08-09}}</ref>

===United States===
In [[New England]], on the night before the [[Fourth of July]], towns competed to build towering pyramids, assembled from hogsheads and barrels and casks. They were lit at nightfall, to usher in the celebration. The highest were in [[Salem, Massachusetts]], composed of as many as forty tiers of barrels; these are the tallest bonfires ever recorded. The practice flourished in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and can still be found in some [[New England]] towns.<ref name="appelbaum">{{cite web |title=The Night Before the Fourth |url=http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/07/the-night-before-the-fourth/241259/ |publisher=The Atlantic |date=1 July 2011|accessdate=4 November 2011}}</ref>

On [[Christmas Eve]] in Southern [[Louisiana]], bonfires are built along the [[Mississippi River]] [[levee]]s to light the way for [[Santa Claus|Papa Noël]] as he moves along the river in his [[pirogue]] ([[Cajun]] [[canoe]]) pulled by eight [[alligator]]s. This tradition is an annual event in [[St. James Parish, Louisiana|St. James Parish]], [[Louisiana]].<ref>[http://www.stjamesparish.com/local/localinfo/BONFIRES/Bonfir1.htm Stjamesparish.com]</ref>

==Farm and garden bonfires==
In the United Kingdom, bonfires are used on farms, in large gardens and [[allotment (gardening)|allotment]]s to dispose of waste plant material that is not readily [[compost]]ed.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} This includes woody material, pernicious [[weed]]s, [[disease]]d material and material treated with persistent [[pesticide]]s and [[herbicides]]. Such bonfires may be quite small but are often designed to burn slowly for several days so that wet and green material may be reduced to ash by frequently turning the unburnt material into the centre. Such bonfires can also deal with turf and other earthy material. The ash from garden bonfires is a useful source of [[potash]] and may be beneficial in improving the soil structure of some soils although such fires must be managed with safety in mind.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.safegardening.co.uk/BonfireSafety.html |title=Bonfire safety |publisher=Safegardening.co.uk |date=2007-10-29 |accessdate=2010-09-13}}</ref> Garden and farm bonfires are frequently [[smoke|smoky]] and can cause local nuisance if poorly managed or lit in unsuitable [[weather]] conditions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.environmental-protection.org.uk/neighbourhood-nuisance/garden-bonfires/ |title=What's wrong with Bonfires? |publisher=Environmental-protection.org.uk |date= |accessdate=2010-09-13}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Commons|Bonfire}}
*[[Aggie Bonfire]]; includes 1999 disaster that killed 12 people when it collapsed during construction
*[[Bonfire Rally]], [[Bonfires of Saint John]]
*[[Sussex Bonfire Societies]]
*[[Fire ritual]], [[Fireworks]], [[Need-fire]]
*[[Gozan no Okuribi]], [[Holi]]
*[[Effigy]], [[Marzanna]]
*[[Burning Man]], [[Wicker man]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.widdershins.org/vol3iss1/b9704.htm Dancing May Day Through History]

{{Halloween}}

[[Category:Types of fire]]
[[Category:Halloween events]]
[[Category:Summer traditions]]
[[Category:Seasonal traditions]]

Red Dragon

2013-04-01T12:06:38Z

Averaver: /* Other */ -iwiki

'''Red dragon''' may refer to:
*"The great red dragon", [[Satan]]
==In Entertainment==
*[[Red Dragon (novel)|''Red Dragon'' (novel)]], a 1981 book by Thomas Harris
**[[Manhunter (film)|''Manhunter'' (film)]], a 1986 film based on the novel ''Red Dragon'' by Thomas Harris
**[[Red Dragon (film)|''Red Dragon'' (film)]], a 2002 film based on the novel by Thomas Harris
**[[Francis Dolarhyde]], the fictional serial killer from the novel ''Red Dragon'' by Thomas Harris and films based on it
* The American release title of ''[[A 009 missione Hong Kong]]''
*''[[The Red Dragon]]'', a 1946 Charlie Chan mystery film
*[[Red Dragon (musician)]], Jamaican deejay, born Leroy May
*[[Red Dragon (magazine)|''Red Dragon'' (magazine)]], a Welsh journal published 1882–1887
*[[Capital South Wales]], a radio station serving Cardiff, Wales formerly known as 103.2 & 97.4 Red Dragon

==Other==
*[[Red Dragon (1595)]], a 38 gun ship owned by the East India Company
*[[The Great Red Dragon Paintings]], a series of paintings by the English poet and painter William Blake
*[[Red dragon (Dungeons & Dragons)|Red dragon (''Dungeons & Dragons'')]], a type of dragon in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' roleplaying game
*[[Red Dragon Society]], a secret society at New York University
*A [[mahjong]] tile with the Chinese character for "center" on it
*[[Grand Grimoire]], a grimoire of magic, is also known as The Red Dragon
*[[Welsh Dragon]], a national symbol of Wales. Thus, "red dragon" in Welsh culture may refer to:
**The [[flag of Wales]]
**[[Y Fenni cheese]], a Welsh cheese, also known as 'Red Dragon' when coated in red wax
*[[Red Dragon (spacecraft)]], a proposed astrobiological mission to Mars

{{disambig}}

Arab Socialist Union (Libya)

2013-03-30T18:22:40Z

Averaver: /* References */ -iwiki

:''This article refers to the ASU in Libya. For sister parties in other Arab states, see [[Arab Socialist Union (disambiguation)|Arab Socialist Union]]''
{{refimprove|date=January 2013}}
{{Infobox political party
| party_name = Arab Socialist Union
| native_name = الاتحاد الاشتراكي العربي الليبي
| logo = [[File:Eagle of Saladin (green scroll).GIF|150px|The Eagle of Saladin which Nasser adopted as a symbol of Arab Nationalism]]
| founder = [[Muammar Gaddafi]]
| leader = Muammar Gaddafi
| foundation = {{Start date|1971}}
| dissolution = {{Start date|1977}}
| ideology = [[Arab nationalism]], [[Arab socialism]], [[Pan-Arabism]], [[Nasserism]], [[Third Worldism]]{{citation needed|date=January 2013}}
| international =
| headquarters = [[Tripoli]], Libya
| country = Libya
| colorcode = black
}}
The '''Arab Socialist Union of Libya''' ({{lang-ar|الاتحاد الاشتراكي العربي الليبي}}, {{unicode|''Al-Ittiḥād Al-Ištirākī Al-ʿArabī Al-Liby''}}) was a [[political party]] in [[Libya]].

Many aspects of [[Muammar Gaddafi]]'s [[Libya]]n revolution were based on that of [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]]. Like Nasser, Gaddafi seized power with a [[Free Officers Movement (Egypt)|Free Officers Movement]], which, in 1971, became the Arab Socialist Union of Libya. Like its Egyptian counterpart, the Libyan ASU was the [[single-party state|sole legal party]], and was designed as a vehicle for integrated national expression rather than as a political party.

Bashir Hawady was the general secretary of the party.<ref>''[http://books.google.com/books?id=HLtHAQAAIAAJ Cairo Press Review]'', 1972. p. 11</ref> In May 1972 the Libyan ASU and the Egyptian ASU agreed to merge their two parties into a single body.<ref>''[http://books.google.com/books?id=p61tAAAAMAAJ The Middle East: Abstracts and index]'', Vol. 23, Part 2. Library Information and Research Service., 1999. p. 248</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Libyan political parties}}
[[Category:Arab Socialist Union]]
[[Category:Nasserist political parties]]
[[Category:Parties of single-party systems]]
[[Category:Arab socialist political parties]]
[[Category:Socialism in Libya]]
[[Category:Political parties in Libya]]
[[Category:Arab nationalist political parties]]

Alfyorov

2013-03-26T19:38:10Z

Averaver: -iwiki

{{Expand Russian|Алфёров|date=December 2010}}
'''Alferov''' ({{IPA-ru|ɐlˈfʲorəf}}) may refer to:

* [[Aleksandr Alfyorov|Aleksandr Mikhailovich Alfyorov]]
* [[Irina Alfyorova]]
* [[Victor Alferov|Victor Vladimirovich Alferov]] (1977, Orongoy, Buryatia), a Russian theatrical director and actor
* [[Zhores Alferov|Zhores Ivanovich Alferov]] ({{lang-ru|Жоре́с Ива́нович Алфёров}})

* [[3884 Alferov]] (1977 EM1), a main belt asteroid discovered on 1977 by Chernykh

{{surname|Alferov ([[Alferova]]); [[Alfyorov]] (Alfiorov, [[Alfyorova]])}}

[[Category:Jewish surnames]]
[[Category:Russian-language surnames]]

Vostochny Port

2013-03-17T19:29:43Z

Averaver: /* External links */ iw: -ru

{{Other uses|Vostochny (disambiguation)}}

{{Coord|42|44|29.27|N|133|4|47.27|E|source:enwiki_region:RU_type:city|display=title}}

[[File:Порт Восточный.jpg|thumb|Container terminal in Vostochny Port]]


'''Vostochny Port''' ({{lang-ru|Восто́чный порт}}) is an [[Intermodal freight transport|intermodal]] [[container port]] at the eastern end of the [[Trans-Siberian Railway]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.transrussia.ru/eng/about/daily/arhive/6.asp|title=Welcome to All National Flags|publisher=Transrussia|date=March 21, 2006|accessdate=2008-02-21|quote=The Eastern Stevedore Company (ESC) stand also attracts attention. It works on the basis of port Vostochniy. The largest container terminal on the Far East is situated here — right at the start point of the Trans Siberian line.}}</ref> It is the largest [[port]] in the [[Russian Far East]]. It is located in [[Vrangel]] (an eastern suburb of [[Nakhodka]]), [[Primorsky Krai]]. A deepwater port on [[Nakhodka Bay]] (part of the [[Sea of Japan]]), it operates year-round and is suitable for handling large tonnage ships. Vostochny is the only absolutely warm-water port<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vpnet.ru/eng/geo/main_geo.htm |title=Vostochny Port JSC, Geography, Location |work=Vostochny Port website |year=2007 |accessdate=13 December 2012 |quote=...  Geographical coordinates: 42 degree 46 minutes of northern latitude; 133 degree 3 minutes of east longitude. [...] Vostochny Port is located in the south of Primorsky Region, in the southeast of Nakhodka bay, in Vrangel bay. This is unique natural harbor is no ice restrictions even in severe winters. ... }}</ref> in the Russian Far East.

The largest stevedore in port is JSC Vostochny Port, which specializes in coal handling with conveyor equipment.

Vostochny Port also consists of VostCo Dry Dock, which was the construction site of the concrete gravity base structures LUN-A and PA-B for the development of the Sakhalin Island offshore oil fields.
[[File:31 way out tow.jpg|thumb|500px|LUN-A and PA-B concrete GBS tow up.]]

Another division of Vostochny port is the Special Sea Oil Terminal which is located in [[Kozmino]] Bay, with cargo throughput almost 15 million tonnes.

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*[http://www.vpnet.ru/eng/index_eng.htm Official website of Vostochny Port]

[[Category:Ports and harbours of Russia]]
[[Category:Ports and harbours of the Russian Pacific Coast]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Primorsky Krai]]

[[Category:Nakhodka]]
[[Category:Sea of Japan]]

{{PrimorskyKrai-geo-stub}}
{{Port-stub}}

Indravarman III

2013-03-17T18:48:52Z

Averaver: /* References */ -iw:de

{{refimprove|date=February 2013}}
{{Infobox monarch
| name =Indravarman III
| title =[[Monarch|King]]
| image =
| caption =
| reign =[[Khmer Empire]]
| coronation =
| othertitles =
| full name =
| predecessor =[[Jayavarman VIII]]
| successor =[[Indrajayavarman]]
| suc-type =
| heir =
| queen =
| consort =
| spouse 1 =
| spouse 2 =
| spouse 3 =
| spouse 4 =
| spouse 5 =
| spouse 6 =
| issue =
| royal house =
| dynasty =
| royal anthem =
| father =
| mother =
| birth_date =
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| date of burial =
| place of burial =
|}}

'''Indravarman III''' ( '''Srindravarman''' ) was a ruler of the [[Khmer Empire]] from 1295 to 1308. He rose to power after the abdication of his [[father in law]] [[Jayavarman VIII]]. Indravarman III was a follower of [[Theravada Buddhism]] and upon his ascension to power he made it the state religion.

According to legends he was known for his special weapon, a bat made of [[ironwood]].<ref>[http://home.att.net/~khmerheritage/Sridhamaraja.html Sri Dharmaraja]</ref>

==References==
<references/>

{{S-start}}
{{s-reg}}
{{Succession box|before=[[Jayavarman VIII]]|title=[[King of Cambodia]]|years=1295–1308|after=[[Indrajayavarman]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Persondata 
| NAME = Indravarman 03
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = Cambodian queen
| DATE OF BIRTH =
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH = 1308
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Indravarman 03}}
[[Category:Cambodian monarchs]]
[[Category:1308 deaths]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]

{{Cambodia-royal-stub}}

[[es:Indravarman III]]
[[eu:Indravarman III.a]]
[[fr:Indravarman III]]
[[ru:Индраварман III]]
[[zh:因陀罗跋摩三世]]

User:Averaver/common.js

2013-03-10T18:54:07Z

Averaver:

var wgLangPrefs;
if (!wgLangPrefs) wgLangPrefs = Array();
wgLangPrefs.push("ru");

importScript('MediaWiki:Interwiki-links.js');

//Информация с Викиданных
// [[d:User:Yair rand/WikidataInfo.js]]
mw.loader.load("//www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?title=User:Yair rand/WikidataInfo.js&action=raw&ctype=text/javascript");

User talk:Averaver

2012-12-27T02:27:03Z

Averaver: /* "commons" and "commonscat" templates on sv-wikt */

== Appeal the block ==

{{unblock reviewed | 1=My ISP uses dynamic IP adresses, I never use open proxy | decline=There is a specific unblock process you will need to use - when you try editing the [[WP:SANDBOX]] or any other page, full instructions will be provided because we cannot see the details right now ([[User talk:Bwilkins|talk→]]''' [[User:Bwilkins|BWilkins]] '''[[Special:Contributions/Bwilkins|←track]]) 11:42, 24 November 2010 (UTC)}}

: I switched off my ISP's proxy. Now I work without anything problems. --[[User:Averaver|Averaver]] ([[User talk:Averaver#top|talk]]) 14:11, 22 March 2011 (UTC)

== ani discussion ==

There is a discussion about your editing pattern at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard/Incidents#User:Averaver WP:ANI] — Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[User:Jezhotwells|Jezhotwells]] ([[User talk:Jezhotwells|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Jezhotwells|contribs]]) 01:14, 22 March 2011
:I saw the question at ANI, and I don't understand what [https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/w/index.php?title=Janet_Morris&diff=prev&oldid=416226070 these] [https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/w/index.php?title=Emily_Dickinson&diff=prev&oldid=417777680 edits] 'do' or mean. I looked at the Template:Category page but I don't see how the part after the '|' pipe does anything. I'm constantly learning so.... [[User:Shenme|Shenme]] ([[User talk:Shenme|talk]]) 04:59, 22 March 2011 (UTC)
:: The * or a space are indexes for article in the Category Page. For example, the [[Janet Morris]] article has the next string - "DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Janet". That string means: that article places in the Category Page in the char "M" and sorts as "Morris". For the [[:Category:Janet Morris]] it isn't good. In the article I defined another index char (a * or a space) for specified Category. --[[User:Averaver|Averaver]] ([[User talk:Averaver#top|talk]]) 14:08, 22 March 2011 (UTC)

== Invitation to take part in a pilot study ==

I am a Wikipedian, who is studying the phenomenon on Wikipedia. I need your help to conduct my research on about understanding "Motivation of Wikipedia contributors." I would like to invite you to [[User:Cooldenny/Questionnaire | a short survey]]. Please give me your valuable time, which estimates only ‘’’5 minutes’’’ [[User:Cooldenny|cooldenny]] ([[User talk:Cooldenny|talk]]) 15:13, 14 April 2011 (UTC)

== iso2 ==

Thanks for adding iso2 to Sukuma, something I've never gotten around to. There are a fair number of articles with faux iso2 & iso1 codes, so if you're interested, that would be s.t. to look into, though now that you've reminded me, I might get around to it. — [[User:Kwamikagami|kwami]] ([[User talk:Kwamikagami|talk]]) 22:38, 29 September 2011 (UTC)
:Now I'm working with Russian language code standard "ГОСТ 7.75–97" and viewing iso codes in EN Wiki also. I'm not view all languages in EN Wiki. :) --[[User:Averaver|Averaver]] ([[User talk:Averaver#top|talk]]) 12:12, 30 September 2011 (UTC)
::Well, I've just about ''removed'' all the improper ISO2 codes, so you'll have a clean slate to work with. — [[User:Kwamikagami|kwami]] ([[User talk:Kwamikagami|talk]]) 00:07, 1 October 2011 (UTC)

== Wikimedia Stories Project ==

Привет!

Меня зовут Виктор, и я рассказчик с Wikimedia Foundation, некоммерческая организация, которая поддерживает Википедию. Я хронику вдохновляющие истории общины Википедии по всему миру, в том числе и от читателей, редакторов и доноров. Истории совершенно необходимы для любой некоммерческой, чтобы убедить людей, чтобы поддержать дело, и мы знаем, обширная сеть людей, которые делают и используют Википедии так много акций.

Я чистящих страниц пользователей ищет вдохновлять, мотивировать и интересных историй о том, как Википедия влияют на жизнь людей. Я задавал вопросы вроде "Как Википедия изменила вашу жизнь?", "Какая самая интересная история у вас есть о Википедии?" и "Википедии ли когда-нибудь вас удивило?"

В прошлом году мы использовали ежегодный сбор средств как способ показать миру, кто есть кто на самом деле пишет Википедия. Мы признакам редакторов из Бразилии, Украины, Аргентины, Саудовской Аравии, Кении, Индии, США и Англии. Эта кампания имела огромный успех, в результате чего наиболее финансово успешных кампании по сбору средств никогда. Кроме того, было кампании, остался верен духу Википедии, просвещение общественности, что это бесплатно ТОП-5 Сайт создан добровольцами, как ты и я

В этом году мы хотим выделить еще русский язык Википедии редакторов, так что я нахожусь в процессе планирования поездки в Россию в интервью редакторам.

Если вы или кто-то из ваших знакомых (или слышали о) была положительно сказалось на Wikipedia, или есть что-то интересное, чтобы сказать о Википедии я бы очень хотел бы услышать об этом!

Пожалуйста, дайте мне знать, если вы склонны к участию в проекте Википедия истории, или если вы знаете кого-то еще, с кем я должен говорить.

Конечно, если у вас есть какие-либо вопросы или сомнения, пожалуйста, обращайтесь! Я отвечу, как только смогу. Я приношу извинения за любые плохой перевод этого письма, я использую Google-перевод. Я надеюсь, что заставляет вас смеяться :)

Спасибо за ваше время,

Victor Grigas

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Victorgrigas

vgrigas@wikimedia.org

__________________________________

Hi!

My name is Victor and I'm a storyteller with the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organization that supports Wikipedia. I'm chronicling the inspiring stories of the Wikipedia community around the world, including those from readers, editors, and donors. Stories are absolutely essential for any non-profit to persuade people to support the cause, and we know the vast network of people who make and use Wikipedia have so much to share.

I'm scouring user pages looking for inspiring, motivating and interesting stories of how Wikipedia has affected the lives of people. I'm asking questions like "How has Wikipedia changed your life?", "What's the most interesting story you have about Wikipedia?" and "Has Wikipedia ever surprised you?"

Last year, we used the annual fundraiser as a way to show the world who it is who actually writes Wikipedia. We featured editors from Brazil, Ukraine, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, India, United States and England. This campaign was a huge success, resulting in the most financially successful fundraising campaign ever. It was also a campaign that stayed true to the spirit of Wikipedia, educating the public that this free top-5 website is created by volunteers like you and I.

This year we want to highlight more Russian-language Wikipedia editors, so I am in the process of planning a trip to Russia to interview editors.

If you or someone you know (or have heard about) has been positively affected by Wikipedia, or have something interesting to say about Wikipedia I'd very much like to hear about it!

Please let me know if you're inclined to take part in the Wikipedia Stories Project, or if you know someone else with whom I should speak.

Of course, if you have any questions or concerns, please ask! I will answer as soon as I can. I apologize for any poor translation of this letter, I am using Google-translate. I hope it makes you laugh :)

Thank you for your time,

Victor Grigas

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Victorgrigas

vgrigas@wikimedia.org

[[User:Vgrigas|Vgrigas]] ([[User talk:Vgrigas|talk]]) 19:43, 5 April 2012 (UTC)

== "commons" and "commonscat" templates on sv-wikt ==

Hi! More than a year ago you requested those templates on sv-wikt. If it's still relevant, would you please make a case for it? Please respond at [[wikt:sv:Wiktionary:Bybrunnen#Please, create "commons" and "commonscat" templates|sv-wikt]]. [[User:Skalman|Skalman]] ([[User talk:Skalman|talk]]) 18:34, 26 December 2012 (UTC)
: I wrote on sv-wikt. --[[User:Averaver|Averaver]] ([[User talk:Averaver#top|talk]]) 02:27, 27 December 2012 (UTC)

Chishminsky District

2012-12-26T02:17:00Z

Averaver: /* Sources */ iw

{{Coord missing|Republic of Bashkortostan}}

{{Infobox Russian district
|en_name=Chishminsky District
|ru_name=Чишминский район
|loc_name1=Шишмә районы
|loc_lang1=Bashkir
|image_map=Location of Chishminskiy rayon (Bashkortostan).svg
|map_caption=Location of Chishminsky District in the Republic of Bashkortostan
|latd
|latm
|lats
|longd
|longm
|longs
|image_flag=Flag of Chishmy rayon (Bashkortostan).png
|flag_caption
|image_coa=Coat of Arms of Chishmy rayon (Bashkortostan).png
|coa_caption
|anthem
|anthem_ref
|holiday
|holiday_ref
|federal_subject=[[Republic of Bashkortostan]]
|federal_subject_ref=<ref name="Constitution" />
|adm_data_as_of=March 2011
|adm_ctr_type=[[urban-type settlement]]
|adm_ctr_name=[[Chishmy (urban-type settlement), Chishminsky District, Republic of Bashkortostan|Chishmy]]
|adm_ctr_ref=<ref name="2010Census" />
|no_of_urban-type_settlements=1
|selsoviet_type1=selsoviet
|no_of_selsoviets_type1=15
|no_of_rural_localities=103
|counts_ref=<ref name="RBashkortostan_admlist">Resolution #391</ref>
|mun_data_as_of=December 2011
|mun_formation1=Chishminsky Municipal District
|mun_formation1_ref=<ref name="RBashkortostan_mun" />
|mun_formation1_no_of_urban_settlements=1
|mun_formation1_no_of_rural_settlements=15
|mun_formation1_counts_ref=<ref name="RBashkortostan_mun" />
|mun_formation1_leader_title
|mun_formation1_leader_title_ref
|mun_formation1_leader_name
|mun_formation1_leader_name_ref
|mun_formation1_representative_body
|mun_formation1_representative_body_ref
|area_of_what
|area_as_of=2010
|area_km2=1823.77
|area_km2_ref=<ref name="Bashstat" />
|pop_2010census=52344
|urban_pop_2010census=40.5%
|rural_pop_2010census=59.5%
|pop_2010_census_ref=<ref name="2010Census" />
|pop_latest=
|pop_latest_date=
|pop_latest_ref=
|established_date=1930
|established_date_ref=<ref name="Bashstat" />
|prev_name1
|prev_name1_date
|prev_name1_ref
|newspaper
|newspaper_ref
|website=http://www.chishmyrb.ru/
|website_ref
|commonscat=
|date=October 2012
}}
'''Chishminsky District''' ({{lang-ru|Чишми́нский райо́н}}; {{lang-ba|Шишмә районы}}) is an administrative<ref name="Constitution">Constitution, Article 64</ref> and municipal<ref name="RBashkortostan_mun">Law #126-z</ref> district ([[raion]]), one of the [[administrative divisions of the Republic of Bashkortostan|fifty-four]] in the [[Republic of Bashkortostan]], [[Russia]]. It is located in the center of the republic and borders with [[Kushnarenkovsky District]] in the north, [[Ufimsky District]] in the northeast and east, [[Karmaskalinsky District]] in the southeast, [[Davlekanovsky District]] in the south, and with [[Blagovarsky District]] in the west and northwest. The area of the district is {{convert|1823.77|km2|sp=us}}.<ref name="Bashstat">Территориальный орган федеральной службы государственной статистики по Республике Башкортостан. [http://www.bashstat.ru/munstat/MapRegion/Районы.aspx Муниципальные районы] {{ru icon}}</ref> Its [[administrative center]] is the [[types of inhabited localities in Russia|urban locality]] (an [[urban-type settlement]]) of [[Chishmy (urban-type settlement), Chishminsky District, Republic of Bashkortostan|Chishmy]].<ref name="2010Census" /> Population: {{ru-census2010|52,344|;}} 52,663 ([[Russian Census (2002)|2002 Census]]);<ref name="2002Census">{{ru-pop-ref|2002Census}}</ref> {{su-census1989|45,660|.}} The population of Chishmy accounts for 40.5% of the district's total population.<ref name="2010Census" />

==History==
The district was established in 1930.<ref name="Bashstat" />

==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
*{{RussiaBasicLawRef|ba}}
*{{RussiaAdmMunRef|ba|adm|list}}
*{{RussiaAdmMunRef|ba|mun|list}}

{{Republic of Bashkortostan}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2012}}

[[Category:Districts of Bashkortostan]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1930]]

[[ba:Шишмә районы]]
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Let Us Be Like the Sun

2012-09-23T15:05:51Z

Averaver: /* References */ {{Wikisource|ru:Будем как Солнце (Бальмонт 1903)|Let Us Be Like the Sun}}

{{Infobox Book
| name = Let Us Be Like the Sun
| title_orig = Будем как Солнце
| translator =
| image = [[File:Balmont Let Us Be Like the Sun.jpg|220px]]
| image_caption = First edition cover
| author = [[Konstantin Balmont]]
| illustrator =
| country = [[Russia]]
| publisher =
| release_date = 1903
| english_pub_date =
| media_type = Print
| pages =
| isbn =
| oclc=
}}
'''''Let Us Be Like the Sun''''' is the sixth book of poetry by [[Konstantin Balmont]], fist published in [[1903 in poetry|1903]] by the [[Moscow]] publishing house [[Scorpion (publishing house)|Scorpion]]. <ref name="rulex">{{cite web | author = С. Венгеров | date = | url = http://www.rulex.ru/01020861.htm | title = Константин Дмитриевич Бальмонт | publisher = Русский биографический словарь | accessdate = 2010-06-01 | archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/6127XIhxO | archivedate = 2011-08-18}}</ref>
==Background==
The book was being written in 1901-1902 when Balmont stayed at the Sabynino estate in the [[Kursk Oblast|Kursk Governorate]].<ref name="makogonenko">''Д. Г. Макогоненко''. — Жизнь и судьба. // Бальмонт К. — Избранное: Стихотворения. Переводы. Статьи. Сост. Д. Г. Макогоненко. — М. Правда, 1990. — ISBM 5-253-00115-8</ref>{{rp|577}} In March 1902 the first version of it has been read by the author in GG Backman’s literary circle.<ref>Брюсов В. Я. — Дневники 1891—1910. М., 1927, стр. 119</ref> Almost instantly the censorship committee got interested in the book, insisting on numerous changes being made. On July 1, 1903, Balmont wrote in a letter to [[Yeronym Yasinsky]], then the editor of ''Ezhemesychye sochinenya'' (Monthly Books) magazine: "Have you received the book ''Let Us Be Like the Sun'' which has been run through the censorship gauntlet and lost 10 poems in the process? The wanted to throw out "The Devil’s Artist too", but its been saved by the fact that its been published already in ''Ezemesychye sochinenya''."

For an epigraph Balmont has chosen the words of [[Anaxagoras]]: "I entered this world to see the Sun."<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|578}}

It had also the dedication which read like this: "I dedicate this book, woven with rays, to my friends whom my soul is ever open to: my brother in musings, poet and [[magian]] [[Valery Bryusov]], tender like [[mimosa]] S.A.Poliakov, dark as a rock [[Yurgis Baltrushaitis|Yu. Baltrushaitis]]... and summer flower of Lucy Savitskaya, whose soul is clear and free, like a forest stream”. <ref name="the zaitsev">{{cite web | author = Борис Зайцев | date = | url = http://az.lib.ru/b/balxmont_k_d/text_0610.shtml | title = Воспоминания о серебряном веке. | publisher = | accessdate = 2010-07-01 | archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/6127gltG5 | archivedate = 2011-08-18}}</ref>

The book has come in the last days of 1902, but 1903 was put as a date of publication. Its 2nd edition became part of the ''Collection of Poems'' (1904, Scorpion, Moscow), the 3rd - of ''Complete Poems of Balmont'' (1908, Scorpion, vol.2), the 4th - ''Complete Balmont'' (Scorpion, 1912, vol.3), the 5th - ''The Collection of Lyrics'' (Moscow, 1918, vol.5) <ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|578}}

==The censorship involvement==
The book, notably its erotic section, “Enchanted Grotto”, has been severely cut by censors. <ref name="nlo">{{cite web | author = Н. А. Богомолов | date = | url = http://magazines.russ.ru/nlo/2005/75/bo9.html | title = К истории лучшей книги Бальмонта. | publisher= НЛО, 2005 N75 | accessdate = 2010-07-01 | archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/6127jXbEa | archivedate = 2011-08-18 }}</ref>Decades later scholar V.N.Orlov was the first to have made an attempt to publish it in the original form as an academic edition. Unofficially the book was subjected to the Moscow censorship committee in November 1902. The author had to change details and remove some pieces but still on March 3, 1903 Sokolov, the censor, committed his report to the Saint Peterspurgh Publishing Dpt. writing: "Konstantin Balmont’s book consists of 205 poems [...] From the censorship’s point of view all of them are worthy of attention, since they belong to the so-called symbolism, too many of them being erotic, cynical and even sacrilegious. As a censor I found the book in question exceptionally detrimental and would recommend it to be reported immediately to the General Publishing Dpt., adding the notion that it might be especially harmful for modern times when the majority of readership, young people in particular, are so fond of symbolism."<ref>ЦГИАЛ (ЦГИА СПб.). Ф. 776. Оп. 21. Ч. 1. Ед. хр. 625. Л. 26, 27).</ref>

On March the 4th there came the resolution demanding the withdrawal of the book, already pressed and sending it for further examination, to censor M.Nikolsky. The latter’s verdict was more favourable even if it demanded several cuts being made in already pressed pages.<ref name="nlo"/> M.N.Semyonov, Polyakov’s relative and associate at the Scorpion, wrote in the latter dated May 17: "Brother Sergei, things with ttLet Us Be Like the Suntt as they stand now, are appalling. Met Zverev today and he told me: 'When we met for the first time I told you some pornographic poems would have to go, but now, another Committee member has read it, and he found there many anti-religious verses and this complicate things a lot".<ref name="nlo"/>

Twenty years later Balmont came up with an idea of reviving the poems that's been cut out by censors. "We've made a deal with painter N.S.Goncharova about a certain poetry project. I'll reproduce in a small notebook all those poems from The Enchanted Grotto that's been destroyed by censorship, add a couple of dozens of my best and most daring pieces, about human passions, Lucy Savitskaya will translate them and Goncharova will provide her majestic illustrations. We'll easily find a French publisher for such a project and the book, I presume, might have great success," he wrote in a letter to Dagmar Shakhovskaya.<ref>Письмо к Д. Шаховской от 2 мая 1923 г. / Публ. Ж. Шерона // Звезда. 1997. № 9. С. 156.</ref> This plan failed to materialize and Balmont has never mentioned it since.<ref name="nlo"/>

Many poems, excluded from ''The Enchanted Grotto'', have been later mistakenly attributed to [[Maximilian Voloshin]] (who's copied them for some reason to his notebooks), and scholar V.P.Kuptchenko has put a great effort into sorting this problem out.<ref>Волошин Максимилиан. Собрание сочинений. М., 2003. Т. 1. С. 430.</ref>

==Critical analysis==
The book, according to critic M.Stakhova, amounted to an attempt to recreate with artistic means the cosmogonist picture of the [[Universe]] with the [[Sun]] at its center. The whole of the book was a kind of pantheist Bible of worshipping elements, the [[Moon]] and the stars. Another theme, that of ‘stopping the time’ and reaching the ‘magic in moment’ was also there prominent (“The thought has got no means to fathom depths/ No means to slow down the running Spring/ It can, though, say Stop! To time/ Break down its own chains and now be chained by Dream”).<ref>У мысли нет орудья измерить глубину/ Нет сил, чтобы замедлить бегущую весну/ Лишь есть одна возможность сказать мгновенью: Стой!/ Разбив оковы мысли, быть скованным - мечтой.</ref><ref name="stahova">{{cite web | author= М. Стахова | date = | url = http://www.litera.ru/stixiya/articles/588.html | title = Константин Бальмонт (Судьбы поэтов серебряного века) | publisher = www.litera.ru | accessdate = 2010-06-01 | archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/6127KLLVL | archivedate = 2011-08-18}}</ref>

Fire, the earthly ‘face’ of the Sun, has had its own special place in Balmont’s scheme of things. "Russian literature has never known such fire-worshipper, as Balmont was", biographer Nikolai Bannikov wrote.<ref name="bannikov">{{cite web | author = Николай Банников | date = 1989 | url = http://az.lib.ru/b/balxmont_k_d/text_0460.shtml | title = Жизнь и поэзия Бальмонта | publisher = «Детская литература». Бальмонт К. Д. Солнечная пряжа: Стихи, очерки| accessdate = 2010-06-01 | archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/6127afoVR | archivedate = 2011-08-18}}</ref>
==References==
{{Wikisource|ru:Будем как Солнце (Бальмонт 1903)|Let Us Be Like the Sun}}
{{reflist}}

[[Category:1903 books]]
[[Category:Poetry collections]]

[[ru:Будем как солнце. Книга символов]]

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2012-09-01T17:43:08Z

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2012-08-25T19:12:53Z

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2012-08-25T19:03:13Z

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2012-08-25T18:50:04Z

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Marina Tsvetaeva

2012-08-21T17:36:00Z

Averaver: /* External links */ {{Wikisourcelang|ru|Марина Ивановна Цветаева|Author:Marina Tsvetaeva}}

{{Infobox writer 
| name = Marina Tsvetaeva
| image = Tsvetaeva.jpg
| caption = Tsvetaeva in 1925
| pseudonym =
| birth_name = Marina Ivanovna Tsvetaeva
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1892|10|08}}
| birth_place = [[Moscow]], [[Russian Empire]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1941|08|31|1892|10|08}}
| death_place = Yelabuga, [[USSR]]
| occupation = Poet and writer
| spouse = [[Sergei Efron|Sergei "Seryozha" Yakovlevich Efron]]
| education = [[Sorbonne]], Paris
| movement = [[Russian Symbolism]]
| genre =
| notableworks =
| subject =
| influences = [[Aleksandr Blok]], [[Anna Akhmatova]], [[Boris Pasternak]], [[Rainer Maria Rilke]]
| influenced = [[Edward Hirsch]]
| nationality = Russian
}}

'''Marina Ivanovna Tsvetaeva''' ({{lang-rus|Мари́на Ива́новна Цвета́ева|p=mɐˈrʲinə ɪˈvanəvnə tsvʲɪˈtaɪvə}}; {{OldStyleDate|8 October|1892|26 September}}{{spaced ndash}}31 August 1941) was a Russian and Soviet poet. Her work is considered among some of the greatest in twentieth century Russian literature.<ref name="Who">"Tsvetaeva, Marina Ivanovna" ''Who's Who in the Twentieth Century''. Oxford University Press, 1999.</ref> She lived through and wrote of the [[Russian Revolution of 1917]] and the Moscow famine that followed it. In an attempt to save her daughter Irina from starvation, she placed her in a state orphanage in 1919, where she died of hunger. As an anti-Bolshevik supporter of Imperialism, Tsvetaeva was exiled in 1922, living with her family in increasing poverty in Paris, Berlin and Prague before returning to Moscow in 1939. Shunned and suspect, Tsvetaeva's isolation was compounded. Both her husband [[Sergei Efron]] and her daughter Ariadna Efron (Alya) were arrested for espionage in 1941; Alya served over eight years in prison and her husband was executed. Without means of support and in deep isolation, Tsvetaeva committed suicide in 1941. As a lyrical poet, her passion and daring linguistic experimentation mark her as a striking chronicler of her times and the depths of the human condition.

==Early years==
Marina Tsvetaeva was born in [[Moscow]], her surname evokes association with flowers. Her father was Ivan Vladimirovich Tsvetaev, a professor of Fine Art at the [[University of Moscow]],<ref name="Who"/> who later founded the Alexander III Museum, which is now known as the [[Pushkin Museum]] of Fine Arts. Tsvetaeva's mother, Maria Alexandrovna Meyn, was Ivan's second wife, was a concert pianist,<ref name="Who"/> highly literate, with German and Polish ancestry. Growing up in considerable material comfort,<ref name="ix">Feinstein (1993) pix</ref> Tsvetaeva would later come to identify herself with the Polish aristocracy. Tsvetaeva's two half-siblings, Valeria and Andrei, were the children of Ivan's deceased first wife, Varvara Dmitrievna Ilovaiskaya, daughter of the historian [[Dmitry Ilovaisky]]. Tsvetaeva's only full sister, Anastasia, was born in 1894. Quarrels among the children were frequent and occasionally violent. There was considerable tension between Tsvetaeva's mother and Varvara's children, and Tsvetaeva's father maintained close contact with Varvara's family. Tsvetaeva's father was kind, but deeply wrapped up in his studies and distant from his family. He was also still deeply in love with his first wife; he would never get over her. Maria Tsvetaeva had had a love affair before her marriage, from which she never recovered. Maria Tsvetaeva disapproved of Marina's poetic inclination, wishing her daughter to become a pianist, holding the opinion that her poetry was poor.

In 1902, Tsvetaeva's mother contracted [[tuberculosis]]. A change in climate was believed to help cure the disease, and so the family travelled abroad until shortly before her death in 1906, when Tsvetaev was 14<ref name="ix"/> They lived for a while by the sea at Nervi, near [[Genoa]]. There, away from the rigid constraints of a bourgeois Muscovite life, Tsvetaeva was able for the first time to run free, climb cliffs, and vent her imagination in childhood games. There were many Russian ''émigré'' revolutionaries residing at that time in Nervi, who may have had some influence on the young Tsvetaeva. In June 1904, when Tsvetaeva was sent to school in [[Lausanne]]. Changes in the Tsvetaev residence led to several changes in school, and during the course of her travels she acquired the Italian, French, and German languages. She gave up the strict musical studies that her mother had imposed and turned to poetry. She wrote "With a mother like her, I had only one choice: to become a poet".<ref name="ix"/>

In 1908, aged 16, Tsvetaeva studied literary history at the [[University of Paris|Sorbonne]].<ref name="Who"/> During this time, a major revolutionary change was occurring within Russian poetry: the flowering of the [[Russian Symbolist movement]], and this movement was to colour most of her later work. It was not the theory which was to attract her, but the poetry and the gravity which writers such as [[Andrey Bely]] and [[Aleksandr Blok]] were capable of generating. Her own first collection of poems, ''Vecherny Albom'' (''Evening Album''), was self-published in 1910, promoting a considerable reputation as a poet.<ref name="ix"/> It was well received, although her early poetry, was held to be insipid compared to her later work.<ref name="Who"/> It attracted the attention of the poet and critic [[Maximilian Voloshin]], whom Tsvetaeva described after his death in ''A Living Word About a Living Man''. Voloshin came to see Tsvetaeva and soon became her friend and mentor.<ref name="ix"/>

==Family and career==
[[File:Tsvetaeva house.jpg|right|300px|thumb|The house where Marina lived in Moscow]]
[[File:Ariadna.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Ariadne Efron, 1926.]]
She began spending time at Voloshin's home in the [[Black Sea]] resort of [[Koktebel]] ("Blue Height"), which was a well-known haven for writers, poets and artists.<ref name="ix"/> She became enamoured of the work of [[Aleksandr Blok]] and [[Anna Akhmatova]], although she never met Blok and did not meet Akhmatova until the 1940s. Describing the Koktebel community, the ''émigré'' [[Viktoria Schweitzer]] wrote: "Here inspiration was born." At Koktebel, Tsvetaeva met Sergei (Seryozha) Yakovlevich Efron, a 17 year old cadet in the Officers' Academy. She was 19, he 18: they fell in love and were married in 1912,<ref name="Who"/> the same year as her father's project, the [[Pushkin Museum]] of Fine Arts, was ceremonially opened, an event attended by Tsar [[Nicholas II of Russia|Nicholas II]].<ref name="ix"/> Tsvetaeva's love for Efron was intense; however, this did not preclude her from having affairs, including one with [[Osip Mandelstam]], which she celebrated in a collection of poems called ''Mileposts''. At around the same time, she became involved in an affair with the poet [[Sofia Parnok]], who was 7 years older than Tsvetaeva, an affair that caused her husband great grief.<ref name="ix"/> The two women fell deeply in love, and the relationship profoundly affected both women's writings. She deals with the ambiguous and tempestuous nature of this relationship in a cycle of poems which at times she called ''The Girlfriend'', and at other times ''The Mistake''.<ref>Bisha, Robin (2002) ''Russian women, 1698-1917: Experience and expression, an anthology of sources''. Indiana University Press p143</ref> Tsvetaeva and her husband spent summers in the Crimea until the revolution, and had two daughters: Ariadna, or Alya (born 1912) and Irina (born 1917).

In 1914, Efron volunteered for the front and by 1917 he was an officer stationed in [[Moscow]] with the 56th Reserve. Tsvetaeva was a close witness the [[Russian Revolution of 1917|Russian Revolution]] which she rejected.<ref name="Who"/> On trains, she came into contact with ordinary Russian people and was shocked by the mood of anger and violence. She wrote in her journal: "In the air of the compartment hung only three axe-like words: bourgeois, Junkers, leeches." After the 1917 Revolution, Efron joined the [[White Army]], and Marina returned to Moscow hoping to be reunited with her husband. She was trapped in Moscow for five years, where there was a terrible famine.<ref name="ix"/>

She wrote six plays in verse and narrative poems. Between 1917 and 1922 she wrote the epic verse cycle ''Lebedinyi stan'' ('‘The Encampment of the Swans’') about the civil war, glorifying those who fought against the communists.<ref name="Who"/> The cycle of poems in the style of a diary or journal begins on the day of Tsar Nicholas II's abdication in March 1917, and ends late in 1920, when the anti-communist White Army was finally defeated. The 'swans' of the title refers to the volunteers in the White Army, in which her husband was fighting as an officer. In 1922 she published a long pro-imperial verse fairy tale, ''Tsar-devitsa'' (‘'Tsar-Maiden’').<ref name="Who"/>

The Moscow famine was to exact a toll on Tsvetaeva. Starvation and worry were to erode her looks. With no immediate family to turn to, she had no way to support herself or her daughters. In 1919, she placed both her daughters in a state orphanage, mistakenly believing that she would be better fed there. Alya became ill and Tsvetaeva removed her but Irina died there of starvation in 1920.<ref name="ix"/> The child's death caused Tsvetaeva great grief and regret. In one letter, she said, "God punished me." During these years, Tsvetaeva maintained a close and intense friendship with the actress [[Sofia Evgenievna Holliday]], for whom she wrote a number of plays. Many years later, she would write the novella "Povest' o Sonechke" about her relationship with Holliday, who ended up betraying her.

==Exile==
===Berlin and Prague===
[[File:Marina Tsvetaeva 140-190 for collage.jpg|thumb|right| Marina Tsvetaeva (1913)]]
In May 1922, Tsvetaeva and Ariadna left the Soviet Union and were reunited with Efron in [[Berlin]], whom she had thought killed by the Bolsheviks.<ref name="OCEL">"Tsvetaeva, Marina Ivanovna" The Oxford Companion to English Literature. Edited by Dinah Birch. Oxford University Press Inc.</ref> There she published the collections ''Separation'', ''Poems to Blok'', and the poem ''The Tsar Maiden'', much of her poetry appeared in Moscow and Berlin, consolidating her reputation. In August 1922, the family moved to [[Prague]]. Living in unremitting poverty, unable to afford living accommodation in Prague itself, with Efron studying politics and sociology at the [[Charles University]] and living in hostels, Tsvetaeva and Ariadna found rooms in a village outside the city. She writes "we are devoured by coal, gas, the milkman, the baker...the only meat we eat is horsemeat". When offered an opportunity to earn money by reading her poetry, she describes having to beg a simple dress from a friend to replace the one she had been living in.<ref name="x">Feinstein (1993) px</ref>

Tsvetaeva began a passionate affair with Konstantin Boleslavovich Rodzevitch, a former military officer, a liaison which affair became widely known throughout émigré circles. Efron was devastated.<ref>This is well documented and supported particularly by a letter which he wrote to Voloshin on the matter.</ref> Her break-up with Rodzevitch in 1923 was almost certainly the inspiration for her ''[[The Poem of the End]]'' and "The Poem of the Mountain".<ref name="ix"/> At about the same time, Tsvetaeva began correspondence with poet [[Rainer Maria Rilke]] and novelist [[Boris Pasternak]].<ref name="OCEL"/> Tsvetaeva and Pasternak were not to meet for nearly twenty years, but for a time they were in love, and they maintained an intimate friendship until Tsvetaeva's return to USSR.

In summer 1924, Efron and Tsvetaeva left Prague for the suburbs, living for a while in [[Jíloviště]], before moving on to [[Všenory]], where Tsvetaeva completed "The Poem of the End", and was to conceive their son, Georgy, whom she was to later nickname 'Mur'.<ref name="x"/> Tsvetaeva wanted to name him Boris (after Pasternak); Efron insisted on Georgy. He was to be a most difficult child but Tsetaeva loved him obsessively. With Efron now rarely free from tuberculosis, their daughter Ariadna was relegated to the role of mother's helper and confidante, and consequently felt robbed of much of her childhood.<ref name="x"/> In Berlin before settling in Paris, Tsvetaeva wrote some of her greatest verse, including ''Remeslo'' ( '‘Craft'’, 1923) and ''Posle Rossii'' ( ''After Russia'' 1928). Reflecting a life of in poverty and exiled, the work holds great nostalgia for Russia and its folk history, while experimenting with verse forms.<ref name="OCEL"/>

===Paris===
{{Quote box |width=300px |align=left|quoted=true |bgcolor=#FFFFF0 |salign=right
|quote =<poem>
'''I Know the Truth'''

I know the truth - forget all other truths!
No need for anyone on earth to struggle.
Look - it is evening, look, it is nearly night:
what will you say, poets, lovers, generals?

The wind is level now, the earth is wet with dew,
the storm of stars in the sky will turn to quiet.
And soon all of us will sleep beneath the earth, we
who never let each other sleep above it. </poem> |source = "I know the truth" Tsvetaeva (1915). Trans. by [[Elaine Feinstein]]}}

In 1925, the family settled in [[Paris]], where they would live for the next 14 years.<ref name="OCEL"/> At about this time Tsvetaeva contracted tuberculosis. Tsvetaeva received a small stipend from the Czechoslovak government, which gave financial support to artists and writers who had lived in [[Czechoslovakia]]. In addition, she tried to make whatever she could from readings and sales of her work. She turned more and more to writing prose because she found it made more money than poetry. Tsvetaeva did not feel at all at home in Paris's predominantly ex-bourgeois circle of Russian émigré writers. Although she had written passionately pro-[[White movement|'White']] poems during the Revolution, her fellow émigrés thought that she was insufficiently anti-Soviet, and that her criticism of the Soviet régime was altogether too nebulous.<ref name="OCEL"/> She was particularly criticised for writing an admiring letter to the Soviet poet [[Vladimir Mayakovsky]]. In the wake of this letter, the émigré paper ''The Latest News'', to which Tsvetaeva had been a frequent contributor, refused point-blank to publish any more of her work.<ref name="Feinpxi">Feinstein (1993) pxi</ref> She found solace in her correspondence with other writers, including [[Boris Pasternak]], [[Rainer Maria Rilke]], the Czech poet [[Anna Teskova]], the critics [[D. S. Mirsky]] and [[Aleksandr Bakhrakh]], and the Georgian émigré princess [[Salomea Andronikova]], who became her main source of financial support.<ref>Tsvetaeva, Edited & annotated by Angela . Viktoria Schweitzer, London: Harvill, 1992, pp. 332, 345.</ref> Her poetry and critical prose of the time, including her autobiographical prose works of 1934–7, is of lasting literary importance.<ref name="OCEL"/> "Consumed by the daily round", resenting the domesticity that left her no time for solitude or writing, her émigré milieu regarded Tsvetaeva as a crude sort who ignored social graces. Describing her misery, she wrote to Teskova "In Paris, with rare personal exceptions, everyone hates me, they write all sorts of nasty things, leave me out in all sorts of nasty ways, and so on".<ref name="Feinpxi"/> To Pasternak she complained "They don't like poetry and what am I apart from that, not poetry but that from which it is made. [I am] an inhospitable hostess. An young woman in an old dress." She began to look back at even the Prague times with nostalgia and resent her exiled state more deeply.<ref name="Feinpxi"/>

Meanwhile, Tsvetaeva's husband was developing Soviet sympathies and was homesick for the Soviet Union.<ref name="OCEL"/> He was afraid because of his past as a White soldier. Eventually, either out of idealism or to garner acceptance from the Communists, he began spying for the [[NKVD]], the forerunner of the [[KGB]]. Alya shared his views, and increasingly turned against her mother. In 1937, she returned to the Soviet Union. Later that year, Efron too had to return to USSR. The French police had implicated him in the murder of the former Soviet defector [[Ignaty Reyss]] in September 1937, on a country lane near [[Lausanne]], Switzerland. After Efron's escape, the police interrogated Tsvetaeva, but she seemed confused by their questions and ended up reading them some French translations of her poetry. The police concluded that she was deranged and knew nothing of the murder. Later it was learned that Efron possibly had also taken part in the assassination of [[Lev Sedov|Trotsky's son]] in 1936. Tsvetaeva does not seem to have known that her husband was a spy, nor the extent to which he was compromised. However, she was held responsible for his actions and was ostracised in Paris because of the implication that he was involved with the NKVD. [[World War II]] had made Europe as unsafe and hostile as USSR. In 1939, lonely and alarmed by the rise of fascism, which she attacked in ''Stikhi k Chekhii'' ("Verses to the Czechia" 1938–39).<ref name="OCEL"/>

==Last years: Return to the Soviet Union==
[[File:Tarusa tsvetaeva stone.jpg|right|thumb| Сenotaph to Tsvetaeva]]
[[Image:Boris Messerer Monumant Marina Tsvetaeva Tarusa 21.05.2011.jpg|thumb|right|350 px|[[Boris Messerer]]: Monument to Marina Tsvetaïeva in Tarusa (near Moscow)]]
In 1939, she and her son returned to Moscow, unaware of the reception she would receive.<ref name="OCEL"/> In Stalin's USSR, anyone who had lived abroad was suspect, as was anyone who had been among the intelligentsia before the Revolution. Tsvetaeva's sister had been arrested before Tsvetaeva's return; although Anastasia survived the Stalin years, the sisters never saw each other again. Tsvetaeva found that all doors had closed to her. She got bits of work translating poetry, but otherwise the established Soviet writers refused to help her, and chose to ignore her plight; Aseyev, who she had hoped would assist, shied away, fearful for his life and position.

Efron and Alya were arrested for espionage. Alya's fiancé, was actually an [[NKVD]] agent who had been assigned to spy on the family. Efron was shot in 1941; Alya served over eight years in prison.<ref name="OCEL"/> Both were exonerated after Stalin's death. In 1941, Tsvetaeva and her son were evacuated to [[Yelabuga]], while most families of the [[Union of Soviet writers]] were evacuated to [[Chistopol]]. Tsvetaeva had no means of support in Yelabuga, and on 24 August 1941 she left for Chistopol desperately seeking a job. On 26 August, Marina Tsvetaeva and poet [[Valentin Parnakh]] applied to the Soviet of Literature Fund asking for a job at the LitFund's canteen. [[Valentin Parnakh]] was accepted as a doorman, while Tsvetaeva's application for a permission to live in Chistopol was turned down and she had to return to Yelabuga on 28 August.

On 31 August 1941, while living in [[Yelabuga]] (Elabuga), Tsvetaeva hanged herself.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.poetrymagazines.org.uk/magazine/record.asp?id=15049|title=Marina Tsvetaeva, Poet of the extreme|last=Cooke|first=Belinda|accessdate=21 April 2009}}</ref> She left a note for her son Mur: "Forgive me, but to go on would be worse. I am gravely ill, this is not me anymore. I love you passionately. Do understand that I could not live anymore. Tell Papa and Alya, if you ever see them, that I loved them to the last moment and explain to them that I found myself in a trap."<ref name="Feiler">Feiler, Lily (1994) ''Marina Tsvetaeva: the double beat of Heaven and Hell''. Duke University Press. p264 ISBN 978-0-8223-1482-0</ref> Many of her friends felt the blame was theirs, Pasternak felt that he had personally failed her. Soviet poets often preferred to blame her desperation on her fellow emigres in Paris and Berlin. Writers further west tended to view Efron's and Alya's arrest as the cause, which may have left Tsvetaeva feeling burdensome to her son. Alya blamed Mur directly.<ref name="Feiler"/> There have always been rumours that Tsvetaeva's death was not suicide. On the day of her death she was home alone and it is alleged that NKVD agents came to her house and forced her to commit suicide.<ref name="MLR"/> Kudrova in ''The Death of a Poet: The Last Days of Marina Tsvetaeva'' posits three causes for Tsvetaeva's death: that her sister Anastasiia insisted that she kill herself to save her son, that she suffered from mental illness, or that she feared recruitment by the local NKVD.<ref name="MLR">"The Death of a Poet: The Last Days of Marina Tsvetaeva"
''Modern Language Review'', July 2006 by Ute Stock</ref><ref>''The Death of a Poet: The Last Days of Marina Tsvetaeva''. By Irma Kudrova. Trans. by Mary Ann Szporluk. Woodstock, New York, and London: Overlook Duckworth. ISBN 1-58567-522-9.</ref> Tsvetaeva was buried in Yelabuga cemetery on 2 September 1941, but the exact location of her grave remains unknown.

In the town of [[Yelabuga]], the Tsvetaeva house is now a museum and a monument stands to her. Much of her poetry was republished in the Soviet Union after 1961, and her passionate, articulate and precise work, with its daring linguistic experimentation, brought her increasing recognition as a major poet.<ref name="OCEL"/> A [[minor planet]], [[3511 Tsvetaeva]], discovered in 1982 by [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] astronomer [[Lyudmila Georgievna Karachkina]], is named after her.<ref>{{cite book | last = Schmadel | first = Lutz D. | coauthors = | title = Dictionary of Minor Planet Names | pages = 294 | edition = 5th | year = 2003 | publisher = Springer Verlag | location = New York | url = http://books.google.com/books?q=3508+Pasternak+1980+DO5 | isbn = 3-540-00238-3}}</ref>

==Work==
{{Quote box |width=300px |align=left|quoted=true |bgcolor=#FFFFF0 |salign=right
|quote =<poem>
Amidst the dust of bookshops, wide dispersed
And never purchased there by anyone,
Yet similar to precious wines, my verse can wait
Its time will come.
</poem>
|source = Tsvetayeva (1913). Trans. [[Vladimir Nabokov]], 1972<ref>Karlinsky, Simon and Appel, Alfred (1977) ''The Bitter air of exile: Russian writers in the West, 1922-1972'' p72 University of California Press ISBN 978-0-520-02895-1</ref>}}

Tsvetayeva's poetry was admired by poets such as [[Valery Bryusov]], [[Maximilian Voloshin]], [[Osip Mandelstam]], [[Boris Pasternak]], [[Rainer Maria Rilke]], and [[Anna Akhmatova]]. Later, that recognition was also expressed by the poet [[Joseph Brodsky]], pre-eminent among Tsvetaeva's champions. Tsvetaeva was primarily a lyrical poet, and her lyrical voice remains clearly audible in her narrative poetry. Brodsky said of her work: "Represented on a graph, Tsvetaeva's work would exhibit a curve - or rather, a straight line - rising at almost a right angle because of her constant effort to raise the pitch a note higher, an idea higher (or, more precisely, an octave and a faith higher.) She always carried everything she has to say to its conceivable and expressible end. In both her poetry and her prose, nothing remains hanging or leaves a feeling of ambivalence. Tsvetaeva is the unique case in which the paramount spiritual experience of an epoch (for us, the sense of ambivalence, of contradictoriness in the nature of human existence) served not as the object of expression but as its means, by which it was transformed into the material of art."<ref>[http://www.carcanet.co.uk/cgi-bin/indexer?owner_id=775 Brodsky review] from [[Carcanet Press]].</ref> Critic Annie Fitch describes the engaging, heart-felt nature of the work. "Tsvetaeva is such a warm poet, so unbridled in her passion, so completely vulnerable in her love poetry, whether to her female lover Sofie Parnak, to [[Boris Pasternak]]. [...] Tsvetaeva throws her poetic brilliance on the altar of her heart’s experience with the faith of a true romantic, a priestess of lived emotion. And she stayed true to that faith to the tragic end of her life.<ref>[http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2009/03/marina-tsvetaeva-and-the-poet-pair/. "Marina Tsvetaeva and the Poet-Pair" article 03-08-09] [[Poetry Foundation]]</ref>

Tsvetayeva's lyric poems fill ten collections; the uncollected lyrics would add at least another volume. Her first two collections indicate their subject matter in their titles: ''Evening Album'' (Vechernii al'bom, 1910) and ''The Magic Lantern'' (Volshebnyi fonar', 1912). The poems are vignettes of a tranquil childhood and youth in a professorial, middle-class home in Moscow, and display considerable grasp of the formal elements of style. The full range of Tsvetaeva's talent developed quickly, and was undoubtedly influenced by the contacts she had made at Koktebel, and was made evident in two new collections: ''Mileposts'' (Versty, 1921) and ''Mileposts: Book One'' (Versty, Vypusk I, 1922).

Three elements of Tsvetaeva's mature style emerge in the ''Mileposts'' collections. First, Tsvetaeva dates her poems and publishes them chronologically. The poems in ''Mileposts: Book One'', for example, were written in 1916 and resolve themselves as a versified journal. Secondly, there are cycles of poems which fall into a regular chronological sequence among the single poems, evidence that certain themes demanded further expression and development. One cycle announces the theme of ''Mileposts: Book One'' as a whole: the "Poems of Moscow." Two other cycles are dedicated to poets, the "Poems to Akhmatova" and the "Poems to Blok", which again reappear in a separate volume, Poems to Blok (''Stikhi k Bloku'', 1922). Thirdly, the ''Mileposts'' collections demonstrate the dramatic quality of Tsvetaeva's work, and her ability to assume the guise of multiple ''dramatis personae'' within them.

[[File:Marina Ivanovna Tsvetajeva - Mijn verzen - Nieuwsteeg 1, Leiden.JPG|thumb|200px|right| The poem "For my poems" by Tsvetaeva on a wall of the building at Nieuwsteeg 1, Leiden, The Netherlands]]
The collection ''Separation'' (Razluka, 1922) was to contain Tsvetaeva's first long verse narrative, "On a Red Steed" ("Na krasnom kone"). The poem is a prologue to three more verse-narratives written between 1920 and 1922. All four narrative poems draw on folkloric plots. Tsvetaeva acknowledges her sources in the titles of the very long works, ''The Maiden-Tsar: A Fairy-tale Poem'' (''Tsar'-devitsa: Poema-skazka'', 1922) and "The Swain", subtitled "A Fairytale" ("Molodets: skazka", 1924). The fourth folklore-style poem is "Byways" ("Pereulochki", published in 1923 in the collection ''Remeslo''), and it is the first poem which may be deemed incomprehensible in that it is fundamentally a soundscape of language. The collection ''Psyche'' (''Psikheya'', 1923) contains one of Tsvetaeva's best-known cycles "Insomnia" (Bessonnitsa) and the poem The Swans' Encampment (Lebedinyi stan, Stikhi 1917-1921, published in 1957) which celebrates the [[White Army]].

Subsequently, as an émigré, Tsvetaeva's last two collections of lyrics were published by émigré presses, ''Craft'' (''Remeslo'', 1923) in Berlin and ''After Russia'' (''Posle Rossii'', 1928) in Paris. There then followed the twenty-three lyrical "Berlin" poems, the pantheistic "Trees" ("Derev'ya"), "Wires" ("Provoda") and "Pairs" ("Dvoe"), and the tragic "Poets" ("Poety"). "After Russia" contains the poem "In Praise of the Rich", in which Tsvetaeva's oppositional tone is merged with her proclivity for ruthless satire.

In 1924, Tsvetaeva wrote "Poem of the End", which details a walk around [[Prague]] and across its bridges; the walk is about the final walk she will take with her lover Konstantin Rodzevich. In it everything is foretold: in the first few lines (translated by Elaine Feinstein) the future is already written:

:A single post, a point of rusting
::tin in the sky
:marks the fated place we
::move to, he and I

Again, further poems foretell future developments. Principal among these is the voice of the classically-oriented Tsvetaeva heard in cycles "The Sibyl," "Phaedra," and "Ariadne." Tsvetaeva's beloved, ill-starred heroines recur in two verse plays, ''Theseus-Ariadne'' (Tezei-Ariadna, 1927) and ''Phaedra'' (Fedra, 1928). These plays form the first two parts of an incomplete trilogy ''Aphrodite's Rage''.
[[File:T stamp.jpg|thumb|right|200px| USSR stamp featuring Tsvetayeva (1992)]]
The satirist in Tsvetaeva plays second fiddle only to the poet-lyricist. Several satirical poems, moreover, are among Tsvetaeva's best-known works: "The Train of Life" ("Poezd zhizni") and "The Floorcleaners' Song" ("Poloterskaya"), both included in After Russia, and The Rat-catcher (Krysolov, 1925–1926), a long, folkloric narrative. The target of Tsvetaeva's satire is everything petty and petty bourgeois. Unleashed against such dull creature comforts is the vengeful, unearthly energy of workers both manual and creative. In her notebook, Tsvetaeva writes of "The Floorcleaners' Song": "Overall movement: the floorcleaners ferret out a house's hidden things, they scrub a fire into the door... What do they flush out? Coziness, warmth, tidiness, order... Smells: incense, piety. Bygones. Yesterday... The growing force of their threat is far stronger than the climax." The poem which Tsvetaeva describes as ''liricheskaia satira'', ''The Rat-Catcher'', is loosely based on the legend of the [[Pied Piper of Hamelin]]. The Rat-Catcher, which is also known as The Pied Piper, is considered by some to be the finest of Tsvetaeva's work. It was also partially an act of ''hommage'' to [[Heinrich Heine]]'s poem ''Die Wanderatten''. The Rat-Catcher appeared initially, in serial format, in the émigré journal ''Volia Rossii'' in 1925-1926 whilst still being written. It was not to appear in the Soviet Union until after the death of [[Joseph Stalin]] in 1956. Its hero is the [[Pied Piper of Hamelin]] who saves a town from hordes of rats and then leads the town's children away too, in retribution for the citizens' ingratitude. As in the other folkloric narratives, The Ratcatcher's story line emerges indirectly through numerous speaking voices which shift from invective, to extended lyrical flights, to pathos.

Tsvetaeva's last ten years of exile, from 1928 when "After Russia" appeared until her return in 1939 to the Soviet Union, were principally a "prose decade", though this would almost certainly be by dint of economic necessity rather than one of choice.

===Translators===
Translators of Tsvetaeva's work into English include [[Elaine Feinstein]] and [[David McDuff]]. Nina Kossman translated many of Tsvetaeva's long (narrative) poems, as well as her lyrical poems; they are collected in two books, ''Poem of the End'' and ''In the Inmost Hour of the Soul''. [[J. Marin King]] translated a great deal of Tsvetaeva's prose into English, compiled in a book called ''A Captive Spirit''. Tsvetaeva scholar [[Angela Livingstone]] has translated a number of Tsvetaeva's essays on art and writing, compiled in a book called ''Art in the Light of Conscience''. Livingstone's translation of Tsvetaeva's "The Ratcatcher" was published as a separate book. Mary Jane White has translated the early cycle "Miles" in a book called "Starry Sky to Starry Sky," as well as Tsvetaeva's elegy for Rilke, "New Year's", (Adastra Press 16 Reservation Road, Easthampton, MA 01027 USA) and "Poem of the End"(The Hudson Review, Winter 2009) and "Poem of the Hill", (New England Review, Summer 2008). In 2002, [[Yale University Press]] published Jamey Gambrell's translation of post-revolutionary prose, entitled ''Earthly Signs: Moscow Diaries, 1917-1922'', with notes on poetic and linguistic aspects of Tsvetaeva's prose, and endnotes for the text itself.

The Soviet composer [[Dmitri Shostakovich]] set six of Tsvetaeva's poems to music. Later the Russian-Tatar composer [[Sofia Gubaidulina]] wrote a ''Hommage à Marina Tsvetayeva'' featuring her poems. Her poem "Mne Nravitsya..." ("I like that...")], was performed by [[Alla Pugacheva]] in the film ''[[Irony of Fate]]''.<ref>[http://www.stihi.ru/2009/03/29/1411 "Mne Nravitsya..." ("I like that...")]</ref> In 2003, the opera ''Marina: A Captive Spirit'', based on Tsvetaeva's life and work, premiered from [[American Opera Projects]] in New York with music by [[Deborah Drattell]] and libretto by poet [[Annie Finch]]. The production was directed by [[Anne Bogart]] and the part of Tsvetaeva was sung by [[Lauren Flanigan]].

==Books of Tsvetaeva poetry in English translation==
* ''Marina Tsvetaeva: Selected Poems'', trans. [[Elaine Feinstein]]. (Oxford University Press, 1971) ISBN 0-19-211803-X
* ''The Ratcatcher: A lyrical satire'', trans. Angela Livingstone (Northwestern University, 2000) ISBN 0-8101-1816-5
* ''A Captive Spirit: Selected Prose'', trans. J. Marin King (Vintage Books, 1994) ISBN 0-86068-397-4
* ''Earthly Signs: Moscow Diaries, 1917-1922'', ed. & trans. Jamey Gambrell (Yale University Press, 2011) ISBN 0-300-17959-6
* '' Poem of the End: Selected Narrative and Lyrical Poems '', trans. Nina Kossman (Ardis / Overlook, 1998, 2004) ISBN 0-87501-176-4
* '' In the Inmost hour of the Soul: Poems '', trans. Nina Kossman (Humana Press, 1989) ISBN 0-89603-137-3

==Further reading==
* Schweitzer, Viktoria ''Tsvetaeva'' (1993)
* Mandelstam, Nadezhda ''Hope Against Hope''
* Mandelstam, Nadezhda ''Hope Abandoned''
* Pasternak, Boris ''An Essay in Autobiography''

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Wikisource|Author:Marina Tsvetaeva}}
{{Wikisourcelang|ru|Марина Ивановна Цветаева|Author:Marina Tsvetaeva}}
* [http://www.poetrymagazines.org.uk/magazine/record.asp?id=15049 "Marina Tsvetaeva, Poet of the extreme"] by Belinda Cooke from ''South'' magazine, April 2005. Retrieved 2010-10-25
* [http://www.carcanet.co.uk/cgi-bin/indexer?owner_id=775 Tsvetaeva biography] at [[Carcanet Press]]. Retrieved 2010-10-25
* [http://english.tsvetayeva.com/ Russian and English resource on Tsvetayeva]. Retrieved 2010-10-25
* [http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/the_tls/article3313875.ece Extract from the poem "Swan Encampment"] by Tsvetayeva, translated by [[Elaine Feinstein]] 6 February 2008,'' [[Times Literary Supplement]]''. Retrieved 2010-10-25
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B07E7DC113CF935A35756C0A9659C8B63 ''New York Time''s Review of premiere of 2003 opera] ''Martina: A Captive Spirit''. Retrieved 2010-10-25
* [http://www.stihi.ru/2010/03/20/2448 ''Mirror''], [http://www.stihi.ru/2009/03/29/1411 ''I like that'']. English translations of Stihi.com. Retrieved 2010-10-25

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2010}}


{{Persondata
|NAME = Tsvetaeva, Marina Ivanovna
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Цвета́ева, Мари́на Ива́новна
|SHORT DESCRIPTION = Russian poet and writer
|DATE OF BIRTH = 8 October 1892
|PLACE OF BIRTH = Moscow, Russia
|DATE OF DEATH = 31 August 1941
|PLACE OF DEATH = [[Yelabuga]], [[Tatarstan]]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tsvetaeva, Marina}}
[[Category:Russian poets]]
[[Category:Russian-language poets]]
[[Category:Russian diarists]]
[[Category:People from Moscow]]
[[Category:Russian women writers]]
[[Category:Soviet poets]]
[[Category:Soviet women writers]]
[[Category:University of Paris alumni]]
[[Category:Suicides by hanging in the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Poets who committed suicide]]
[[Category:1892 births]]
[[Category:1941 deaths]]

{{Link FA|hu}}

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[[zh:玛琳娜·茨维塔耶娃]]

Konstantin Balmont

2012-08-21T13:13:49Z

Averaver: /* External links */ {{Wikisource|ru:Константин Дмитриевич Бальмонт|Poems on Russian}}

{{Infobox writer
| name =
| image = Konstantin Balmont by Valentin Serov 1905.jpg
| imagesize = 200px
| alt =
| caption = [[Valentin Serov]]: Portrait of Konstantin Balmont. 1905.
| pseudonym =
| birth_name = Konstanti′n Dmi′trievich Balmo′nt
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1867|6|15|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Shuya]], [[Russian Empire]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1942|9|23|1867|6|15|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Paris]], [[France]]
| occupation = [[Poet]]
| nationality = [[Russians|Russian]]
| citizenship = [[Russian Empire]] / [[France]]
| education = [[Moscow University]] (dropped)
| alma_mater =
| period = 1885–1937
| genre = [[poetry]] memoirs political essay
| subject =
| movement = [[Russian symbolism]]
| notableworks = ''[[Burning Buildings]]'' (1900) ''[[Let Us Be Like the Sun]]'' (1903)
| spouse = Larissa Garelina Yekaterina Andreeva Elena Tzvetkovskaya
| partner =
| children = Nina (Niniko) Balmont Mirra Balmont
| relatives =
| influences = [[Edgar Allan Poe]]
| influenced =
| awards =
| signature =
| website =
}}
'''Konstantin Dmitriyevich Balmont''' ({{lang-rus|Константи́н Дми́триевич Бальмо́нт|p=kənstɐnˈtʲin ˈdmʲitrʲɪjɪvʲɪt͡ɕ bɐlʲˈmont|a=Konstantin Dmitriyevich Bal'mont.ru.vorb.oga}}; {{OldStyleDate|15 June|1867|3 June}} – December 23, 1942) was a [[Russians|Russian]] [[symbolism (arts)|symbolist]] poet, translator, one of the major figures of the [[Silver Age of Russian Poetry]].

==Biography==
Konstantin Balmont was born in v. Gumnishchi, [[Shuya]], then of [[Vladimir]] [[Guberniya]] (now of [[Ivanovskaya oblast]]), the third of the seven sons of Russian [[nobleman]], lawyer and senior state official Dmitry Konstantinovich Balmont and Vera Nikolayevna (née Le′bedeva)<ref name="vladregion">{{cite web | author = ''Savinova, R.F.'' | date = | url = http://vladregion.info/articles/balmonty | title = Бальмонты (The Balmonts) | publisher = The Vladimir Region (Vladimirsky krai) site| accessdate = 2011-01-01}}</ref> The latter, having come from a family of military men where enthusiasm for literature and theater was almost hereditary, had the most profound influence over her son: she introduced him to the world of music, history and folklore. Vera Nikolayevna knew several foreign languages and often received guests who might have been deemed 'politically risque' at the time. It was from her that Konstantin Balmont, as he later remembered, inherited 'tempestuousness of character' and rabble-rouser mentality.<ref name="silverage">{{cite web | author = | date = | url = http://www.silverage.ru/poets/balmont_bio.html| title = Бальмонт, Константин Дмитриевич | publisher = silverage.ru| accessdate = 2010-06-01}}</ref><ref name="stahova">{{cite web | author = ''Stakhova, M.''| date = | url = http://www.litera.ru/stixiya/articles/588.html| title = Konstantin Balmont. Lives of The Silver Age Poets| publisher = www.litera.ru| accessdate = 2010-06-01}}</ref>

Balmont who learned reading at the age of five (watching secretly his elder brother’s family lessons) cited [[Alexandr Pushkin|Pushkin]], [[Alexey Nekrasov|Nekrasov]], [[Alexey Koltsov|Koltsov]] and [[Ivan Savvich Nikitin|Nikitin]] as his first favorites. He insisted, though, that "the family house, the garden, creeks, marshy lakes, whispering leaves, butterflies, birds and sunrises" were his first poetry teachers.<ref name="krugosvet">{{cite web| author =''Polonsky, Vadim''| date = | url = http://www.krugosvet.ru/enc/kultura_i_obrazovanie/literatura/BALMONT_KONSTANTIN_DMITRIEVICH.html| title = K.D.Balmont in the Krugosvet (Around the World) encyclopedia| publisher = www.krugosvet.ru| accessdate = 2010-06-01}}</ref> Ten years spent in his family’s Gumnishchi estate Balmont always remembered with great love and warmth, referring to the place as "a tiny kingdom of silent comfort".<ref>''Balmont, K.D.'' На заре (At Sunrise. Autobiography). — from K.D.Balmont's Autobiographical prose. Мoscow, 2001, С. 570.</ref>

In 1876 the family moved to the town of Shuya where Vera Nikolayevna owned a two-story, rather decrepit-looking house.<ref name="vladregion"/> A ten year old Konstantin joined the preparatory class of a local gymnasium, an institution he later described rather hatefully as "the home of decadence and capitalism, able only of air and river contamination".<ref name="makogonenko">''Makogonenko, Darya'' (Д. Г. Макогоненко). — ''Life and Fate'' (Жизнь и судьба). // Balmont, К. — The Selected Works. Poems, translations, essays. Compiled by Darya Makogonenko. — Moscow. Pravda Publishers, 1990. — ISBN 5-253-00115-8</ref>{{rp|9}}

It was here at school that, rather vexed with the educational system's restrictions, he became interested in French and German poetry and started writing verses of his own. His first two poems, though, were criticized by his mother in such a harsh manner that for the next six years he made no attempts to repeat this first poetic venture<ref name="bannikov">{{cite web | author = ''Bannikov, Nikolai'' (Н. Банников)| year = 1989| url = http://az.lib.ru/b/balxmont_k_d/text_0460.shtml| title = Balmont's Life and Poetry (Жизнь и поэзия Бальмонта)| publisher = Detskaya literatura publishing house. Balmont, K.D. The Sun's Yarn: Poems, sketches (Бальмонт К. Д. Солнечная пряжа: Стихи, очерки)| accessdate = 2010-06-01}}</ref> What he became involved in instead was an illegal circle (formed by students and some traveling teachers) which printed and distributed [[Narodnaya Volya]] proclamations.<ref name="bannikov"/> "I was happy and I wanted everybody to be happy. The fact that only a minority, me included, was entitled to such happiness, was for me outrageous", he later wrote, explaining his early enchantment with revolutionary activities.<ref>''Balmont, K.D.'' A revolutionary: am I, or am I not? Autobiographical prose. (Революционер я или нет. — Автобиографическая проза) P. 452.</ref>

Mother transferred her son to another gymnasium, in Vladimir, but here the boy had to live in the house of a Greek teacher who took upon himself a duty of a warden, bringing much psychological suffering to a disgruntled youth. In the late 1885 Balmont made his publishing debut: three of his poems appeared in a popular St. Petersburg magazine ''[[:ru:Живописное обозрение стран света|Zhivopisnoye obozrenye]]''. This event (as a latter day biographer put it) "has been noticed by nobody except for his (tor)mentor" whose ultimatum included a veto on any further publications until the graduation day. Balmont was graduated in 1886 году.,<ref name="B_Efron">{{cite web | author = Brockhaus and Efron | year = 1911| url = http://balmont.lit-info.ru/balmont/about/biografiya/biografiya-brokgauz-i-efron.htm| title = Konstantin Dmitrievich Balmont biography | publisher = [[Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary]]| accessdate = 2010-06-01}}</ref> having spent «one and a half years in a prison-like conditions»<ref name="bannikov"/> «Gimnasium I curse with all my might. It ruined my nervous system completely», the poet remembered in 1923.<ref name="stahova"/><ref name="azadovski">{{cite web | author = Azadovsky, K.M. (К. М. Азадовский)| year = 1990| url = http://az.lib.ru/b/balxmont_k_d/text_0490-1.shtml| title = K.D.Balmont. A biography | publisher = Russian writers. Bio-bibliography dictionary. Vol. 1. Edited by P.A.Nikolayev (Русские писатели. Vol.1 Биобиблиографический словарь. Том 1. А--Л. Под редакцией П. А. Николаева).| accessdate = 2010-06-01}}</ref>

In 1886 Balmont joined the Law school of the [[Moscow University]]<ref>{{cite web | author = | date = | url= http://www.poesis.ru | title = Поэзия Московского университета| publisher = www.poesis.ru | accessdate = 2010-06-01}}</ref> where he socialised a lot with leftist activists (among them P. F. Nikolayev).<ref name="azadovski"/> Next year Balmont was arrested for participation in the students' demonstrations (the unrest was triggered by a new set of rules for students introduced by the authorities), spent three days in prison, then expelled from the University and sent back home to Shuya.<ref name="alexandrova">{{cite web | author = ''Aleksandrova, Tatyana'' (Т.Л. Александрова)| date = | url = http://old.portal-slovo.ru/rus/philology/258/558/2832/$print_all/ | title = Константин Бальмонт | publisher = Портал «Слово»| accessdate = 2010-08-13}}</ref>

In 1889 Balmont returned to the University but soon quit again due to nervous breakdown. He joined Demidovsky Law college in [[Yaroslavl]] but after having been expelled in September 1890 decided that of formal education he’d had enough.<ref name="stahova"/> «I simply couldn’t bring myself to studying law, what with living so intensely with true passions of my heart and being deeply involved in studying German literature», he wrote in 1911.<ref name="azadovski"/><ref>Утро России/The Morning of Russia. 1911. — 23 декабря.</ref> At least one family member supported his decision: it was an elder brother, infatuated in the same way with studying philosophy<ref name="B_Efron"/> Otherwise, "…at the age of 13 I learned the English word ''self-help'', fell in love with the intellectual work and went on with it until my dying days", Balmont wrote in th 1930s<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|7}}.

=== Debut ===
In 1889 Balmont married Larissa Garelina, a daughter of local factory-owner. The marriage proved to be unhappy one: two tempestuous characters clashed. Next year he released a self-financed book called simply ''Poetry Collection'' (Сборник стихотворений),<ref>{{cite web
| author = | date = | url = http://www.uniyar.ac.ru/index.php/Бальмонт_Константин_Дмитриевич | title = Бальмонт Константин Дмитриевич | publisher = Сайт Ярославского университета| accessdate = 2010-06-01}}</ref> some of his pieces, published in 1885 here included.<ref name="russianculture">{{cite web | author = | date = | url =http://www.russianculture.ru/formb.asp?ID=226&full| title = Бальмонт Константин Дмитриевич | publisher = www.russianculture.ru| accessdate = 2010-08-13}}</ref> In many ways the instigating factor was [[Vladimir Korolenko|V.G. Korolenko]], a well-known writer who, on receiving a couple of years earlier a hand-written note-book (sent to him by Konstantin’s classmates) sent a schoolboy a letter containing serious and favourable critical analysis, where he spoke of the young author’s rare eye for small detail but also of the lack of concentration and general hastiness. "He wrote that… one is not to chase every fleeting moth; not to whip one’s emotions up with one’s thought, but rather trust and rely upon this unconscious part of human soul which accumulates all the live impressions and later ensures the young flower <of a talent> blossoming into full swing", Balmont remembered.<ref>К. Д. Бальмонт. На заре. — Автобиографическая проза. Стр. 572.</ref> "Should you learn to concentrate and work methodically, in due time we’ll hear of your having turned into something quite extraordinary", were the last words of this remarkable letter.<ref name="bannikov"/> Much impressed with the famous writer’s magnanimity, Balmont later credited Korolenko as being his 'literary Godfather'.<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|10}} meanwhile, the debut collection made no impact whatsoever.<ref name="mincult">{{cite web | author = | date = | url = http://www.culture.mincult.ru/formb.asp?ID=226&full| title = Бальмонт Константин Дмитриевич | publisher = Русские писатели 20 века. Библиографический словарь. Т2. М.: Просвещение. 1998. С. 131| accessdate = 2010-07-01}}</ref> Disgusted both with the book and the lack of public attention, the poet collected and burnt all of its copies.<ref name="silverage"/> In 1888–89 he translated and published a selection of German Romantic poetry, in 1890 and 1891 he worked on translations from French symbolist poetry.<ref name="krugosvet"/>
[[File:Balmont 1880s.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Konstantin Balmont in the late 1880s]]
In Мarch 1890 a near fatal accident happened: Balmont attempted suicide by jumping off the 3rd storey window. He survived, but broke his leg and received multiple injuries which left him bed-ridden for a year. It was said at the time that the immediate impulse for the suicide attempt was provided by [[Tolstoy]]’s ''Kreytzerova Sonata'', but there was more rational reason for it: falling apart was his marriage that caused among other things (like growing penchant towards alcoholism) the rift with parents who left him without financial support.<ref name="bannikov"/> The year of recuperation, though, became an important turning point, causing "the unusual mental agitation and the ensuing rush of cheerfulness".<ref name="B_Efron"/> It was then that Balmont recognized ‘life’s sacred value’ and clearly envisaged his ‘poetic mission’.<ref name="tonnel">{{cite web | author = Геннадий Прашкевич | date = | url = http://lib.ololo.cc/b/134907/read| title = Самые знаменитые поэты России. Константин Бальмонт| publisher = lib.ololo.cc| accessdate = 2010-07-01}}</ref>

After the divorce Balmont for some time was destitute, none of the literary journals being interested in his own work. "My first book of course was a total failure. People dear to me with their negativism made this fiasco even less bearable", he wrote in 1903.<ref name="vengerov">К. Бальмонт. Автобиографическое письмо от 17/V. 1903 г. // С. А. Венгеров. Критико-биографический словарь русских писателей и ученых. Т. 6. СПб., 1904</ref>{{rp|376}}, meaning apparently Larissa, but also his University friends who scorned the debut collection for being ‘reactionary’ and its author, for "abandoning the ideals of social struggle". Again, Korolenko came to help. "The poor guy is very shy; a simple attention to his work would make great difference", he wrote to [[Mikhail Albov]], one of ''[[Severny Vestnik]]'' editors in September 1891.<ref>Короленко В. Г. — Избранные письма. Т. 3. М., 1936. стр. 68.</ref>

Professor Nikolay Storozhenko of Moscow University provided the struggling poet with some more of the practical help. "If it was not for him I would have died of hunger. He gave me a fatherly helping hand", the latter remembered.<ref name="alexandrova"/> Professor accepted Balmont's article on Shelley and introduced the young author to the influential ''Severny Vestnik'' clique in October 1892 when he made his first trip to the capital. Here he met for the first time [[Nikolay Minsky]], [[Dmitry Merezhkovsky]] and [[Zinaida Gippius]] (although the latter’s cool animosity rather spoiled young man’s overall enthusiasm). Even more importantly, Storozhenko introduced Balmont to K.T. Soldatenkov, a respected publisher who commissioned him to translate two fundamental works on the history of German and Italian literature. Those books, published in 1894–1895, "fed me for three years, making it possible for me to fulfil all my poetic ambitions”, balmont wrote in 1922.<ref>Видящие глаза. Страницы воспоминаний К. Д. Бальмонта. «Последние известия». Ревель, 1922. 17 марта.</ref> All the while he continued to translate [[Shelley]] and [[Edgar Allan Poe]]. His translations of Poe's ballads and short stories are still regarded as exemplary.<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|11}}

Another crucial figure who helped the poet was a renown philanthropist Prince Alexandr Urusov, an expert in West European literature, who financed the publication of two of the Poe’s books.<ref name="mincult"/> In 1894 in the student’s Circle of West European Literature fans Balmont met [[Valery Bryusov]], his future best friend. The latter was deeply impressed by the young poet’s "personalty and his fanatical passion for poetry".<ref>''Bryusov, Valery'' (Брюсов В.) Автобиография. Русская литература ХХ века. Под ред. С. А. Венгерова. Т. 1. М., 1914. Стр. 111</ref>

===1893–1899===
In December 1893 Balmont informed Minsky in a letter: "I’ve written a series of my own verse and in January I'm going to begin the publishing process. I anticipate my liberal friends will be outraged for there’s no liberalism in this whatsoever, while ‘corrupting influences’ are there aplenty".<ref>''Бальмонт К. Д''. — Стихотворения. Л. 1969. Стр. 23.</ref> The book, ''Under the Northern Sky'' (Под северным небом) came out in 1894 and was favorably received by both public and critics. It is regarded as Balmont's first 'real' book and a starting point in his literary career. Prince Urusov declared himself a fan while critics noted, on the one hand, popular 'current' themes' dominance (laments on 'greyness' of life, etc.), on the other, young author’s individuality, exquisiteness of form and technical versatility.<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|12}} The second collection, ''In Limitless Darkness'' (В безбрежности мрака, 1895) was seen as a much stronger effort. It was here that Balmont started his experiments with the Russian language's musical and rhythmical structures which soon made him famous. With mainstream critics the book was unpopular<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|12}}, but Russian cultural elite embraced the innovator and soon he was welcome in all the major literary journals.<ref name="B_Efron"/>

In 1895 Balmont met [[Jurgis Baltrušaitis]], a poet who in the 1919 played crucial role in helping him leave the Soviet Russia. Even more significant was his friendship with Sergey Poliakov, a man of many trades and talents (known as, among other things, [[Knut Hamsun]]’s Russian translator) a shrewd entrepreneur who at the time was the financial backer and nominal editor of the symbolist magazine ''[[Vesy]]'', whose true editor was Bryusov, and five years later would found the ''Scorpion'' publishing house.<ref name="zaitsev">{{cite web| author = ''Zaitzev, Boris'' (Борис Зайцев)| date = | url = http://az.lib.ru/b/balxmont_k_d/text_0610.shtml| title = Remembering the Silver Age / Воспоминания о серебряном веке. | publisher = | accessdate = 2010-07-01}}</ref> All the while Balmont was engaged in intensive self-educating prosess: he learned several languages, read extensively and became an expert in various subjects from Spanish painting to the Chinese culture.<ref name="bannikov"/>

In 1896 Balmont married Yekaterina Andre′eva, a fellow translator whose placid, rational character provided a counter-balance to his own flashy emotionalism. The couple went abroad to travel through Western Europe.<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|12}}. In Spring 1897 Balmont was invited to the [[Oxford University]] to read lectures on Russian poetry.<ref name="lev_ozerov">{{cite web | author = ''Ozerov, Lev'' (Лев Озеров) | date = | url = http://www.litera.ru/stixiya/articles/282.html| title = Konstantin Balmont and his poetry / Константин Бальмонт и его поэзия| publisher = www.litera.ru| accessdate = 2010-07-01}}</ref> "For the first time ever I’ve been given the opportunity to live my life totally according to my intellectual and aesthetic interests. This wealth of arts, poetry and philosophy treasures I’ll never get enough of", he wrote in a letter to critic Akim Volynsky.<ref>''Волынский, А''. — Северный вестник. 1898, № 8–9</ref> European impressions and reminiscences formed the essence of Balmont’s third collection ''The Silence'' (Тишина, 1898) which was lauded by contemporary critics as the poet's best effort to date.<ref name="bannikov"/>

===1900–1905===

For two years he was continuously on the move, then settled at S. Polyakov's Banki estate to concentrate on his next piece of work. In the late 1899 he wrote to poet Lyudmila Vilkina:<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|15}}<ref>''К. Д. Бальмонт''. Стихотворения. Л., 1969, стр. 50</ref>{{quote|''I’ve got many news, all of them excellent. Luck’s being on my side. I write non-stop. My love of life grows and now I want to live forever. You won’t believe how many new poems I’ve written: more than a hundred! It’s madness, it’s fantasy and it’s something new. The book I’m going to publish will be different. It will raise many an eyebrow. My understanding of the state of things has totally changed. Funny it may sound, but I’ll tell you: I’ve understood how the world works. For many years <this understanding will stay with me>, hopefully forever.''}}
The book in question was ''[[Burning Buildings]]'' (Горящие здания, 1900), a collection of radically innovative verse, generally regarded as an apex of the poet’s legacy. The essence of it according to the author was the "longing for inner liberation and self-understanding".<ref name="stahova"/> In 1901, sending a copy to Leo Tolstoy, he wrote in the accompanying letter: "This book is a prolonged scream of a soul caught in the process of being torn apart. One might call this soul low or ugly. But I won't disclaim not a single page of it as long I keep this love for ugliness which is as strong in me as my love of harmony".<ref>Литературное наследство. Т. 69, Кн. I. Стр. 135—136</ref> The ''Burning Buildings'' made Balmont the leader of the Russian Symbolism. From then on "for a decade he was hovering above everybody else in the Russian poetry. Others either meekly followed him or were struggling painfully to free themselves from his overbearing influence", wrote Valery Bryusov.<ref name="Nagorskiy88">{{cite web | author = ''Нагорский А.В.'' | date = | url =http://infa.kharkov.ua/velikie-lyudi-konstantin-balmont/ | title = Великие люди – Константин Бальмонт | publisher = infa.kharkov.ua | accessdate = 2011-01-29}}</ref>
Despite continuous partying (in the company of S. Polyakov and friends) Balmont's flow of creative output in those years was virtually ceaseless. "Something new came to me, something more complex than I could have even envisaged. I churn out one page after another, hastily, desperately trying to avoid mistakes… How unpredictable one’s soul is! Just one more look inside, and you see new horizons. I feel like I’ve struck a goldmine. Should I remain on it, I’ll make a book that will never die", he wrote to [[Ieronim Yasinsky]] in 1900. By the time his most famous book was published (in the late 1902) he was already a literary celebrity in Russia, regarded by many as the most important poet of his generation. ''[[Let Us Be Like the Sun|Let Us Be Like the Sun. The Book of Symbols]]'' (Будем как солнце. Книга символов) had enormous success and in retrospect is seen as his strongest.<ref name="nlo">{{cite web | author = ''Bogomolov, N. A.'' (Н. А. Богомолов)| date = | url = http://magazines.russ.ru/nlo/2005/75/bo9.html| title = The History of Balmont's Best Book / К истории лучшей книги Бальмонта. | publisher = НЛО, 2005 N75| accessdate = 2010-07-01}}</ref> [[Alexander Blok]] called it "unique in its unfathomable richness".<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|15}}
[[File:Ulyanov 1.jpg|thumb|right|200px|K. Balmont. A portrait by Nikolai Ulyanov (1909)]]
In March 1901 Balmont made himself quite a name in the St. Petersburg revolutionary circles.<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|14}}. First he took part in the student demonstration on the [[Kazan Cathedral, St. Petersburg|Kazansky Sobor]] square which was violently disrupted by the police and [[Cossacks]]. Then several days later he went up stage of the literary event which was held in the [[Duma|Russian State Duma]] building and read his freshly written poem ''Little Sultan'', a vitriolic swipe at [[Nicholas II of Russia|Tzar Nicolas The 2nd]]. The hand-written version of it became widely popular, even [[Lenin|V.I. Lenin]] was, reportedly, much impressed.<ref name="bannikov"/> As a result, Balmont was deported from the capital with an official 3-year ban on living in the University cities. Almost immediately he flew to Paris and spent 1902 traveling from one West European country to another with lectures.<ref name="B_Efron"/>

In summer 1903 Balmont visited Moscow, then moved to the [[Baltic Sea|Baltic]] shore to work on his next book. The collection of poetry called ''Only Love'' (Только любовь, 1903) couldn’t possibly surpass any of his two previous masterpieces, but added to the cult of Balmont.<ref>Письма В. Я. Брюсова к П. П. Перцову. М., 1927, стр. 78</ref> "Russia was passionately in love with him. Young men whispered his verses to their loved ones, schoolgirls scribbled them down, filling notebooks", [[Teffi]] remembered.<ref name="tff">{{cite web| author = ''H. A. Тэффи'' | year = 1955| url = http://az.lib.ru/t/teffi/text_0190.shtml| title = Бальмонт. Воспоминания о серебряном веке| publisher = М.: Республика, 1993. | accessdate = 2010-07-01}}</ref> Many established poets – [[Mirra Lokhvitskaya]], [[Valery Bryusov]], [[Andrey Bely]], [[Vyacheslav Ivanovich Ivanov|Vyach. Ivanov]], [[Maximilian Voloshin]] and [[Sergey Gorodetsky]] among them – treated him (in the words of Darya Makogonenko, a modern researcher) as a "genius… doomed to rise high above the world by submerging himself totally into the depths of his soul".<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|5}}.

In 1904–1905 the ''Scorpio'' published the two-volume set of Balmont’s best work. It was followed by ''Lithurgy of Beauty. Hymns of Elements'' (Литургия красоты. Стихийные гимны) and ''Fairies’ Tales'' (Фейные сказки, both 1905): the first one was created much under the impression of the Russian-Japanese war,<ref name="azadovski"/> the second was a children’s book written for daughter Nina Balmont. Back from his trip to [[Mexico]] and [[California]] Balmont became involved in the 1905 street unrest, reading poems on barricades and (according to Y.Andreeva) "carrying a pistol in the pocket wherever he went". Now friends with [[Maxim Gorky]], he contributed both to the latter’s ''New Life'' (Новая жизнь) and Paris-based ''Red Banner'' (Красное знамя) radical newspapers.<ref name="lev_ozerov"/> In December 31, 1905 he flew to Paris so as to avoid arrest.<ref name="bannikov"/> Balmont’s posing as a political immigrant was ridiculed in Russia, but many years later archive researchers found conclusive evidence for the fact that the Russian secret police held the poet under the 'dangerous political activist' file and tried to trace his every move in the West, of which there were many.<ref name="stahova"/>

===1906–1917===
[[File:Balmont by Altman.jpg|thumb|left|200px|''Balmont lecturing''. [[Natan Altman]]'s caricature, 1914]]
His next two books comprised all of the pieces that’s been written during and in the wake of the [[First Russian revolution]] events. ''Poems'' (Стихотворения, St.Pbg, 1906) were immediately confiscated by the police; ''Songs of the Avenger'' (Песни мстителя, Paris, 1907) were banned in Russia, what with direct calls for assassination of Tzar ("You should be killed, you’ve become everyone’s grief". - ''To Nicolas the Last'') being there present. Another one, ''Vile Charms'' (Злые чары, 1906), was banned for the allegedly anti-religious sentiments. None of this fuss, though, could make up for the fact that the poet's muse mysteriously abandoned him: both critics and fellow poets (close friend Brysov among them) saw these forays into socio-political spheres as total failures.<ref name="azadovski"/> Russian folklore-oriented ''Firebird. Slav’s Svirel'' (Жар-птица. Свирель славянина, 1907), ''Hortus conclusus. Kisses-like words'' (Зеленый вертоград. Слова поцелуйные, 1909) and ''Ancient Calls'' (Зовы древности, 1909), even if radically different, bore the same sign of deep artistic crisis, of which the poet himself, apparently, was totally unaware.<ref name="silverage"/> Most notable Balmont's work of the time, three non-poetry books – ''Mountain Peaks'' (Горные вершины, 1904), ''White Heat Lightnings'' (Белые зарницы, 1908) and ''The Luminous Sea'' (Морское свечение, 1910), - were collections of essays on Russian and foreign authors.<ref name="stahova"/>

In 1907–1912 Balmont travelled continuously. Different brands of ethnic folklore and esoteric ideas formed the basis of his next books: ''Snakes’ Flowers'' (Змеиные цветы. 1910), ''White Architect'' (1914) and ''The Osiris Land'' (1914). "I want to enrich my mind, for too many personal things’ been jamming it off over the years", he explained.<ref name="lev_ozerov"/> In 1913 the political amnesty (declared in time for the [[:ru:300-летие дома Романовых|Romanovs’ 300 years Jubilee]]) made it possible for Balmont to return home. Once again he was in the center of public attention, a hero of banquets, ceremonies and extravagant celebrations.<ref name="bannikov"/> In 1914 the publication of the ''Complete Balmont'' in ten volumes began and continued for the next seven years.<ref name="lev_ozerov"/>

Touring Russia and abroad, he continued translating – among other things, [[Hindu]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgian]] and [[Japan]]ese folklore originals.<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|18}} As the [[World War I]] broke out the poet happened to be in France; he had to make a trip through [[United Kingdom|Britain]], [[Norway]] and [[Sweden]] to finally return home in May 1915.<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|18}} By this time Balmont has discovered for himself a new genre in poetry: he wrote 255 [[sonnet]]s which were published under the title ''Sonnets of the Sun, the Moon and the Honey'' (Сонеты cолнца, мёда и луны, 1917). This, along with ''Fraxinus. The Visions of a Tree'' (Ясень. Видение древа, 1916), was moderately successful in Russia, but still critics deplored "overall monotony and banality of linguistic decorativeness" his verse was still being apparently plagued by.<ref name="lev_ozerov"/>

=== 1917–1942===
Balmont welcomed the [[February Revolution]] and even became the member of the Society of ProletArt, but soon got disillusioned, joined the [[Constitutional Democratic Party|Cadet party]] and praised [[Lavr Kornilov]] in one of the newspaper articles.<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|18}}. The [[October revolution]] horrified Balmont and made him repudiate many of his views of the past. Being the 'absolute freedom' idea apologist, he condemned the [[dictatorship of proletariat]] doctrine as destructive and suppressive.<ref name="stahova"/><ref name="krugosvet"/> Still, in his ''Revolutionary: Am I or Am I Not?'' autobiographical essay Balmont argued that poet should keep away from political parties and keep "his individual trajectory which is more akin to a comet’s than that of a planet".<ref name="mincult"/>

The 1918–1919 were years of enormous hardships for Balmont who, now living in Petrograd with his third wife Yelena Tsvetkovskaya (and their daughter Mirra),<ref name="shu">{{cite web | author = | date = | url = http://www.russianresources.lt/archive/Balmont/Balmont_8.html| title = Константин Бальмонт. Письма Федору Шуравину (1937)| publisher = www.russianresources.lt| accessdate = 2011-01-01}}</ref> had to support Yekaterina Andreeva (and Nina) whom he from time to time visited in Moscow.<ref name="alexandrova"/> It was at this time that he struck close friendship with [[Marina Tsvetayeva]], another poet virtually on the verge of physical collapse.<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|18}} Unwilling to collaborate with the Bolsheviks (whose "hands were smeared in blood", as he declared openly at one of the literary meetings) he still occasionally had to. In 1920 [[Anatoly Lunacharsky|A.Lunacharsky]] (much under the pressure of poet J.Baltrushaitis, then the head of [[Lithuania]]n diplomatic mission in Moscow) gave Balmont a permission to leave the country. [[Boris Zaytsev (writer)|B. Zaitsev]] later opined that what Baltrushaitis did was actually save Balmont's life. For, according to S.Litovtsev (a Russian critic who lived in immigration) at one of [[Cheka]] secret meetings the fate of Balmont was discussed: "those demanding him being put to a firing squad happened to be in minority at the time", and he was let be for a while.<ref name="poliakov_litovtsev">{{cite web | author = С. Поляков (Литовцев)| date = | url = http://az.lib.ru/b/balxmont_k_d/text_0550.shtml| title = О поэте Бальмонте| publisher = | accessdate = 2010-08-01}}</ref> On May 25 Balmont and his family left Russia for good.<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|19}}
[[File:Balmont shmelev.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Ivan Shmelyov and (above him) Konstantin Balmont. 1926]]
In Paris Balmont found himself in an ideological crossfire. Radical Russian émigrés saw his too easy an exit suspicious and started insinuations about him being a Communist sympathizer.<ref name="poliakov_litovtsev"/> In a way Lunacharsky with his apologetic article ensuring the public at home that Balmont’s stance wasn’t in any way anti-Bolshevist played up to these suspicions. Balmont himself did have negative things to say of the Bolshevist Russia which in the Soviet press was seen as proof of “treacherousness” of a poet, who “having been sent to the West on a mission to collect the revolutionary poetry of common people” has misused the trust of the Soviet government”. On the other hand, condemning repressions in Russia, Balmont criticized the West too, speaking of many things that abhorred him there.<ref name="poliakov_litovtsev"/> What caused him most trouble, though, was his longing for Russia. "There wasn’t another Russian poet in exile who’d suffer so painfully his being severed from his roots", wrote [[Yuri Terapiano]].<ref name="terapiano">{{cite web | author = Юрий Терапиано | year = 1994| url = http://az.lib.ru/b/balxmont_k_d/text_0590.shtml| title = К. Д. Бальмонт| publisher = Дальние берега: Портреты писателей эмиграции / Состав и коммент. В. Крейд. М.: Республика | accessdate = 2010-08-01}}</ref> For Balmont his European experience was "life among aliens". "Russia is all I want. Emptiness, emptiness everywhere. Spirituality here in Europe there is none", he wrote in December 1921 to Ye. Andreeva.<ref name="lev_ozerov"/>

In 1921 Balmont moved out of Paris into the province where he and his family rented houses, mostly in [[Brittany (administrative region)|Brittany]], [[Vendée]] and [[Gironde]]. In 1926 he moved to [[Bordeaux]].<ref name="krugosvet"/> In the late 1920s Balmont's criticism of both the Soviet Russia and the leftist Western elite ([[Romain Rolland]] in particular), showing indifference, as he saw it, to the suffering of the Russian people, was becoming more pronounced. Great Britain’s acknowledgement of the legitimacy of (in Balmont's words) "the international gang of bandits who seized power in Moscow and St. Petersburg, weakened by our military defeat" has rendered "a fatal blow to the last remnants of honesty in the post-War Europe".<ref>Бальмонт К. Англы. Публ. К. Азадовского // Всемирное слово (Петербург). 2001. № 14. С.8.</ref> All the while, unlike his conservative friend [[Ivan Shmelyov]], Balmont’s politics were liberal: he detested fascism and right-wing nationalist ideas. At the same time he shied the Russian ex-Socialists (like [[Kerensky]] and [[Ilya Fondaminsky|Fondaminsky]]) and expressed horror at France’s enchantment with Socialism. The similarity of his views and those of [[Ivan Bunin]] was quite obvious; the two (never friends on the personal level) were speaking in one voice on many occasions.<ref name="nashe_nas">{{cite web| author = К. М. Азадовский, Г. М. Бонгард-Левин| year = 2002|url = http://www.nasledie-rus.ru/podshivka/6117.php |title = Встреча. Константин Бальмонт и Иван Шмелёв| publisher = Наше наследие, #61| accessdate = 2010-08-13}}</ref>

In immigration Balmont continued to write a lot. He published several books of poetry: ''A Gift to Earth'' (Дар Земле) and ''Lightened Hour'' (Светлый час, both 1921), ''Haze'' (Марево, 1922), ''Mine to hers. Poems of Russia'' (Моё — ей. Стихи о России, 1923), ''Stretching Horizons'' (В раздвинутой дали, 1929), ''Northern Lights'' (Северное сияние, 1933), ''Blue Horseshoe'' (Голубая подкова) and ''Serving the Light'' (Светослужение, both 1937). He released autobiographies and memoirs: ''Under the New Sickle'' (Под новым серпом), ''The Airy Path'' (Воздушный путь, both in 1923) and ''Where Is My Home?'' (Где мой дом?, Prague, 1924). Balmont’s latter days poetry was not popular with his contemporaries: [[Vladimir Nabokov]] called the Balmont’s verse "jarring" and "it's new melodies false".<ref>''Набоков, В. В.'' «Ив. Бунин. Избранные стихи». — Изд-во «Современные записки». — Париж, 1929. — Стр. 754.</ref> [[Nina Berberova]] argued that Balmont totally exhausted his muse while in Russia and none of his latter work was worthy. Modern critics assess Balmont’s last books more favourably, as lacking in flamboyance, but being more accessible and having more depth. Poet Nikolay Bannikov called ''Pines in Dunes'' (Дюнные сосны) and ''Russian Language'' (Русский язык) "little masterpieces".<ref name="bannikov"/> In the late 1920s Balmont was still touring, reading lectures (in Poland, Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Lithuania) and translated a lot. Returning to Russia became his idée fix which never transpired.

In the early 1930s life for Balmont became hard, as financial support from Czech and Yugoslav governments' literary funds ceased. The poet who had to support three women (of whom daughter Mirra’s erratic behavior was a constant source of trouble) has fallen into poverty. Ivan Shmelyov provided moral support and addressed philanthropers; professor [[:ru:Зеелер, Владимир Феофилович|Vladimir Zeeler]] was the one person who regularly provided financial help. Things worsened in 1932 when it became clear that Balmont was suffering from mental illness (triggered to some extent, apparently, by his 1920s alcohol abuse). He never lost neither his mind, nor a sense of humor. Of a car accident which left him with some bruises and a costume spoiled, he wrote to a friend in 1936: "The quality of life of a Russian immigrant is such that the thought of what would be more profitable to lose: trousers or legs on which they are usually on, becomes a serious dilemma".<ref name="dlib">{{cite web | author = | date = | url = http://dlib.eastview.com/browse/doc/9452223?enc=rus| title = Письма К. Д. Бальмонта к В. В. Обольянинову | publisher = dlib.eastview.com| accessdate = 2010-08-13}}</ref> In April 1936 the group of Russian writers and musicians abroad celebrated the 50th anniversary of Balmont's literary career by staging a charity event; among the organizers and contributors were Ivan Shmelyov, Ivan Bunin, Boris Zaitsev, [[Sergei Rachmaninoff]] and [[Mark Aldanov]].<ref name="nashe_nas"/> In 1939–1940 the Russian Nazis in Paris tried to bring up the poet's "revolutionary past" to the attention of their German masters, but the latter (according to Yu. Terapiano) showed total indifference to the fact.<ref name="zaitsev"/> Balmont died on December 23, 1942 in the ''Russian House'' asylum, due to complications of pneumonia. He was buried in [[Noisy-le-Grand]]'s Catholic cemetery with four words engraved on a grey tomb: "Constantin Balmont, poète russe". Few people were present, among them Boris Zaitsev, daughter Mirra and Jurgis Baltrushaitis’ widow.<ref name="zaitsev"/><ref>Терапиано Ю. Встречи. Нью-Йорк: Изд-во им. Чехова, 1953. С. 21.</ref>

==Personality ==
Konstantin Balmont’s been characterized variously as theatrical, pretentious and outright egotistical, his behaviour being more often than not erratic and irrational. He could sprawl himself on a cobbled street of Paris to make an upcoming fiacre stop abruptly, or, dressed in a coat and hat, enter a pond at night so as "to experience something new and express this in poetry".<ref name="bannikov"/> What fans saw as the whimsies of a genius, others treated as cheap posturing aiming to impress. Boris Zaitsev remembered how his wife became duly appalled when Balmont (who was a neighbour) once asked her: "Vera, would you prefer a poet coming to Boris’ room by air, by-passing banal trails of the real world?" - We knew of one of his earlier attempts of the kind and were grateful for his visits having being made through banal and natural ways", Zaitsev added. Ridiculing good-humouredly his neighbour’s vain eccentricities, he remembered episodes when Balmont "could be altogether different person: very sad and very simple".<ref name="zaitsev"/>

There’s been certainly more to the poet’s real personality than drunken escapades or impulsive follies he’s gained notoriety for. Poet [[Andrey Bely]] spoke of Balmont as of a lonely and vulnerable man, totally out of touch with the real world. Inconsistency marred his creativity too: “He’s failed to connect and harmonize those riches he’s been given by nature, aimlessly spending his spiritual treasures”, Bely argued.<ref name="lug_zeleny">{{cite web| author = Андрей Белый| year = 1910| url = http://az.lib.ru/b/belyj_a/text_0440.shtml| title = Луг зелёный| publisher = М., Альциона. Стр. 202| accessdate = 2010-08-13}}</ref> Duality was intrinsic to Balmont and the way he looked. According to Bely,<ref name="lug_zeleny"/> {{quote|His deep-seated, almost browless eyes looked sombrely, humbly and mistrustfully. Once a spiteful look entered his face, a glimpse of vulnerability followed suit. His whole image was a kaleidoscope of contradictory features: arrogance and weakness, majestic posturing and languid apathy, cheekiness and fear – those were flickering on and on, making his pale, emaciated face ever changing. Sometimes this face looked insignificant. Sometimes it radiated unspoken grace.}}
[[File:Balmont and Gorodetsky.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Balmont and [[Sergey Gorodetsky]] with wives (Ye. Andreeva to the right), St. Petersburg, 1907.]]
"Balmont was a poseur and reasons for this were obvious. Ever crowded by worshippers, he was trying to bear himself in a manner he saw as befitting a great poet, casting his head back, furrowing his brow... It was laughter that gave him away… This childish laughter could say a lot of the nature of those ridiculous shenanigans of his. Exactly like a child, he was always moved by a momentary impulse", wrote [[Teffi]].<ref name="tff"/> Close friend Valery Bryusov explained quirks and deviations in Balmont’s ways by "the deep poetic nature of his self". "He lives in a poet’s way finding in every moment of life’s its total richness. That is why one shouldn’t judge him by common criteria", Bryusov wrote.<ref>П. П. Перцов. Литературные воспоминания. М.-Л., 1993, стр. 260</ref>

Many remembered Balmont as extraordinary warm and humane person. Piotr Pertsov who knew him from the late teenage years, wrote of Balmont as of "very nice, friendly and considerate young man". [[Marina Tsvetayeva]] who was Balmont’s close friend in the years when both suffered from hunger and cold, insisted that the poet was "a kind of man who’d give any one in need his last bread, his last log of wood". Mark Talov, a Soviet translator who in the 1920s found himself penniless in Paris, remembered how often, having made a visit to Balmont he was finding money in his coat’s pockets afterwards; the poet (who was very poor himself) preferred the anonymous way of help so as not to confuse a visitor.<ref name="bannikov"/>

For some Balmont’s childishness was an affectation. Others saw it as genuine and true. Boris Zaitsev thought [[Valentin Serov]]’s portrait was closest in depicting Balmont’s brisky, slightly belligerent character. "Cheerful, easy to burst out, ready to retort sharply or effusively. Among birds he’d have been colourful [[Chantecler (chicken)|chantecler]], greeting daylight and life", Zaitsev wrote.<ref name="zaitsev"/>

Outward bohemianism aside, Balmont had always been a hard worker, highly proficient and prolific. Wherever he went, he never stopped learning, seeping in not just impressions but myriads of facts concerning the place’s history and culture. Eccentric to many, he seemed rational and logical to some. Publisher Sergey Sabashnikov remembered the poet as "accurate, punctual, pedantic and never sloven… Such accuracy made Balmont a very welcome client", Sabashnikov added.<ref name="tonnel"/>

== Family ==

There is an element of controversy regarding Konstantin Balmont’s (and his second name’s) origins. The common knowledge is that his father Dmitry Konstantinovich Balmont (1835—1907) was a nobleman of a [[Scandinavia]]n (probably [[Scottish people|Scottish]]) ancestry.<ref name="stahova"/><ref name="B_Efron"/> In his 1903 short autobiography the poet wrote:<ref name="vengerov"/>{{rp|375}}
{{quote|According to our family legend, my ancestors were sailors, either Scottish or Scandinavian, who came to Russia and settled there. My father’s father was a Navy officer and a hero of [[Russo-Turkish War (1828–1829)|Turkish War]] noted by Tzar [[Nicholas I of Russia|Nikolay the First]] for bravery. My mother’s ancestors were [[Tatars]], the first in the line being Prince ''Bely Lebed'' (White Swan) of the [[Golden Horde]]. That was the probable reason for her two distinctive qualities: unruliness and tempestuousness which I inherited… }}
There is a less exotic alternative version of this, championed by the poet's second wife Yekaterina Andreeva. According to her ''Memoirs'',<ref>[http://www.ozon.ru/context/detail/id/2276287/ Е. А. Андреева-Бальмонт. Воспоминания. 1997]</ref> Balmont’s grand-grandfather on his father’s side Ivan Andreevich Balamut (a Ukrainian surname, meaning “rabble-rouser”) served as a [[cavalry]] [[sergeant]] in [[Catherine the Great]]’s [[Imperial Guard (Russia)|Imperial Guard]] regiment (Andreeva insisted she saw the original parchment-written document that's been kept in the family archives).<ref name="lev_ozerov"/> A landowner in [[Kherson]], Southern Ukraine, Ivan Balamut has got his name somehow modified into Balmont.<ref name="vech_chel">{{cite web | author = Е. Симонова, В. Боже| date = | url = http://vecherka.su/katalogizdaniy?id=10890&year=2011&month=1 | title = Я для всех и ничей…| publisher = Вечерний Челябинск| accessdate = 2010-06-01}}</ref> This second version has its own detractors, though. According to T. Alexandrova, an authority on M.Lokhvitskaya and Balmont, "It would be more than natural for a foreign name to be transformed by common people of rural area into a folkish, recognizable version, but certainly not vice versa".<ref name="alexandrova"/>

Dmitry Konstantinovich, Vera Nikolayevna and all of their relatives pronounced the surname as B'''a′'''lmont, first syllable stressed. The poet insisted that he personally (and officially) changed his surname into Balm'''o′'''nt and asked to pronounce it thus. He cited "a certain woman’s whimsy" as the only reason for this change.<ref name="alexandrova"/>

=== Private life ===
[[File:Anreyeva-Balmont.JPG|left|thumb|170px|Yekaterina Andreeva, Balmont's second wife.]]In 1889 Balmont married Larissa Mikha′ilovna Gare′lina, the Shuya factory-owner’s daughter, described as "a [[Sandro Botticelli|Botticellian]] beauty (''[[The Birth of Venus (Botticelli)|
Birth of Venus]]'' serving here for a point of reference).<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|9}} The poet’s mother who initially helped the two young people’s being acquainted forbade her son to marry the girl, but Balmont was adamant and even had to sever all ties with his family to implement his decision.<ref>Бальмонт К. Д. Волга. — Автобиографическая проза. С. 541.</ref> This marriage was doomed from the very start.<ref name="alexandrova"/> Garelina was variously described as a neurasthenic who "gave <the poet> love of a truly demonic nature",<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|10}} sympathized with neither his literary ambitions nor revolutionary inclinations, was suffering from bouts of violent jealousy and was, in fact, responsible for his well-publicized alcohol-related abuses (the latter fact Balmont corroborated in his autobiographical poem ''Forest Fires'').<ref name="bannikov"/> The poet’s first suicidal attempt on March 13, 1890, was believed to have been directly linked with his personal life's catastrophes. The couple's first son died in infancy; the second, Nikolai, was known to have suffered from mental illness.<ref name="alexandrova"/> Later some critics warned against demonizing Larissa Garelina’s character: they reminded that years later she married a well-known Russian journalist and literature historian [[:ru:Энгельгардт, Николай Александрович|Nikolai Engelgardt]] and with him enjoyed a perfectly normal family life. Their daughter Anna Engelgardt became the second wife of poet [[Nikolai Gumilyov]].<ref name="alexandrova"/>

Yekaterina Alekse′evna Andre′eva (1967–1952), the poet’s second wife, came from a rich traders’ family, related to Sabashikovs, a well-known Moscow-based publishers’ clan. Contemporaries remembered her as an exceptionally well-educated woman, tall, elegant and slender, somewhat aloof, strong-minded and attractive. Andreeva was (according to her ''Memoirs'') passionately (and unrequitedly) in love with Prince Alexandr Urusov and for a while never even noticed infatuated Balmont’s passes. The latter prevailed, finally she fell for him and on September 27, 1896, the couple married and instantly left for France (one reason being the fact that the husband was still not officially divorced at the time).<ref name="alexandrova"/> Andreeva and Balmont have had much in common: they even formed a working tandem translating collectively the works of [[Gerhart Hauptmann]], [[Oscar Wilde]] and others.<ref name="bannikov"/> Andreeva, according to [[Boris Zaytsev (writer)|Boris Zaitsev]], was a leading force in the family and while with her the poet was "in strong, healthy and loving hands", well disciplined and leading a hard-working man’s life.<ref name="zaitsev"/> In 1901, daughter Nina Balmont (later Bruni, died in Moscow in 1989 году) was born; for her the poet wrote ''A Fairy's Tale'', the book of children's verses in 1905.<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|284}}
[[File:Mirra balmont.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Balmont and Shmelyov (second and third to the right respectively) with relatives and friends. Extreme left: Mirra Balmont, extreme right: Yelena Tsvetkovskaya.]]

In the early 1900s, while in Paris, Balmont met Yelena Konstantinovna Tsvetkovskaya (1880–1943), general K. G. Tzvetkovsky's daughter, who was at the time studying mathematics in [[University of Paris|Sorbonne]] and was the poet's ardent fan. Balmont, as some of his letters suggested, had never been in love with her, but soon found himself in many ways dependent on the girl who proved to be a loyal, devoted friend. Balmont's family life got seriously complicated after Tsvetkovskaya, in 1907, gave birth to a daughter. Balmont called her Mirra in memory of a poet [[Mirra Lokhvitskaya]] who died in 1905 and whom he had passionate but, mostly platonic relations with.<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|19}} Torn apart between the two families, in 1909 Balmont attempted suicide for the second time (jumping out a window) and again survived. Up until 1917 he lived in St. Petersburg with Tsvetkovskaya and Mirra, occasionally visiting Yekaterina and Nina in Moscow.<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|19}} While in immigration Balmont continued to correspond with Andreeva until 1934 (when such links between relatives were officially banned in the USSR).<ref name="vech_chel"/>

[[Teffi]] thus described Balmont and Tsvetkovskaya: "He <entered the room> with his head held high, a true Fame’s laurels bearer, neck wrapped in a black tie of a kind [[Lermontov]] might have found useful but nobody would even dream of wearing today. Lynx’ eyes, mane of long reddish hair. Followed by a shadow, Yelena: small, thin, dark-skinned creature who was obviously depending in life on two strong things: tea and her love." The couple, according to Teffi, communicated in strange and pretentious manner. "She was always calling him 'a poet', never – 'my husband'. A simple phrase: 'My husband asks for a drink' in their special argot would turn into something like: 'A poet is willing to appease his thirst'." <ref name="tff"/> Unlike Andreeva, Yelena Tsvetkovskaya was totally helpless in domestic life and had no influence whatsoever over Balmont, whom she felt as her duty to follow wherever he went to drink, spending nights by his side, never being able to root him out. "Small wonder that, leading such a life, at 40 she looked like a very old woman", Teffi attested.<ref name="tff"/>

The last woman Balmont has been romantically linked with was Dagmar Shakhovska′ya (1893–1967), an Estonian baroness. The lovers met rarely, but had two children: George (1922–194?) and Svetlana (b. 1925).<ref name="litera_dagmar">{{cite web | author = | date = | url = http://www.litera.ru/stixiya/articles/46.html| title = Письма К. Д. Бальмонта к Дагмар Шаховской| publisher = www.litera.ru| accessdate = 2010-08-13}}</ref> Balmont wrote to her almost daily; all in all 858 of his letters and postcards remained.<ref name="vech_chel"/> Still, it was Yelena Tsvetkovskaya who was beside him till the last. She died in 1943, a year after her husband. Mirra Balmont (in marriage Boychenko, then Autina) published poetry as Aglaya Gamayun. She died in Paris in 1970.<ref name="nashe_nas"/>

==Cultural references==
Many Russian composers set Balmont's poetry to music: [[Mikhail Gnessin]], [[Nikolai Myaskovsky]], [[Nikolai Obukhov]], [[Sergei Prokofiev]], [[Sergei Rachmaninoff]], [[Maximilian Steinberg]], [[Igor Stravinsky]], and [[Sergei Taneyev]].

One of his best known works is his free Russian translation of [[Edgar Allan Poe]]'s ''[[The Bells]]'', which formed the basis of Rachmaninoff's [[The Bells (Rachmaninoff)|choral symphony of the same name]], Op. 35.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commonscat|Konstantin Balmont}}
{{Wikisource|ru:Константин Дмитриевич Бальмонт|Poems on Russian}}
*[http://poetryloverspage.com/yevgeny/balmont/index.html Collection of Poems by Konstantin Balmont] (English Translations)
*[http://www.litera.ru/stixiya/authors/balmont.html Konstantin Balmont. Poems]
*{{sk icon}} [http://sk.wikiquote.org/wiki/Konstantin_Balmont Some biographical details]
* Songs by Balmont composed and performed by Zlata Razdolina - http://razdolina.hypermart.net//page5.htm
* [http://books.google.com/books?id=R2kMAAAAIAAJ&pg=PR7&dq=%22Modern+Russian+Poetry%22+%2B+Deutsch+%2B+Contents&cd=1#v=onepage&q&f=false English translations by Babette Deutsch and Avrahm Yarmolinsky, 1921]
*[http://dansemacabre.art.officelive.com/TheRussiaDesk.aspx English translations of 4 poems along with a collection of links]
*[http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL.Hough:hou00750 Guide to Konstantin Dmitrievich Bal'mont's correspondence with Ruth Bailey] at [http://hcl.harvard.edu/libraries/houghton/ Houghton Library], Harvard University
* [[wikilivres:Konstantin Balmont|Konstantin Balmont]], in wikilivres.ca

{{Persondata
| NAME = Balmont, Konstantin
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = Russian poet
| DATE OF BIRTH = 1867
| PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Shuya]], [[Russian Empire]]
| DATE OF DEATH = 1942-12-23
| PLACE OF DEATH = [[Paris]], [[France]]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balmont, Konstantin}}
[[Category:Russian poets]]
[[Category:1867 births]]
[[Category:1942 deaths]]
[[Category:Russian people of Scottish descent]]
[[Category:People of Scandinavian descent]]
[[Category:Russian translators]]
[[Category:Symbolist poets]]
[[Category:Translators of Omar Khayyám]]

{{Link FA|ru}}
[[be-x-old:Канстанцін Бальмонт]]
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[[fr:Constantin Balmont]]
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[[sv:Konstantin Balmont]]
[[uk:Бальмонт Костянтин Дмитрович]]
[[vi:Konstantin Dmitrievich Balmont]]

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2012-08-21T13:12:43Z

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{{Wikisource|ru:Константин Дмитриевич Бальмонт|Poems on Russian}}

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Konstantin Balmont

2012-08-21T12:04:47Z

Averaver: /* External links */ {{commonscat|Konstantin Balmont}}

{{Infobox writer
| name =
| image = Konstantin Balmont by Valentin Serov 1905.jpg
| imagesize = 200px
| alt =
| caption = [[Valentin Serov]]: Portrait of Konstantin Balmont. 1905.
| pseudonym =
| birth_name = Konstanti′n Dmi′trievich Balmo′nt
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1867|6|15|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Shuya]], [[Russian Empire]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1942|9|23|1867|6|15|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Paris]], [[France]]
| occupation = [[Poet]]
| nationality = [[Russians|Russian]]
| citizenship = [[Russian Empire]] / [[France]]
| education = [[Moscow University]] (dropped)
| alma_mater =
| period = 1885–1937
| genre = [[poetry]] memoirs political essay
| subject =
| movement = [[Russian symbolism]]
| notableworks = ''[[Burning Buildings]]'' (1900) ''[[Let Us Be Like the Sun]]'' (1903)
| spouse = Larissa Garelina Yekaterina Andreeva Elena Tzvetkovskaya
| partner =
| children = Nina (Niniko) Balmont Mirra Balmont
| relatives =
| influences = [[Edgar Allan Poe]]
| influenced =
| awards =
| signature =
| website =
}}
'''Konstantin Dmitriyevich Balmont''' ({{lang-rus|Константи́н Дми́триевич Бальмо́нт|p=kənstɐnˈtʲin ˈdmʲitrʲɪjɪvʲɪt͡ɕ bɐlʲˈmont|a=Konstantin Dmitriyevich Bal'mont.ru.vorb.oga}}; {{OldStyleDate|15 June|1867|3 June}} – December 23, 1942) was a [[Russians|Russian]] [[symbolism (arts)|symbolist]] poet, translator, one of the major figures of the [[Silver Age of Russian Poetry]].

==Biography==
Konstantin Balmont was born in v. Gumnishchi, [[Shuya]], then of [[Vladimir]] [[Guberniya]] (now of [[Ivanovskaya oblast]]), the third of the seven sons of Russian [[nobleman]], lawyer and senior state official Dmitry Konstantinovich Balmont and Vera Nikolayevna (née Le′bedeva)<ref name="vladregion">{{cite web | author = ''Savinova, R.F.'' | date = | url = http://vladregion.info/articles/balmonty | title = Бальмонты (The Balmonts) | publisher = The Vladimir Region (Vladimirsky krai) site| accessdate = 2011-01-01}}</ref> The latter, having come from a family of military men where enthusiasm for literature and theater was almost hereditary, had the most profound influence over her son: she introduced him to the world of music, history and folklore. Vera Nikolayevna knew several foreign languages and often received guests who might have been deemed 'politically risque' at the time. It was from her that Konstantin Balmont, as he later remembered, inherited 'tempestuousness of character' and rabble-rouser mentality.<ref name="silverage">{{cite web | author = | date = | url = http://www.silverage.ru/poets/balmont_bio.html| title = Бальмонт, Константин Дмитриевич | publisher = silverage.ru| accessdate = 2010-06-01}}</ref><ref name="stahova">{{cite web | author = ''Stakhova, M.''| date = | url = http://www.litera.ru/stixiya/articles/588.html| title = Konstantin Balmont. Lives of The Silver Age Poets| publisher = www.litera.ru| accessdate = 2010-06-01}}</ref>

Balmont who learned reading at the age of five (watching secretly his elder brother’s family lessons) cited [[Alexandr Pushkin|Pushkin]], [[Alexey Nekrasov|Nekrasov]], [[Alexey Koltsov|Koltsov]] and [[Ivan Savvich Nikitin|Nikitin]] as his first favorites. He insisted, though, that "the family house, the garden, creeks, marshy lakes, whispering leaves, butterflies, birds and sunrises" were his first poetry teachers.<ref name="krugosvet">{{cite web| author =''Polonsky, Vadim''| date = | url = http://www.krugosvet.ru/enc/kultura_i_obrazovanie/literatura/BALMONT_KONSTANTIN_DMITRIEVICH.html| title = K.D.Balmont in the Krugosvet (Around the World) encyclopedia| publisher = www.krugosvet.ru| accessdate = 2010-06-01}}</ref> Ten years spent in his family’s Gumnishchi estate Balmont always remembered with great love and warmth, referring to the place as "a tiny kingdom of silent comfort".<ref>''Balmont, K.D.'' На заре (At Sunrise. Autobiography). — from K.D.Balmont's Autobiographical prose. Мoscow, 2001, С. 570.</ref>

In 1876 the family moved to the town of Shuya where Vera Nikolayevna owned a two-story, rather decrepit-looking house.<ref name="vladregion"/> A ten year old Konstantin joined the preparatory class of a local gymnasium, an institution he later described rather hatefully as "the home of decadence and capitalism, able only of air and river contamination".<ref name="makogonenko">''Makogonenko, Darya'' (Д. Г. Макогоненко). — ''Life and Fate'' (Жизнь и судьба). // Balmont, К. — The Selected Works. Poems, translations, essays. Compiled by Darya Makogonenko. — Moscow. Pravda Publishers, 1990. — ISBN 5-253-00115-8</ref>{{rp|9}}

It was here at school that, rather vexed with the educational system's restrictions, he became interested in French and German poetry and started writing verses of his own. His first two poems, though, were criticized by his mother in such a harsh manner that for the next six years he made no attempts to repeat this first poetic venture<ref name="bannikov">{{cite web | author = ''Bannikov, Nikolai'' (Н. Банников)| year = 1989| url = http://az.lib.ru/b/balxmont_k_d/text_0460.shtml| title = Balmont's Life and Poetry (Жизнь и поэзия Бальмонта)| publisher = Detskaya literatura publishing house. Balmont, K.D. The Sun's Yarn: Poems, sketches (Бальмонт К. Д. Солнечная пряжа: Стихи, очерки)| accessdate = 2010-06-01}}</ref> What he became involved in instead was an illegal circle (formed by students and some traveling teachers) which printed and distributed [[Narodnaya Volya]] proclamations.<ref name="bannikov"/> "I was happy and I wanted everybody to be happy. The fact that only a minority, me included, was entitled to such happiness, was for me outrageous", he later wrote, explaining his early enchantment with revolutionary activities.<ref>''Balmont, K.D.'' A revolutionary: am I, or am I not? Autobiographical prose. (Революционер я или нет. — Автобиографическая проза) P. 452.</ref>

Mother transferred her son to another gymnasium, in Vladimir, but here the boy had to live in the house of a Greek teacher who took upon himself a duty of a warden, bringing much psychological suffering to a disgruntled youth. In the late 1885 Balmont made his publishing debut: three of his poems appeared in a popular St. Petersburg magazine ''[[:ru:Живописное обозрение стран света|Zhivopisnoye obozrenye]]''. This event (as a latter day biographer put it) "has been noticed by nobody except for his (tor)mentor" whose ultimatum included a veto on any further publications until the graduation day. Balmont was graduated in 1886 году.,<ref name="B_Efron">{{cite web | author = Brockhaus and Efron | year = 1911| url = http://balmont.lit-info.ru/balmont/about/biografiya/biografiya-brokgauz-i-efron.htm| title = Konstantin Dmitrievich Balmont biography | publisher = [[Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary]]| accessdate = 2010-06-01}}</ref> having spent «one and a half years in a prison-like conditions»<ref name="bannikov"/> «Gimnasium I curse with all my might. It ruined my nervous system completely», the poet remembered in 1923.<ref name="stahova"/><ref name="azadovski">{{cite web | author = Azadovsky, K.M. (К. М. Азадовский)| year = 1990| url = http://az.lib.ru/b/balxmont_k_d/text_0490-1.shtml| title = K.D.Balmont. A biography | publisher = Russian writers. Bio-bibliography dictionary. Vol. 1. Edited by P.A.Nikolayev (Русские писатели. Vol.1 Биобиблиографический словарь. Том 1. А--Л. Под редакцией П. А. Николаева).| accessdate = 2010-06-01}}</ref>

In 1886 Balmont joined the Law school of the [[Moscow University]]<ref>{{cite web | author = | date = | url= http://www.poesis.ru | title = Поэзия Московского университета| publisher = www.poesis.ru | accessdate = 2010-06-01}}</ref> where he socialised a lot with leftist activists (among them P. F. Nikolayev).<ref name="azadovski"/> Next year Balmont was arrested for participation in the students' demonstrations (the unrest was triggered by a new set of rules for students introduced by the authorities), spent three days in prison, then expelled from the University and sent back home to Shuya.<ref name="alexandrova">{{cite web | author = ''Aleksandrova, Tatyana'' (Т.Л. Александрова)| date = | url = http://old.portal-slovo.ru/rus/philology/258/558/2832/$print_all/ | title = Константин Бальмонт | publisher = Портал «Слово»| accessdate = 2010-08-13}}</ref>

In 1889 Balmont returned to the University but soon quit again due to nervous breakdown. He joined Demidovsky Law college in [[Yaroslavl]] but after having been expelled in September 1890 decided that of formal education he’d had enough.<ref name="stahova"/> «I simply couldn’t bring myself to studying law, what with living so intensely with true passions of my heart and being deeply involved in studying German literature», he wrote in 1911.<ref name="azadovski"/><ref>Утро России/The Morning of Russia. 1911. — 23 декабря.</ref> At least one family member supported his decision: it was an elder brother, infatuated in the same way with studying philosophy<ref name="B_Efron"/> Otherwise, "…at the age of 13 I learned the English word ''self-help'', fell in love with the intellectual work and went on with it until my dying days", Balmont wrote in th 1930s<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|7}}.

=== Debut ===
In 1889 Balmont married Larissa Garelina, a daughter of local factory-owner. The marriage proved to be unhappy one: two tempestuous characters clashed. Next year he released a self-financed book called simply ''Poetry Collection'' (Сборник стихотворений),<ref>{{cite web
| author = | date = | url = http://www.uniyar.ac.ru/index.php/Бальмонт_Константин_Дмитриевич | title = Бальмонт Константин Дмитриевич | publisher = Сайт Ярославского университета| accessdate = 2010-06-01}}</ref> some of his pieces, published in 1885 here included.<ref name="russianculture">{{cite web | author = | date = | url =http://www.russianculture.ru/formb.asp?ID=226&full| title = Бальмонт Константин Дмитриевич | publisher = www.russianculture.ru| accessdate = 2010-08-13}}</ref> In many ways the instigating factor was [[Vladimir Korolenko|V.G. Korolenko]], a well-known writer who, on receiving a couple of years earlier a hand-written note-book (sent to him by Konstantin’s classmates) sent a schoolboy a letter containing serious and favourable critical analysis, where he spoke of the young author’s rare eye for small detail but also of the lack of concentration and general hastiness. "He wrote that… one is not to chase every fleeting moth; not to whip one’s emotions up with one’s thought, but rather trust and rely upon this unconscious part of human soul which accumulates all the live impressions and later ensures the young flower <of a talent> blossoming into full swing", Balmont remembered.<ref>К. Д. Бальмонт. На заре. — Автобиографическая проза. Стр. 572.</ref> "Should you learn to concentrate and work methodically, in due time we’ll hear of your having turned into something quite extraordinary", were the last words of this remarkable letter.<ref name="bannikov"/> Much impressed with the famous writer’s magnanimity, Balmont later credited Korolenko as being his 'literary Godfather'.<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|10}} meanwhile, the debut collection made no impact whatsoever.<ref name="mincult">{{cite web | author = | date = | url = http://www.culture.mincult.ru/formb.asp?ID=226&full| title = Бальмонт Константин Дмитриевич | publisher = Русские писатели 20 века. Библиографический словарь. Т2. М.: Просвещение. 1998. С. 131| accessdate = 2010-07-01}}</ref> Disgusted both with the book and the lack of public attention, the poet collected and burnt all of its copies.<ref name="silverage"/> In 1888–89 he translated and published a selection of German Romantic poetry, in 1890 and 1891 he worked on translations from French symbolist poetry.<ref name="krugosvet"/>
[[File:Balmont 1880s.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Konstantin Balmont in the late 1880s]]
In Мarch 1890 a near fatal accident happened: Balmont attempted suicide by jumping off the 3rd storey window. He survived, but broke his leg and received multiple injuries which left him bed-ridden for a year. It was said at the time that the immediate impulse for the suicide attempt was provided by [[Tolstoy]]’s ''Kreytzerova Sonata'', but there was more rational reason for it: falling apart was his marriage that caused among other things (like growing penchant towards alcoholism) the rift with parents who left him without financial support.<ref name="bannikov"/> The year of recuperation, though, became an important turning point, causing "the unusual mental agitation and the ensuing rush of cheerfulness".<ref name="B_Efron"/> It was then that Balmont recognized ‘life’s sacred value’ and clearly envisaged his ‘poetic mission’.<ref name="tonnel">{{cite web | author = Геннадий Прашкевич | date = | url = http://lib.ololo.cc/b/134907/read| title = Самые знаменитые поэты России. Константин Бальмонт| publisher = lib.ololo.cc| accessdate = 2010-07-01}}</ref>

After the divorce Balmont for some time was destitute, none of the literary journals being interested in his own work. "My first book of course was a total failure. People dear to me with their negativism made this fiasco even less bearable", he wrote in 1903.<ref name="vengerov">К. Бальмонт. Автобиографическое письмо от 17/V. 1903 г. // С. А. Венгеров. Критико-биографический словарь русских писателей и ученых. Т. 6. СПб., 1904</ref>{{rp|376}}, meaning apparently Larissa, but also his University friends who scorned the debut collection for being ‘reactionary’ and its author, for "abandoning the ideals of social struggle". Again, Korolenko came to help. "The poor guy is very shy; a simple attention to his work would make great difference", he wrote to [[Mikhail Albov]], one of ''[[Severny Vestnik]]'' editors in September 1891.<ref>Короленко В. Г. — Избранные письма. Т. 3. М., 1936. стр. 68.</ref>

Professor Nikolay Storozhenko of Moscow University provided the struggling poet with some more of the practical help. "If it was not for him I would have died of hunger. He gave me a fatherly helping hand", the latter remembered.<ref name="alexandrova"/> Professor accepted Balmont's article on Shelley and introduced the young author to the influential ''Severny Vestnik'' clique in October 1892 when he made his first trip to the capital. Here he met for the first time [[Nikolay Minsky]], [[Dmitry Merezhkovsky]] and [[Zinaida Gippius]] (although the latter’s cool animosity rather spoiled young man’s overall enthusiasm). Even more importantly, Storozhenko introduced Balmont to K.T. Soldatenkov, a respected publisher who commissioned him to translate two fundamental works on the history of German and Italian literature. Those books, published in 1894–1895, "fed me for three years, making it possible for me to fulfil all my poetic ambitions”, balmont wrote in 1922.<ref>Видящие глаза. Страницы воспоминаний К. Д. Бальмонта. «Последние известия». Ревель, 1922. 17 марта.</ref> All the while he continued to translate [[Shelley]] and [[Edgar Allan Poe]]. His translations of Poe's ballads and short stories are still regarded as exemplary.<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|11}}

Another crucial figure who helped the poet was a renown philanthropist Prince Alexandr Urusov, an expert in West European literature, who financed the publication of two of the Poe’s books.<ref name="mincult"/> In 1894 in the student’s Circle of West European Literature fans Balmont met [[Valery Bryusov]], his future best friend. The latter was deeply impressed by the young poet’s "personalty and his fanatical passion for poetry".<ref>''Bryusov, Valery'' (Брюсов В.) Автобиография. Русская литература ХХ века. Под ред. С. А. Венгерова. Т. 1. М., 1914. Стр. 111</ref>

===1893–1899===
In December 1893 Balmont informed Minsky in a letter: "I’ve written a series of my own verse and in January I'm going to begin the publishing process. I anticipate my liberal friends will be outraged for there’s no liberalism in this whatsoever, while ‘corrupting influences’ are there aplenty".<ref>''Бальмонт К. Д''. — Стихотворения. Л. 1969. Стр. 23.</ref> The book, ''Under the Northern Sky'' (Под северным небом) came out in 1894 and was favorably received by both public and critics. It is regarded as Balmont's first 'real' book and a starting point in his literary career. Prince Urusov declared himself a fan while critics noted, on the one hand, popular 'current' themes' dominance (laments on 'greyness' of life, etc.), on the other, young author’s individuality, exquisiteness of form and technical versatility.<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|12}} The second collection, ''In Limitless Darkness'' (В безбрежности мрака, 1895) was seen as a much stronger effort. It was here that Balmont started his experiments with the Russian language's musical and rhythmical structures which soon made him famous. With mainstream critics the book was unpopular<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|12}}, but Russian cultural elite embraced the innovator and soon he was welcome in all the major literary journals.<ref name="B_Efron"/>

In 1895 Balmont met [[Jurgis Baltrušaitis]], a poet who in the 1919 played crucial role in helping him leave the Soviet Russia. Even more significant was his friendship with Sergey Poliakov, a man of many trades and talents (known as, among other things, [[Knut Hamsun]]’s Russian translator) a shrewd entrepreneur who at the time was the financial backer and nominal editor of the symbolist magazine ''[[Vesy]]'', whose true editor was Bryusov, and five years later would found the ''Scorpion'' publishing house.<ref name="zaitsev">{{cite web| author = ''Zaitzev, Boris'' (Борис Зайцев)| date = | url = http://az.lib.ru/b/balxmont_k_d/text_0610.shtml| title = Remembering the Silver Age / Воспоминания о серебряном веке. | publisher = | accessdate = 2010-07-01}}</ref> All the while Balmont was engaged in intensive self-educating prosess: he learned several languages, read extensively and became an expert in various subjects from Spanish painting to the Chinese culture.<ref name="bannikov"/>

In 1896 Balmont married Yekaterina Andre′eva, a fellow translator whose placid, rational character provided a counter-balance to his own flashy emotionalism. The couple went abroad to travel through Western Europe.<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|12}}. In Spring 1897 Balmont was invited to the [[Oxford University]] to read lectures on Russian poetry.<ref name="lev_ozerov">{{cite web | author = ''Ozerov, Lev'' (Лев Озеров) | date = | url = http://www.litera.ru/stixiya/articles/282.html| title = Konstantin Balmont and his poetry / Константин Бальмонт и его поэзия| publisher = www.litera.ru| accessdate = 2010-07-01}}</ref> "For the first time ever I’ve been given the opportunity to live my life totally according to my intellectual and aesthetic interests. This wealth of arts, poetry and philosophy treasures I’ll never get enough of", he wrote in a letter to critic Akim Volynsky.<ref>''Волынский, А''. — Северный вестник. 1898, № 8–9</ref> European impressions and reminiscences formed the essence of Balmont’s third collection ''The Silence'' (Тишина, 1898) which was lauded by contemporary critics as the poet's best effort to date.<ref name="bannikov"/>

===1900–1905===

For two years he was continuously on the move, then settled at S. Polyakov's Banki estate to concentrate on his next piece of work. In the late 1899 he wrote to poet Lyudmila Vilkina:<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|15}}<ref>''К. Д. Бальмонт''. Стихотворения. Л., 1969, стр. 50</ref>{{quote|''I’ve got many news, all of them excellent. Luck’s being on my side. I write non-stop. My love of life grows and now I want to live forever. You won’t believe how many new poems I’ve written: more than a hundred! It’s madness, it’s fantasy and it’s something new. The book I’m going to publish will be different. It will raise many an eyebrow. My understanding of the state of things has totally changed. Funny it may sound, but I’ll tell you: I’ve understood how the world works. For many years <this understanding will stay with me>, hopefully forever.''}}
The book in question was ''[[Burning Buildings]]'' (Горящие здания, 1900), a collection of radically innovative verse, generally regarded as an apex of the poet’s legacy. The essence of it according to the author was the "longing for inner liberation and self-understanding".<ref name="stahova"/> In 1901, sending a copy to Leo Tolstoy, he wrote in the accompanying letter: "This book is a prolonged scream of a soul caught in the process of being torn apart. One might call this soul low or ugly. But I won't disclaim not a single page of it as long I keep this love for ugliness which is as strong in me as my love of harmony".<ref>Литературное наследство. Т. 69, Кн. I. Стр. 135—136</ref> The ''Burning Buildings'' made Balmont the leader of the Russian Symbolism. From then on "for a decade he was hovering above everybody else in the Russian poetry. Others either meekly followed him or were struggling painfully to free themselves from his overbearing influence", wrote Valery Bryusov.<ref name="Nagorskiy88">{{cite web | author = ''Нагорский А.В.'' | date = | url =http://infa.kharkov.ua/velikie-lyudi-konstantin-balmont/ | title = Великие люди – Константин Бальмонт | publisher = infa.kharkov.ua | accessdate = 2011-01-29}}</ref>
Despite continuous partying (in the company of S. Polyakov and friends) Balmont's flow of creative output in those years was virtually ceaseless. "Something new came to me, something more complex than I could have even envisaged. I churn out one page after another, hastily, desperately trying to avoid mistakes… How unpredictable one’s soul is! Just one more look inside, and you see new horizons. I feel like I’ve struck a goldmine. Should I remain on it, I’ll make a book that will never die", he wrote to [[Ieronim Yasinsky]] in 1900. By the time his most famous book was published (in the late 1902) he was already a literary celebrity in Russia, regarded by many as the most important poet of his generation. ''[[Let Us Be Like the Sun|Let Us Be Like the Sun. The Book of Symbols]]'' (Будем как солнце. Книга символов) had enormous success and in retrospect is seen as his strongest.<ref name="nlo">{{cite web | author = ''Bogomolov, N. A.'' (Н. А. Богомолов)| date = | url = http://magazines.russ.ru/nlo/2005/75/bo9.html| title = The History of Balmont's Best Book / К истории лучшей книги Бальмонта. | publisher = НЛО, 2005 N75| accessdate = 2010-07-01}}</ref> [[Alexander Blok]] called it "unique in its unfathomable richness".<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|15}}
[[File:Ulyanov 1.jpg|thumb|right|200px|K. Balmont. A portrait by Nikolai Ulyanov (1909)]]
In March 1901 Balmont made himself quite a name in the St. Petersburg revolutionary circles.<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|14}}. First he took part in the student demonstration on the [[Kazan Cathedral, St. Petersburg|Kazansky Sobor]] square which was violently disrupted by the police and [[Cossacks]]. Then several days later he went up stage of the literary event which was held in the [[Duma|Russian State Duma]] building and read his freshly written poem ''Little Sultan'', a vitriolic swipe at [[Nicholas II of Russia|Tzar Nicolas The 2nd]]. The hand-written version of it became widely popular, even [[Lenin|V.I. Lenin]] was, reportedly, much impressed.<ref name="bannikov"/> As a result, Balmont was deported from the capital with an official 3-year ban on living in the University cities. Almost immediately he flew to Paris and spent 1902 traveling from one West European country to another with lectures.<ref name="B_Efron"/>

In summer 1903 Balmont visited Moscow, then moved to the [[Baltic Sea|Baltic]] shore to work on his next book. The collection of poetry called ''Only Love'' (Только любовь, 1903) couldn’t possibly surpass any of his two previous masterpieces, but added to the cult of Balmont.<ref>Письма В. Я. Брюсова к П. П. Перцову. М., 1927, стр. 78</ref> "Russia was passionately in love with him. Young men whispered his verses to their loved ones, schoolgirls scribbled them down, filling notebooks", [[Teffi]] remembered.<ref name="tff">{{cite web| author = ''H. A. Тэффи'' | year = 1955| url = http://az.lib.ru/t/teffi/text_0190.shtml| title = Бальмонт. Воспоминания о серебряном веке| publisher = М.: Республика, 1993. | accessdate = 2010-07-01}}</ref> Many established poets – [[Mirra Lokhvitskaya]], [[Valery Bryusov]], [[Andrey Bely]], [[Vyacheslav Ivanovich Ivanov|Vyach. Ivanov]], [[Maximilian Voloshin]] and [[Sergey Gorodetsky]] among them – treated him (in the words of Darya Makogonenko, a modern researcher) as a "genius… doomed to rise high above the world by submerging himself totally into the depths of his soul".<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|5}}.

In 1904–1905 the ''Scorpio'' published the two-volume set of Balmont’s best work. It was followed by ''Lithurgy of Beauty. Hymns of Elements'' (Литургия красоты. Стихийные гимны) and ''Fairies’ Tales'' (Фейные сказки, both 1905): the first one was created much under the impression of the Russian-Japanese war,<ref name="azadovski"/> the second was a children’s book written for daughter Nina Balmont. Back from his trip to [[Mexico]] and [[California]] Balmont became involved in the 1905 street unrest, reading poems on barricades and (according to Y.Andreeva) "carrying a pistol in the pocket wherever he went". Now friends with [[Maxim Gorky]], he contributed both to the latter’s ''New Life'' (Новая жизнь) and Paris-based ''Red Banner'' (Красное знамя) radical newspapers.<ref name="lev_ozerov"/> In December 31, 1905 he flew to Paris so as to avoid arrest.<ref name="bannikov"/> Balmont’s posing as a political immigrant was ridiculed in Russia, but many years later archive researchers found conclusive evidence for the fact that the Russian secret police held the poet under the 'dangerous political activist' file and tried to trace his every move in the West, of which there were many.<ref name="stahova"/>

===1906–1917===
[[File:Balmont by Altman.jpg|thumb|left|200px|''Balmont lecturing''. [[Natan Altman]]'s caricature, 1914]]
His next two books comprised all of the pieces that’s been written during and in the wake of the [[First Russian revolution]] events. ''Poems'' (Стихотворения, St.Pbg, 1906) were immediately confiscated by the police; ''Songs of the Avenger'' (Песни мстителя, Paris, 1907) were banned in Russia, what with direct calls for assassination of Tzar ("You should be killed, you’ve become everyone’s grief". - ''To Nicolas the Last'') being there present. Another one, ''Vile Charms'' (Злые чары, 1906), was banned for the allegedly anti-religious sentiments. None of this fuss, though, could make up for the fact that the poet's muse mysteriously abandoned him: both critics and fellow poets (close friend Brysov among them) saw these forays into socio-political spheres as total failures.<ref name="azadovski"/> Russian folklore-oriented ''Firebird. Slav’s Svirel'' (Жар-птица. Свирель славянина, 1907), ''Hortus conclusus. Kisses-like words'' (Зеленый вертоград. Слова поцелуйные, 1909) and ''Ancient Calls'' (Зовы древности, 1909), even if radically different, bore the same sign of deep artistic crisis, of which the poet himself, apparently, was totally unaware.<ref name="silverage"/> Most notable Balmont's work of the time, three non-poetry books – ''Mountain Peaks'' (Горные вершины, 1904), ''White Heat Lightnings'' (Белые зарницы, 1908) and ''The Luminous Sea'' (Морское свечение, 1910), - were collections of essays on Russian and foreign authors.<ref name="stahova"/>

In 1907–1912 Balmont travelled continuously. Different brands of ethnic folklore and esoteric ideas formed the basis of his next books: ''Snakes’ Flowers'' (Змеиные цветы. 1910), ''White Architect'' (1914) and ''The Osiris Land'' (1914). "I want to enrich my mind, for too many personal things’ been jamming it off over the years", he explained.<ref name="lev_ozerov"/> In 1913 the political amnesty (declared in time for the [[:ru:300-летие дома Романовых|Romanovs’ 300 years Jubilee]]) made it possible for Balmont to return home. Once again he was in the center of public attention, a hero of banquets, ceremonies and extravagant celebrations.<ref name="bannikov"/> In 1914 the publication of the ''Complete Balmont'' in ten volumes began and continued for the next seven years.<ref name="lev_ozerov"/>

Touring Russia and abroad, he continued translating – among other things, [[Hindu]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgian]] and [[Japan]]ese folklore originals.<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|18}} As the [[World War I]] broke out the poet happened to be in France; he had to make a trip through [[United Kingdom|Britain]], [[Norway]] and [[Sweden]] to finally return home in May 1915.<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|18}} By this time Balmont has discovered for himself a new genre in poetry: he wrote 255 [[sonnet]]s which were published under the title ''Sonnets of the Sun, the Moon and the Honey'' (Сонеты cолнца, мёда и луны, 1917). This, along with ''Fraxinus. The Visions of a Tree'' (Ясень. Видение древа, 1916), was moderately successful in Russia, but still critics deplored "overall monotony and banality of linguistic decorativeness" his verse was still being apparently plagued by.<ref name="lev_ozerov"/>

=== 1917–1942===
Balmont welcomed the [[February Revolution]] and even became the member of the Society of ProletArt, but soon got disillusioned, joined the [[Constitutional Democratic Party|Cadet party]] and praised [[Lavr Kornilov]] in one of the newspaper articles.<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|18}}. The [[October revolution]] horrified Balmont and made him repudiate many of his views of the past. Being the 'absolute freedom' idea apologist, he condemned the [[dictatorship of proletariat]] doctrine as destructive and suppressive.<ref name="stahova"/><ref name="krugosvet"/> Still, in his ''Revolutionary: Am I or Am I Not?'' autobiographical essay Balmont argued that poet should keep away from political parties and keep "his individual trajectory which is more akin to a comet’s than that of a planet".<ref name="mincult"/>

The 1918–1919 were years of enormous hardships for Balmont who, now living in Petrograd with his third wife Yelena Tsvetkovskaya (and their daughter Mirra),<ref name="shu">{{cite web | author = | date = | url = http://www.russianresources.lt/archive/Balmont/Balmont_8.html| title = Константин Бальмонт. Письма Федору Шуравину (1937)| publisher = www.russianresources.lt| accessdate = 2011-01-01}}</ref> had to support Yekaterina Andreeva (and Nina) whom he from time to time visited in Moscow.<ref name="alexandrova"/> It was at this time that he struck close friendship with [[Marina Tsvetayeva]], another poet virtually on the verge of physical collapse.<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|18}} Unwilling to collaborate with the Bolsheviks (whose "hands were smeared in blood", as he declared openly at one of the literary meetings) he still occasionally had to. In 1920 [[Anatoly Lunacharsky|A.Lunacharsky]] (much under the pressure of poet J.Baltrushaitis, then the head of [[Lithuania]]n diplomatic mission in Moscow) gave Balmont a permission to leave the country. [[Boris Zaytsev (writer)|B. Zaitsev]] later opined that what Baltrushaitis did was actually save Balmont's life. For, according to S.Litovtsev (a Russian critic who lived in immigration) at one of [[Cheka]] secret meetings the fate of Balmont was discussed: "those demanding him being put to a firing squad happened to be in minority at the time", and he was let be for a while.<ref name="poliakov_litovtsev">{{cite web | author = С. Поляков (Литовцев)| date = | url = http://az.lib.ru/b/balxmont_k_d/text_0550.shtml| title = О поэте Бальмонте| publisher = | accessdate = 2010-08-01}}</ref> On May 25 Balmont and his family left Russia for good.<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|19}}
[[File:Balmont shmelev.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Ivan Shmelyov and (above him) Konstantin Balmont. 1926]]
In Paris Balmont found himself in an ideological crossfire. Radical Russian émigrés saw his too easy an exit suspicious and started insinuations about him being a Communist sympathizer.<ref name="poliakov_litovtsev"/> In a way Lunacharsky with his apologetic article ensuring the public at home that Balmont’s stance wasn’t in any way anti-Bolshevist played up to these suspicions. Balmont himself did have negative things to say of the Bolshevist Russia which in the Soviet press was seen as proof of “treacherousness” of a poet, who “having been sent to the West on a mission to collect the revolutionary poetry of common people” has misused the trust of the Soviet government”. On the other hand, condemning repressions in Russia, Balmont criticized the West too, speaking of many things that abhorred him there.<ref name="poliakov_litovtsev"/> What caused him most trouble, though, was his longing for Russia. "There wasn’t another Russian poet in exile who’d suffer so painfully his being severed from his roots", wrote [[Yuri Terapiano]].<ref name="terapiano">{{cite web | author = Юрий Терапиано | year = 1994| url = http://az.lib.ru/b/balxmont_k_d/text_0590.shtml| title = К. Д. Бальмонт| publisher = Дальние берега: Портреты писателей эмиграции / Состав и коммент. В. Крейд. М.: Республика | accessdate = 2010-08-01}}</ref> For Balmont his European experience was "life among aliens". "Russia is all I want. Emptiness, emptiness everywhere. Spirituality here in Europe there is none", he wrote in December 1921 to Ye. Andreeva.<ref name="lev_ozerov"/>

In 1921 Balmont moved out of Paris into the province where he and his family rented houses, mostly in [[Brittany (administrative region)|Brittany]], [[Vendée]] and [[Gironde]]. In 1926 he moved to [[Bordeaux]].<ref name="krugosvet"/> In the late 1920s Balmont's criticism of both the Soviet Russia and the leftist Western elite ([[Romain Rolland]] in particular), showing indifference, as he saw it, to the suffering of the Russian people, was becoming more pronounced. Great Britain’s acknowledgement of the legitimacy of (in Balmont's words) "the international gang of bandits who seized power in Moscow and St. Petersburg, weakened by our military defeat" has rendered "a fatal blow to the last remnants of honesty in the post-War Europe".<ref>Бальмонт К. Англы. Публ. К. Азадовского // Всемирное слово (Петербург). 2001. № 14. С.8.</ref> All the while, unlike his conservative friend [[Ivan Shmelyov]], Balmont’s politics were liberal: he detested fascism and right-wing nationalist ideas. At the same time he shied the Russian ex-Socialists (like [[Kerensky]] and [[Ilya Fondaminsky|Fondaminsky]]) and expressed horror at France’s enchantment with Socialism. The similarity of his views and those of [[Ivan Bunin]] was quite obvious; the two (never friends on the personal level) were speaking in one voice on many occasions.<ref name="nashe_nas">{{cite web| author = К. М. Азадовский, Г. М. Бонгард-Левин| year = 2002|url = http://www.nasledie-rus.ru/podshivka/6117.php |title = Встреча. Константин Бальмонт и Иван Шмелёв| publisher = Наше наследие, #61| accessdate = 2010-08-13}}</ref>

In immigration Balmont continued to write a lot. He published several books of poetry: ''A Gift to Earth'' (Дар Земле) and ''Lightened Hour'' (Светлый час, both 1921), ''Haze'' (Марево, 1922), ''Mine to hers. Poems of Russia'' (Моё — ей. Стихи о России, 1923), ''Stretching Horizons'' (В раздвинутой дали, 1929), ''Northern Lights'' (Северное сияние, 1933), ''Blue Horseshoe'' (Голубая подкова) and ''Serving the Light'' (Светослужение, both 1937). He released autobiographies and memoirs: ''Under the New Sickle'' (Под новым серпом), ''The Airy Path'' (Воздушный путь, both in 1923) and ''Where Is My Home?'' (Где мой дом?, Prague, 1924). Balmont’s latter days poetry was not popular with his contemporaries: [[Vladimir Nabokov]] called the Balmont’s verse "jarring" and "it's new melodies false".<ref>''Набоков, В. В.'' «Ив. Бунин. Избранные стихи». — Изд-во «Современные записки». — Париж, 1929. — Стр. 754.</ref> [[Nina Berberova]] argued that Balmont totally exhausted his muse while in Russia and none of his latter work was worthy. Modern critics assess Balmont’s last books more favourably, as lacking in flamboyance, but being more accessible and having more depth. Poet Nikolay Bannikov called ''Pines in Dunes'' (Дюнные сосны) and ''Russian Language'' (Русский язык) "little masterpieces".<ref name="bannikov"/> In the late 1920s Balmont was still touring, reading lectures (in Poland, Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Lithuania) and translated a lot. Returning to Russia became his idée fix which never transpired.

In the early 1930s life for Balmont became hard, as financial support from Czech and Yugoslav governments' literary funds ceased. The poet who had to support three women (of whom daughter Mirra’s erratic behavior was a constant source of trouble) has fallen into poverty. Ivan Shmelyov provided moral support and addressed philanthropers; professor [[:ru:Зеелер, Владимир Феофилович|Vladimir Zeeler]] was the one person who regularly provided financial help. Things worsened in 1932 when it became clear that Balmont was suffering from mental illness (triggered to some extent, apparently, by his 1920s alcohol abuse). He never lost neither his mind, nor a sense of humor. Of a car accident which left him with some bruises and a costume spoiled, he wrote to a friend in 1936: "The quality of life of a Russian immigrant is such that the thought of what would be more profitable to lose: trousers or legs on which they are usually on, becomes a serious dilemma".<ref name="dlib">{{cite web | author = | date = | url = http://dlib.eastview.com/browse/doc/9452223?enc=rus| title = Письма К. Д. Бальмонта к В. В. Обольянинову | publisher = dlib.eastview.com| accessdate = 2010-08-13}}</ref> In April 1936 the group of Russian writers and musicians abroad celebrated the 50th anniversary of Balmont's literary career by staging a charity event; among the organizers and contributors were Ivan Shmelyov, Ivan Bunin, Boris Zaitsev, [[Sergei Rachmaninoff]] and [[Mark Aldanov]].<ref name="nashe_nas"/> In 1939–1940 the Russian Nazis in Paris tried to bring up the poet's "revolutionary past" to the attention of their German masters, but the latter (according to Yu. Terapiano) showed total indifference to the fact.<ref name="zaitsev"/> Balmont died on December 23, 1942 in the ''Russian House'' asylum, due to complications of pneumonia. He was buried in [[Noisy-le-Grand]]'s Catholic cemetery with four words engraved on a grey tomb: "Constantin Balmont, poète russe". Few people were present, among them Boris Zaitsev, daughter Mirra and Jurgis Baltrushaitis’ widow.<ref name="zaitsev"/><ref>Терапиано Ю. Встречи. Нью-Йорк: Изд-во им. Чехова, 1953. С. 21.</ref>

==Personality ==
Konstantin Balmont’s been characterized variously as theatrical, pretentious and outright egotistical, his behaviour being more often than not erratic and irrational. He could sprawl himself on a cobbled street of Paris to make an upcoming fiacre stop abruptly, or, dressed in a coat and hat, enter a pond at night so as "to experience something new and express this in poetry".<ref name="bannikov"/> What fans saw as the whimsies of a genius, others treated as cheap posturing aiming to impress. Boris Zaitsev remembered how his wife became duly appalled when Balmont (who was a neighbour) once asked her: "Vera, would you prefer a poet coming to Boris’ room by air, by-passing banal trails of the real world?" - We knew of one of his earlier attempts of the kind and were grateful for his visits having being made through banal and natural ways", Zaitsev added. Ridiculing good-humouredly his neighbour’s vain eccentricities, he remembered episodes when Balmont "could be altogether different person: very sad and very simple".<ref name="zaitsev"/>

There’s been certainly more to the poet’s real personality than drunken escapades or impulsive follies he’s gained notoriety for. Poet [[Andrey Bely]] spoke of Balmont as of a lonely and vulnerable man, totally out of touch with the real world. Inconsistency marred his creativity too: “He’s failed to connect and harmonize those riches he’s been given by nature, aimlessly spending his spiritual treasures”, Bely argued.<ref name="lug_zeleny">{{cite web| author = Андрей Белый| year = 1910| url = http://az.lib.ru/b/belyj_a/text_0440.shtml| title = Луг зелёный| publisher = М., Альциона. Стр. 202| accessdate = 2010-08-13}}</ref> Duality was intrinsic to Balmont and the way he looked. According to Bely,<ref name="lug_zeleny"/> {{quote|His deep-seated, almost browless eyes looked sombrely, humbly and mistrustfully. Once a spiteful look entered his face, a glimpse of vulnerability followed suit. His whole image was a kaleidoscope of contradictory features: arrogance and weakness, majestic posturing and languid apathy, cheekiness and fear – those were flickering on and on, making his pale, emaciated face ever changing. Sometimes this face looked insignificant. Sometimes it radiated unspoken grace.}}
[[File:Balmont and Gorodetsky.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Balmont and [[Sergey Gorodetsky]] with wives (Ye. Andreeva to the right), St. Petersburg, 1907.]]
"Balmont was a poseur and reasons for this were obvious. Ever crowded by worshippers, he was trying to bear himself in a manner he saw as befitting a great poet, casting his head back, furrowing his brow... It was laughter that gave him away… This childish laughter could say a lot of the nature of those ridiculous shenanigans of his. Exactly like a child, he was always moved by a momentary impulse", wrote [[Teffi]].<ref name="tff"/> Close friend Valery Bryusov explained quirks and deviations in Balmont’s ways by "the deep poetic nature of his self". "He lives in a poet’s way finding in every moment of life’s its total richness. That is why one shouldn’t judge him by common criteria", Bryusov wrote.<ref>П. П. Перцов. Литературные воспоминания. М.-Л., 1993, стр. 260</ref>

Many remembered Balmont as extraordinary warm and humane person. Piotr Pertsov who knew him from the late teenage years, wrote of Balmont as of "very nice, friendly and considerate young man". [[Marina Tsvetayeva]] who was Balmont’s close friend in the years when both suffered from hunger and cold, insisted that the poet was "a kind of man who’d give any one in need his last bread, his last log of wood". Mark Talov, a Soviet translator who in the 1920s found himself penniless in Paris, remembered how often, having made a visit to Balmont he was finding money in his coat’s pockets afterwards; the poet (who was very poor himself) preferred the anonymous way of help so as not to confuse a visitor.<ref name="bannikov"/>

For some Balmont’s childishness was an affectation. Others saw it as genuine and true. Boris Zaitsev thought [[Valentin Serov]]’s portrait was closest in depicting Balmont’s brisky, slightly belligerent character. "Cheerful, easy to burst out, ready to retort sharply or effusively. Among birds he’d have been colourful [[Chantecler (chicken)|chantecler]], greeting daylight and life", Zaitsev wrote.<ref name="zaitsev"/>

Outward bohemianism aside, Balmont had always been a hard worker, highly proficient and prolific. Wherever he went, he never stopped learning, seeping in not just impressions but myriads of facts concerning the place’s history and culture. Eccentric to many, he seemed rational and logical to some. Publisher Sergey Sabashnikov remembered the poet as "accurate, punctual, pedantic and never sloven… Such accuracy made Balmont a very welcome client", Sabashnikov added.<ref name="tonnel"/>

== Family ==

There is an element of controversy regarding Konstantin Balmont’s (and his second name’s) origins. The common knowledge is that his father Dmitry Konstantinovich Balmont (1835—1907) was a nobleman of a [[Scandinavia]]n (probably [[Scottish people|Scottish]]) ancestry.<ref name="stahova"/><ref name="B_Efron"/> In his 1903 short autobiography the poet wrote:<ref name="vengerov"/>{{rp|375}}
{{quote|According to our family legend, my ancestors were sailors, either Scottish or Scandinavian, who came to Russia and settled there. My father’s father was a Navy officer and a hero of [[Russo-Turkish War (1828–1829)|Turkish War]] noted by Tzar [[Nicholas I of Russia|Nikolay the First]] for bravery. My mother’s ancestors were [[Tatars]], the first in the line being Prince ''Bely Lebed'' (White Swan) of the [[Golden Horde]]. That was the probable reason for her two distinctive qualities: unruliness and tempestuousness which I inherited… }}
There is a less exotic alternative version of this, championed by the poet's second wife Yekaterina Andreeva. According to her ''Memoirs'',<ref>[http://www.ozon.ru/context/detail/id/2276287/ Е. А. Андреева-Бальмонт. Воспоминания. 1997]</ref> Balmont’s grand-grandfather on his father’s side Ivan Andreevich Balamut (a Ukrainian surname, meaning “rabble-rouser”) served as a [[cavalry]] [[sergeant]] in [[Catherine the Great]]’s [[Imperial Guard (Russia)|Imperial Guard]] regiment (Andreeva insisted she saw the original parchment-written document that's been kept in the family archives).<ref name="lev_ozerov"/> A landowner in [[Kherson]], Southern Ukraine, Ivan Balamut has got his name somehow modified into Balmont.<ref name="vech_chel">{{cite web | author = Е. Симонова, В. Боже| date = | url = http://vecherka.su/katalogizdaniy?id=10890&year=2011&month=1 | title = Я для всех и ничей…| publisher = Вечерний Челябинск| accessdate = 2010-06-01}}</ref> This second version has its own detractors, though. According to T. Alexandrova, an authority on M.Lokhvitskaya and Balmont, "It would be more than natural for a foreign name to be transformed by common people of rural area into a folkish, recognizable version, but certainly not vice versa".<ref name="alexandrova"/>

Dmitry Konstantinovich, Vera Nikolayevna and all of their relatives pronounced the surname as B'''a′'''lmont, first syllable stressed. The poet insisted that he personally (and officially) changed his surname into Balm'''o′'''nt and asked to pronounce it thus. He cited "a certain woman’s whimsy" as the only reason for this change.<ref name="alexandrova"/>

=== Private life ===
[[File:Anreyeva-Balmont.JPG|left|thumb|170px|Yekaterina Andreeva, Balmont's second wife.]]In 1889 Balmont married Larissa Mikha′ilovna Gare′lina, the Shuya factory-owner’s daughter, described as "a [[Sandro Botticelli|Botticellian]] beauty (''[[The Birth of Venus (Botticelli)|
Birth of Venus]]'' serving here for a point of reference).<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|9}} The poet’s mother who initially helped the two young people’s being acquainted forbade her son to marry the girl, but Balmont was adamant and even had to sever all ties with his family to implement his decision.<ref>Бальмонт К. Д. Волга. — Автобиографическая проза. С. 541.</ref> This marriage was doomed from the very start.<ref name="alexandrova"/> Garelina was variously described as a neurasthenic who "gave <the poet> love of a truly demonic nature",<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|10}} sympathized with neither his literary ambitions nor revolutionary inclinations, was suffering from bouts of violent jealousy and was, in fact, responsible for his well-publicized alcohol-related abuses (the latter fact Balmont corroborated in his autobiographical poem ''Forest Fires'').<ref name="bannikov"/> The poet’s first suicidal attempt on March 13, 1890, was believed to have been directly linked with his personal life's catastrophes. The couple's first son died in infancy; the second, Nikolai, was known to have suffered from mental illness.<ref name="alexandrova"/> Later some critics warned against demonizing Larissa Garelina’s character: they reminded that years later she married a well-known Russian journalist and literature historian [[:ru:Энгельгардт, Николай Александрович|Nikolai Engelgardt]] and with him enjoyed a perfectly normal family life. Their daughter Anna Engelgardt became the second wife of poet [[Nikolai Gumilyov]].<ref name="alexandrova"/>

Yekaterina Alekse′evna Andre′eva (1967–1952), the poet’s second wife, came from a rich traders’ family, related to Sabashikovs, a well-known Moscow-based publishers’ clan. Contemporaries remembered her as an exceptionally well-educated woman, tall, elegant and slender, somewhat aloof, strong-minded and attractive. Andreeva was (according to her ''Memoirs'') passionately (and unrequitedly) in love with Prince Alexandr Urusov and for a while never even noticed infatuated Balmont’s passes. The latter prevailed, finally she fell for him and on September 27, 1896, the couple married and instantly left for France (one reason being the fact that the husband was still not officially divorced at the time).<ref name="alexandrova"/> Andreeva and Balmont have had much in common: they even formed a working tandem translating collectively the works of [[Gerhart Hauptmann]], [[Oscar Wilde]] and others.<ref name="bannikov"/> Andreeva, according to [[Boris Zaytsev (writer)|Boris Zaitsev]], was a leading force in the family and while with her the poet was "in strong, healthy and loving hands", well disciplined and leading a hard-working man’s life.<ref name="zaitsev"/> In 1901, daughter Nina Balmont (later Bruni, died in Moscow in 1989 году) was born; for her the poet wrote ''A Fairy's Tale'', the book of children's verses in 1905.<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|284}}
[[File:Mirra balmont.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Balmont and Shmelyov (second and third to the right respectively) with relatives and friends. Extreme left: Mirra Balmont, extreme right: Yelena Tsvetkovskaya.]]

In the early 1900s, while in Paris, Balmont met Yelena Konstantinovna Tsvetkovskaya (1880–1943), general K. G. Tzvetkovsky's daughter, who was at the time studying mathematics in [[University of Paris|Sorbonne]] and was the poet's ardent fan. Balmont, as some of his letters suggested, had never been in love with her, but soon found himself in many ways dependent on the girl who proved to be a loyal, devoted friend. Balmont's family life got seriously complicated after Tsvetkovskaya, in 1907, gave birth to a daughter. Balmont called her Mirra in memory of a poet [[Mirra Lokhvitskaya]] who died in 1905 and whom he had passionate but, mostly platonic relations with.<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|19}} Torn apart between the two families, in 1909 Balmont attempted suicide for the second time (jumping out a window) and again survived. Up until 1917 he lived in St. Petersburg with Tsvetkovskaya and Mirra, occasionally visiting Yekaterina and Nina in Moscow.<ref name="makogonenko"/>{{rp|19}} While in immigration Balmont continued to correspond with Andreeva until 1934 (when such links between relatives were officially banned in the USSR).<ref name="vech_chel"/>

[[Teffi]] thus described Balmont and Tsvetkovskaya: "He <entered the room> with his head held high, a true Fame’s laurels bearer, neck wrapped in a black tie of a kind [[Lermontov]] might have found useful but nobody would even dream of wearing today. Lynx’ eyes, mane of long reddish hair. Followed by a shadow, Yelena: small, thin, dark-skinned creature who was obviously depending in life on two strong things: tea and her love." The couple, according to Teffi, communicated in strange and pretentious manner. "She was always calling him 'a poet', never – 'my husband'. A simple phrase: 'My husband asks for a drink' in their special argot would turn into something like: 'A poet is willing to appease his thirst'." <ref name="tff"/> Unlike Andreeva, Yelena Tsvetkovskaya was totally helpless in domestic life and had no influence whatsoever over Balmont, whom she felt as her duty to follow wherever he went to drink, spending nights by his side, never being able to root him out. "Small wonder that, leading such a life, at 40 she looked like a very old woman", Teffi attested.<ref name="tff"/>

The last woman Balmont has been romantically linked with was Dagmar Shakhovska′ya (1893–1967), an Estonian baroness. The lovers met rarely, but had two children: George (1922–194?) and Svetlana (b. 1925).<ref name="litera_dagmar">{{cite web | author = | date = | url = http://www.litera.ru/stixiya/articles/46.html| title = Письма К. Д. Бальмонта к Дагмар Шаховской| publisher = www.litera.ru| accessdate = 2010-08-13}}</ref> Balmont wrote to her almost daily; all in all 858 of his letters and postcards remained.<ref name="vech_chel"/> Still, it was Yelena Tsvetkovskaya who was beside him till the last. She died in 1943, a year after her husband. Mirra Balmont (in marriage Boychenko, then Autina) published poetry as Aglaya Gamayun. She died in Paris in 1970.<ref name="nashe_nas"/>

==Cultural references==
Many Russian composers set Balmont's poetry to music: [[Mikhail Gnessin]], [[Nikolai Myaskovsky]], [[Nikolai Obukhov]], [[Sergei Prokofiev]], [[Sergei Rachmaninoff]], [[Maximilian Steinberg]], [[Igor Stravinsky]], and [[Sergei Taneyev]].

One of his best known works is his free Russian translation of [[Edgar Allan Poe]]'s ''[[The Bells]]'', which formed the basis of Rachmaninoff's [[The Bells (Rachmaninoff)|choral symphony of the same name]], Op. 35.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commonscat|Konstantin Balmont}}
*[http://poetryloverspage.com/yevgeny/balmont/index.html Collection of Poems by Konstantin Balmont] (English Translations)
*[http://www.litera.ru/stixiya/authors/balmont.html Konstantin Balmont. Poems]
*{{sk icon}} [http://sk.wikiquote.org/wiki/Konstantin_Balmont Some biographical details]
* Songs by Balmont composed and performed by Zlata Razdolina - http://razdolina.hypermart.net//page5.htm
* [http://books.google.com/books?id=R2kMAAAAIAAJ&pg=PR7&dq=%22Modern+Russian+Poetry%22+%2B+Deutsch+%2B+Contents&cd=1#v=onepage&q&f=false English translations by Babette Deutsch and Avrahm Yarmolinsky, 1921]
*[http://dansemacabre.art.officelive.com/TheRussiaDesk.aspx English translations of 4 poems along with a collection of links]
*[http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL.Hough:hou00750 Guide to Konstantin Dmitrievich Bal'mont's correspondence with Ruth Bailey] at [http://hcl.harvard.edu/libraries/houghton/ Houghton Library], Harvard University
* [[wikilivres:Konstantin Balmont|Konstantin Balmont]], in wikilivres.ca

{{Persondata
| NAME = Balmont, Konstantin
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = Russian poet
| DATE OF BIRTH = 1867
| PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Shuya]], [[Russian Empire]]
| DATE OF DEATH = 1942-12-23
| PLACE OF DEATH = [[Paris]], [[France]]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balmont, Konstantin}}
[[Category:Russian poets]]
[[Category:1867 births]]
[[Category:1942 deaths]]
[[Category:Russian people of Scottish descent]]
[[Category:People of Scandinavian descent]]
[[Category:Russian translators]]
[[Category:Symbolist poets]]
[[Category:Translators of Omar Khayyám]]

{{Link FA|ru}}
[[be-x-old:Канстанцін Бальмонт]]
[[bg:Константин Балмонт]]
[[cs:Konstantin Balmont]]
[[de:Konstantin Dmitrijewitsch Balmont]]
[[es:Konstantín Bálmont]]
[[eu:Konstantin Balmont]]
[[fr:Constantin Balmont]]
[[it:Konstantin Dmitrievič Bal'mont]]
[[kk:Константин Дмитриевич Бальмонт]]
[[la:Constantinus Bal'mont]]
[[nl:Konstantin Balmont]]
[[ja:コンスタンチン・バリモント]]
[[pl:Konstantin Balmont]]
[[pt:Konstantin Balmont]]
[[ro:Konstantin Balmont]]
[[ru:Бальмонт, Константин Дмитриевич]]
[[sv:Konstantin Balmont]]
[[uk:Бальмонт Костянтин Дмитрович]]
[[vi:Konstantin Dmitrievich Balmont]]

Category:Environment of Haiti

2012-08-16T02:57:27Z

Averaver: {{commonscat|Nature of Haiti}}

{{Cat main|Environment of Haiti}}
{{commonscat|Nature of Haiti}}

[[Category:Haiti]]
[[Category:Environment by country|Haiti]]

[[ko:분류:아이티의 환경]]
[[nl:Categorie:Natuur in Haïti]]
[[ru:Категория:Природа Гаити]]
[[sv:Kategori:Natur i Haiti]]
[[vi:Thể loại:Môi trường Haiti]]

Category:Environment of Haiti

2012-08-16T02:56:48Z

Averaver: iwiki

{{Cat main|Environment of Haiti}}

[[Category:Haiti]]
[[Category:Environment by country|Haiti]]

[[ko:분류:아이티의 환경]]
[[nl:Categorie:Natuur in Haïti]]
[[ru:Категория:Природа Гаити]]
[[sv:Kategori:Natur i Haiti]]
[[vi:Thể loại:Môi trường Haiti]]

Category:Environment of Gabon

2012-08-16T02:47:32Z

Averaver: iwiki

[[Category:Gabon]]
[[Category:Environment by country|Gabon]]

[[ko:분류:가봉의 환경]]
[[ru:Категория:Природа Габона]]
[[sv:Kategori:Natur i Gabon]]

Category:Society of Ghana

2012-08-15T02:30:49Z

Averaver: iwiki +ru

[[Category:Ghana|Soc]]
[[Category:Society by nationality]]

[[es:Categoría:Sociedad de Ghana]]
[[ko:분류:가나의 사회]]
[[mk:Категорија:Ганско општество]]
[[ru:Категория:Общество Ганы]]
[[sv:Kategori:Ghanas samhälle]]
[[yo:Ẹ̀ka:Àwùjọ Ghánà]]

Category:Society of Guinea-Bissau

2012-08-14T18:16:06Z

Averaver: iwiki +ru

[[Category:Guinea-Bissau|Soc]]
[[Category:Society by nationality|Guinea-Bissau]]

[[ko:분류:기니비사우의 사회]]
[[id:Kategori:Masyarakat Guinea-Bissau]]
[[pt:Categoria:Sociedade da Guiné-Bissau]]
[[ru:Категория:Общество Гвинеи-Бисау]]

Category:Society of Honduras

2012-08-14T18:11:39Z

Averaver: iwiki +ru

[[Category:Honduras|Society]]
[[Category:Society by nationality|Hond]]
[[Category:Central American society|Hond]]

[[es:Categoría:Sociedad de Honduras]]
[[ko:분류:온두라스의 사회]]
[[pt:Categoria:Sociedade de Honduras]]
[[ru:Категория:Общество Гондураса]]
[[sv:Kategori:Honduras samhälle]]

Category:Society of Guatemala

2012-08-14T18:04:04Z

Averaver: iwiki +ru

[[Category:Guatemala|Soc]]
[[Category:Society by nationality]]
[[Category:Central American society|Gua]]

[[es:Categoría:Sociedad de Guatemala]]
[[ko:분류:과테말라의 사회]]
[[ru:Категория:Общество Гватемалы]]
[[sv:Kategori:Guatemalas samhälle]]
[[tr:Kategori:Guatemala'da toplum]]

Category:Society of the Gambia

2012-08-14T18:00:51Z

Averaver: iwiki +ru

[[Category:The Gambia|Soc]]
[[Category:Society by nationality]]

[[cs:Kategorie:Gambijská společnost]]
[[ko:분류:감비아의 사회]]
[[id:Kategori:Masyarakat Gambia]]
[[lv:Kategorija:Gambijas sabiedrība]]
[[mk:Категорија:Гамбиско општество]]
[[ru:Категория:Общество Гамбии]]
[[sv:Kategori:Gambias samhälle]]

Category:Society of Guyana

2012-08-14T17:57:10Z

Averaver: iwiki +ru

[[Category:Guyana|Society]]
[[Category:Society by nationality]]
[[Category:Caribbean society]]

[[ko:분류:가이아나의 사회]]
[[ru:Категория:Общество Гайаны]]

Category:Society of Gabon

2012-08-14T17:51:41Z

Averaver: iwiki +ru

[[Category:Gabon|Soc]]
[[Category:Society by nationality]]

[[es:Categoría:Sociedad de Gabón]]
[[ko:분류:가봉의 사회]]
[[mk:Категорија:Габонско општество]]
[[ru:Категория:Общество Габона]]

Category:Award winners by nationality

2012-08-14T16:46:56Z

Averaver: {{commonscat|Award winners by country}}, iwiki +ru

{{parentcat}}
{{commonscat|Award winners by country}}

[[Category:Award winners| Nationality]]
[[Category:Categories by nationality]]
[[Category:People by nationality| Award winners]]

[[ar:تصنيف:حائزو على جوائز حسب البلد]]
[[bar:Kategorie:Preisträger nach Staat]]
[[de:Kategorie:Preisträger nach Staat]]
[[he:קטגוריה:מקבלי עיטורים]]
[[pt:Categoria:Ganhadores de prêmios por nacionalidade]]
[[ru:Категория:Награждённые наградами по странам]]
[[tr:Kategori:Milletlerine göre ödül sahipleri]]
[[uk:Категорія:Нагороджені за країнами]]
[[zh:Category:各国奖项获得者]]

Category:Society of Georgia (country)

2012-08-14T16:23:55Z

Averaver: {{commonscat|Society of Georgia}}, iwiki +ru

{{commonscat|Society of Georgia}}

[[Category:Georgia (country)|Soc]]
[[Category:Society by nationality|Georgia]]

[[cs:Kategorie:Gruzínská společnost]]
[[es:Categoría:Sociedad de Georgia]]
[[ko:분류:조지아의 사회]]
[[id:Kategori:Masyarakat Georgia]]
[[ja:Category:グルジアの社会]]
[[ro:Categorie:Societatea georgiană]]
[[ru:Категория:Общество Грузии]]
[[sk:Kategória:Spoločnosť v Gruzínsku]]
[[sv:Kategori:Georgiens samhälle]]
[[tr:Kategori:Gürcistan'da toplum]]
[[zh:Category:格魯吉亞社會]]

Category:Society of Greece

2012-08-14T16:15:59Z

Averaver: {{commonscat|Society of Greece}}, iwiki +ru

{{commonscat|Society of Greece}}

[[Category:Greece|Soc]]
[[Category:Society by nationality]]

[[bs:Kategorija:Grčko društvo]]
[[cs:Kategorie:Řecká společnost]]
[[el:Κατηγορία:Ελληνική κοινωνία]]
[[es:Categoría:Sociedad de Grecia]]
[[eo:Kategorio:Greka socio]]
[[fr:Catégorie:Société grecque]]
[[ko:분류:그리스의 사회]]
[[lv:Kategorija:Grieķijas sabiedrība]]
[[ms:Kategori:Masyarakat Greece]]
[[ja:Category:ギリシャの社会]]
[[nn:Kategori:Gresk samfunn]]
[[pt:Categoria:Sociedade da Grécia]]
[[ru:Категория:Общество Греции]]
[[sk:Kategória:Spoločnosť v Grécku]]
[[sv:Kategori:Greklands samhälle]]
[[tr:Kategori:Yunanistan'da toplum]]

Category:Society of Germany

2012-08-14T16:10:54Z

Averaver: {{commonscat|Society of Germany}}

{{commonscat|Society of Germany}}

[[Category:Germany|Society]]
[[Category:Society by nationality]]

[[ar:تصنيف:مجتمع ألماني]]
[[bar:Kategorie:Gesellschaft (Deutschland)]]
[[bs:Kategorija:Njemačko društvo]]
[[cs:Kategorie:Německá společnost]]
[[cy:Categori:Cymdeithas yr Almaen]]
[[de:Kategorie:Gesellschaft (Deutschland)]]
[[es:Categoría:Sociedad de Alemania]]
[[eo:Kategorio:Germana socio]]
[[fr:Catégorie:Société allemande]]
[[ko:분류:독일의 사회]]
[[id:Kategori:Masyarakat Jerman]]
[[lv:Kategorija:Vācijas sabiedrība]]
[[mk:Категорија:Германско општество]]
[[ja:Category:ドイツの社会]]
[[nn:Kategori:Tysk samfunn]]
[[pl:Kategoria:Społeczeństwo w Niemczech]]
[[pt:Categoria:Sociedade da Alemanha]]
[[ru:Категория:Общество Германии]]
[[sv:Kategori:Tysklands samhälle]]
[[tr:Kategori:Almanya'da toplum]]
[[ur:زمرہ:جرمن معاشرہ]]

Category:Aviation in Georgia (country)

2012-08-14T15:51:50Z

Averaver: {{commonscat|Aviation in Georgia}}

{{commonscat|Aviation in Georgia}}

[[Category:Transport in Georgia (country)]]
[[Category:Aviation by country|Georgia (country)]]
[[Category:Aviation in Europe|Georgia (country)]]

[[es:Categoría:Aviación de Georgia]]
[[fa:رده:هوانوردی در گرجستان]]
[[fr:Catégorie:Aviation en Géorgie]]
[[it:Categoria:Aviazione georgiana]]
[[ru:Категория:Авиация Грузии]]
[[sv:Kategori:Georgiskt flygväsen]]
[[uk:Категорія:Авіація Грузії]]

Category:Aviation in Gabon

2012-08-14T15:40:31Z

Averaver: {{commonscat|Aviation in Gabon}}

{{commonscat|Aviation in Gabon}}

[[Category:Transport in Gabon]]
[[Category:Aviation by country|Gabon]]
[[Category:Aviation in Africa|Gabon]]

[[es:Categoría:Aviación de Gabón]]
[[ru:Категория:Авиация Габона]]

Category:Freemasonry in England

2012-08-13T04:34:07Z

Averaver: iwiki -ru

[[Category:Freemasonry in the United Kingdom|England]]
[[Category:Organisations based in England]]
[[Category:English society]]

[[sl:Kategorija:Prostozidarstvo v Angliji]]

Category:Freemasonry in the United Kingdom

2012-08-13T04:33:37Z

Averaver: {{commonscat|Freemasonry in the United Kingdom}}, iwiki

{{commonscat|Freemasonry in the United Kingdom}}

[[Category:Freemasonry by country|United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Organisations based in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:British society]]

[[nl:Categorie:Vrijmetselarij in het Verenigd Koninkrijk]]
[[ru:Категория:Масонство в Великобритании]]
[[sl:Kategorija:Prostozidarstvo v Združenem kraljestvu]]

Category:Freemasonry in Belgium

2012-08-13T04:28:16Z

Averaver: {{commonscat|Freemasonry in Belgium}}

{{commonscat|Freemasonry in Belgium}}

[[Category:Freemasonry by country|Belgium]]
[[Category:Belgian society]]
[[Category:Organisations based in Belgium]]

[[fr:Catégorie:Franc-maçonnerie belge]]
[[nl:Categorie:Belgische vrijmetselaarsloge]]
[[ru:Категория:Масонство в Бельгии]]
[[sl:Kategorija:Prostozidarstvo v Belgiji]]

Category:Tourism in Vanuatu

2012-08-13T04:07:54Z

Averaver: iwiki +ru

*'''''[[Tourism]]''' in '''[[Vanuatu]]''' - in [[Oceania]], of the Pacific.''

{{-}}
[[Category:Economy of Vanuatu]]
[[Category:Tourism by country|Vanuatu]]
[[Category:Vanuatu]]
[[Category:Tourism in Oceania|V]]

[[ko:분류:바누아투의 관광]]
[[ru:Категория:Туризм в Вануату]]
[[sv:Kategori:Turism i Vanuatu]]

Category:Society of Vanuatu

2012-08-13T03:53:23Z

Averaver: iwiki +ru

[[Category:Vanuatu|Society]]
[[Category:Society by nationality]]
[[Category:Oceanian society|Van]]

[[es:Categoría:Sociedad de Vanuatu]]
[[ko:분류:바누아투의 사회]]
[[ru:Категория:Общество Вануату]]

Category:Society of East Timor

2012-08-13T03:36:11Z

Averaver: iwiki +ru

{{portal|East Timor}}

[[Category:East Timor|Soc]]
[[Category:Society by nationality]]

[[es:Categoría:Sociedad de Timor Oriental]]
[[ko:분류:동티모르의 사회]]
[[mk:Категорија:Источнотиморско општество]]
[[pt:Categoria:Sociedade de Timor-Leste]]
[[ru:Категория:Общество Восточного Тимора]]
[[sv:Kategori:Östtimors samhälle]]

Category:Society of Venezuela

2012-08-13T03:27:16Z

Averaver: iwiki +ru

[[Category:Venezuela|Soc]]
[[Category:Society by nationality|Venez]]

[[cy:Categori:Cymdeithas Venezuela]]
[[es:Categoría:Sociedad de Venezuela]]
[[ko:분류:베네수엘라의 사회]]
[[pt:Categoria:Sociedade da Venezuela]]
[[ru:Категория:Общество Венесуэлы]]
[[sv:Kategori:Venezuelas samhälle]]