Mikhail Prishvin and Valeria Liorko: waiting for a life-long love

Mikhail Mikhailovich Prishvin is rightfully called the singer of the Russian land. In his works, the surrounding nature becomes the main character, on the pages of essays and stories forests, fields, meadows appear with incredible fullness and fine detail. He enthusiastically sang of nature, as if putting into these descriptions the feelings that he so lacked in life.

First discoveries

The intricate, humorous and dexterous Dunyasha worked as a servant in the Prishvins' house. Misha often noticed that when sweeping the floor or wiping it with a rag, Dunyasha lifted her skirt very high, as if showing the teenager her legs. The teenager was embarrassed, blushed and diligently looked away from the snow-white skin of the ingenuous seductress. She clearly sympathized with the master's boy and, without much hesitation, tried to win, if not his heart, then his body.

At the moment when the closeness of Dunyasha and Mikhail became possible, the boy suddenly realized how his heart protested against such a relationship. It is difficult to say where such thoughts came from in the head of a teenager. But he felt that simple carnal pleasures would not bring him happiness if they were not backed up by a deep feeling.

Varenka

Mikhail Mikhailovich himself will describe his feelings after the failed intimacy in his diaries. It was this episode that made the future writer think about the complexities of his nature, which left an imprint on his entire future life. The thirst for love coexisted inexplicably in him, along with the denial of temptation. This turned into a personal drama for the man when he met the one he sincerely fell in love with.

Mikhail Prishvin, a student at the University of Leipzig, went on vacation to Paris in 1902. In this city, as if created for love, the meeting of the future writer with Varenka took place. Varvara Petrovna Izmalkova, a student at the Sorbonne, studied history and was the daughter of a major official from St. Petersburg. The romance between Varvara and Mikhail quickly swirled the lovers. They spent days and nights together, talking enthusiastically about everything in the world. Bright, happy days filled with feelings and emotions. But everything ended after three weeks. Prishvin blamed himself and his idealistic expectations for this.

The young man could not even imagine that he would offend his beloved with physical lust. He idolized his Varenka, he admired her and could not touch his dream. The girl wanted simple female happiness, an ordinary life with children. Varenka wrote a letter to her parents and showed it to her lover. She talked about her relationship with Mikhail, already imagining her future family life. But her aspirations were so different from Prishvin's idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe future that the difference in views on love led to bitter disappointment and rupture. Barbara tore up the letter.

Many years later, the writer recognizes that it is this event that will make him a writer. Not finding solace in love, Mikhail Mikhailovich will seek it in writing. The image of Vari, which appears in his dreams, will inspire him and encourage him to write more and more new works.

Later, Prishvin made one attempt to get closer to his muse. And he didn't use it. He wrote to Varvara Petrovna about his inextinguishable feelings. The girl answered him by making an appointment. But the writer shamefully confused the date of the meeting, and Varya could not forgive him for this oversight, refusing to listen to his explanations.

Efrosinya Pavlovna Smogaleva

For a long time and painfully, Mikhail suffered the loss of his ideal love. Sometimes he felt like he was really going crazy. The writer was already over 40 when he met a young woman who survived the death of her husband. In her arms was a one-year-old child, and the look of her huge eyes was so sad that the writer at first simply felt sorry for Frosya. The fascination with the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe guilt of the intelligentsia in front of ordinary people, which Prishvin was infected with, led to marriage. The writer tried on the role of a savior. He sincerely believed that he could fashion a real beautiful woman from the uneducated and rude Euphrosyne with the power of his love. But they were too different from Frosya. The girl from a resigned sad peasant woman very quickly turned into an imperious and rather grumpy wife.

Sensitive and very vulnerable, Prishvin began to increasingly avoid the company of his wife. He began to travel a lot around Russia, admiring the grandeur and originality of nature. At the same time, he will work hard, trying to escape from his catastrophic loneliness and misunderstanding of loved ones. He blamed only himself for his loneliness, reproached for excessive haste and inability to recognize the soul of another person.

A rather unhappy marriage, which brought the writer a lot of suffering, lasted more than 30 years. And all this time, Mikhail Mikhailovich was waiting for some kind of miracle, a wonderful deliverance from his spiritual wounds and a painful desire for happiness. He often mentioned in his diaries that he still hoped to meet the one who could become the light of his life for him.

Valeria Dmitrievna Liorko (Lebedeva)

Mikhail Mikhailovich is 67 years old. By this time he was already living separately from his wife. The famous and recognized writer had long thought about publishing his diaries, but he still lacked the strength, time and patience to sort through the numerous archives. He decided to hire a secretary, certainly a woman who would be distinguished by special delicacy. There were too many personal, secret, infinitely dear writer in the diaries.

On January 16, 1940, forty-year-old Valeria Dmitrievna knocked on Prishvin's door. She had a difficult life, two marriages behind her and persecution from the authorities for her noble origin. Work with Mikhail Mikhailovich could be a real salvation for her.

The first meeting was rather dry. For some reason Mikhail and Valeria turned out to be mutually unsympathetic to each other. However, joint work, gradual recognition of each other led to the emergence of sympathy, and then to that very deep, beautiful feeling, in anticipation of which Mikhail Mikhailovich lived all his life.

Valeria Dmitrievna became for the writer his evening star, his happiness, his dream, his ideal woman. Work on the writer's diaries revealed to Valeria Dmitrievna all the new facets of Prishvin's personality. Translating his thoughts into typewritten tex, the woman became more and more convinced of the originality of her employer. The subtle sensuality and endless loneliness of the writer found a response in the heart of his secretary. And along with the knowledge of his thoughts came the understanding of the kinship of their souls.

They talked for hours and could not talk until late in the evening. In the morning, Mikhail Mikhailovich hurried to open the door, ahead of the housekeeper, in order to see his Valeria as soon as possible.

He wrote a lot about her, about his feelings for this amazing woman, he was afraid of his feelings and was very afraid of being rejected. And he hoped that at the end of his life he could still find his happiness. And all his hopes and dreams suddenly became his own fairy tale come true. Valeria Dmitrievna did not see an old man in him, she felt masculine strength and depth in the writer.

The wife of Prishvin, having learned about the relationship between Mikhail Mikhailovich and Valeria, made a real scandal. She complained to the Writers' Union and categorically did not agree to a divorce. For the sake of the opportunity to dissolve the marriage, Prishvin had to sacrifice his apartment. Only in exchange for the re-registration of housing for her, Efrosinya Pavlovna agreed to give freedom to Mikhail Mikhailovich.

Since that time, the life of a prose writer has changed. He loved and was loved. He met his ideal woman, whom he had been looking for all his life.

crystal years

Beloved Lyalya gave the writer everything that he dreamed about in his youth. Prishvin's romanticism was complemented by her open straightforwardness. Openly confessing her feelings, she encouraged Mikhail Mikhailovich to take decisive action. She gave the writer the strength to fight at a time when everyone took up arms against their tender romance.

And they survived, overcame all the obstacles on the way to their marriage. The writer took his Valeria to the fabulous outback, to the village of Tryazhino near Bronnitsy. The last 8 years of the writer's life were spent by the spouses in the village of Dunino, Odintsovo district, Moscow region. They enjoyed their late happiness, their love, common views on feelings and events. The Crystal Years, as Prishvin called it.

The couple wrote the book “We are with you. Love Diaries. In this diary, their feelings, their views, their happiness were described in great detail. The writer was not blinded, he fully noticed the shortcomings of his wife, but they absolutely did not prevent him from being happy.

On January 16, 1954, on the day of the fourteenth anniversary of the writer's acquaintance with his evening star, Mikhail Mikhailovich Prishvin left this world. Having met his love at sunset, finding happiness and peace, he left absolutely happy.

In contrast to calm happiness in adulthood, it is interesting to learn about.