BRAM SHECKELS
Although I was born into a wealthy Russian family, I had a very hard beginning to my life. This provided me with inspiration and the drive to write later on in my life. I was born on August 28, 1828, and spent my early years living on a Large Estate called Yasnaya Polyana. When I turned two, my mother died while giving birth to her fifth child. In 1837, when I was only nine, my father passed away.
I wasn’t a very intelligent boy, but I attended three years at the Kazan University. I felt that I didn’t want the life of a wealthy land owner. Instead, I decided to join my brother in active duty with the Russian army in 1851. I wrote my first book describing the events of my childhood during this brutal time. (NYT web.)
2. What role did mentors play in developing you as an artist?
I didn’t really have any mentors to teach me the art of writing. My only formal training was my three years at the Kazan University. I got into writing because I had something to say. Throughout my entire life I was faced with problems. I decided to put them down on paper.
Those who were close to me knew my passion for writing. There really was no motivation except for my desire to share my thoughts with others. I really like the fact that I was self taught. More things should be this way. People are always relying on others to show them how, when really they can do it with the knowledge they already have. Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced. “Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced.” (Brainy quote, 2010).
3. What was the world of art like in your particular field when you entered it?
The world of art was not focused on writing. One of my good friends, Anton Chekov was also a major Russian writer. Although he was known more for his play’s and dramatic works, we formed a friendship and often discussed writing. (Independent co. Web.)
Later on in my life, My books became even more popular. I was even writing a children’s book at one point. My morals changed as well as my style of writing.
4. How did the major cultural, economic, and Political situations of the time impact your work as a writer?
My political system wasn’t that great. Growing up along other artist who were having the same problems gave us a common bond. Dimitri Shostakovich, often wrote symphony’s meant to convey the Stalinist regime and communist oppression that was hanging over us. (wiki, 2010)
As a writer my income was actually decent. I was never struggling and always had enough to support my family. My wife, Sophia, and My daughter, Alexandra, were important to me. I always made sure they were taken care of.
5. What were your major accomplishments and methods used in your writing?
Throughout my life I have written many books. I have written 35 works throughout my life some more famous than others. Much of my work focuses on war and different aspects of love and hate, covering many genre’s.
One of my greatest and most popular novels, is War and Peace. I wrote the book in 1869. It is claimed to have great details and very good imagery. I was able to write this well, because of my past experience in the war.
6. What were key opportunities you had that led to a turning point in your life, and art?
In the late 1860’s, I underwent a period of spiritual crisis. This was probably a result of the death’s of many close to me, and my growth into middle age. During this period, I questioned my old religion, and ideas. I had many doubts about the meaning of life in general. I withdrew from the Russian Orthodoxy, and began to practice a new religion, that was mainly based, on the New Testament, and the Sermon on the Mount. This focused on, reason, common sense, and many teachings such as, the holy trinity, and the promise of personal immortality. This new religion not only changed my ideas on life, but also affected my writing style.
My most important work after his conversion was, The Death of Ivan Ilych. Through this work, I tried to convey that happiness is a result of the right relationship within oneself. Many of my works, focused on the basis of human morality, and the natural rights of people. I wrote about my religion, and even wrote children’s books. (NYT web).
7. What personal choices did you make to become successful?
There are many reasons that I became successful. One example could be for my detailed account of war, or my thoughts of human morality. I am a prominent author that left a legacy of literature to entertain, and enlighten you.
I think I have become a famous author, not just for my, enormous number of books, but also for my ability, to interact with human emotion, and make it real for the reader. Throughout my life, I applied my everyday trials and personal events to my writing. I think that this set me apart as one of the greatest authors in literary history.
8. What hardships or roadblocks did you have to deal with in order to be an artist?
When I turned two, my mother died while giving birth to her fifth child. In 1837, when I was only nine, my father passed away. I joined the Russian army, which was not an easy thing to do. This in a way helped me by giving a lot of inspiration to my future writing.
In the late 1860’s I underwent a time of spiritual crisis. I questioned my old religion and converted to new ideas. This also however changed my writing. I started focusing more on the thoughts and ideals of humanity, and it was after this time that my childrens book was published. (online Lit 2010).
9. What kind of limitation did you run into both as an artist and as a person?
My personal limitations were always never an issue to me. “If you want to be happy, be.” When focusing on the issues of life for my later years of writing not much stopped me. I was working hard trying to improve humanity with my small ability as a writer. “And all people live, Not by reason of any care they have for themselves, But by the love for them that is in other people.” This is the message I was trying to convey. (brainy quote 2010).
As far as limitations go for the outside world, Life was hard in Russia. Before I made my transition in writing not many people read my work. But life gradually got better and I became a celebrity of my time. Not many limitations were against me, but I did my best to ignore the ones that were.
10. What personal stories best illustrate your success as a writer?
I believe that my most important life experience was the time that I spent in the military. I used the experience to write many books on war and provide amazing details that cannot be surpassed by those without the same experience. My epic novel, War and Peace is a terrific example of my own perspective on war. My ideas and details of the book provide a realism that authors without the same cannot replicate. War and Peace, is the story of Russia’s fears of the Napoleon conquest of Europe. It mostly follows the Rostov’s, A royal family in Russia.
Throughout the book, I, used expressive words, and details, to describe the characters, and setting. One instance that shows my descriptive nature can be found in volume III, part 1, Chapter six, of War and Peace. I describe, a man named Balashev as, “having hair that had just been brushed, but one lock had been left curling down in the middle of his broad forehead. His plump white neck stood out sharply against the black collar of his uniform(Tolstoy, War 648).” I believe that I went to the extent of describing the smell of the mans cologne. There is no doubt that I am a champion of description. I do this to provide a sense of realization and to keep the reader interested in the book until the very end.
I hope that this Interview has helped you understand better about my life and job as one of the top five writers in Literary history.
Bibliography
The New York Times, From “The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge” The New York Times. 10August 1988. Web. 4 December 2009
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