Alexander Nikolayevich
Ostrovsky
1823-1886
Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky was a Russian playwright whose work played a significant role in the development of Russian drama and theatre. He was born in Moscow on 12 April, 1823. Ostrovsky was educated at home. His father had a large library where Alexander first began to read Russian literature. However, his father wanted his son to have a legal education. In 1835, Ostrovsky began his studies at the gymnasium and then entered the Moscow University’s Faculty of Law. Because of his passion for theatre and literature, he never finished his university studies. At his father’s insistence, Alexander Ostrovsky worked as a court scribe until 1851. In 1849, Ostrovsky wrote ” It’s a Family Affair – We’ll Settle It Ourselves”, which brought him literary fame and was highly praised by Nikolai Gogol and Ivan Goncharov. Despite censorship, many of his plays and books were published. A.N. Ostrovsky wrote 47 plays – social and domestic dramas, comedies, historical dramas and fairy tales. Among them are “Bespridannitsa”, “Thunderstorm”, “The Forest”, “The Guilty Without Guilt”, “Talents and Admirers” and others, which made up the golden fund of Russian dramaturgy. From 1856 the writer participated in the publication of the magazine “Sovremennik”. In 1866 Ostrovsky founded the Artistic Circle, thanks to which many talented people joined the theatre circle. Together with the Artistic Circle he significantly reformed and developed the Russian theatre. In 1874 the Society of Russian Playwrights and Opera Composers was founded, and Ostrovsky remained its permanent chairman until his death. As a member of the Commission for the Revision of the Statutory Regulations on All Aspects of Theatre Management, set up in 1881 by the Directorate of the Imperial Theatres of the Russian Empire, he achieved many changes that significantly improved the situation of artists. In 1885 Ostrovsky was appointed as head of the repertory department of the Moscow theatres and head of the theatre school. A.N. Ostrovsky is the creator and reformer of Russian national realistic theatre. His “socially significant drama” (N. Dobrolyubov) brought to the stage representatives of all classes, the lively, peculiar speech of townspeople was heard, dramatic collisions became characterised by every day, historical and psychological authenticity. The monument to the writer Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky was erected in Moscow in 1929 in Theatre Square in front of the Maly Theatre. The sculptor was Nikolai Andreev, the architect was Fyodor Shechtel. The sculpture is made of bronze and stands on a granite pedestal.
Address: Moscow, Teatralnaya Square
