Vladimir Korolenko

Vladimir Korolenko was a prominent Russian writer, journalist, and human rights activist of Ukrainian origin. He was born in Zhytomyr, Ukraine, in 1853, to a Ukrainian Cossack father and a Polish mother. He studied engineering and agriculture in Saint Petersburg and Moscow, but was expelled from both institutions for his involvement in revolutionary activities. He was arrested and exiled to Siberia in 1879, where he spent five years in various locations, including Yakutia. During his exile, he wrote many of his famous short stories, such as "Makar's Dream", "The Blind Musician", and "The Day of an Eclipse". He also became interested in the culture and folklore of the local people, and learned their languages. He returned to European Russia in 1884, and settled in Nizhny Novgorod, where he edited the newspaper Nizhegorodsky Listok. He became a prominent public figure, advocating for the rights of the oppressed and persecuted, such as the Jews, the peasants, the political prisoners, and the ethnic minorities. He also befriended and supported many young writers, such as Maxim Gorky, Anton Chekhov, and Leo Tolstoy. He was a vocal critic of the tsarist regime, and later of the Bolsheviks, whom he considered as tyrannical and violent. He refused to cooperate with the Soviet government, and retired to Poltava, Ukraine, in 1917, where he worked on his unfinished autobiography, "The History of My Contemporary". He died of heart failure in Poltava on December 25, 1921, at the age of 68. He was buried in the city cemetery, where his grave is still visited by admirers of his work. Vladimir Korolenko was a writer of great talent and compassion, who depicted the lives of the downtrodden and the marginalized with sympathy and insight. He was also a courageous and principled activist, who fought for justice and human dignity in a time of turmoil and oppression. He left a lasting legacy in Russian literature and culture, and influenced many generations of writers and readers.