20 Interesting Facts About Great Writers.

The whole world is reading their works. But not all readers are familiar with the life of famous writers and interesting situations from their biographies. In our article we will share 20 interesting facts from the life of great writers of the past and present, we will tell entertaining stories from the biographies of famous Russian and foreign writers.

1. Fact 1: Fyodor Dostoevsky He trained both of his sons for the profession of engineers. Perhaps this is due to the financial difficulties that the writer constantly experienced. Together with his brother, who was also a writer, they published a magazine. However, they got into huge debts that had to be paid until the end of their lives. But the sons of Fyodor Mikhailovich still followed in his footsteps.
2. Fact 2: Anton Chekhov No other writer can boast as many pen names as Anton Chekhov. The most famous of them is Antoshe Chekhonte, and the surname of the writer itself causes a lot of controversy. Some believe that it has nothing to do with the Czech nationality, but comes from the old Russian name Czech, Chokh.
3. Fact 3: Nikolai Gogol Nikolai Gogol's passion was not only literature. He gladly spent his leisure time doing something unexpected for a man - handicrafts. He was engaged in knitting, sewing and even weaving belts. Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol often delighted his sisters with dresses made with his own hands, and he also loved to wear his own scarves.
4. Fact 4: Mikhail Bulgakov Mikhail Bulgakov was born into a family with many doctors. This profession was revered and considered profitable. Following the advice of his parents, the future writer entered the Kiev Medical University, and after graduation he worked as a surgeon and venereologist. And he could devote only evenings to his favorite business - writing. But already in 1920 he completely devoted himself to literature.
5. Fact 5: Jules Verne The author of so many adventure books did not travel so often, although he dreamed about it since childhood. The first reason was his father, who managed to track down 11-year-old Jules Verne when he ran away from home to become a cabin boy on a ship. After that, there was training in seminary and writing, and only at the zenith of his fame was he able to fulfill his childhood dream - to swim in the sea. To do this, he bought three luxury yachts at once.
6. Fact 6: Ernest Hemingway Throughout his life, Ernest Hemingway struggled with death. He wrote his first journalistic essay about the fire after visiting the scene, but luckily only his suit was damaged. In the war, he was able to snatch an Italian sniper, but he also suffered massive wounds, survived two car accidents, was able to recover from skin cancer and anthrax, and recovered from a skull fracture and spinal fracture.
7. Fact 7: Ivan Bunin Ivan Bunin had many interesting hobbies. He loved collecting bottles of medicines, and also amused himself by guessing the appearance of people by their heads, hands and feet. The writer was superstitious. He was afraid of the number 13 and the letter "F". He had such a lively facial expression that Stanislavsky offered him a role in the theater more than once. Many diseases of the writer existed only in his imagination.
8. Fact 8: Maxim Gorky Maxim Gorky had an interesting relationship with the Soviet regime. He shared the views of the Bolsheviks, but did not support the October Revolution. As the most published writer in the USSR, he used all his influence to save unjustly convicted political prisoners. Unlike most Soviet citizens, Maxim Gorky had the opportunity not only to visit other countries, but also to live abroad for 18 years.
9. Fact 9: Ivan Turgenev Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev spent his early years in Germany, where he littered his parents' money generously. To teach her never-do-well son a lesson, his mother sent him a package. The future writer gave the last money to pay for the heavy package and, in anticipation of expensive gifts and financial support, began to open the package. What a great disappointment befell him after ... there were bricks in the parcel.
10. Fact 10: Hans Christian Andersen Andersen's tales are read by millions of children and adults. His books are strongly associated with childhood, and many cartoons and films were shot based on his works, but Hans Christian also had an idol. They found a book with the autograph of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. The storyteller treasured this copy very much and kept it until the end of his life.
11. Fact 11: Vasily Shukshin Vasily Shukshin's first marriage ended in failure. He fell in love with Maria, a girl from his own village. However, leaving the registry office, the couple quarreled over a trip to Moscow. Vasily planned to go to the capital to study, and his young wife did not agree to follow him. Shukshin left and wanted to get a divorce, but Maria never gave her consent to a divorce. Then the resourceful Vasily, having fallen in love with another woman, found a way out. He “lost” his passport, and when he received a new one it did not indicate his status as a married person.
12. Fact 12: Nikolay Nekrasov Nekrasov had tender feelings for his mother. She came from a wealthy family, but married against the will of her parents, which not only deprived her of financial support, but also family relationships. His mother was very kind and gentle; her character was in sharp contrast to her father's temperament - harsh and oppressive. Nekrasov did not like his father, although he was very similar to him in character.
13. Fact 13: Vladimir Nabokov Vladimir had to leave several times for security reasons. After the October Revolution, his family first moved to Crimea, and then emigrated to Germany, where young Nabokov lived for a long time, earning a living by teaching English. During this period, he married a Jewish girl. After anti-Semitism was propagandized in Germany, Nabokov was forced to emigrate a second time - to the United States.
14. Fact 14: Oscar Wilde Oscar Wilde was born in an intelligent family. His mother also studied literature and wrote poetry. The writer was taught good manners, one of which would now be considered strange. He always changed his clothes before going out to dinner. He kept this habit until the end of his life, claiming that he would do so even on an uninhabited island.
15. Fact 15: Alexandre Dumas The great writer took his nickname from his slave grandmother. She was originally from Africa, and she was called Marie du Ma, which means "home Marie." She became the mistress of the French marquis and gave birth to four children from him. The wayward marquis sold all the four children into slavery and only a few years later took mercy on his eldest son, ransoming him. The slave who got his freedom became the father of the world famous writer.
16. Fact 16: Jane Austen When the future English writer was 26 years old, she received a marriage proposal from a man 5 years younger than her. This age difference embarrassed her, but since he was the son of close family friends, she agreed. However, the very next day after the engagement, the wayward Jane absolutely refused to marry without love. The engagement was terminated, and the girl never married, devoting her life to creativity.
17. Fact 17: Charles Dickens As a teenager, Charles found himself in a difficult situation. His family was very poor, and his father was imprisoned because he could not cope with the payment of obligations on debts. The law of that time obliged not only the man, but also his wife to be held accountable. So Dickens's mother also ended up in a prison cell. The boy had to work to feed himself.
18. Fact 18: Ray Bradbury The science fiction writer had wild imagination and fulfilled his talent not only in books. He created a legend according to which his great-grandmother was a powerful witch. Many believed in this story. The writer had phenomenal memory and claimed to remember all the events in his life, including the moment of cutting the umbilical cord.
19. Fact 19: Leo Tolstoy Leo Tolstoy had very illegible handwriting. In order for publishers to print his works, his wife and daughter were forced to rewrite the manuscripts. It is worth mentioning here that the complete collection of his works is contained in 90 large volumes.
20. Fact 20: Margaret Mitchell Margaret Mitchell - the author of the world famous novel "Gone with the Wind" has always denied her resemblance to the main character. However, biographers noted many facts that coincided. For example, the restless and purposeful nature of the writer in her youth, and her first marriage was reminiscent of the relationship between Scarlett and Ray.