Ostrovsky, Alexander (1823-1886), was one of the most important dramatists in Russian literature. Ostrovsky was especially significant in establishing Realism as a vital movement in Russian drama. He has been praised for his ear for everyday speech, his vivid character portrayals, his psychological insight, and his explorations into the lives of the merchant social class in Moscow.
Ostrovsky wrote almost 50 tragedies and comedies, many occupying a permanent place in the repertory of Russian theaters to the present day. In 1847, drafts of his first full-length play, The Bankrupt were circulated. The revised play was published in 1850 and staged under the title It’s a Family Affair, We’ll Settle It Ourselves. It centers around a swindling merchant. The play aroused the anger of the government, resulting in Ostrovsky’s dismissal from his civil service job and the play’s ban from Russian stages for 13 years. Perhaps Ostrovsky’s most famous play is The Storm (also called The Thunderstorm, 1860), a tragedy about the destruction of a young woman by her repressive family. His other major plays include the folk drama Poverty Is No Crime (1854), and the satiric comedy Too Clever by Half, (also called The Diary of a Scoundrel, 1868).
Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky was born on April 12, 1823, in Moscow. His father was a lawyer employed in a court that specialized in merchant affairs, and Ostrovsky himself held a minor position in a court that dealt with commerce. Ostrovsky thus saw the corrupt business activities of the merchant class first hand. Ostrovsky was associated with Moscow’s Maly Theatre, which staged all his plays. In 1885, he became artistic director of the Imperial Theaters of Moscow. He died on June 14, 1886.
