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Ariadna Efron-TsvetaevaDaughter of Marina Tsvetaeva
Date of Birth: 18.09.1912
Country:  Russia |
Content:
Biography of Ariadna Efron-Tsvetaeva
Ariadna Efron-Tsvetaeva, the daughter of Marina Tsvetaeva, was born on September 18, 1912. The bells of the Zamoskvorechenskaya Cathedral Church rang loudly at the hour of her birth, as if foretelling the significance and destiny that awaited the golden-haired newborn under the protection of God's wing.
Early Life
Ariadna grew up surrounded by love and the passionate, even jealous, attention of her mother, whom she saw as an extraordinary fairy or sorceress. Her earliest memory was of the silver bracelets on her mother's hands, the long, slightly cool fingers adorned with endless rings, and the golden, fluffy hair that sparkled in the sunlight.
She adored her "magical Marina" and would reach out her tiny hands as soon as she saw her, whispering "ma, mi," a reflection of her father's adoring smile. Marina and Sergei Efron became her parents early on, perhaps too early. Marina was only 20 years old in 1912, the year of Ariadna's birth, and Sergei was just a year younger. They met in Crimea, in Koktebel, on May 5, 1911, while Marina was visiting her friends Maximilian Voloshin and his mother Elena Ottobaldovna.
Marriage and Writing
On January 27, 1912, Marina Tsvetaeva and Sergei Efron were married. During the same weeks in January, Marina received her first and only literary award, the Pushkin Prize, for her poem "In Paradise." Her second book of poetry, "The Magic Lantern," was also published during this time, albeit with a lukewarm reception from critics.
Marina and Sergei traveled to Italy and France for three weeks before settling into their first family home on Bolshaya Polyanka Street. Marina continued to write and dream of having a daughter, a little delicate girl with Sergei's big eyes and flowing hair. Although Ariadna's hair remained light and she developed premature gray hair, her childhood was filled with enchantment, the first "seven years" of her life.
Childhood
Everything around her seemed like a fairytale during this time. Her room was a large, bright space with dolls, a soft, silver-gray wolf skin on the floor next to a white lace crib, and the intricate shadows from the leaves of a palm tree in a pot. Marina would read her fairytales and stories, and Ariadna would listen attentively, treasuring every word.
Even her christening, which took place on December 20, 1912, was extraordinary. Her godmother was E.O. Voloshina, a woman with an unusually short, masculine haircut and a strong, independent personality. The priest even initially mistook her for a man and was hesitant to perform the ceremony. Ivan Vladimirovich Tsvetaev, Marina's father and the director of the Museum of Fine Arts, had to use his tact and patience to resolve the misunderstanding.
Ariadna was deeply in love with her parents from a young age and understood their uniqueness. Her father was a great storyteller, able to transform into a lion before her eyes, while her mother was the center of her universe. Marina rarely punished her, only for accidentally tearing a book or wetting her pants during a walk. However, she also did not spoil her. The greatest indulgence for the young, clumsy Ariadna was being invited "to visit" in Marina's room, where she would find curious and mysterious things such as feathers, pencils, a hand-shaped writing desk, and a statuette of the Virgin Mary with hollow doors, containing an inkwell with a portrait of a handsome young man with golden epaulettes. Marina affectionately called him "Tuchkov the Fourth," as if he were a close friend.
Ariadna would gently touch the lacquered "tender face" of the inkwell with her delicate fingers. Marina strictly forbade her from touching anything else on the table. Sometimes, Ariadna would sneak a glance at the thick notebooks-albums with portraits of Sarah Bernhardt and Maria Bashkirtseva, filled with incomprehensible bird-shaped symbols on their white pages. Marina would refer to them as "poetry."
Ariadna quickly learned to read at the age of three, pronouncing words and understanding them in her own way. They often read fairytales and magical stories together, rewarding Ariadna for good behavior with the opportunity to indulge in her vivid imagination. However, as time went on, the rebellious spirit of the era gradually infiltrated Ariadna's happy, magical life.
Challenging Times
From 1914, a military hospital for wounded soldiers was established in the house of Marina's late father and her stepbrother Andrei in Trekhprudny Lane. Ariadna became aware of the turmoil caused by the war, and the theater-studio of Pavel Antokolsky, which she often visited with Marina, frequently staged performances to support the wounded and orphaned children.
The theater made an indelible impression on the highly emotive Ariadna. In her later years, she would recall the actors and their performances with great fondness. However, the enchanting, almost magical life of the young girl was gradually shattered by the spirit of the time.
In the house of the Voloshins and the Efron-Tsvetaevs, the world of art and literature intersected, and Ariadna grew up in the midst of this creative environment. Her mother, Marina Tsvetaeva, became one of the greatest Russian poets of the 20th century, and her father, Sergei Efron, was a prominent writer and journalist. However, their lives were marked by political turmoil, including the Russian Revolution and the subsequent Soviet regime.
As Ariadna grew older, her own artistic talent blossomed. She became a talented poet, writer, and translator, following in the footsteps of her parents. However, her life would be marred by the tragedies and challenges of the times, including the imprisonment and execution of her father, the exile of her mother, and her own experiences in Soviet labor camps.
Despite the hardships, Ariadna Efron-Tsvetaeva's legacy lives on through her poetry and writings, which reflect her unique perspective and the resilience of the human spirit.
