The complete novel was first published in New York by the ChEkhov Publishing House in 1952. Fragments of the novel were published in the newspapers “Days” (1927), “Latest news” (1928 — 1929), “Russia” (1927), in “Modern Notes” (1928 — 1929). The first four books of the novel were published as a separate book in Paris in 1930 with the subtitle “the Origins of Days”. According to IvAn AleksEevich, he began to work on the novel on July 22, 1927. GalIna KuznetsOva wrote on January 12, 1929:
“We talked about the reviews for ArsEniev”s Life and, in particular, about the WEidle”s review, who wrote that this novel is a kind of enthusiastic hymn to life, to the beauty of the world, to himself, and compared this novel with an ode. And this is completely right. And I got an idea that struck me. Now, when everyone around us is crying about the spiritual deterioration inside the emigration community for which there are some good reasons — grief, adversity, lots of deaths — all this has affected us badly — while other writers write either something sullen or plaintive, or ecclesiastical, or just funereal, like almost all poets; in distress, hardship and loneliness, deprived of his homeland and everything connected with it, a “fanatic” or, as the Bolsheviks called him, “Grand Inquisitor”, BUnin enthusiastically praises the Creator, Heaven and earth, who gave birth to him and allowed him to see much more misery, humiliation, and grief than happiness and joy. When else? During the most difficult time for him, not only in general, but also in a personal, individual sense… Yes, this is a real miracle, and no one sees this miracle, no one can understand it! What a great gift of mental and physical health (in spite of everything) the Lord gave him! ’
Aldanov M.A. ‘About Bunin’
“We talked about the reviews for ArsEniev”s Life and, in particular, about the WEidle”s review, who wrote that this novel is a kind of enthusiastic hymn to life, to the beauty of the world, to himself, and compared this novel with an ode. And this is completely right. And I got an idea that struck me. Now, when everyone around us is crying about the spiritual deterioration inside the emigration community for which there are some good reasons — grief, adversity, lots of deaths — all this has affected us badly — while other writers write either something sullen or plaintive, or ecclesiastical, or just funereal, like almost all poets; in distress, hardship and loneliness, deprived of his homeland and everything connected with it, a “fanatic” or, as the Bolsheviks called him, “Grand Inquisitor”, BUnin enthusiastically praises the Creator, Heaven and earth, who gave birth to him and allowed him to see much more misery, humiliation, and grief than happiness and joy. When else? During the most difficult time for him, not only in general, but also in a personal, individual sense… Yes, this is a real miracle, and no one sees this miracle, no one can understand it! What a great gift of mental and physical health (in spite of everything) the Lord gave him! ’
Kuznetsova G.N. ‘Grasse diary’
‘Ivan Alekseevich was angry he heard other people saying that Arseniev”s Life was an autobiography. Of course, Arseniev is not 100% Bunin, but there is a lot of Bunin in him: his thoughts, his feelings, his views on life, his attitude to people. Many times Bunin was offered to write the second volume, but he always refused: “I wrote there about people who had died long before, about things that are forever over. In the continuation of the novel I would have to write in an artistic form about those who are still alive — how can I do this?” And I never wrote it’.
Irina Odoevtseva had interesting memories about the meetings with Ivan Alekseevich. They discussed many different topics. Bunin told her the following things about his novel:
‘Everyone thinks that Arseniev’s Life is my autobiography. But I didn’t write about many things, very many things, the most difficult ones. “Arseniev”s Life” is much happier than my life. Many things were hidden, many were embellished. But no one believes it. And this makes me frustrated. — Ivan Alekseevich, why don’t you write comments on the ‘Arseniev”s Life’ and put everything in its place? He winced ‘Well, no. That’s not needed. I’m not able to do this. I was just trying to write the truth about myself. But I failed. It must be from mental shyness. I am painfully shy, chaste, and self-conscious inside myself -although no one believes me. I’m kind of ashamed to write the truth about myself’.
Odoevtseva I.V. “On the Seine shores”
‘Everyone thinks that Arseniev’s Life is my autobiography. But I didn’t write about many things, very many things, the most difficult ones. “Arseniev”s Life” is much happier than my life. Many things were hidden, many were embellished. But no one believes it. And this makes me frustrated. — Ivan Alekseevich, why don’t you write comments on the ‘Arseniev”s Life’ and put everything in its place? He winced ‘Well, no. That’s not needed. I’m not able to do this. I was just trying to write the truth about myself. But I failed. It must be from mental shyness. I am painfully shy, chaste, and self-conscious inside myself -although no one believes me. I’m kind of ashamed to write the truth about myself’.
Odoevtseva I.V. “On the Seine shores”
