Eroshenko Part two

If you have only just begun to take an interest in Esperanto and wish to know some basic information about this fascinating subject, please start your reading at the first article of this series. Having already completed 73 articles, I am now at the stage of writing articles for those readers who have learned quite a lot about the Esperanto language and movement already, and who are now wanting to find out more than just the basic introductory information. To get to the beginning of this series, please just click here:

http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/1146...

After you have read the first article, click on the link at the top of the page which says "Articles" to find the rest of the series, which is listed in reverse chronological order. _______________________________________________________

When Vasilij Eroshenko was nine years old, his well-to-do parents tried to give him a good education despite his physical handicap. All seven children in the family received a good education and when he was nine years old Eroshenko was sent to a special school for blind children in Moscow, very far away from his home. He remained there for eight years and during that time, as well as receiving a good all-round education, he learned how to play the violin. In 1907, when he was 17 years old, he left the school and joined a special orchestra for blind musicians.

At about the same time, he met an Esperantist called Anna Sharapova (1863-1923) who had translated some of Tolstoy's short pieces into Esperanto. This decisive meeting marked a real turning point in Eroshenko's life, because it was Anna who persuaded him to learn Esperanto and she also encouraged him go to England and study music there. About five years later, in 1912, Eroshenko, having become fluent in Esperanto, set off alone on the first of his many long trips to far-off countries. On the way to England, he was welcomed and looked after by Esperantists in Germany and France. And when he arrived in London he met a blind British Esperantist, W.P Merrick (1868-1956), who was to have a very long and distinguished career in the British Esperanto movement.

Perhaps Rik Dalton, who has already contributed a lot of useful information to this series of articles, could tell us more about W.P. Merrick via the Discussion Forum. How about it Rik?

After three months, Eroshenko was accepted into the Royal Normal College, a tertiary institution for the blind, but he was not able to settle down happily in England and he returned to Russia the same year. (In one autobiographical work he mentioned the fact that when he stayed with P. Blaise, a Belgian Esperantist living in England, "it was the happiest part of my stay in England." But since that happy time only lasted for 10 days we can draw our own conclusions!) It is interesting that Eroshenko seems to have been so much more at home in the Far East than in the West.

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