Ivan Dmitriev: fabulist and statesman

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

How many of us today can say who Ivan Dmitriev is? Meanwhile, the name of this man was once well known to his contemporaries, because Ivan Ivanovich glorified himself both in the literary and state fields.

Let's consider the biography of this person in more detail.

Years of childhood and youth

The future Russian fabulist Ivan Dmitriev was born in September 1760 on his father's estate, located in the Kazan province. The boy belonged to the noble family of the Dmitrievs, who descended from the Smolensk princes.

Vanya received a good education at home, and then continued his studies at a private boarding school in Simbirsk.

The fate of his family was influenced by the uprising led by Pugachev, which forced his parents to move to the capital. Young Ivan was enrolled in the Semyonovsky regiment, and although Ivan Ivanovich Dmitriev was completely unwilling to military service, he obeyed the will of his parents and became a military man.

Teachers of the future writer

Great influence on the formation of a young person's personalityprovided by two wonderful Russian writers - two outstanding Nikolai: N. I. Novikov and N. M. Karamzin.

It was Novikov who began printing the first poems of the young Dmitriev in his journals, captivated him with satire, which later grew into a passion for fables.

N. Karamzin, being a distant relative of Dmitriev, introduced the young man to the works of Western classics of sentimentalism and helped him find his place in Russian literature of that time. In the magazine, which was published by Nikolai Mikhailovich, Dmitriev's poem "The dove dove is moaning" was printed. This work glorified the young poet.

The third great teacher of Dmitriev was the famous Russian poet Derzhavin, who, after getting acquainted with the work of Ivan Ivanovich, not only gave him a lot of good advice, but also introduced him to his literary friends.

First literary successes

Ivan Ivanovich Dmitriev published his first poetry collection in 1795. He called it "And my trinkets." Such an unusual name was associated with the history of the birth of this collection.

The fact is that initially Karamzin and Dmitriev planned to release a joint collection of poems, but this intention was not fulfilled for some reason. Before 1795, Karamzin published a collection and called it “My knick-knacks”, later Dmitriev’s book was published, which echoed the brainchild of N. M. Karamzin.

A feature of these two collections was the use of the letter "yo" in the texts, which was born in the work of Karamzin.

Stateservice

Ivan Dmitriev continues to serve his Fatherland throughout the reign of Catherine the Great. Even his passion for literary activity did not force him to resign. In 1796, a rather unpleasant incident happened to him: he was arrested on a false denunciation (the authorities assumed that Dmitriev was preparing an attempt on the life of the new emperor Pavel Petrovich). However, the lie of the scammer was exposed, and Emperor Pavel showered Dmitriev with his favors.

Appointed to a high government post, Dmitriev is really trying to serve not for a big salary, but for his conscience. However, he fails, and in 1799 he resigns.

The new emperor Alexander Pavlovich calls on the already middle-aged Dmitriev to return to service. To which he replies with his consent.

Ivan Dmitriev becomes a senator and then a member of the State Council. It serves well, trying to really make every effort. However, the intrigues and intrigues of ill-wishers tortured Dmitriev. Tired of them, Ivan Ivanovich resigned. The emperor said goodbye to the poet that he hoped for his return to public service, but this never happened.

Ivan Dmitriev: fables and other writings

In the history of Russian literature, Ivan Ivanovich entered as a collector of Russian folklore, translator and fabulist. Such poems as "Ermak", "To the Volga", "Alien sense" and others brought him fame.

In his works he managed to embody both the quiet lyricism of Karamzin's poetry and the solemnity of Derzhavin,and Novikov's satire.

In addition to his own literary works, Ivan Ivanovich took part in the fate of his namesake, the famous fabulist Krylov, helped him establish that fables are his real vocation, and also contributed to the determination of the very young A. S. Pushkin in the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, which greatly helped the development of the talent of the great Russian poet.

Died Ivan Ivanovich at the age of 77 in Moscow, in October 1837. He was buried at the Donskoy cemetery. His grave has survived to this day.

The biography of Ivan Dmitriev is an example of the life of a Russian nobleman and writer. An honest and fair man who was able to create good literary works, was a student of famous Russian poets, he himself was able to help novice writers enter the rich and multifaceted world called "Russian literature". Therefore, the example of this person's life is very instructive.