Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin: biography and creativity

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

Nikolai Karamzin, whose biography begins on December 1, 1766, was born in the Simbirsk province, in a poor noble family of educated and enlightened parents. He received his first education in the private boarding school of Professor Shaden. After that, like many other secular young people, he went to serve in the guards regiment, which was considered one of the best.

It was at this time that Nikolai Karamzin, whose brief biography is presented in this article, for the first time clearly realizes the need for his own path, different from the usual: a successful career, position in society, ranks and honors. All this did not attract the future writer at all. After serving in the army for less than a year, he retired with a low rank of lieutenant in 1784 and returned to his native Simbirsk.

Life in provincial Simbirsk

Outwardly, Karamzin lives a chaotic, scattered life of a secular man, shining with metropolitan manners and gallant treatment of ladies. Nikolai Mikhailovich dresses fashionably, takes care of his appearance, plays cards. At provincial balls he was a dexterous and brilliant cavalier. But all this is just the outward manifestation of his character.

At this time, Karamzin, whose biography is rich in rather unexpected turns and events, seriously thinks about his place in life, reads a lot, meets interesting people. He has already received a good education, but continues to develop, acquiring new knowledge in various fields. Most of all Karamzin is interested in history, literature and philosophy.

Family friend Ivan Petrovich Turgenev, a freemason and writer, who was in great friendship with Nikolai Ivanovich Novikov (who was also a freemason, a talented journalist, book publisher and satirical writer), played a certain role in the life of the future writer. On his advice, Nikolai Mikhailovich moved to Moscow and became acquainted with Novikov's circle. Thus began a new period in his life, covering the time from 1785 to 1789. Let's say a few words about him separately.

Meet the Freemasons

Four years of communication with the circle of Masons greatly changed the image of Karamzin, his life and thinking. Note that the history of Freemasonry in Russia has not yet been fully studied. For a long time it was considered by science as basically reactionary. However, in recent years, the point of view on this movement has changed somewhat.

Masonic lodges are special moral and religious circles, founded for the first time in England in the eighteenth century, and later in other states, including our country. At the core of the codewhich the Masons professed, lies the need for the spiritual self-improvement of man. They also had their own political programs, largely related to religious and moral ones. The activities of the Freemasons were characterized by theatrical rituals, mystery, chivalrous and other rituals that had a mystical connotation. She was saturated intellectually and spiritually, distinguished by high moral principles and seriousness. The Masons kept themselves apart. Such an atmosphere, described in general terms, has surrounded Karamzin since then. He began to communicate with the most interesting people: Nikolai Ivanovich Novikov (see photo below) and Alexei Mikhailovich Kutuzov. The influence of such outstanding personalities gave a powerful impetus to the development of writing talent and its creative self-determination.

First, Karamzin translates fiction into Russian, and later begins to write his first poetic works for the magazine "Children's Reading", the publisher of which was Nikolai Ivanovich Novikov. It was during this period that he realized his writing talent.

But now the period of self-determination ends, and with it the Masonic period of the young writer's life. The framework of Masonic lodges becomes cramped for him, he wants to know life in its richness, diversity and diversity. Becoming a professional writer requires firsthand experience of its good and bad sides. Therefore, Karamzin, whose biography is considered within the framework of this publication, leaves the Masons and goes on a journey.

Travel Europe

For this, Nikolai Mikhailovich mortgaged his ancestral estate and decided to spend all the money received on a trip to Europe, in order to describe it later. It was a very bold and unusual step for that time. Indeed, for Karamzin, it meant giving up living on the income from the hereditary estate and providing for himself at the expense of the labor of serfs. Now Nikolai Mikhailovich had to earn a living by his own work as a professional writer.

Abroad, he spent about a year and a half, traveling around Switzerland, Germany, England and France. Karamzin, whose biography is described in this article, got acquainted with interesting and outstanding people of these states, not at all feeling like a provincial, representing his country very worthily. He watched, he listened, he wrote. Nikolai Mikhailovich was attracted by people's dwellings, historical monuments, factories, universities, street festivities, taverns, village weddings.

He evaluated and compared the characters and mores of a particular nationality, studied the features of speech, wrote down descriptions of street scenes in his book, kept records of various conversations and his own thoughts. In the autumn of 1790, Karamzin returned to Russia, after which he began to publish the Moscow Journal, where he placed his articles, novels, and poems. The famous "Letters of a Russian Traveler" and "Poor Lisa", which brought him great fame, were printed here.

Almanac edition

Over the next few years, Nikolai Mikhailovich publishes almanacs, among which wasthe three-volume almanac "Aonides", written in verse, as well as the collection "My trinkets", which includes various stories and poems. Fame comes to Karamzin. He is known and loved not only in two capitals (St. Petersburg and Moscow), but throughout Russia.

Historical story "Martha Posadnitsa"

One of the first works of Karamzin written in prose is "Marfa Posadnitsa" published in 1803 (genre - historical story). It was written long before the fascination with the novels of W alter Scott began in Russia. This story showed Karamzin's attraction to antiquity, the classics as an unattainable ideal of morality, which was outlined as early as the mid-1790s in the utopia "Athenian Life".

In an epic, antique form, the struggle of Novgorodians with Moscow was presented in his work by Nikolai Karamzin. "Posadnitsa" touched upon important ideological issues: about the monarchy and the republic, about the people and leaders, about the "divine" historical predestination and disobedience to it of an individual. The author's sympathies were clearly on the side of the people of Novgorod and Martha, and not of monarchist Moscow. This story also revealed the ideological contradictions of the writer. Historical truth was undoubtedly on the side of the Novgorodians. However, Novgorod is doomed, bad omens are harbingers of the imminent death of the city, and later they are justified.

The story "Poor Lisa"

But the story had the greatest success"Poor Lisa", published back in 1792. Often found in Western literature of the eighteenth century, the story of how a nobleman seduced a peasant or bourgeois woman was first developed in Russian literature in this story by Karamzin. The biography of a morally pure, beautiful girl, as well as the idea that such tragic fates can also occur in the reality around us, contributed to the enormous success of this work. It was also important that N. M. Karamzin ("Poor Liza" became his "calling card") taught his readers to notice the beauty of their native nature and love it. The humanistic orientation of the work was invaluable for the literature of that time.

The story "Natalya, the boyar's daughter"

In the same year, 1792, the story "Natalia, the Boyar's Daughter" was born. It is not as well known as "Poor Liza", but it touches on very important moral issues that worried N. M.'s contemporaries. Karamzin. One of the most important in the work is the issue of honor.

Aleksey, beloved of Natalia, was an honest man who served the Russian Tsar. Therefore, he confessed to his "crime", that he had kidnapped the daughter of Matvey Andreev, the beloved boyar of the sovereign. But the tsar blesses their marriage, seeing that Alexei is a worthy person. The girl's father does the same. Finishing the story, the author writes that the newlyweds lived happily ever after and were buried together. They were distinguished by sincere love anddevotion to the sovereign.

In the story, which was created by Karamzin ("Boyar's daughter"), the question of honor is inseparable from serving the tsar. Happy is he whom the sovereign loves. Therefore, the life of this family is developing so well, because virtue is rewarded.

Deserved fame

Provincial youth read the works of Karamzin. The light, colloquial, natural style inherent in his works, the elegant and at the same time democratic artistic manner, were revolutionary in terms of the perception of the works by the public. For the first time, the concept of fascinating, interesting reading is being formed, and with it the literary worship of the author.

Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin, whose biography and work attracted many people, is very famous. Enthusiastic young people from all over the country come to Moscow just to look at their favorite writer. Lizin Pond, which became famous due to the events of the story "Poor Lisa", which took place here, located in the village of Kolomenskoye near Moscow, begins to play the role of a symbolic place, people come here to confess their love or feel lonely.

Work on the "History of the Russian State"

After a while, Karamzin abruptly and unexpectedly changes his life. Leaving fiction, he takes on a huge historical work - "The History of the Russian State." The idea of this work, apparently, has long been ripe in his imagination.

Alexander I, beloved grandson of Catherine II, began his reign at the beginning of the nineteenth century. At first he was a liberal and enlightened ruler. The historical narrative even included such a name as "Alexander's Spring".

A friend of Karamzin and a former teacher of the young Emperor M. N. Muravyov petitioned for Nikolai Mikhailovich to be appointed to the post of court historiographer. Such an appointment was very important for Karamzin and opened up great opportunities for him. Now he received a pension (as we know, the writer had no other means of subsistence). But most importantly, he was given access to historical archives, which were of great importance. Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin, whose biography is presented to your attention, plunged headlong into the work: he read manuscripts and books on history, sorted out ancient tomes, wrote out, compared.

It is hard to imagine what a great job the historian Karamzin did. Indeed, the creation of twelve volumes of his "History of the Russian State" took twenty-three years of hard work, from 1803 to 1826. The presentation of historical events was distinguished, as far as possible, by impartiality and reliability, as well as by an excellent artistic style. The narrative was brought to the "Time of Troubles" in the history of the Russian state. The death of Nikolai Mikhailovich did not allow the large-scale plan to be carried out to the end.

The works of Karamzin, his works, published in twelve volumes, followedone after another, evoked numerous reader responses. Perhaps, for the first time in history, a printed book provoked such a surge in the national consciousness of the inhabitants of Russia. Karamzin revealed his history to the people, explained his past.

The content of labor was perceived very ambiguously. Thus, freedom-loving youth was inclined to challenge the support of the monarchical system, which was shown on the pages of the "History of the Russian State" by the historian Karamzin. And the young Pushkin even wrote daring epigrams for a respectable historian in those years. In his opinion, this work proved "the necessity of autocracy and the charm of the whip."

Karamzin, whose books left no one indifferent, was always restrained in response to criticism, calmly perceived both ridicule and praise.

Opinion on the "History of the Russian State" A. S. Pushkin

Having moved to live in St. Petersburg, since 1816 he spends every summer in Tsarskoye Selo with his family. The Karamzins are hospitable hosts, hosting in their living room such famous poets as Vyazemsky, Zhukovsky and Batyushkov, as well as educated youth. Young A. S. often visited here. Pushkin, listening with rapture to how the elders read poetry, caring for his wife N. M. Karamzin, no longer young, but a charming and intelligent woman, to whom he even decided to send a declaration of love. The wise and experienced Karamzin forgave the young man's trick, as well as his impudent epigrams to "History".

Ten years later, Pushkin, already a mature man, is differentlook at the great work of Nikolai Mikhailovich. In 1826, while in exile in Mikhailovskoye, he wrote in his "Note on Public Education" that the history of Russia should be taught according to Karamzin, and called this work not only the work of a great historian, but also the feat of an honest man.

On the part of Alexander Sergeevich, this was not a gesture of loy alty towards the authorities with the hope of pardon and return from exile. Far from it, because a year later, after his return, Pushkin will again return to the "History", once again appreciating it.

Last years of life

Karamzin's characterization would be incomplete without a description of the last years of his life. The last ten years have passed very happily. He was friends with the tsar himself, Alexander I. Friends often walked together in Tsarskoye Selo park, talking for a long time, peacefully and sedately. It is quite possible that the emperor, realizing the nobility and decency of Nikolai Mikhailovich, told him much more than the palace officials. Karamzin often disagreed with the arguments and thoughts of Alexander I. However, he did not take offense at all, but listened carefully and took note. The "Note on Ancient and New Russia", which the writer handed to the emperor, contains many points in which the historian did not agree with the policy of the government of that time.

Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin, whose books were very popular during his lifetime, did not aspire to either awards or ranks. True, it should be said that he had a sash, which, however, he always treated withlight irony and humor.