Old Russian writer Daniil Zatochnik: biography, works

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

Daniil Zatochnik is the author of one of the most famous works in ancient Russian literature. His essay is the subject of long scientific discussions, it is included in the education program at the historical faculties. The reason for this attitude is that his work is the brightest monument of the era, reflecting the thought of a representative of the middle strata of society.

Biography in Brief

Daniel Zatochnik, whose biography is almost unknown, most likely came from people who in one way or another were related to the princely service. At least that's what most historians think. Some believe that he was a craftsman by profession, but most experts still agree that he was close to the princely environment, since in his works he reveals knowledge of how things were going with the rulers.

In science, opinions are expressed that he may have been a member of a junior squad, others suggest that he was an adviser to the prince (a Duma member in old Russian terminology). But the abundance of colloquial vocabulary, folk aphorisms, sayings in his writings testifies to the fact that he was close to popular circles. Majorityhistorians agree that he was a native of the city of Pereyaslavl. In his works there are appeals to the ruler of this city. Subsequently, he was exiled, imprisoned, or he himself voluntarily took over forced labor on Lake Lache (Olonets region). One of the chronicles mentions that it was in this area that he lived. Historians believe that Daniil Zatochnik lived in the 12th century, but some attribute the years of his life to the 13th century.

Features of works

This man was remembered for his writings, dating, the content of which is still controversial among experts. Researchers cannot decide whether the two monuments that have come down to us, the authorship of which is attributed to him, are one work, but in different editions, or are they still different works belonging to different people. “Prayer” by Daniil Zatochnik is an appeal to the prince, in which the author complains about his unfair fate, laments the misfortunes that befell him and asks his ruler to help him, to save him from trouble, as he himself put it. A characteristic feature of this monument is that for the first time the idea of the needs and aspirations of the middle nobility sounded distinctly in it. At least, this is how scientists characterize these sources. The "Word" of Daniil Zatochnik is textually close to the above source, so they are often considered as a whole. However, this also makes it difficult to determine the dates of these works.

Meaning in Literature

These works were very popular in Russia: theyrewritten, added and, obviously, were perceived as sources of worldly wisdom. These various stratifications and stratifications make it very difficult to determine the original source text, and yet historians have generally reconstructed these monuments in their original form. "Prayer" by Daniil Zatochnik is, according to a number of researchers, the most interesting monument of noble journalistic thought, which subsequently influenced the development of public consciousness. It is this circumstance that explains such interest in the monument, since it is a kind of reflection of the interests and aspirations of one of the main classes in Ancient Russia.

Language

The storytelling style has long been a subject of interest for many historians, as it demonstrates the author's range of interests. These works contain quotations from the Holy Scriptures and other well-known books. Daniil Zatochnik seems to be a very educated and well-read person. He himself admitted that he loved to read, in which he found consolation for himself. The work contains quotations from other works. This speaks of the great erudition and education of the author. At the same time, the work contains many sayings and proverbs, as well as aphorisms, which the author calls worldly wisdom. The content of "Prayer" by Daniil Zatochnik is interesting in the sense that it shows the author's broad outlook.

The combination of book quotes and folk expressions proves that the writer had an excellent command of the literary style, since, obviously, he belonged to an educated circle of people. He alsoreferred to and quoted excerpts from the "Izbornik" - a work that was written in 1073. From a lexical point of view, the work is also extremely interesting: it includes a plea, a request, a petition, and at the same time it contains satire, pamphlet attacks, teachings, allegories.

The problem of addressees

Science has not resolved the question of who exactly Daniil Zatochnik addressed his essay to. It is believed that the first edition was addressed to the son of Vladimir Monomakh, Yaroslav, but many scholars dispute this version, believing that it was sent to Yuri Dolgoruky or his brother Andrei Dobry. Regarding the second edition, there are no such discrepancies. Most authors admit that the message was intended for the prince who ruled in Pereyaslavl.

Historical context

The mention of the possibility of the conquest of the Russian land by the Tatars suggests that the work was written in the 13th century, just at the time when there was a real threat of the Mongol invasion. Daniil Zatochnik, whose works reflected the realities of that era, judged by the text, reacted very vividly to the events taking place around him and, despite his imprisonment, was well-informed and observant, which increases the value of the source. In it, the writer asks the prince to return him to his service as an adviser. The author himself, although he speaks of himself in a derogatory tone, nevertheless, quite obviously, knows the value of his knowledge. This suggests that in the 12-13 centuries the role of the nobility under the prince increased, moreover, the circle of knowledgeable and educated people expanded.people.

"Prayer" by Daniil Zatochnik, the analysis of which allows a better understanding of the structure of ancient Russian society, is a vivid monument of the time under study, because the author reflected the realities of the social structure of Ancient Russia in the 12th-13th centuries. On its basis, readers can judge what the estates were like on the eve of the Tatar-Mongol invasion. The essay contains a description of the princely administration (the author is talking about tiuns, princely household managers), a social structure (the author is talking about the Ryadovichi), and there is also some information about the grand ducal administration (there are references to the estate and the court of the ruler). All this is an expressive sketch of ancient Russian life in the mentioned centuries. The creation of the “Prayer” by Daniil Zatochnik is an important stage not only in ancient Russian chronicle writing, but also in Russian literature in general. As a publicistic monument, it is also a spokesman for the interests of the nobility.

The ratio of two products

It has already been said above that science has not yet resolved the question of how these two monuments are interconnected. In science, there is a point of view that the second option (meaning "Prayer") is more specific and historical, and that it is possible to more or less trace the fate of the author from it. Judging by the context, he suffered humiliation from the boyars or was in some way dependent on them. Obviously, he found himself in poverty and legal incompetence and therefore seeks protection and support fromprince. In addition, the second version contains a number of historical facts, while the first version is more generalized and therefore called the "Word". In ancient Russian literature, this meant a genre that involved discussion on a topic in order to convince the interlocutor.

Influence of the era

The author is credited with another work - "The Word about the destruction of the Russian land." However, this view has not been confirmed in the literature. This work was written after the devastation of the Russian lands by the Mongol-Tatars. Some historians believe that the author of this work was a South Russian scribe. This monument, along with the writings of Daniil Zatochnik, should be considered in the context of the development of ancient Russian literature, which in the era under consideration reacted very vividly to the events taking place around. Their authors not only described the events taking place around them, but also expressed their attitude towards them and gave their assessments of certain incidents, of which they became contemporaries. One of the clearest examples is the essay “The Word about the Destruction of the Russian Land”, written in the 13th century, in which the author expressed grief over the ruin of Russian regions and cities.