Aleksey Zhemchuzhnikov
Encyclopedia
Aleksey Mikhailovich Zhemchuzhnikov , 1821, Pochep
, Chernigov Governorate
, Russian Empire
, - March 25 (April 7), 1908, Tambov
, Russia) was a Russian
poet
, dramatist, essay
ist and literary critic, a nephew of Antony Pogorelsky
, a cousin to A.K. Tolstoy
and co-creator of Kozma Prutkov
, the famous mid-nineteenth century comical literary character.
) and up until 14 stayed at home, receiving private education. In 1835, after a short stint at Saint Petersburgh's 1st Gymnasium he joined the College of Law, that of which Prince Oldenburg was a trustee. It was "the set of high ideals and honourable aspirations" he's got in this college, that formed the basis of his outlook and life philosophy.
After the graduation in 1841 Zhemchuzhnilov joined the Russian Senate as an official, in 1847 he moved to the Ministry of Justice and in 1849 to the State Chancellery, all the while suffering greatly from "stupid mechanical routine" of these offices, seeking solace partly in high society’s frivolous pleasures but more and more in literature exercises and numerous intellectual circles, including that of Mikhail Petrashevsky
.
In the late 1840s Aleksey Zhemchuzhnikov alongside brothers Vladimir and Aleksander, as well as Aleksey K. Tolstoy, created the Kozma Prutkov
character which soon became famous. The Fantasy, a comedy he co-wrote with Tolstoy, was premiered on January 8, 1951 and was a spectacular flop; Nikolay I demonstratively left the theater, outraged "with the absurdity of what's been going on stage", and the play was promptly banned. Not long before this, in 1850, Aleksey Zhemchuzhnikov made his own debut in Sovremennik
's February issue with his comedy The Strange Night (Странная ночь). In 1952 another comedy of his, The Madman (Cумасшедший) appeared in Sovremennik (#11). All through the 1850s his poems appeared in satirical Svistok (The Whistle) magazine, in Otechestvennye Zapisky, Biblioteka Dlya Tchtenya (The Reader’s Library), Iskra magazine and others. On January 1, 1858, Zhemchuzhnikov quit the state service and started a new life, enjoying of "total private freedom", striking friendships with people like Sergey Aksakov, Ivan Turgenev
, Vladimir Odoyevsky, Fyodor Tyutchev
. In 1858 he married Yelizaveta Dyakova.
A sort of creative crisis made Zhemchuzhnikov (who felt he was turning into a sub-Nekrasov type of a poet) stop writing, leave the capital and move first to Kaluga
, then Moscow
. From the mid-1860s he lived mostly in Europe - Germany
, Switzerland
, Italy
and Southern France
. In the late 1860s he returned to literature and started to contribute again to Otechestvennye Zapisky. Another long gap in Aleksey Zhemchuzhnikov’s career was caused by his wife's illness. She died in 1875. In 1880s he again started publishing poems, aminly in Vestnik Evropy
, a magazine whose editorship and authors he had friendly relations with.
In 1892 in Saint Petersburg Aleksey Zhemchuzhnikov's first volume of Select Poems came out in two volumes which received exceedingly warm reviews.
From 1884 Zhemchuzhnikov lived mostly in Pavlovka village in Orlovskaya Governorate, from 1890 - in Tambov and Ilyinovka village. Another collection, critically acclaimed Songs of the Old Age (Песни старости, 1900), made Zhemchuzhnikov one of Russia's most respected authors of the early 1900s. In 1899 he became the Honorary member of the Lovers of Russian Literature society and in 1900 an Honorary member of the Saint Petersburgh Academy. He died in Tambov
in 1908.
Pochep
Pochep is a town in Pochepsky District of Bryansk Oblast, Russia, located southwest of Bryansk. Population: -History:The origin of Pochep is unknown but it was mentioned in the 15th century as an important town of the Great Duchy of Lithuania...
, Chernigov Governorate
Chernigov Governorate
The Chernigov Governorate , also known as the Government of Chernigov, was a guberniya in the historical Left-bank Ukraine region of the Russian Empire, which was officially created in 1802 from the disbanded Malorossiya Governorate with an administrative centre of Chernigov...
, Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, - March 25 (April 7), 1908, Tambov
Tambov
Tambov is a city and the administrative center of Tambov Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Tsna and Studenets Rivers southeast of Moscow...
, Russia) was a Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, dramatist, essay
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
ist and literary critic, a nephew of Antony Pogorelsky
Antony Pogorelsky
Antony Pogorelsky is a penname of Alexey Alexeyevich Perovsky , a Russian prose writer.He was a natural son of A.K...
, a cousin to A.K. Tolstoy
Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy
Count Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy, often referred to as A. K. Tolstoy , was a Russian poet, novelist and playwright, considered to be the most important nineteenth-century Russian historical dramatist...
and co-creator of Kozma Prutkov
Kozma Prutkov
Kozma Petrovich Prutkov is a fictional author invented by Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy and his cousins, three Zhemchuzhnikov brothers, Alexei, Vladimir and Alexander, during the later part of the rule of Nicholas I of Russia....
, the famous mid-nineteenth century comical literary character.
Biography
Aleksey Zhemchuzhnikov, a son of senator Mikhail Zhemchiznikov, was born in Pochep, Chernigov (then Northern Ukrainian, now part of Bryansk OblastBryansk Oblast
Bryansk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Bryansk. Population: 1,278,087 .-History:...
) and up until 14 stayed at home, receiving private education. In 1835, after a short stint at Saint Petersburgh's 1st Gymnasium he joined the College of Law, that of which Prince Oldenburg was a trustee. It was "the set of high ideals and honourable aspirations" he's got in this college, that formed the basis of his outlook and life philosophy.
After the graduation in 1841 Zhemchuzhnilov joined the Russian Senate as an official, in 1847 he moved to the Ministry of Justice and in 1849 to the State Chancellery, all the while suffering greatly from "stupid mechanical routine" of these offices, seeking solace partly in high society’s frivolous pleasures but more and more in literature exercises and numerous intellectual circles, including that of Mikhail Petrashevsky
Mikhail Petrashevsky
Mikhail Vasilyevich Butashevich-Petrashevsky, commonly known as Mikhail Petrashevsky was a Russian thinker and public figure.Mikhail Petrashevsky graduated from the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum and Saint Petersburg State University with a degree in law . He was then employed as a translator and...
.
In the late 1840s Aleksey Zhemchuzhnikov alongside brothers Vladimir and Aleksander, as well as Aleksey K. Tolstoy, created the Kozma Prutkov
Kozma Prutkov
Kozma Petrovich Prutkov is a fictional author invented by Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy and his cousins, three Zhemchuzhnikov brothers, Alexei, Vladimir and Alexander, during the later part of the rule of Nicholas I of Russia....
character which soon became famous. The Fantasy, a comedy he co-wrote with Tolstoy, was premiered on January 8, 1951 and was a spectacular flop; Nikolay I demonstratively left the theater, outraged "with the absurdity of what's been going on stage", and the play was promptly banned. Not long before this, in 1850, Aleksey Zhemchuzhnikov made his own debut in Sovremennik
Sovremennik
Sovremennik was a Russian literary, social and political magazine, published in St. Petersburg in 1836-1866. It came out four times a year in 1836-1843 and once a month after that...
's February issue with his comedy The Strange Night (Странная ночь). In 1952 another comedy of his, The Madman (Cумасшедший) appeared in Sovremennik (#11). All through the 1850s his poems appeared in satirical Svistok (The Whistle) magazine, in Otechestvennye Zapisky, Biblioteka Dlya Tchtenya (The Reader’s Library), Iskra magazine and others. On January 1, 1858, Zhemchuzhnikov quit the state service and started a new life, enjoying of "total private freedom", striking friendships with people like Sergey Aksakov, Ivan Turgenev
Ivan Turgenev
Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev was a Russian novelist, short story writer, and playwright. His first major publication, a short story collection entitled A Sportsman's Sketches, is a milestone of Russian Realism, and his novel Fathers and Sons is regarded as one of the major works of 19th-century...
, Vladimir Odoyevsky, Fyodor Tyutchev
Fyodor Tyutchev
Fyodor Ivanovich Tyutchev is generally considered the last of three great Romantic poets of Russia, following Alexander Pushkin and Mikhail Lermontov.- Life :...
. In 1858 he married Yelizaveta Dyakova.
A sort of creative crisis made Zhemchuzhnikov (who felt he was turning into a sub-Nekrasov type of a poet) stop writing, leave the capital and move first to Kaluga
Kaluga
Kaluga is a city and the administrative center of Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located on the Oka River southwest of Moscow. Population: It is served by Grabtsevo Airport.-History:...
, then Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. From the mid-1860s he lived mostly in Europe - Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Southern France
Southern France
Southern France , colloquially known as le Midi is defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Gironde, Spain, the Mediterranean, and Italy...
. In the late 1860s he returned to literature and started to contribute again to Otechestvennye Zapisky. Another long gap in Aleksey Zhemchuzhnikov’s career was caused by his wife's illness. She died in 1875. In 1880s he again started publishing poems, aminly in Vestnik Evropy
Vestnik Evropy
Vestnik Evropy was the major liberal magazine of late-nineteenth-century Russia; it lasted from 1866 to 1918....
, a magazine whose editorship and authors he had friendly relations with.
In 1892 in Saint Petersburg Aleksey Zhemchuzhnikov's first volume of Select Poems came out in two volumes which received exceedingly warm reviews.
From 1884 Zhemchuzhnikov lived mostly in Pavlovka village in Orlovskaya Governorate, from 1890 - in Tambov and Ilyinovka village. Another collection, critically acclaimed Songs of the Old Age (Песни старости, 1900), made Zhemchuzhnikov one of Russia's most respected authors of the early 1900s. In 1899 he became the Honorary member of the Lovers of Russian Literature society and in 1900 an Honorary member of the Saint Petersburgh Academy. He died in Tambov
Tambov
Tambov is a city and the administrative center of Tambov Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Tsna and Studenets Rivers southeast of Moscow...
in 1908.