Daniil Mordovtsev
Encyclopedia
Daniil Lukich Mordovtsev was a Russian/Ukrainian writer and historian.
, where he learned the Russian language in school. He graduated from the faculty of history and philology at St. Petersburg University
in 1854.
Mordovtsev's literary debut came in the mid 1850s when he began writing in Ukrainian. His first work was the poem The Cossacks and the Sea (1854, published 1859). He began writing in Russian in the 1860s. His novella New Russian People (1868) dealt with the Narodnik
s and their cause, and with the position of raznochintsy
intellectuals, as did the novel Signs of the Times (1869), although Mordovtsev did not share the views of the Narodniks. His historical novels were widely read; (The False Dmitry, 1879; Tsar Peter and the Regent Sophia, 1885; The Tsar and the Hetman, 1880; Lord Novgorod the Great, 1882; For Whose Sins?, 1890); these novels demonstrated Mordovtsev's democratic leanings. He served for more than thirty years as an official in Saratov
and was the editor of the Saratov Provincial News. He contributed to several popular journals, including Russian Word, Notes of the Fatherland
, and Affairs.
Mordovtsev also published many historical works, such as Impostors and the Freemen of the Lower Reaches (1867), The Haidamak Uprising (1870), Political Movements of the Russian People (2 vols, 1871), and On the Eve of Freedom (1872, published 1889), and his memoirs, From My Past and Experiences (1902, written in Ukrainian), in which he tells of his meetings with Taras Shevchenko
and Nikolay Chernyshevsky. His historical works were received favorably in St. Petersbug academic circles, and he was even considered for a position on the faculty of St. Petersburg University.
Biography
Mordovtsev's father was a Zaporozhian Cossack and an estate manager. Mordovtsev spent his childhood in Sloboda UkraineSloboda Ukraine
Sloboda Ukraine was a historical region which developed and flourished in the 17th and 18th centuries on the southwestern frontier of the Tsardom of Russia....
, where he learned the Russian language in school. He graduated from the faculty of history and philology at St. Petersburg University
Saint Petersburg State University
Saint Petersburg State University is a Russian federal state-owned higher education institution based in Saint Petersburg and one of the oldest and largest universities in Russia....
in 1854.
Mordovtsev's literary debut came in the mid 1850s when he began writing in Ukrainian. His first work was the poem The Cossacks and the Sea (1854, published 1859). He began writing in Russian in the 1860s. His novella New Russian People (1868) dealt with the Narodnik
Narodnik
Narodniks was the name for Russian socially conscious members of the middle class in the 1860s and 1870s. Their ideas and actions were known as Narodnichestvo which can be translated as "Peopleism", though is more commonly rendered "populism"...
s and their cause, and with the position of raznochintsy
Raznochintsy
Raznochintsy was an official term introduced in the Code of Law of the Russian Empire in the 17th century to define a social estate that included the lower court and governmental ranks, children of personal dvoryans, and discharged military, The category of raznochintsy grew significantly during...
intellectuals, as did the novel Signs of the Times (1869), although Mordovtsev did not share the views of the Narodniks. His historical novels were widely read; (The False Dmitry, 1879; Tsar Peter and the Regent Sophia, 1885; The Tsar and the Hetman, 1880; Lord Novgorod the Great, 1882; For Whose Sins?, 1890); these novels demonstrated Mordovtsev's democratic leanings. He served for more than thirty years as an official in Saratov
Saratov
-Modern Saratov:The Saratov region is highly industrialized, due in part to the rich in natural and industrial resources of the area. The region is also one of the more important and largest cultural and scientific centres in Russia...
and was the editor of the Saratov Provincial News. He contributed to several popular journals, including Russian Word, Notes of the Fatherland
Otechestvennye Zapiski
Otechestvennye Zapiski was a Russian literary magazine published in St Petersburg on a monthly basis between 1818 and 1884. The journal served liberal-minded readers, known as the intelligentsia...
, and Affairs.
Mordovtsev also published many historical works, such as Impostors and the Freemen of the Lower Reaches (1867), The Haidamak Uprising (1870), Political Movements of the Russian People (2 vols, 1871), and On the Eve of Freedom (1872, published 1889), and his memoirs, From My Past and Experiences (1902, written in Ukrainian), in which he tells of his meetings with Taras Shevchenko
Taras Shevchenko
Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko -Life:Born into a serf family of Hryhoriy Ivanovych Shevchenko and Kateryna Yakymivna Shevchenko in the village of Moryntsi, of Kiev Governorate of the Russian Empire Shevchenko was orphaned at the age of eleven...
and Nikolay Chernyshevsky. His historical works were received favorably in St. Petersbug academic circles, and he was even considered for a position on the faculty of St. Petersburg University.