Konstantin Batyushkov- an outstanding Russian poet who gave the poetic language a special harmony and flexibility.
Batyushkov is one of the first who introduced into Russian poetry many developments that were recognized as classic during his lifetime.
During this period of biography, Batyushkov was especially interested in French and Russian (see). At the same time, he studied Latin, and was also fond of the ancient Roman classics.
While in St. Petersburg, Batyushkov met an outstanding Russian poet.
An interesting fact is that Konstantin Batyushkov was a relative of the senator and public figure Mikhail Muravyov, who helped him get a job at the Ministry of Public Education.
After serving there for about 3 years, the 18-year-old Batyushkov began working as a clerk at the Ministry of Education.
In 1807, Konstantin Batyushkov signed up for the people's militia, after which he went on the Prussian campaign.
In one of the battles he was wounded and sent to Riga for treatment. After 2 months he was allowed to go home.
War with Napoleon
The significance of Batyushkov in the history of Russian literature and his main merit lies in the fact that he worked hard on processing his native poetic speech and gave the Russian poetic language such flexibility, elasticity and harmony that Russian poetry had not yet known.
At this time, a nervous breakdown happens to him, after which the poet begins to show pronounced signs of schizophrenia. At this time, he wrote the poem "The Testament of Melchizedek."
Every month Konstantin Batyushkov was getting worse. Imaginary persecution made the life of the writer and the people around him unbearable. As a result, he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital.
After 4 years of treatment, he was sent to.
Once Alexander Pushkin came to visit Batyushkov, who was shocked by the terrible appearance of the poet. Some time later, Pushkin wrote the famous poem "God forbid I go crazy."
Death
The patient spent the last 22 years of his life in the house of his nephew. Konstantin Nikolayevich Batyushkov died of typhus on July 7, 1855 at the age of 68. He was buried in the Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery.
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Batyushkov Konstantin Nikolayevich (1787-1855) - one of the finest Russian poets of his time. For a long time he headed the movement of Anacreonist poets, was a very famous figure in literary circles. Today, his name is almost forgotten, few people know that such a wonderful writer once lived. Let's correct this injustice.
Batyushkov: biography
The future writer was born on May 18 in the city of Vologda, in an old but impoverished noble family. He was the first son, before him four daughters were born to the Batyushkovs. Konstantin turned out to be a long-awaited boy.
The poet's father, Nikolai Lvovich, was an educated man, but his character was greatly spoiled by resentment against the government because of the disgrace that befell the Batyushkovs due to the participation of a relative in a conspiracy against Catherine II. Konstantin did not have time to recognize his mother, Alexandra Grigoryevna (nee Berdyaev), she fell seriously ill when the boy was only six years old, and soon died. Her ailment was mental and passed on to the writer himself and his older sister.
The childhood of little Kostya passed in the family estate, which was located in the village of Danilovsky. But after the death of his mother, he was sent to the St. Petersburg boarding house O. Zhakino. Only at the age of 16 was Batyushkov able to leave this educational institution. At this time, he actively begins to engage in literature, reads a lot in French, masters Latin perfectly in order to study classical texts in the original.
Independent life in the capital
Batyushkov Konstantin Nikolaevich decides to stay in the capital. At first, his uncle, M. N. Muravyov, helps him. He arranges a young man in 1802 in the Ministry of Public Education. Then, in 1804, the writer moved to serve in Muravyov's office at Moscow University, where he held the position of clerk.
During these years, Batyushkov became close to some of his colleagues, many of whom began to adjoin the Karamzin government and eventually founded the "Free Society of Lovers of Literature, Sciences and Arts." N. Gnedich and I. Pnin became his closest friends. Thanks to their influence, the future poet begins to try his hand at writing.
In 1805, Batyushkov's first poem, "Message to My Poems", was published in the journal "News of Russian Literature".
Civil uprising
In 1807, despite his father's protests, he enlisted in the Batyushkov militia. Poems in these years depart for young man to the background. On February 22 of the same year, he was appointed hundredth in a police battalion and sent to Prussia. From May, Batyushkov begins to receive Active participation in combat operations. Soon he gets seriously injured and goes to Riga for treatment. For his heroism he receives the Order of St. Anne, 3rd class.
While the treatment lasted, the writer fell in love with Emilia, the daughter of a local merchant. However, the love interest did not continue, as only two poems remained of his memory: “Memoirs of 1807” and “Recovery”.
By 1808, the writer was physically strong and was returned to the service. This time he ended up in the Guards Jaeger Regiment, which was sent to the war with Sweden. After returning from the campaign, he took a vacation and went to visit unmarried sisters who lived in the Novgorod province. At this time, the maternal "inheritance" began to appear - Batyushkov became more and more impressionable, sometimes it came to hallucinations. The writer himself believed that in ten years he would finally go crazy.
Return to the light
In December 1809, Muravyov invited his nephew to Moscow. Batyushkov returns to the world with great joy. The biography of the writer tells us that he had many friends among the people of art, whom he met in St. Petersburg and Moscow. Especially close at this time the writer got along with P. Vyazemsky and V. Pushkin.
But his acquaintance with V. Zhukovsky and N. Karamzin became fateful for him, the latter very soon realized how talented the young man was and highly appreciated his work. In 1810, having received a resignation from the regiment, at the invitation of Karamzin, he went to rest in the fate of the Vyazemsky Batyushki. The poet's poems in these years are becoming more and more popular, this explains the desire of noble nobles to see him as a guest.
In 1813, the writer moved to St. Petersburg, where he got a job at the Public Library. He continues to meet new people and lead an active social life.
Unhappy love
In 1815 Batyushkov fell in love a second time. The biography says that this time his chosen one was a secular lady - Anna Furman. However, the writer quickly realized that the girl did not reciprocate, and was ready to marry only at the will of her guardians. The situation was aggravated by the fact that Konstantin Nikolaevich could not get a transfer to the guard. All this led to a severe nervous breakdown, which lasted several months.
A new blow for the writer was the death of his father in 1817, with whom he had always been on bad terms. Feelings of guilt and unsuccessful love prompted him to turn to religion, in which he saw the only way for a person to maintain his high moral and spiritual position.
During these difficult years, Batyushkov was greatly helped by Zhukovsky, who constantly supported the poet and urged him to continue writing. This helped, and Batyushkov again took up the pen. A year later, he returned to Moscow, where close friends and acquaintances were waiting for him.
Italy
In 1818, the Russian poet Batyushkov went to Odessa for treatment. Here he received a letter from A. Turgenev, who managed to secure a place for a friend in Naples on a diplomatic mission. Konstantin Nikolaevich long years dreamed of visiting Italy, but the news did not please him. At this time, he experienced a strong disappointment in life, and the news only worsened the situation.
Despite these sentiments, in 1819 Batyushkov arrived in Italy. This country made a strong impression on him. He met many interesting people, including Russian artists who lived in Rome. But happiness did not last long, and soon the poet began to miss his homeland.
The writer's health did not improve, so in 1821 he went to Germany on the waters. His mental illness manifested itself more and more, Batyushkov began to suspect that some enemies were following him. The poet spent the winter of 1821 and all of 1822 in Dresden. At this time, he wrote the best, according to critics, poem - "The Testament of Melchizedek."
Final years and death
In 1822, Batyushkov began to lose his mind (the biography confirms this). He returns to his homeland. For some time he lives in St. Petersburg, and then goes on a trip to the Caucasus and Crimea. During the trip, he tried to commit suicide several times.
In 1824, thanks to the financial assistance of Alexander I, the poet was placed in a private psychiatric hospital in Saxony. Here he spent 4 years, but the treatment did not bring any benefit. Therefore, his relatives decided to transport him to Moscow. At home, Batyushkov Konstantin Nikolayevich felt better, acute attacks practically disappeared, and the disease receded for a short time.
In 1833, the writer was transferred to the house of his nephew, who lived in Vologda. Here Batyushkov spent the rest of his days. The poet died on July 7, 1855.
Konstantin Batyushkov: interesting facts
Let's list some interesting moments from the writer's life:
- Pushkin called the poet his teacher and bowed before his work, especially highlighting the early period.
- The main principle of Batyushkov when writing a work was: "Live as you write, and write as you live."
- In 1822, the poet wrote his last work, he was only 35 years old.
- Batyushkov lived the last 22 years of his life, completely losing his mind.
Features of creativity
Konstantin Batyushkov did a lot for Russian literature and poetic language. Poems about love, usually sad and sad, that is why they were so popular among contemporaries. The poet managed to transform native language to make it more flexible and harmonious. Belinsky believed that it was only thanks to the works of Batyushkov and Zhukovsky that Pushkin managed to achieve such lightness and grace in his poetry.
The main advantage of Konstantin Nikolaevich's poems lies in the perfection of their form, the purity and correctness of the language, and the always sustained artistic style. Batyushkov worked long and hard on every word, often correcting what was written. At the same time, he tried to maintain sincerity, avoiding any artificiality and tension.
Crucial moment
Batyushkov Konstantin Nikolayevich often turned to the past in his works. Nature poems were usually interspersed with ancient mythological traditions. His early work is usually called Epicurean (or Anacreontic). The poet tried to reproduce the light and elegant style of the ancient writers, but believed that the Russian language was still too rough for this. Although critics acknowledged that in this area he achieved significant success.
But the cheerful Epicurean poetry did not attract Batyushkov for long. After the war of 1812, in which the poet participated, his worldview changed a lot. He considered the French Enlightenment to be the cause of Napoleonic deeds. And he considered the trials that befell Russia to be the accomplishment of her historical mission. At this time, his poems change greatly. There is no more lightness and carelessness in them, they talk about reality - the war, the soul of the Russian soldier, the strength of the people's character. best poem This period is considered to be the "Crossing the Rhine".
Let's answer the question of in which direction of poetry Konstantin Batyushkov became famous, as it is asked most often. As already mentioned, this is an Anacreontic (or Epicurean) lyric. Its distinctive features are lightness, carelessness, joy, chanting of life and enjoying it.
Prose
Batyushkov was known not only as a poet, his prose was also highly appreciated by his contemporaries. According to them, the main advantage of his works was a pure, figurative and vivid language. However, the writer turned to prose much later than his literary career began. This happened after a creative break, so religious and philosophical issues are often raised in these works. Batyushkov paid great attention to the theoretical problems of literature (“Something about a poet and poetry”, “Speech about the influence of light poetry on language”).
Now we see that the significance of the writer's works for the development of Russian literature cannot be overestimated.
Batyushkov Konstantin Nikolaevich (1787-1855), poet.
Born May 29, 1787 in Vologda in an old noble family. The poet's childhood was overshadowed by mental illness and the early death of his mother. He was brought up in an Italian boarding school in St. Petersburg.
Batyushkov's first known poems ("God", "Dream") date back to approximately 1803-1804, and he began to print from 1805.
In 1807, Batyushkov began a grandiose work - the translation of a poem by an Italian poet of the 16th century. Torquato Tasso Jerusalem Liberated. In 1812 he went to war with Napoleon I, where he was seriously wounded. Subsequently, Batyushkov then again entered the military service(participated in the Finnish campaign of 1809, foreign campaigns of the Russian army in 1813-1814), then served in the St. Petersburg Public Library, then lived in retirement in the countryside.
In 1809, he became friends with V. A. Zhukovsky and P. A. Vyazemsky. In 1810-1812. the poems “Ghost”, “False Fear”, “Bacchae” and “My Penates. Message to Zhukovsky and Vyazemsky. To contemporaries they seemed filled with joy, glorifying the serene enjoyment of life.
Facing tragic reality Patriotic War 1812 produced a complete revolution in the mind of the poet. “The terrible deeds ... of the French in Moscow and its environs ... completely upset my little philosophy and quarreled me with humanity,” he admitted in one of his letters.
The cycle of Batyushkov's elegies of 1815 opens with a bitter complaint: "I feel that my gift in poetry has gone out ..."; "No no! I'm burdened with life! What is in it without hope? .. ”(“ Memories ”). The poet now hopelessly mourns the loss of his beloved (“Awakening”), then calls to mind her appearance (“My genius”), then dreams of how he could take refuge with her in idyllic solitude (“Tauris”).
At the same time, he seeks consolation in faith, believing that a “better world” will certainly await him behind the grave (“Hope”, “To a Friend”). This confidence, however, did not relieve anxiety. Batyushkov now perceives the fate of every poet as tragic.
Batyushkov was tormented by illnesses (the consequences of old wounds), economic affairs were going badly. In 1819, after much trouble, the poet was appointed to diplomatic service to Naples. He hoped that the climate of Italy would do him good, and the impressions of his beloved country from childhood would inspire inspiration. None of this came true. The climate turned out to be harmful for Batyushkov, the poet wrote little in Italy and destroyed almost everything written.
From the end of 1820, a severe nervous breakdown began to appear. Batyushkov was treated in Germany, then returned to Russia, but this did not help either: the nervous illness turned into a mental illness. Attempts at treatment yielded nothing. In 1824, the poet fell into complete unconsciousness and spent about 30 years in it. Towards the end of his life, his condition improved somewhat, but his sanity never returned.
1787 - 1855
Russian poet. The head of the anacreotic trend in Russian lyrics ("Merry Hour", "My penates", "Bacchante"). Later he experienced a spiritual crisis ("Hope", "To a friend"); in the genre of elegy - motifs of unrequited love ("Separation", "My Genius"), high tragedy ("Dying Tass", "Melchizedek's Saying").
Biography
Born on May 18 (29 n.s.) in Vologda in a well-born noble family. Childhood years were spent in the family estate - the village of Danilovsky, Tver province. Home education was led by the grandfather, marshal of the nobility of the Ustyuzhensky district.
From the age of ten, Batyushkov studied in St. Petersburg in private foreign boarding schools, and spoke many foreign languages.
From 1802 he lived in St. Petersburg in the house of his uncle M. Muravyov, a writer and educator who played a decisive role in shaping the personality and talent of the poet. He studied the philosophy and literature of the French Enlightenment, ancient poetry, and the literature of the Italian Renaissance. For five years he served as an official in the Ministry of Public Education.
In 1805 he made his debut in print with satirical verses "Message to my verses". During this period, he wrote poems of a predominantly satirical genre ("Message to Chloe", "To Filisa", epigrams).
In 1807 he signed up for the people's militia; part of it was sent to the place of hostilities against Napoleon in Prussia. In the battle of Heilsberg, he was seriously wounded and evacuated to Riga, where he was treated. Then he moved to Petersburg, where he transferred serious illness and returned to the regiment after his recovery. In the spring of 1808, having recovered, Batyushkov went to the troops operating in Finland. He reflected his impressions in the essay "From Letters of a Russian Officer in Finland". After retiring, he devotes himself entirely to literary creativity.
The satire "Vision on the banks of the Lethe", written in the summer of 1809, marks the beginning of the mature stage of Batyushkov's work, although it was published only in 1841.
In 1810 - 1812 he actively collaborated in the journal Dramatic Bulletin, became close friends with Karamzin, Zhukovsky, Vyazemsky and other writers. His poems "Merry Hour", "Lucky Man", "Source", "My Penates" and others appeared.
During the war of 1812, Batyushkov, who did not join the active army due to illness, experienced "all the horrors of war", "poverty, fires, hunger", which was later reflected in the "Message to Dashkov" (1813). In 1813-14 he participated in the foreign campaign of the Russian army against Napoleon. The impressions of the war formed the content of many poems: "The Captive", "The Fate of Odysseus", "Crossing the Rhine", etc.
In 1814 - 1817 Batyushkov traveled a lot, rarely staying in one place for more than six months. Survived a severe spiritual crisis: disappointment in the ideas of enlightenment philosophy. Religious sentiments grew. His poetry is painted in sad and tragic tones: the elegy "Separation", "To a Friend", "Awakening", "My Genius", "Tavrida", etc. In 1817, the collection "Experiments in Verse and Prose" was published, which included translations , articles, essays and poems.
In 1819 he left for Italy at the place of his new service - he was appointed an official at the Neopolitan mission. In 1821 he was seized by an incurable mental illness (persecution mania). Treatment in the best European clinics was unsuccessful - Batyushkov never returned to normal life. His last twenty years were spent with relatives in Vologda. He died of typhus on July 7 (19 n.s.), 1855. He was buried in the Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery.
Konstantin Nikolayevich Batyushkov was born on May 18 (29), 1787, in Vologda. He came from an old noble family, was the fifth child in a large family.
Having lost his mother early, he soon enrolled in one of the St. Petersburg boarding schools.
Konstantin did a lot of self-education. Under the influence of his uncle, M. N. Muravyov, he learned Latin, became interested in the works of Horace, Tibullus.
In service
In 1802, the young man, under the patronage of his uncle, was appointed to serve in the Ministry of Public Education. In 1804-1805. served as a clerk in the office of M. N. Muravyov. During his service, he continued to be drawn to literature. He became close friends with I. P. Pnin and N. I. Gnedich, who founded the Free Society of Lovers of Literature.
In 1807, Konstantin Nikolaevich, contrary to the opinion of his father, became a member of the people's militia. In the spring of this year, he took part in hostilities, for courage he was awarded Anna III degree.
In 1809 he moved to Moscow, where he met with P.A. Vyazemsky, V.A. Zhukovsky and N. M. Karamzin.
At the very beginning of 1812, Batyushkov moved to St. Petersburg and entered the service of the public library. He regularly met and communicated with I. A. Krylov.
studying short biography Batyushkov, you should know that in July 1813 he became adjutant to General N. N. Raevsky, the hero of the Patriotic War, and reached Paris.
Literary activity
The first attempt at writing took place in 1805. Konstantin Nikolayevich's poem "Message to My Poems" was published in the journal "News of Russian Literature".
During the military campaign of 1807, Batyushkov undertook the translation of Tass' Jerusalem Liberated.
The main merit of Batyushkov is his deep work on Russian poetic speech. Thanks to him Russian poem filled with strength, began to sound harmoniously and at the same time passionately. V. G. Belinsky believed that it was the works of Batyushkov and Zhukovsky that paved the way for the disclosure of the mighty talent of A. S. Pushkin.
The creativity of Batyushkov himself was rather peculiar. From his youth, carried away by the works of ancient Greek thinkers, he involuntarily created images that were not entirely clear to the domestic reader. The first poems of the poet are permeated with Epicureanism. They surprisingly combine mythologism and the life of an ordinary Russian village.
Batyushkov wrote such prose articles as "Evening at Kantemir", "On the writings of Muravyov" and "On the character of Lomonosov".
In October 1817, his collected works "Experiments in verse and prose" were published.
last years of life
Batyushkov Konstantin Nikolaevich suffered from a severe nervous breakdown. This disease was passed on to him by inheritance. The first seizure occurred in 1815. After that, his condition only worsened.
In 1833, he was dismissed and placed in his hometown, in the house of his own nephew. There he lived for another 22 years.
Batyushkov passed away on July 7 (19), 1855. The cause of death was typhus. The poet was buried in the Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery, which is located 5 miles from Vologda.
