Karamzin, Nikolai Mikhailovich

Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin was born on December 1 (12), 1766 near Simbirsk (according to another version, he was born in the village of Karazikha (Mikhailovka) in the Orenburg province). He grew up in the estate of his father, a retired captain Mikhail Yegorovich Karamzin (1724-1783), a middle-local Simbirsky nobleman from the Karamzin family, descending from the Tatar Karamurza ^{[9] [10] [11]} . He received his initial education in a private boarding school in Simbirsk. In 1778 he was sent to Moscow to the boarding school of professor of Moscow University I.M. Shaden . At the same time he attended lectures of I. G. Schwartz at the University in 1781-1782 ^[12] .

In 1783, at the insistence of his father, he entered the service of the Preobrazhensky Guards Regiment , but soon retired. The time of military service includes the first literary experiments. After his resignation, he lived in Simbirsk for some time, and then in Moscow. During his stay in Simbirsk he entered the Masonic Lodge of the Golden Crown, and after arriving in Moscow for four years (1785-1789) was a member of the Friendly Scientific Society ^[13] .

In Moscow, Karamzin met writers and writers: N. I. Novikov , A. M. Kutuzov , A. A. Petrov , participated in the publication of the first Russian magazine for children - " Children's Reading for Heart and Mind ."

In the years 1789-1790 he made a trip to Europe, during which he visited Immanuel Kant in Königsberg , admired Berlin and traveled to Paris during the great French revolution . As a result of this trip, the famous " Letters of a Russian Traveler " were written, the publication of which immediately made Karamzin a famous writer. Some philologists believe that it is from this book that modern Russian literature begins to count. Be that as it may, in the literature of Russian “travels” Karamzin really became a pioneer - he quickly found both imitators ( V. V. Izmailov , P. I. Sumarokov , P. I. Shalikov ) ^[14] , and worthy successors ( A A. Bestuzhev , N. A. Bestuzhev , F. N. Glinka , A. S. Griboedov ) ^{[15] [16] [17]} . Since then, Karamzin is considered one of the main literary figures in Russia.

Upon returning from a trip to Europe, Karamzin settled in Moscow and began working as a professional writer and journalist, proceeding to publish the Moscow Journal 1791 - 1792 (the first Russian literary magazine in which, among other works of Karamzin, appeared the novel “ Poor Liza , which strengthened his fame) "), and then issued a series of collections and anthologies ," Aglaia "," Aoide "," Pantheon of foreign literature "," My trifles "that made sentimentalism major literary trends in Russia, Karamzin - he recognized th leader.

In addition to prose and poetry, the Moscow Journal systematically published reviews, critical articles, and theater reviews. In May 1792, Karamzin's review of the iroicomic poem by Nikolai Petrovich Osipov , Virgiliev Aeneid, turned inside out , was published in the journal ^[18] .

Emperor Alexander I granted the title of historiographer Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin by registered decree of October 31, 1803 ; 2 thousand rubles were added to the title at the same time. annual salary. The title of historiographer in Russia after the death of Karamzin did not resume. From the beginning of the 19th century, Karamzin gradually moved away from fiction, and since 1804 , being appointed by Alexander I to the post of historiographer, he stopped all literary work, "got a haircut in historians." In this regard, he refused the offered state posts, in particular, the post of Tver governor ^[19] . Honorary Member of Moscow University (1806) ^[20] .

In 1811, Karamzin wrote " A Note on Ancient and New Russia in its Political and Civil Relations," which reflected the views of the conservative sections of society, dissatisfied with the liberal reforms of the emperor . His task was to prove that no changes were needed in the country. The “Note on Ancient and New Russia in its Political and Civil Relations” also played the role of drafts for the subsequent enormous work of Nikolai Mikhailovich on Russian history.

In February 1818 ^[21] Karamzin put on sale the first eight volumes of “History of the Russian State”, the three-thousandth edition of which was sold within a month. In subsequent years, three more volumes of The History were published, and a number of translations of it into the most important European languages ​​appeared. The coverage of the Russian historical process brought Karamzin closer to the court and the tsar, who settled him beside himself in Tsarskoye Selo. Karamzin’s political views evolved gradually, and towards the end of his life he was a staunch supporter of an absolute monarchy. The unfinished 12th volume was published after his death.

Karamzin died on May 22 ( June 3 ), 1826 in St. Petersburg . According to legend, his death was the result of a cold, received on December 14, 1825 , when Karamzin personally observed the events on Senate Square ^[22] . He was buried in the Tikhvin cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra ^[23] .

Collected works of N. M. Karamzin in 11 vols. in 1803-1815 It was printed in the printing house of the Moscow book publisher Selivanovsky .

“The influence of the last Karamzin on literature can be compared with the influence of Catherine on society: he made literature humane ,” wrote A. Herzen ^[24] .

Sentimentalism

Karamzin's publication of the Letters of a Russian Traveler ( 1791 - 1792 ) and the story Poor Lisa ( 1792 ; separate edition of 1796 ) ushered in the era of sentimentalism in Russia.

Lisa was surprised, dared to look at the young man, she blushed even more and, having looked down at the ground, told him that she would not take the ruble.
- For what?
“I don't need too much.”
- I think that beautiful lilies of the valley, torn by the hands of a beautiful girl, are worth a ruble. When you don’t take it, here’s five cents. I would always like to buy flowers from you; I would like you to rip them just for me.

The dominant of "human nature" sentimentalism declared a feeling, not a mind, which distinguished it from classicism . Sentimentalism did not consider the ideal of human activity to be the “rational” transformation of the world, but the release and improvement of “natural” feelings. His hero is more individualized, his inner world is enriched with the ability to empathize, sensitively respond to what is happening around.

The publication of these works was a great success among readers of that time, “Poor Lisa” caused a lot of imitations. Karamzin's sentimentalism had a great influence on the development of Russian literature: , including Zhukovsky’s romanticism , Pushkin’s work.

Karamzin's Poetry

Karamzin's poetry, developed in line with European sentimentalism , was radically different from the traditional poetry of his time, brought up on the odes of Lomonosov and Derzhavin . The most significant were the following differences:

Karamzin is not interested in the external, physical world, but in the inner, spiritual world of man. His poems speak “in the language of the heart,” not reason. The object of Karamzin’s poetry is “simple life”, and to describe it he uses simple poetic forms - poor rhymes , avoids the abundance of metaphors and other paths so popular in the verses of his predecessors.

“Who is your sweetheart?”

I am ashamed; it really hurts me

The strangeness of my feelings open

And to be a joke.

The heart is not free to choose! ..

What to say? She ... she.

Oh! not at all important

And talents behind him

Has no;

...

The Strangeness of Love, or Insomnia ( 1793 )

Another difference between Karamzin’s poetics is that the world is not fundamentally cognizable for him, the poet recognizes the existence of different points of view on the same subject:

One vote

Scary in the grave, cold and dark!

The winds howl here, the coffins are shaking

White bones are knocking.

Another voice

Quiet in the grave, soft, deceased.

The winds blow here; sleeping cool;

Herbs, flowers grow.

Cemetery ( 1792 )

Prose of Karamzin

• "Eugene and Julia", a novel ( 1789 )
• "Letters of a Russian Traveler" ( 1791 - 1792 )
• “ Poor Lisa ”, a novel ( 1792 )
• "Natalia, the boyar's daughter", a story ( 1792 )
• The Beautiful Princess and the Happy Carla ( 1792 )
• Sierra Morena , short story ( 1793 )
• The Island of Borgolm ( 1793 )
• Julia ( 1796 )
• "Martha the Posadnitsa, or the Conquest of Novgorod," a story ( 1802 )
• "My Confession," a letter to the publisher of the magazine ( 1802 )
• Sensitive and Cold ( 1803 )
• “ Knight of our time ” ( 1803 )
• "Autumn"
• Translation - retelling of "Words about Igor's Regiment"
• “On Friendship” (1826) to the writer A. S. Pushkin.

Karamzin Language Reform

Karamzin's prose and poetry had a decisive influence on the development of the Russian literary language . Karamzin purposefully refused to use Church Slavonic vocabulary and grammar, bringing the language of his works to the everyday language of his era and using the grammar and syntax of the French language as an example.

Karamzin introduced many new words into the Russian language - like neologisms (“charity”, “falling in love”, “freethinking”, “attraction”, “responsibility”, “suspicion”, “industry”, “refinement”, “first-class”, “humane” ") ^[25] , and barbarism (" sidewalk "," coachman "). He was also one of the first to use the letter ё .

Changes in language proposed by Karamzin provoked violent controversy in the 1810s . The writer A. S. Shishkov, with the assistance of Derzhavin, founded the “Conversation of Russian Word Lovers” society in 1811 , the aim of which was to propagate the “old” language, as well as criticize Karamzin, Zhukovsky and their followers. In response, in 1815 the literary society "Arzamas" was formed , which ironized the authors of "Conversations" and parodied their works. Many poets of a new generation became members of society, including Batyushkov , Vyazemsky , Davydov , Zhukovsky , Pushkin . The literary victory of Arzamas over Conversation consolidated the victory of language changes introduced by Karamzin.

Despite this, Karamzin and Shishkov came closer to each other, and, thanks to the latter, Karamzin was elected a member of the Russian Academy in 1818. In the same year he became a member of the Imperial Academy of Sciences .

Karamzin's interest in history arose from the mid- 1790s . He wrote a story on a historical theme - “Martha the Posadnik, or the Conquest of Novgorod” (published in 1803 ). In the same year, by decree of Alexander I, he was appointed to the post of historiographer and, until the end of his life, was engaged in writing the “ History of the Russian State ”, practically ceasing the activities of a journalist and writer.

The “History of the Russian State” by Karamzin was not the first description of the history of Russia; before him were the works of V. N. Tatishchev and M. M. Shcherbatov . But it was Karamzin who opened the history of Russia to a wide educated public. According to A. S. Pushkin , “Everyone, even secular women, rushed to read the history of their fatherland, until now unknown to them. She was a new discovery for them. Ancient Russia seemed to be found by Karamzin, like America by Columbus. ” This work also caused a wave of imitations and oppositions (for example, “The History of the Russian People” by N. A. Polevoy )

In his work, Karamzin acted more as a writer than a historian - describing historical facts, he cared about the beauty of the language, least of all trying to draw any conclusions from the events he describes. Nevertheless, his comments, which contain many extracts from manuscripts, most of them first published by Karamzin, are of high scientific value. Some of these manuscripts no longer exist.

In the famous epigram , whose authorship is attributed to A. S. Pushkin ^[26] , Karamzin's coverage of Russian history is criticized:

In his "History" elegance, simplicity

They prove to us, without any addiction,

The need for autocracy

And the delights of the whip ^[27] .

Karamzin took the initiative in organizing memorials and erecting monuments to prominent figures in Russian history, in particular, K. M. Sukhorukov (Minin) and Prince D. M. Pozharsky on Red Square ( 1818 ).

N.M. Karamzin discovered Athanasius Nikitin's “ Walking Over Three Seas ” in a manuscript of the 16th century and published it in 1821 . He wrote ^[28] :

“Until now, geographers did not know that the honor of one of the oldest described European travels to India belongs to Russia of the John of the century ... It (the journey) proves that Russia in the 15th century had its Tavernier and Chardin , less enlightened, but equally brave and enterprising; what the Indians heard about her before about Portugal , Holland , England . While Vasco da Gama was the only one thinking about the possibility of finding a way from Africa to Hindustan , our Tverite merchants had already been merchants on the shore of Malabar ... "

In 1787, keen on Shakespeare , Karamzin published his translation of the original text of the tragedy "Julius Caesar" ^[29] . Karamzin wrote in his preface about his assessment of the work and his own work as a translator:

“The tragedy that I translated is one of his excellent creations ... If reading the translation will give Russian literature lovers a sufficient understanding of Shakespeare; if it brings them pleasure, the translator will be awarded for his work. However, he prepared for the contrary. "

In the early 1790s, this publication, one of the first works of Shakespeare in Russian, was included by censorship in the number of books for seizure and burning ^[30] .

In 1792-1793, N. M. Karamzin translated a monument of Indian literature (from English) - the drama "Sakuntala" , authored by Kalidasa . In the preface to the translation, he wrote:

“Creative spirit does not live in Europe alone; he is a citizen of the universe. Man is everywhere - man; everywhere he has a sensitive heart, and in the mirror of his imagination contains heaven and earth. Everywhere Natura is his mentor and the main source of his pleasures.

I felt this very vividly while reading Sacontala, a drama composed in Native American language, 1900 years before the sim, Asian poet Calidas, and recently translated into English by William Jones , a Bengali judge ... ” ^[31]

N. M. Karamzin was married twice and had 10 children:

1. The first wife (from April 1801) is Elizaveta Ivanovna Protasova (1767-1802), the sister of A.I. Plescheeva and A.I. Protasov, the father of A.A. Voeikova and M.A. Moyer . According to Karamzin, Elizabeth he "knew and loved for thirteen years . " She was a very educated and active woman assistant to her husband. Having poor health, in March 1802 she gave birth to a daughter, and in April she died of postpartum fever. Some researchers believe that the heroine of “Poor Lisa” is named in her honor.
   1. Sofya Nikolaevna (03.03.1802 - 07.07.1856), since 1821 the maid of honor, a close friend of Pushkin and a friend of Lermontov .
2. The second wife (from 08.01.1804) - Ekaterina Andreevna Kolyvanova (1780-1851), illegitimate daughter of Prince A.I. Vyazemsky and Countess Elizabeth Karlovna Sivers, half-sister of the poet P. A. Vyazemsky .
   1. Natalia (10.30.1804 - 05.05.1810)
   2. Ekaterina Nikolaevna (1806-1867), Petersburg acquaintance of Pushkin; from April 27, 1828 she was married to a retired lieutenant colonel of the guard, Prince Peter Ivanovich Meshchersky (1802-1876), married to her for the second time. Their son, writer and publicist Vladimir Meshchersky (1839-1914)
   3. Andrey (10.20.1807 - 05.13.1813)
   4. Natalia (05/06/1812 - 10/06/1815)
   5. Andrei Nikolaevich (1814-1854), after graduating from the University of Derpt , was forced to stay abroad due to his health, and later, a retired colonel. He was married to Aurora Karlovna Demidova . From extramarital affairs with Evdokia Petrovna Sushkova had children.
   6. Alexander Nikolaevich (1815-1888), after graduating from the University of Derpt, served in equestrian artillery, in his youth he was an excellent dancer and merry fellow, he was close to the Pushkin family in his last year of life. Married to Princess Natalya Vasilyevna Obolenskaya (1827-1892), had no children.
   7. Nikolai (08/03/1817 - 04/21/1833)
   8. Vladimir Nikolaevich (June 5, 1819 - August 7, 1879), member of the consultation under the Minister of Justice, senator, owner of the estate of Ivnya . He was distinguished by wit and resourcefulness. He was married to Baroness Alexander Ilyinichna Duka (1820-1871), daughter of General I.M. Duka . Offspring have not been left.
   9. Elizaveta Nikolaevna (1821-1891), from 1839 the maid of honor, was not married. Having no fortune, she lived on a pension, which she received as Karamzin’s daughter. After the death of her mother, she lived with her elder sister Sophia, in the family of the sister of Princess Ekaterina Meshcherskaya. She was distinguished by her mind and boundless kindness, taking all the other sorrows and joys to heart. The writer L. N. Tolstoy called her "an example of selflessness . " The family affectionately called her - Babu ^[32] .

•  

  Sofya Nikolaevna,
  daughter

•  

  Ekaterina Nikolaevna,
  daughter

•  

  Andrey Nikolaevich,
  son

•  

  Vladimir Nikolayevich,
  son

•  

  Elizaveta Nikolaevna,
  daughter

The name of the writer are:

• The village named after Karamzin is now within the city of Ulyanovsk .

• Karamzin's passage in Moscow

• Nikolay Karamzin Street in Kaliningrad, Krasnoyarsk, Main (Ulyanovsk Region) .
• A monument to N. M. Karamzin was erected in Ulyanovsk.
• The memorial sign is in the Ostafyevo estate near Moscow.
• In Veliky Novgorod, at the monument "1000th Anniversary of Russia" among 129 figures of the most outstanding personalities in Russian history (for 1862) there is a figure of N. M. Karamzin
• The Karamzin Public Library in Simbirsk , created in honor of the famous countryman, was opened to readers on April 18, 1848.
• In 2016, the Book Palace - the Ulyanovsk Regional Scientific Library with the support of the Ministry of Art and Cultural Policy of the Ulyanovsk Region , the Ulyanovsk branch of the Union of Writers of Russia and the Simbirsk literary magazine organized an open literary competition "To you, our good, pure genius ..." , dedicated to 250- the anniversary of the birth of Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin. Poems about N. M. Karamzin and based on his works were accepted for this competition.
• In 2016, on the occasion of the 250th birthday of the writer, the Central Bank of Russia issued a 2-ruble silver commemorative coin in the series “Outstanding Personalities of Russia”: Writer N. M. Karamzin
   

  Silver commemorative coin 2 rubles of the Central Bank of Russia in 2016

In philately

•  

  Postage stamp USSR , 1991 , 10 kopecks ( CFA 6378, Scott 6053)

•  

  Postage stamp Russia , 2016

• St. Petersburg
  • Spring of 1816 - the house of E.F. Muravyova - embankment of the Fontanka River , 25;
  • spring 1816-1822 - Tsarskoye Selo , Sadovaya street , 12;
  • 1818 - autumn 1823 - the house of E. F. Muravyova - embankment of the Fontanka River , 25;
  • Autumn 1823-1826 - apartment building Mizhueva - Mokhovaya street , 41;
  • spring - 05/22/1826 - Tauride Palace - Voskresenskaya street, 47.
• Moscow
  • The Vyazemsky-Dolgorukov Manor is the home of his second wife.
  • The house on the corner of Tverskaya and Bryusov Lane, where he wrote "Poor Liza" - has not been preserved

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• History of Russian literature: in 4 volumes / USSR Academy of Sciences. Inst. Rus. lit. (Pushkin. House); Editorial: N.I. Prutskov (Ch. Ed.), A. S. Bushmin, E. N. Kupriyanova, D. S. Likhachev, G. P. Makogonenko, K. D. Muratova. - L .: Science. Leningra. Department, 1980-1983.
• Kirpichnikov A. Karamzin Nikolai Mikhailovich // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
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• Zakharov N.V. At the origins of Russian Shakespeare: A.P. Sumarokov, M.N. Muravyov, N.M. Karamzin (Shakespearean studies XIII) . - M .: Publishing house of the Moscow University for the Humanities , 2009 .
• Korovin V.L. Karamzin Nikolay Mikhailovich // Orthodox Encyclopedia . - M .: Church and Scientific Center "Orthodox Encyclopedia" , 2013. - T. XXXI. - S. 10-17. - 752 s. - 33,000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-89572-031-8 .
• Pogodin M.P. My view of the historiographer. (Excerpt from the notes). // Russian archive , 1866. - Issue. 11. - St. 1766-1770.
• Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin, in his writings, letters and reviews of his contemporaries. Materials for the biography, with notes and explanations of M. Pogodin. - In 2 parts. - M .: Printing house of A.I. Mamontov, 1866.
• Serbinovich K.S. Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin. Memoirs of K. S. Serbinovich // Russian Antiquity , 1874. - T. 11. - No. 9. - P. 44-75; No. 10. - S. 236—272.
• Sipovsky V.V.On the ancestors of N.M. Karamzin // Russian Antiquity, 1898. - T. 93. - No. 2. - P. 431-435.
• Smirnov A.F. Monograph book “Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin” (“ Russian Newspaper , 2006”)
• Smirnov A.F. introductory and final article in the publication of 4 volumes of N. M. Karamzin's “History of the Russian State” (1989)
• Sornikova M. Ya. “Genre model of a short story in“ Letters of a Russian Traveler “N. M. Karamzin”
• Serman I.Z. Where and when were the “Letters of the Russian Traveler” written by N. M. Karamzin // XVIII century. SPb., 2004. Sat. 23.P. 194-210. pdf
• Sukhov A.D. Philosophist N.M. Karamzin // Philosophy and Culture. 2014. No. 5.
• Эйдельман Н. Я. Последний летописец . — М. : «Книга», 1983. — 176 с. — 200 000 экз. Архивировано 1 января 2016 года.
• Холмогоров Е.С . Конституция старого народа. Историко-политическая концепция Карамзина // Тетради по консерватизму. 2016 № 4

• Карамзин, Николай Михайлович в библиотеке Максима Мошкова
• Николай Михайлович Карамзин, по его сочинениям, письмам и отзывам современников. Материалы для биографии, с примечаниями и объяснениями М. Погодина". — Часть 1. — М., 1866
• Николай Михайлович Карамзин, по его сочинениям, письмам и отзывам современников. Материалы для биографии, с примечаниями и объяснениями М. Погодина". — Часть 2. — М., 1866