Pelsky, Petr Afanasyevich

He studied at Moscow University , while a student participated in the magazine "Evening Dawn" (1782), published by Nikolai Novikov . He is on the list of students - employees of the journal, published in the January issue of 1782: “And as employees of the onago (journal) of the Imperial Moscow University, Pets practicing in the sciences: then we, in order to thank them, declare the names of their most respectable Public ; and thereby arouse only their noble souls to great deeds in the vast field of learning and enlightenment. Workers in the publication of the journal: Students, Mikhail Ivanovich Antonovsky, Lev Maksimovich Maksimovich, Lavrenty Yakovlevich Davydovsky, Peter Petrovich Braunschweig, Andrey Vasilyevich Mogilyansky, Ivan Andreevich Fabian, Fyodor Lvovich Timonovich, Alexander Fedorovich Labzin, Petr Afanasyevichevich, Fyodor Lvovich Timonovich, Alexander Fedorovich Labzin, Petr Afanasyev,

For his academic achievements, Pelsky was repeatedly noted in official acts (Moscow Gazette, 1780, July 8, No. 55; Moscow Gazette, 1781, October 2, No. 79. Addition). Later he published his compositions in the magazines “Useful and Pleasant Transmission of Time” in 1795 and the almanac “Aonida” in 1796-1799. At this time, Pelsky was a friend of N. M. Karamzin , who, in a letter of February 2, 1796, recommended him to I. I. Dmitriev as "a very intelligent and good person."

In a letter to Dmitriyev of February 12, 1802, Karamzin reported: “His wife died in childbirth. He is unhappy on all sides and must fear his creditors every day. ” To improve matters, in these years he publishes a great deal, presumably, already ready translations ^[2] .

In 1802, Pelsky’s translation of Jean-Jacques Rousseau ’s “A Small Poem in Prose” “Ephraim’s Levite” (“ Le levite d 'Ephraim ”, 1762; published after the death of the author in 1781) is a paraphrase of the biblical story (Judg. 19:21 ), illustrating the main provisions of the Russoist theory. The translation was published anonymously as a separate pamphlet and did not elicit any feedback. This poem in 1806 will be translated by V. A. Zhukovsky . According to the characteristics of the modern historian of literature, “Pelsky’s translation is more accurate; the style was archaic in order to convey the “ancient simplicity” inherent in the original. Biblical names and titles Pelsky transliterates from French, which indicates, if not negligence, then a poor acquaintance with the Bible, and confirms his reputation as a Voltairean ” ^[3] .

Later, Pelsky became a censor in Moscow. The book “Kum Mathieu” Dyuloran published in his translation was confiscated by order of the military governor of Count I. P. Saltykov . This circumstance, according to the biographer, caused the translator to die prematurely. He died as a collegiate assessor and was buried in the Donskoy Monastery .

The Moscow civil governor P. Arshenevsky , who authorized the sale of the book, justified in a report dated October 25, 1803 that the novel "refers to amusing essays, such as Zhilblaz, " that he "did not find anything“ relative to our religion ”there check translation ^[4] .

Upon the death of Pelsky, a collection of his small compositions, translations and imitations was published under the title “My Something, or Collection of Small Essays and Translations in Verses and Prose” (M., 1803; with the author’s silhouette), which included “Songs” (besides some new ones were published, prose “Imitations of some Latin poets” (in particular, J. Bonfoy), translation of “Madagascar songs” E.-D. Guys and Letters to Sarah by J.-J. Rousseau with an attachment of the author’s silhouette and poems at the end of his Nikolay Karamzin (“Poems to the sudden death of Peter Afanasyevich Pelsky”).

• Hermitage Theater of Great Catherine. - M., 1802.
• Efraimsky Leviticus, poem by J. J. Rousseau . - M., 1803.
• Adele de Cenange, the novel of the Countess de Flago, subsequently Baroness Susa, 2 hours - M., 1803.
• Duloran . Kum Matvey. 4 parts. - M., 1803.

Gordon L.S. The forgotten poet and translator Peter Afanasyevich Pelsky (1765-1803) // Scientific reports of the higher school. Philology. 1964; № 2. V. Korovin To the history of Russian translations by J.-J. Rousseau: "Ephraimsky Levit" in the translations of P.А.Pelsky and V.A. Zhukovsky // Literary journal. 2012. № 31. C. 39–53