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 educated in an Italian boarding school in St. Petersburg.

The first known poems by Batyushkov ("God", "Dream") date back to about 1803-1804, and he began to publish in 1805.

In 1807, Batyushkov began a grandiose work - translating 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 military service (he participated in the Finnish campaign in 1809, the foreign campaigns of the Russian army in 1813-1814), then he served in the St. Petersburg Public Library, then he lived in retirement in the countryside.

In 1809 he became friends with V. A. Zhukovsky and P. A. Vyazemsky. In the years 1810-1812. poems "Ghost", "False Fear", "Bacchante" and "My Penates" were written. Message to Zhukovsky and Vyazemsky. " To their contemporaries, they seemed filled with joy, glorifying the serene enjoyment of life.

The collision with the tragic reality of the Patriotic War of 1812 produced a complete revolution in the poet's mind. “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 Batiushkov's elegies in 1815 opens with a bitter complaint: “I feel that my gift in poetry has extinguished ...”; "No no! life is a burden to me! What's in it without hope? .. "(" Memoirs "). The poet either hopelessly grieves over the loss of his beloved ("Awakening"), then recalls her appearance ("My genius"), then dreams of how he could hide with her in idyllic solitude ("Taurida").

At the same time, he seeks consolation in faith, believing that beyond the grave a "better world" ("Hope", "To a friend") awaits him. This confidence, however, did not relieve anxiety. Batyushkov now perceives the fate of any poet as tragic.

Batyushkov was tormented by illness (the consequences of old wounds), and economic affairs were going very badly. In 1819, after much trouble, the poet was appointed to the diplomatic service in Naples. He hoped that the Italian climate would be good for him, and that the impressions of his beloved country from childhood would inspire him. None of this came true. The climate turned out to be harmful for Batyushkov, the poet wrote little in Italy and destroyed almost everything he wrote.

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 one. Attempts at treatment have 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 did not return.

Biography

Born on May 18, 1787 in Vologda. Descended from an ancient noble family, father - Nikolai Lvovich Batyushkov (1753-1817). He spent the years of his childhood in the family estate - the village of Danilovskoye. At the age of seven, he lost his mother, who suffered from mental illness, inherited by Batyushkov and his older sister Alexandra.

In 1797 he was transferred to the St. Petersburg boarding house Zhakino, from where in 1801 he moved to the boarding house Tripoli. At the sixteenth year of his life (1802) Batyushkov left the boarding school and began reading Russian and French literature. At the same time, he became close friends with his uncle, the famous Mikhail Nikitich Muravyov. Under his influence, he began to study the literature of the ancient classical world and became an admirer of Tibullus and Horace, whom he imitated in his first works. In addition, under the influence of Muravyov Batyushkov developed a literary taste and aesthetic flair.

In St. Petersburg, Batyushkov met with representatives of the then literary world. He became especially close with, N. A. Lvov, A. N. Olenin,. In 1805, the journal Novosti literatury published his poem "Message to my poems" - Batyushkov's first appearance in print. Having entered the department of the Ministry of Public Education, Batyushkov became close to some of his colleagues who were affiliated with the Karamzin trend and founded the Free Society of Literature Lovers.

In 1805, the journal Novosti literatury published his poem "Message to my poems" - Batyushkov's first appearance in print.

In 1807 Batyushkov enrolled in the militia (militia) and took part in the Prussian campaign. In the battle of Heilsberg, he was wounded and had to go to Riga for treatment. The next year, 1808, Batyushkov took part in the war with Sweden, after which he retired and went to his relatives, in the village of Khantonovo, Novgorod province. In the countryside, he soon began to get bored and rushed to the city: his impressionability became almost painful, more and more the blues and a premonition of future madness took possession of him.

At the very end of 1809, Batyushkov arrived in Moscow and soon, thanks to his talent, bright mind and kind heart, found good friends for himself in the best spheres of the then Moscow society. Of the local writers, he became closest to V.L. Pushkin, and. The years 1810 and 1811 passed for Batyushkov partly in Moscow, where he had a pleasant time, partly in Khantonov, where he was moping. Finally, having received his resignation from military service, in early 1812 he went to St. Petersburg and, with Olenin's help, entered the service of the Public Library; his life settled down quite well, although he was constantly worried about the fate of his family and himself: a quick promotion could not be expected, and economic affairs were getting worse and worse.

Meanwhile, Napoleon's army entered Russia and began to approach Moscow. Batyushkov again entered the military service and, as an adjutant to General Raevsky, together with the Russian army, made the campaign of 1813-1814, which ended with the capture of Paris.

Staying abroad had a great influence on Batyushkov, who there for the first time got acquainted with German literature and fell in love with it. Paris and its monuments, libraries and museums also left their mark on its impressionable nature; but soon he felt a strong longing for his homeland and, having visited England and Sweden, returned to Petersburg. A year later, he finally quit military service, went to Moscow, then to St. Petersburg, where he entered Arzamas and took an active part in the activities of this society.

In 1816-1817, Batyushkov prepared for publication his book Experiments in Verse and Prose, which was then published by Gnedich. The book was well received by critics and readers.

In 1818, Batyushkov achieved the long-desired goal: he was assigned to serve in the Neapolitan Russian mission. A trip to Italy was always Batyushkov's favorite dream, but, having gone there, he almost immediately felt unbearable boredom, blues and melancholy. By 1821, hypochondria had taken on such proportions that he had to leave the service and Italy.

In 1822, the disorder of mental faculties was expressed quite definitely, and since then Batiushkov suffered for 34 years, almost never regaining consciousness, and finally died of typhus on July 7, 1855 in Vologda; buried in the Spaso-Prilutsky monastery, five miles from Vologda. Back in 1815, Batyushkov wrote to Zhukovsky the following words about himself: “From birth I had a black spot on my soul, which grew, grew with age and almost blackened my whole soul”; the poor poet did not foresee that the stain would not stop growing and so soon would completely darken his soul.

Addresses in St. Petersburg

Summer 1812 - Balabin's tenement house (Bolshaya Sadovaya st., 18);
spring 1813 - Batashov's house (Vladimirskaya st., 4);
May - July 1813 - Sievers house (10 Pochtamtskaya street);
the end of 1814 - February 1815 - the house of E. F. Muravyova (25 Fontanka river embankment);
August - November 1817 - the house of E. F. Muravyova (25 Fontanka river embankment);
1818 - the house of E. F. Muravyova (25 Fontanka river embankment);
spring 1822 - the Demut hotel (40 Moika River Embankment);
May - June 1823 - the house of E. F. Muravyova (25 Fontanka River Embankment);
November 1823 - May 1824 - Imsen's tenement house (15, Ekaterininsky Canal Embankment).

Creation

Batyushkov is considered a direct predecessor, and it is no coincidence - combining the literary discoveries of classicism and sentimentalism, he was one of the founders of the new, "modern" Russian poetry.

The poems of the first period of the poet's literary activity are imbued with epicureanism: the person in his lyrics passionately loves earthly life; the main themes in Batyushkov's poetry are friendship and love. Having abandoned the moralism and mannerism of sentimentalism, he finds new ways of expressing feelings and emotions in verse, extremely bright and vital:

Slender camp, entwined around
Hops with a yellow crown
And flaming lanita
Roses are bright crimson,
And the mouth in which it melts
Purple grapes -
Everything in the frantic seduces!
Fire and poison poured into the heart!

In response to the events of the Patriotic War of 1811, Batiushkov created examples of civil poetry, the patriotic spirit of which is combined with a description of the author's deeply individual experiences:

... while on the field of honor
For the ancient city of my fathers
I will not sacrifice revenge
And life and love for the homeland;
While with a wounded hero
Who knows the path to glory,
Three times I will not put my chest
Before enemies in a close formation -
My friend, until then I will
All are alien to muses and charites,
Wreaths, by the hand of love of the suite,
And noisy joy in wine!

In the post-war period, Batyushkov's poetry tends to romanticism. The theme of one of his most famous poems, "The Dying Tass" (1817), is the tragic fate of the Italian poet Torquato Tasso

Do you remember how many tears I shed as a baby!
Alas! since then the prey of an evil fate,
I learned all the sorrows, all the poverty of being.
The depths dug by fortune
They opened up under me, and the thunder did not stop!
Persecuted from country to country,
I searched in vain for a refuge on earth:
Everywhere her finger is irresistible!

Konstantin Nikolaevich Batyushkov was born on May 18 (29), 1787 in Vologda into a poor noble family. The boy lost his mother early. The sisters were close to him. In letters to them, especially to her elder sister A. N. Batyushkova, a trusting and vulnerable soul has been revealed over the years. Mental fragility was a feature of Batyushkov not only in his youth.
Batiushkov's cousin, poet and educator MN Muravyov, in whose house he lived in his adolescence, evoked a feeling of admiration in Batiushkov.
After graduating from two private boarding schools in St. Petersburg (the boarding school of the Frenchman Jacquino, then the boarding school of the Italian Tripoli), where he studied French and Italian, Batyushkov joined the Ministry of Public Education. At the service he met young people, friendship with whom he supported for many years. He became especially close to the poet and translator. N. Gnedich , to whose literary advice he treated attentively all his life. Here, Batyushkov meets members of the Free Society of Lovers of Literature, Sciences and Arts: I. Pnin , N. Radishchev (son), I. Born, thanks to whom he began to collaborate with some Moscow magazines.

The main stages of life and work.
In the work of K.N.Batyushkov, 3 main stages of creativity are traditionally distinguished, directly related to life experiences.
1) 1805 - 1812 - the stage of "light poetry"
2) 1812 - 1817 - the predominance of motives of sadness, doubt, awareness of the contradictions of life
3) 1817 - 1821 - stage of "anthological" lyrics

* according to Karpov:
1) the poem "Dream"
2) works of 1815
3) "Imitation of the ancients"

Key dates of life.
May 18, 1787 - KN Batyushkov, who belongs to an old noble family, was born in Vologda. The future poet was brought up in St. Petersburg in private foreign boarding schools, spoke many languages. Batiushkov's literary pursuits were encouraged by his uncle, the well-known writer MN Muravyov at that time.
1803 - Joined the Ministry of Public Education. Rapprochement with N.I. Gnedich. Interest in the art of antiquity, poetry of Greece and Rome.
1805 - First appearance in print on the pages of the Moscow magazine News of Russian Literature.
1807 - Batyushkov entered the army as a volunteer, took part in the battle at Heilsberg (in Prussia). Injury, evacuation, serious illness. Return to the regiment.
1808 - Participation in the Russian-Swedish war in Finland.
1809-1812 - Rapprochement with the Karamzinist writers V. A. Zhukovsky, V. L. Push.kin, P. A. Vyazemsky. Membership in the "Free Society of Lovers of Literature, Sciences and Arts", where the admirers of Radishchev gathered. Passion for the philosophy of the French enlighteners of the 18th century. The fight against "Conversation of lovers of the Russian word" - an apologist for literary "Old Belief" and political reactionaryism - in satirical verses ("Vision on the Shores of Lethe"). Chanting the joys of life. Anacreontic and Epicurean motives.
1814 - Participation in the overseas campaign of the Russian army, in the "Battle of the Nations" near Leipzig, entry with the Russian army into Paris. Poems on patriotic themes ("To Dashkov", "Crossing the Rhine").
1815 - Retirement. Moving to Moscow.
1817 - Published a collection of works by Batyushkov "Experiments in verse and prose". Departure of the poet from Russia for the diplomatic service in Italy. Visiting Vienna, Venice, Rome. Service in Naples. Treatment in Italian resorts and in the Czech Republic.
1821 - Creation of the last poems.
1822-1855 - Batyushkov fell ill with a hereditary mental illness, which forever stopped his literary activity. They tried to treat him, took him to the Caucasus and the Crimea, placed him in a hospital for the mentally ill, then transported him to his relatives in Vologda, where he lived until his death.
July 7, 1855 - At the age of 68, Batyushkov dies of typhus.

The main stages of creativity.

stage of "light poetry" (1805-1812)

DREAM

"Dream", like other early poems, is imbued with the spirit of poetic dreaminess, melancholy, pre-romantic immersion in the world of dreams and fantasies. The poem "Dream" is not original in content. It testifies to the revolution that took place in the minds of the people of his era. A call to leave the world of reality into the world of fantasy. (This is an allogony (mutation) of a dream, it is in it that the revolutionary character lies. For a culture of rationalism, it is stupid to pursue a dream, a mast = deception. But at the turn of the century, the theme of a dream enters literary consciousness e opposition arises with reality)
"Dream" is the opposition of the inner to the outer, a call for spiritual isolation.
Batyushkov to Gnedich: "The dream makes everything in the world gilded and the reality makes us dream of an evil dream"

In 1807, Batyushkov enrolled in the people's militia and went on the Prussian campaign, during which he was seriously wounded (the bullet touched the spinal cord, which became the cause of subsequent physical suffering). But he retired only in 1809.
In his poems of 1810-1812, Batyushkov glorifies the joys of being, love, friendship, personal freedom. Excitement with life and youth. They connect with a foreboding of the crisis. Contradictions were the main feature of Batyushkov's poems.
"Advice to Friends", "A Merry Hour", "Bacchus" (1800s) - in these poems B. creates an image of an ideal harmonious world in which Batiushkov's ideals of happiness (enjoyment of earthly joys) are realized. The images are usually antique.

At the beginning of the 1810s, a serious turn was outlined in the work of Batyushkov - the poem "My Penates", written in the genre of a friendly message.
* In Russian literature in this genre, Batyushkov's poem - sample. It has a special model: the opposition of two worlds: a small closed world in which true values ​​are concentrated, and a large world that surrounds this small world. There are false values ​​in the big world. The lyrical subjects of a friendly message are in the small world, the addressee is in the big one. Idea: "come here, come to happiness" (c) Karpov. *

MY PENATES
Message to Zhukovsky and Vyazemsky

Fatherly Penates,
Oh my pestuns!
You are not rich in gold,
But love yours
Burrows and dark cells,
Where are you for housewarming,
Humbly here and there
Placed in the corners;
Where am I a stranger homeless
Always modest in desires,
I found a shelter for myself.
Oh Gods! be here
Available, supportive!
Wine is not fragrant
Not a fat incense
The poet brings you;
But tears of tenderness
But hearts are quiet heat
And the songs are sweet
The gift of the goddesses of Permes!
Oh Lara! get along
In my abode,
Smile at the poet -
And he will be happy in her! ..
In this wretched hut
Stands in front of the window
Shabby table and tripod
With torn cloth.
In the corner, witness to glory
And the bustle of the world
Hanging semi-rusty
The sword of the great-grandfathers is dull;
Here are the books issued,
There is a hard bed -
All utensils are simple
All a crumbling scowl!
Skudel! .. But it's dearer to me,
Than a velvet bed
And the vases of the rich! ..

Fatherly gods!
To my hut
Will never find a road
Wealth with vanity;
With a hired soul
Depraved lucky ones
Court friends
And the proud are pale,
Inflated princes!
But you, oh my wretched
Crippled and blind
Walking the way-dear
With a humble stick
You knock boldly
Oh warrior, I have
Come in and dry yourself
By the bright fire.
O old man, whitened
For years and work,
Tricraty wounded
Bayonet attack!
Two-string balalaika
Nickname hikes
About the knight with the whip,
What's in the bogey and the lights
I flew in front of the shelves
Like a whirlwind in the fields
And around it in rows
Enemies fell to dust! ..
And you, my Lileta,
Into a humble corner
Come in the evening
Disguised in secret!
Under the man's hat
And curls are golden
And blue eyes
Sweetheart, hide!
Throw on my cloak wide
Arm yourself with a sword
And at midnight deep
Suddenly knock ...
Came in - military outfit
Fell at her feet
And the curls are loose
Howl over the shoulders
And her chest opened
With lily whiteness:
The sorceress has appeared
A shepherdess before me!
And now with a gentle smile
Sits down by the fire
By the hand of a snow-white
Leaning over me
And with scarlet lips
Like the wind between the sheets,
Whispers to me: "I am yours,
Yours, my heartfelt friend! .. "
Blessed, in the carefree shade,
Who is dear to her,
Under the shelter from bad weather,
On the bed of lust
Until the morning rays
Quietly possesses
Falls asleep calmly
Close friend sweet sleep! ..

The stars have already gone out
In the glow of the day
And the birds are warm nests,
What are the retinues under the window,
Chirp leave
And they shake off bliss
From their wings;
Marshmallow sways the leaves,
And everything breathes love
Among my fields;
Everything comes to life in the morning,
And Leela is resting
On a bed of flowers ...
And the wind is quiet
From her lily breast
Blown away the smoky cover ...
And in golden curls
Two young roses
Intertwined with daffodils;
Through thin barriers
Leg looking for coolness
Slides down the stock ...
I leela drink breath
On fiery lips
Like a scent of roses,
How n e who are at feasts! ..
Rest, dear friend,
In my arms!
Let it be in an unknown country
In the shade of dense forests,
To the blind goddess
I am forgotten from the shroud:
But with friendship and you
Overwhelmingly rewarded!
My century is calm, clear;
In squalor with you
I love a simple hut;
Nice and red without gold
Only by your charm!

Without gold and honor
Good genius available
The poetry of the saint
And often in a peaceful canopy
Chatting with me.
Heavenly inspiration
A rush of winged thoughts!
(When the excitement of the passions
Falls asleep ... and a bright mind,
Flying in the sky
Earthly bonds are free
In lovely Aonia
Choirs of muses are singing!)
Heavenly inspiration
Why do you fly an arrow
And hearts are ecstatic
Are you taking it with you?
Until the pink day
In a gratifying silence
Parnassian queens,
Friends, be me!
Let the shadows be cheerful
My favorite singers
Leaving the secrets of the canopy
Stygian shores
Or the regions are ethereal,
Airy crowd
Will fly to the lyre voice
Chat with me! ..
And the dead with the living
We joined the choir alone! ..
What do I see? you are in front of them,
Parnassian giant
Singer of heroes, glory,
Following the whirlwinds and thunders
Our swan is stately
Floating through the skies.
In the crowd of muses and graces,
Now with a lyre, now with a pipe,
Our Pindar, our Horace,
Drain his voice.
He's loud and fast and strong
Like Suna among the steppes,
And gentle, quiet, touched,
Like a spring nightingale.
Fantasy heavenly
Long beloved son
That is a lovely story
Captivates Karamzin;
That of the wise Plato
Describes to us
And Agathon's supper
And the delights of the temple,
That ancient Russia and manners
Vladimir vremyan,
And in the cradle of glory
The birth of the Slavs.
Behind them is a beautiful sylph,
The pupil is harit,
On sweet-voiced zither
Strumming about Darling;
Meletsky with him
Calls with a smile
And with him, hand by hand,
The hymn of joy sings! ..
Playing with erotics
Philosopher and poet,
Near Phaedra and Pilpai
Dmitriev is sitting there;
Chatting with the beasts
Like a happy child
Parnassian flowers
He hid the truth jokingly.
Behind him in the hours of freedom
Sing among the singers
Two darlings of nature,
Chemnitser and Krylov .
Piite Mentors,
O Phoebe priests!
To you, you are weaving harites
Immortal Crowns!
I taste you here
The delights of the pierids,
etc.................

poet and prose writer who played a significant role in the formation of Russian classical literature

Date of birth: 05/18/1787
Place of birth: Vologda
Date of death: 07/07/1855
Place of death: Vologda

(05/18/1787, Vologda - 07/07/1855, ibid.)

Poet and prose writer who played a significant role in the formation of Russian classical literature.

Was born in Vologda. Belonged to an old noble family known from the 16th century. His father, Nikolai Lvovich, began serving as a soldier in the Izmailovsky Guards regiment, was a prosecutor in Vyatka, after retirement he lived without a break in the Danilovskoye family estate 17 miles from Ustyuzhna (according to the then territorial-administrative division - Bezhetsk district of the Tver province). The poet spent his childhood on this estate. His mother, Alexandra Grigorievna (née Berdyaeva), went mad when the boy was about 4 years old, and soon died. Since 1797, Batyushkov lived in St. Petersburg and was brought up in private boarding schools for foreigners. Here he received a good knowledge of foreign languages ​​(French, Italian and German), became interested in literature and took his first steps in the literary field. His translation into French of the meritorious words of Metropolitan Platon on the occasion of the coronation of Alexander I was published in a separate brochure. In 1802, Batyushkov's stay at the boarding house ended. He settled in the house of M.N. Muravyov, who was his father's cousin, and entered the service of the newly formed Ministry of Public Education, where Muravyov took the post of comrade (deputy) minister since 1803. Batyushkov was in this service until January 1807. Communication with his great-uncle, who was an outstanding educator and a great writer for his time, had a strong influence on the personality of Batiushkov, on the formation of his literary abilities and interests. Muravyov's circle of friends included such famous figures of Russian culture of the late 18th - early 19th centuries as G.R.Derzhavin, V.V. Kapnist, N.A. Lvov, A.N. Olenin. Among Batyushkov's colleagues were young writers N.I. Gnedich and P.A. Katenin. The former later became famous as a translator of Homer's Iliad, the latter as a playwright and critic. The acquaintances tied to the service contributed to the fact that Batyushkov became close to the Free Society of Lovers of Literature, Sciences and Arts and became its full member. A notable milestone in the literary fate of Batyushkov was participation in the Olenin circle, which, in addition to its head, a writer, archaeologist and artist, included such literary celebrities as the fabulist I.A. Krylov, the author of tragedies V.A. Ozerov, the comedian A.A. . Shakhovskoy. The first appearance of Batyushkov the poet in print dates back to 1805 ("Message to my poems", the magazine "News of Russian Literature"). His creative aspirations were vividly expressed in the poem "Dream", imbued with the ideas of romanticism - a new trend for Russian literature, the strengthening of the position of which the poet greatly contributed.

The outbreak of war with Napoleon prompted Batyushkov to join the militia in 1806. He took part in hostilities on the territory of Prussia, was wounded in the battle of Heilsberg, for which he was later awarded the Order of St. Anna III degree. The feeling of love, experienced by him during his stay in Riga on recovery, was reflected in the poem "Recovery", created later. Having received leave, Batyushkov arrived in Danilovskoye in August and after a falling out with his father, who had remarried, left with his sisters Alexandra and Varvara to the family estate of his mother Khantonovo (Cherepovets district of the Novgorod province). Until the autumn of 1808 he lived there, studying literature and leaving on business in St. Petersburg and Vologda. In September he returned to military service, as part of a battalion of rangers (light infantry) participated in the Russian-Swedish war (military operations in Finland, an expedition on the ice of the Baltic Sea to the Åland Islands). In the middle of 1809, Batyushkov retired, lived with his sisters in Khantonovo, wrote "The Vision on the Shores of Leta" - a satire on the Shishkovists, adherents of the "old style", and on the epigones of sentimentalism. This work brought him fame in the circles of N.M. Karamzin's admirers, focused on European culture. Thanks to "Vision ..." the word "Slavophile" was introduced into wide circulation. From December 1809 to January 1812 Batyushkov lived in Moscow, was published in one of the best Russian magazines "Vestnik Evropy", established close friendly relations with NM Karamzin, PA Vyazemsky, VA Zhukovsky. Due to lack of funds, he had to spend the summer months in Khantonov. In 1811-1812. he wrote one of the best poems "My Penates", glorifying the humble joys of a solitary life and reflecting some of the realities of the Khanton life.

At the very beginning of 1812, Batyushkov got a job as an assistant curator of manuscripts in the Public Library (Petersburg), the director of which at that time was A.N. Olenin, and I.A.Krylov served as an assistant to the librarian. He became a regular visitor to the salon in Olenin's house, and for some time renewed ties with the Free Society of Lovers of Literature, Sciences and Arts.

Napoleon's invasion of Russia awakened in Batyushkov a sense of patriotic duty. But he did not immediately get into the active army. He had to evacuate M.N. Muravyov's widow to Nizhny Novgorod, to settle matters in Vologda. In Nizhny Novgorod, his passion for A.F. Furman, a pupil of the Olenins, began, which later turned into a heavy spiritual drama for the poet. Having visited several times in Moscow, devastated by the enemy, Batyushkov experienced a deep shock. The poem "To Dashkov" (1813), where his experiences are reproduced, stands out noticeably against the background of the literature of that time with its tragic tension and emotional saturation of images. He joined the army in August 1813 near Dresden and became an adjutant under General N.N. Raevsky. On August 15, he had a chance to participate in a battle near Teplitz, and on October 4 - in the "Battle of the Nations" near Leipzig, in which General Raevsky was wounded, and Batyushkov's friend I.A. Petin died (the poems "To Petin" - 1810 and " The Shadow of a Friend "- 1814). For participation in this battle, Batyushkov was awarded the Order of St. Anna of the II degree. He spent two months with a wounded general in Weimar, one of the cultural centers of Germany, deepening his knowledge of German literature. Then he went with the Russian troops to Paris, witnessed his surrender. He considered the war over, took a vacation, visited England, Sweden and Finland.

Returning to St. Petersburg, Batyushkov began preparing for publication the complete collected works of M.N. Muraviev (parts 1-3, published in 1919-1820). Having renewed his acquaintance with A.F. Furman, begun in Nizhny Novgorod, he was going to marry her and made an offer. The marriage, however, did not take place, since Batyushkov realized that the bride had given consent, obeying not her own feelings, but the will of her guardian. The poet went through a severe mental crisis and, without explaining himself to the girl, left first for Khantonovo, and then for Kamenets-Podolsk - to continue military service. The upheaval that emerged in Batyushkov's worldview after the war, and the collapse of hopes for family happiness, were reflected in the elegy "Hope" (1815), which, according to the just remark of A.S. Pushkin, it would be more correct to call "Faith", since its main theme is "Power of attorney to the Creator."

At the end of 1815, Batyushkov was transferred from service to the Izmailovsky Guards Regiment, where his father once began his service. He got the opportunity to move to St. Petersburg, but submitted a request for resignation, which was granted in April 1816. In the rank of collegiate assessor (equal to major), the poet left the military career forever. In May, Batyushkov, along with Zhukovsky, was elected to the Society of Lovers of Russian Literature at Moscow University, and he read at a meeting of this society "Speech on the Influence of Light Poetry on Language", which is important for understanding his literary position. While living in Khantonovo, Batyushkov was preparing for the publication of a collection of his works entitled Experiments in Verse and Prose. In August 1817, while in St. Petersburg, he first attended a meeting of the literary society "Arzamas", in which he had been in absentia since 1815 under the playful nickname Achilles (it was interpreted not only as recognition of Batyushkov's merits in the fight against the "Shishkovists", but and - in writing "Ah, heal!" - as a characteristic of the short, constantly complaining about the health of the poet). Batyushkov again entered the service of the Public Library. In September, he renewed his acquaintance with A.S. Pushkin, which he had begun while visiting the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum a year and a half ago. In October, two volumes of "Experiments" were published, well received by critics and reinforcing the authority of Batyushkov as one of the leading literary men. In the summer of 1818, his application for appointment to the College of Foreign Affairs was granted. Batyushkov was awarded the rank of court councilor (equal to a lieutenant colonel), and he was ranked among the Russian mission in Naples. At the end of February 1819, the poet arrived at his destination. While in Italy, he enthusiastically studied the monuments of ancient culture, on behalf of Olenin, communicated with Russian artists, boarders of the Academy of Arts. Here he, one of the first among Russian writers, became interested in Byron's work and translated into Russian a small fragment from the poem Childe Harold's Pilgrimage. In 1821, for the first time, the symptoms of hereditary mental illness made themselves felt. At the same time, the poet's creative path was interrupted. Batyushkov filed a petition for dismissal from the service, but he was only allowed to be listed on indefinite leave. He returned to St. Petersburg, was treated at the Caucasian mineral waters and in Simferopol, spent several years in a hospital for the insane in Sonnenstein (Saxony), for a long time lived in Moscow under the supervision of a doctor. All efforts to return Batyushkov's mind were in vain. In 1833 he moved to Vologda, where he spent a little more than twenty years in the care of relatives, allotted to him by fate. The poet received a pension, assigned by order of the emperor. The cause of his death was typhoid fever.

VG Belinsky wrote that "Batyushkov contributed a lot and a lot to the fact that Pushkin appeared as he really was." However, this merit does not exhaust the significance of Batyushkov in Russian culture. He was an independent creative magnitude, regardless of whom he imitated and whom he preceded. His creative heritage is small in scope, but diverse in composition. He wrote elegies, poetic messages, odes, satires, fables, epigrams, madrigals. He translated Greek, Latin, Italian, French, German and English authors, imitated oriental poets. Among his prosaic "experiments" there are stories, articles on literary topics, critical essays, memoir and cultural-historical essays. Batyushkov's letters are also a kind of literary literature, they are organically included in the poet's creative heritage and contain rich material on the history of Russian literature at the beginning of the 19th century. The theme of his works also differed in variety. However, the idea of ​​him as a participant in the literary process is associated primarily with "light poetry", the characteristic features of which were the cult of graceful pleasure, the glorification of a quiet life in the bosom of nature, far from bustling cities with their false values. In addition to "My Penates", the poems "Bacchante", "False Fear", "Gazebo of the Muses", "Source", "Tavrida" are vivid examples of lyrics of this kind. Primary importance in Batyushkov's poems is attached to the motives of love, friendship, enjoyment of flying moments of happiness. However, it would be wrong to judge their creator as a careless Epicurean. Batyushkov's poems have a tragic overtones. Plastically, the ideal depicted in them is contrasted with reality - the one that Batyushkov knew from his difficult life experience and from which he left for the world of beautiful visions, inspired by the images of world artistic culture dear to him. He perfectly understood that this ideal is a poetic fiction, which has no place in real life, hostile to man. Batyushkov's tragic outlook was clearly expressed in the Dying Tass elegy, dedicated to the fate of the Italian poet Torquato Tasso, which seemed to Batyushkov something similar to his own fate.

Being an ardent patriot, Batyushkov considered anyone who did not love the Fatherland to be a barbarian. At the same time, his idea of ​​the further development of Russia was firmly connected with the values ​​of European education. He saw the most important cultural task in making the Russian language capable of transmitting the finest shades of thought and feeling, in order to endow it with aesthetic qualities, in order to liken Russian literary speech in the beauty of sound and expressiveness of speech to Italian. Batyushkov tried to solve this problem in his work, giving his contemporaries a reason to call him a "miracle worker." Speaking in print, Batyushkov used the pseudonyms: B, B-b, B-ov, K. N. B. T., Sleep Lover Dormidon Tikhin, T. N. R., N. N. N. and others.

The poet was buried within the walls of the Spaso-Prilutsky monastery not far from Vologda. There is a memorial plaque on the house where he spent the last years of his life. The house stands on the street named after the poet. Two rooms in it are occupied by a museum exposition dedicated to the life and work of Batyushkov. From their windows you can see a monument to the poet on the banks of the Vologda River by V.M. Klykov. This monument was created for the 200th anniversary of the poet's birth.

In the village of Danilovsky (now the Ustyuzhensky district of the Vologda region) there is a Kuprin-Batyushkov museum. There is a project to revive the Khanton estate near Cherepovets. In the mid-1980s. on the stage of the Vologda Drama Theater was a play by V. Arinin and V. Koshelev "My Genius", based on the facts of the biography of Batyushkov.

Editions of works:

Experiments in verse and prose by Konstantin Batyushkov. - Ch. 1-2. - SPb., 1817;

Batyushkov K.N. Compositions. - T. 1-3 / Ed. P.N. Batyushkov, entry. Art. L.N. Maikova, note. L.N. Maikov and V.I.Saitov. - SPb., 1885-1887;

Batyushkov K.N. Works: In two volumes. - T. 1 / Comp., Prepared. text, entered. article and comments by V. A. Koshelev; T. 2 / Comp., Prepared. text, comments by A. L. Zorin. - M., 1989.

Literature about the writer:

Maikov L.N. Batyushkov, his life and works. - SPb., 1887; ed. 2nd, revision again. - SPb., 1896 (reprinted: M., 2001);

V.A. Koshelev Konstantin Batyushkov: Wanderings and Passions. - M., 1987;

Wreath to the poet: Collection of articles. - Vologda, 1989;

Batyushkov: Research and materials: Collection of scientific papers / Scientific. ed. and comp. R. M. Lazarchuk. - Cherepovets, 2002.

Konstantin Nikolaevich Batyushkov was born on May 18, 1787 in Vologda. At seven years of age, he lost his mother. The ten-year-old boy is sent to St. Petersburg, where he studies foreign languages, as well as history and statistics in the boarding houses of the Frenchman Jacquinot and the Italian Tripoli. At the age of 16, leaving the boarding house, Batiushkov, under the influence of ancient literature, became an ardent admirer of Tibullus and Horace. Having entered the department of the Ministry of Public Education, Batyushkov became close to some of his colleagues, members of the Free Society of Lovers of Literature, Sciences and Arts; friendship with N.I. Gnedich, a poet and translator, lasted for many years. From 1807 to 1816 (albeit with significant interruptions) Batyushkov is in military service - takes part in the war with Sweden and the Napoleonic wars, becomes a witness of the surrender of Paris. Returning to Russia, he entered the literary society "Arzamas" under the proud name of Achilles. Batyushkov himself, with bitter irony (but not greatly exaggerating), says about himself: “Ah! Heal! "

In 1816-1817. the poet is experiencing a great creative upsurge: in a year he writes 12 poetic and 8 prose works, prepares his works in poetry and prose for publication.

In 1818 Batyushkov was assigned to serve in the Neapolitan Russian mission. A trip to Italy has always been Batyushkov's favorite dream, but, having gone there, he almost immediately felt unbearable boredom, blues, melancholy. After 3 years, he was forced to leave the service and Italy - a mental illness from which his mother died and his older sister suffered, defeated the poet himself. Batyushkov received an indefinite leave and returned to Russia as terminally ill. He burns his books and manuscripts. All attempts to cure the poet were unsuccessful. In 1833, he was procured a life pension, he was taken to his homeland - in Vologda, where he died on July 7, 1855.

The first poem by Batyushkov in print: "Message to my poems" (1805, "News of Russian Literature"). In subsequent years, Batyushkov's poems appeared in various literary magazines: "Northern Herald", "Lyceum", "Flower Garden" and many others. others. In 1817 he published his "Experiments in poetry and prose" (I ed.). II and III editions were undertaken in the 1834s and 1850s. relatives of the poet.

Usually, Batyushkov's poetry is usually divided into two periods: 1804-1812. (poems imbued with Epicureanism) and 1812-1821. (turn towards elegiac lyrics).

Read also other articles about the life and work of K.N. Batyushkov.