In what krylov was always weak. Biography. Childhood years of the future writer

Born in 1769 in Moscow. The young Krylov studied little and haphazardly. He was in his tenth year when his father, Andrei Prokhorovich, who at that moment was a petty official in Tver, died. Andrey Krylov “did not study the sciences”, but he loved to read and instilled his love in his son. He himself taught the boy to read and write and left him a chest of books as a legacy. Krylov received further education thanks to the patronage of the writer Nikolai Alexandrovich Lvov, who read the poems of the young poet. In his youth, he lived a lot in Lvov's house, studied with his children, and simply listened to the conversations of writers and artists who came to visit. Krylov read quite a lot. According to a contemporary, he "visited with particular pleasure folk gatherings, shopping areas, swings and fistfights, where he pushed between a motley crowd, listening with greed to the speeches of commoners." The shortcomings of fragmentary education affected later - for example, Krylov was always weak in spelling, but it is known that over the years he acquired fairly solid knowledge and a broad outlook, learned to play the violin and speak Italian.

He was signed up to serve in the lower zemstvo court, although, obviously, it was a mere formality - he did not go to the presence or almost did not go and received no money. At the age of fourteen, he went to St. Petersburg, where his mother went to apply for a pension. Then he transferred to the service in the St. Petersburg State Chamber. However, official affairs did not interest him too much. In the first place among Krylov's hobbies were literary studies and theater visits. These addictions did not change even after he lost his mother at the age of seventeen, and the care of his younger brother fell on his shoulders. In the 1980s he wrote a lot for the theatre. From under his pen came the libretto of the comic operas Coffee House and the Mad Family, the tragedies Cleopatra and Philomela, the comedy The Writer in the Hallway. These works did not bring the young author any money or fame, but helped him to get into the circle of St. Petersburg writers. He was patronized by the famous playwright Ya.B. Knyaznin, but the arrogant young man, having decided that they were mocking him in the house of the “master”, broke with his older friend. Krylov wrote the comedy Pranksters, in the main characters of which, Rifmokrad and Tarator, contemporaries easily recognized Knyazhnin and his wife. Pranksters is a more mature work than previous plays, but the production of the comedy was banned, and Krylov's relations deteriorated not only with the Knyazhnin family, but also with the theater management, on which the fate of any dramatic work depended.

In 1785, Krylov wrote the tragedy Cleopatra (it did not reach us) and took it to the famous actor Dmitrevsky for viewing; Dmitrevsky encouraged the young author to further work, but he did not approve of the play in this form.

In 1786, Krylov wrote the tragedy of Philomela, which, apart from an abundance of horrors and cries and a lack of action, does not differ from other "classical" tragedies of that time. Slightly better written by Krylov at the same time are the comic opera Mad Family and the comedy The Writer in the Hallway, about the latter Lobanov, a friend and biographer of Krylov, says: “I have been looking for this comedy for a long time and I regret that I finally found it.” Indeed, in it, as in the "Mad Family", except for the liveliness of the dialogue and a few folk "catchwords", there are no advantages. The only curious thing is the fertility of the young playwright, who entered into close relations with the theater committee, received a free ticket, an assignment to translate the opera L’Infante de Zamora from French, and the hope that the Mad Family would go to the theater, since music had already been ordered for it.

From the end of the 80s. his main activity was in the field of journalism. In 1789, he published the journal Spirit Mail for eight months. The satirical orientation, already manifested in the early plays, has been preserved here, but in a somewhat transformed form. Krylov created a caricature picture of his contemporary society, dressing his story in a fantastic form of correspondence between gnomes and the wizard Malikulmulk. The publication was discontinued, as the magazine had only eighty subscribers. Judging by the fact that the Spirit Mail was republished in 1802, its appearance did not go unnoticed by the reading public.

In 1790, Krylov retired, deciding to devote himself entirely to literary activity. He became the owner of the printing house and in January 1792, together with his friend the writer Klushin, began to publish the magazine Spectator, which was already more popular.

The greatest success for the “Spectator” was brought by the works of Krylov Kaib himself, the Oriental Tale, the Tale of the Eyes, the Eulogy in Memory of My Grandfather, the Speech spoken by the Rake in the Assembly of Fools, the Philosopher’s Thoughts on Fashion. The number of subscribers grew. In 1793, the magazine was renamed "St. Petersburg Mercury". By this time, his publishers focused primarily on constant ironic attacks on Karamzin and his followers. The publisher of "Mercury" was alien to the reformist work of Karamzin, which seemed to him artificial and excessively subject to Western influences. Admiration for the West, the French language, French fashions was one of the favorite themes of the young Krylov's work and the object of ridicule in many of his comedies. In addition, the Karamzinists repelled him with their disdain for the strict classicist rules of versification, and Karamzin's unnecessarily simple, in his opinion, "common" style revolted him. Krylov, as always, portrayed his literary opponents with poisonous causticity. So, in the Eulogy to Yermolafida, spoken in a meeting of young writers, Karamzin was mockingly depicted as a man carrying nonsense, or "Yermolafiya". Perhaps it was the sharp controversy with the Karamzinists that pushed readers away from the St. Petersburg Mercury.

At the end of 1793, the publication of "St. Petersburg Mercury" ceased, and Krylov left St. Petersburg for several years. According to one of the writer's biographers, "From 1795 to 1801, Krylov, as it were, disappears from us." Some fragmentary information suggests that he lived for some time in Moscow, where he played cards a lot and recklessly. Obviously, he wandered around the province, lived in the estates of his friends. In 1797, Krylov left for the estate of Prince S.F. Golitsyn, where, obviously, he was his secretary and teacher of his children.

It was for a home performance at the Golitsyns in 1799-1800. the play Trumph or Podshchipa was written. In an evil caricature of the stupid, arrogant and evil warrior Trumph, one could easily guess Paul I, who did not like the author primarily for his admiration for the Prussian army and King Frederick II. The irony was so caustic that the play was first published in Russia only in 1871. Trumpf's significance is not only in its political overtones. More importantly, the very form of “joke tragedy” parodied the classical tragedy with its high style and in many ways meant the author’s rejection of those aesthetic ideas that he had been faithful to during the previous decades.

After the death of Paul I, Prince Golitsyn was appointed governor-general of Riga, and Krylov served as his secretary for two years. In 1803, he again retired and, apparently, again spent the next two years in continuous travel around Russia and playing cards. It was during these years, about which little is known, that the playwright and journalist began to write fables.

It is known that in 1805 Krylov in Moscow showed the famous poet and fabulist I.I. Dmitriev his translation of two fables by La Fontaine: The Oak and the Cane and the Picky Bride. Dmitriev highly appreciated the translation and was the first to note that the author had found his true calling. Krylov always loved Lafontaine (or Fontaine, as he called him) and, according to legend, already in his early youth he tested his strength in translating fables, and later, perhaps, in altering them; fables and "proverbs" were in vogue at that time. An excellent connoisseur and artist of simple language, who always loved to clothe his thought in the plastic form of an apologist, and, moreover, strongly inclined towards ridicule and pessimism, he really was, as it were, created for a fable, but still he did not immediately stop at this form of creativity. In 1806, he published only three fables, after which he again returned to dramaturgy.

In 1807, Krylov released three plays at once, which gained great popularity and were successfully staged. This is a fashion store, a lesson for daughters and Ilya Bogatyr. The first two plays were especially successful, each of which in its own way ridiculed the predilection of the nobles for the French language, fashions, customs, etc. and actually put an equal sign between gallomania and stupidity, debauchery and extravagance. Plays were repeatedly staged on the stage, and the Fashion Store was played even at court.

Despite the long-awaited theatrical success, Krylov decided to take a different path. He stopped writing for the theater and every year he paid more and more attention to working on fables.

In 1808, he published 17 fables, including the famous Elephant and Pug.

In 1809, the first collection was published, which immediately made its author truly famous. In total, until the end of his life, he wrote more than 200 fables, which were combined into nine books. He worked until the last days - the writer's friends and acquaintances received the last lifetime edition of the fables in 1844, along with a notice of the death of their author.

At first, Krylov's work was dominated by translations or transcriptions of La Fontaine's famous French fables (Dragonfly and Ant, Wolf and Lamb), then gradually he began to find more and more independent plots, many of which were associated with topical events in Russian life. So, the fables of the Quartet, the Swan, the Pike and Cancer, the Wolf in the kennel became a reaction to various political events. More abstract plots formed the basis of Curious, Hermit and the Bear and others. However, fables written "on the topic of the day" very soon also began to be perceived as more generalized works. The events that gave rise to their writing were quickly forgotten, and the fables themselves turned into a favorite reading in all educated families.

Work in a new genre dramatically changed Krylov's literary reputation. If the first half of his life passed practically in obscurity, full of material problems and hardships, then in maturity he was surrounded by honors and universal respect. Editions of his books diverged in huge circulations for that time. The writer, who at one time laughed at Karamzin for his predilection for excessively vulgar expressions, now he himself created works understandable to everyone, and became a truly folk writer.

Krylov became a classic during his lifetime. Already in 1835, V. G. Belinsky, in his article “Literary Dreams”, found only four classics in Russian literature and put Krylov on a par with Derzhavin, Pushkin and Griboyedov.

All critics drew attention to the national character of his language, his use of characters from Russian folklore. The writer remained hostile to Westernism throughout his life. It was no coincidence that he joined the literary society "Conversation of Lovers of Russian Literature", which defended the old Russian style and did not recognize Karamzin's reform of the language. This did not prevent Krylov from being loved by both supporters and opponents of the new light style. So, Pushkin, who was much closer to the Karamzin trend in literature, comparing Lafontaine and Krylov, wrote: “Both of them will forever remain the favorites of their fellow earthmen. Someone rightly said that simplicity is an innate property of the French people; on the contrary, a distinctive feature in our morals is some kind of cheerful cunning of the mind, mockery and a picturesque way of expressing ourselves "

In parallel with popular recognition, there was also official recognition. From 1810, Krylov was first an assistant librarian and then a librarian at the Imperial Public Library in St. Petersburg. At the same time, he received a repeatedly increased pension "in respect for excellent talents in Russian literature." He was elected a member of the Russian Academy, awarded a gold medal for literary merits and received many other awards and honors. Already the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the fabulist's creative activity in 1838 turned into a truly national celebration.

Krylov died in 1844 in St. Petersburg. He was buried at the Tikhvin cemetery in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

Everyone agrees that in the skill of the story, in the relief of the characters, in the subtle humor, in the energy of the action, Krylov is a true artist, whose talent is the brighter, the more modest the area he has separated himself. His fables as a whole are not a dry moralizing allegory, but a true "spectacle of human life." How instructive Krylov's fable was for contemporaries and continues to be for posterity - opinions on this are not quite similar, and far from everything necessary has been done to completely clarify the issue. Although Krylov considers the benefactor of the human race "the one who offers the main rules of virtuous deeds in short terms", he himself was not a didacticist either in magazines or in his fables, but a bright satirist, and, moreover, not one who mocks the shortcomings of his contemporary society, in view of the ideal that has firmly taken root in his soul, but a skeptical satirist who does not believe in the possibility of correcting people and strives only to reduce the amount of lies and evil. When Krylov, out of duty as a moralist, tries to offer "the main rules of virtuous deeds", it comes out dry and cold for him (see, for example, "Divers"); but when he has the opportunity to point out the contradiction between ideal and reality, to denounce self-delusion and hypocrisy, phrase-mongering, falseness, stupid complacency, he is a true master. Therefore, it is hardly appropriate to be indignant at Krylov because he "did not express his sympathy for any discoveries, inventions and innovations" (Galakhov), as it is inappropriate to demand from all his fables the preaching of humanity and spiritual nobility. He has another task - to execute evil with ruthless laughter: the blows inflicted by him on various types of meanness and stupidity are so accurate that it is impossible to doubt the beneficial effect of his fables on a wide range of their readers.

The important historical and literary significance of Krylov is beyond doubt. Just as in the age of Catherine, the pessimist Fonvizin was needed next to the enthusiastic Derzhavin, so in the age of Alexander, Krylov was needed; acting at the same time as Karamzin and Zhukovsky, he represented a counterbalance to them. Not sharing Shishkov's archaeological aspirations, Krylov consciously joined his circle and fought all his life against half-conscious Westernism. In fables, he was our first "truly folk" (Pushkin) writer, both in language and in images (his animals, birds, fish and even mythological figures are truly Russian people, each with characteristic features of the era and social status), and in ideas. He sympathizes with the Russian working man, whose shortcomings, however, he knows very well and portrays strongly and clearly. The good-natured ox and the eternally offended sheep are his only so-called positive types, and the fables of Leaves and Roots, the Worldly Gathering, Wolves and Sheep, put him far ahead of the then idyllic defenders of serfdom.

«<...>His parables are the property of the people and constitute the book of the wisdom of the people themselves. His animals think and act too Russian: in their tricks among themselves, one can hear the tricks and rituals of production within Russia. In addition to the true animal resemblance, which is so strong in him that not only the fox, bear, wolf, but even the pot itself turns as if alive, they also showed Russian nature in themselves. Even the donkey, which he had so determined in his character, that as soon as he sticks out his ears from some fable, the reader already cries forward: “This is Krylov’s donkey!” Even a donkey, despite its belonging to the climate of other lands, appeared to him as a Russian person ... In a word, he has Rus' everywhere and smells of Russia ... None of the poets knew how to make his thought so tangible and express himself so accessible to everyone as Krylov . The poet and the sage merged in him together. Everything is picturesque in him, from the depiction of captivating, formidable and even dirty nature, to the transfer of the slightest shades of conversation, giving out spiritual properties alive.<...>This mind, which is able to find the legitimate middle of every thing, which was revealed in Krylov, is our truly Russian mind. It was only in Krylov that the true tact of the Russian mind was reflected, which, being able to express the true essence of any matter, is able to express it in such a way that it will not offend anyone with an expression and will not set against itself or against its thought even people dissimilar to it - one in a word, that true tact which we have lost in the midst of our secular education and which has been preserved to this day by our peasant. Our peasant knows how to speak with everyone, even with the king, as freely as none of us, and will not show indecency with a single word, while we often do not know how to talk even with an equal to ourselves in such a way as not to offend him with some expression. On the other hand, in which of us has this concentrated, faithful, truly Russian tact of the mind really formed - he enjoys the respect of everyone among us; everyone will allow him to say what no one else will be allowed to say; no one is angry with him ... ”(N.V. Gogol)

Over the past almost two centuries since the death of Krylov, there has not been a single generation in Russia that has not been brought up on his fables.

KRYLOV, IVAN ANDREEVICH(1769-1844) - Russian fabulist, writer, playwright

Born in 1769 in Moscow. The young Krylov studied little and haphazardly. He was in his tenth year when his father, Andrei Prokhorovich, who at that moment was a petty official in Tver, died. Andrey Krylov “did not study the sciences”, but he loved to read and instilled his love in his son. He himself taught the boy to read and write and left him a chest of books as a legacy. Krylov received further education thanks to the patronage of the writer Nikolai Alexandrovich Lvov, who read the poems of the young poet. In his youth, he lived a lot in Lvov's house, studied with his children, and simply listened to the conversations of writers and artists who came to visit. The shortcomings of fragmentary education affected later - for example, Krylov was always weak in spelling, but it is known that over the years he acquired fairly solid knowledge and a broad outlook, learned to play the violin and speak Italian.

He was signed up for service in the lower zemstvo court, although, obviously, it was a simple formality - Krylov did not go to the presence or almost did not go and did not receive money. At the age of fourteen, he went to St. Petersburg, where his mother went to apply for a pension. Then he transferred to the service in the St. Petersburg State Chamber. However, official affairs did not interest him too much. In the first place among Krylov's hobbies were literary studies and theater visits. These addictions did not change even after he lost his mother at the age of seventeen, and the care of his younger brother fell on his shoulders. In the 1980s he wrote a lot for the theatre. From under his pen came the libretto of comic operas coffee pot and crazy family, tragedy Cleopatra and Philomel, comedy Writer in the hallway. These works did not bring the young author any money or fame, but helped him to get into the circle of St. Petersburg writers. He was patronized by the famous playwright Ya.B. Knyaznin, but the arrogant young man, having decided that they were mocking him in the house of the “master”, broke with his older friend. Krylov wrote a comedy pranksters, in whose main characters, Rifmokrade and Tarator, contemporaries easily recognized Knyaznin and his wife. pranksters- a more mature work than previous plays, but the production of the comedy was banned, and Krylov's relations deteriorated not only with the Knyaznin family, but also with the theater management, on which the fate of any dramatic work depended.

Since the late 80s, the main activity has unfolded in the field of journalism. In 1789 he published the journal Spirit Mail for eight months. The satirical orientation, already manifested in the early plays, has been preserved here, but in a somewhat transformed form. Krylov created a caricature picture of his contemporary society, dressing his story in a fantastic form of correspondence between gnomes and wizards Malikulmulk. The publication was discontinued, as the magazine had only eighty subscribers. Judging by the fact that the Spirit Mail was republished in 1802, its appearance still did not go unnoticed by the reading public.

In 1790 he retired, deciding to devote himself entirely to literary activity. He became the owner of the printing house and in January 1792, together with his friend the writer Klushin, began to publish the magazine Spectator, which was already more popular.

The greatest success of the "Spectator" was brought by the works of Krylov himself Kaib, oriental tale, story nights, Eulogy in memory of my grandfather, A speech spoken by a rake in an assembly of fools, Philosopher's thoughts on fashion. The number of subscribers grew. In 1793, the magazine was renamed "St. Petersburg Mercury". By this time, his publishers focused primarily on constant ironic attacks on Karamzin and his followers. The publisher of "Mercury" was alien to the reformist work of Karamzin, which seemed to him artificial and excessively subject to Western influences. Admiration for the West, the French language, French fashions was one of the favorite themes of the young Krylov's work and the object of ridicule in many of his comedies. In addition, the Karamzinists repelled him with their disdain for the strict classicist rules of versification, and Karamzin's unnecessarily simple, in his opinion, "common" style revolted him. As always, he portrayed his literary opponents with venomous causticity. Yes, in A eulogy to Ermolafida, spoken in a meeting of young writers Karamzin was mockingly portrayed as a man talking nonsense, or "yermolafia". Perhaps it was the sharp controversy with the Karamzinists that pushed readers away from the St. Petersburg Mercury.

At the end of 1793, the publication of "St. Petersburg Mercury" ceased, and Krylov left St. Petersburg for several years. According to one of the writer's biographers, "From 1795 to 1801, Krylov, as it were, disappears from us." Some fragmentary information suggests that he lived for some time in Moscow, where he played cards a lot and recklessly. Obviously, he wandered around the province, lived in the estates of his friends. In 1797, Krylov left for the estate of Prince S.F. Golitsyn, where, apparently, he was his secretary and teacher of his children.

It was for the Golitsyns' home performance that the play was written in 1799-1800 Trumpf or Podshchipa. In an evil caricature of the stupid, arrogant and evil warrior Trumph, one could easily guess Paul I, who did not like the author primarily for his admiration for the Prussian army and King Frederick II. The irony was so caustic that the play was first published in Russia only in 1871. Trumpfa not only in its political overtones. More importantly, the very form of “joke tragedy” parodied the classical tragedy with its high style and in many ways meant the author’s rejection of those aesthetic ideas that he had been faithful to during the previous decades.

After the death of Paul I, Prince Golitsyn was appointed governor-general of Riga, and Krylov served as his secretary for two years. In 1803 he retired again and, apparently, again spent the next two years in continuous travel around Russia and playing cards. It was during these years, about which little is known, that the playwright and journalist began to write fables.

It is known that in 1805 Krylov in Moscow showed the famous poet and fabulist I.I. Dmitriev his translation of two Lafontaine fables: Oak and cane and Picky Bride. Dmitriev highly appreciated the translation and was the first to note that the author had found his true calling. The poet himself did not immediately understand this. In 1806 he published only three fables, after which he returned to drama.

In 1807 he released three plays at once, which gained great popularity and were successfully staged. It - fashion shop, Lesson for daughters and Ilya Bogatyr. The first two plays were especially successful, each of which in its own way ridiculed the predilection of the nobles for the French language, fashions, customs, etc. and actually put an equal sign between gallomania and stupidity, debauchery and extravagance. Plays have been repeatedly staged on the stage, and fashion shop played even in the court.

Despite the long-awaited theatrical success, Krylov decided to take a different path. He stopped writing for the theater and every year he paid more and more attention to working on fables.

In 1808 he had already published 17 fables, including the famous Elephant and pug.

In 1809, the first collection was published, which immediately made its author truly famous. In total, until the end of his life, he wrote more than 200 fables, which were combined into nine books. He worked until his last days - the writer's friends and acquaintances received the last lifetime edition of the fables in 1844, along with a notice of the death of their author.

At first, Krylov's work was dominated by translations or transcriptions of the famous French fables of Lafontaine, ( dragonfly and ant, wolf and lamb), then gradually he began to find more and more independent stories, many of which were connected with topical events in Russian life. So, fables became a reaction to various political events. Quartet, Swan,Pike and Cancer, Wolf in the kennel. More abstract plots formed the basis Curious, Hermit and bear and others. However, fables written "on the topic of the day" very soon also began to be perceived as more generalized works. The events that gave rise to their writing were quickly forgotten, and the fables themselves turned into a favorite reading in all educated families.

Krylov became a classic during his lifetime. Already in 1835 V. G. Belinsky in his article literary dreams found only four classics in Russian literature and put Krylov on a par with Derzhavin, Pushkin and Griboyedov.

In parallel with popular recognition, there was also official recognition. From 1810 Krylov was first an assistant librarian and then a librarian at the Imperial Public Library in St. Petersburg. At the same time, he received a repeatedly increased pension "in respect for excellent talents in Russian literature." He was elected a member of the Russian Academy, awarded a gold medal for literary merits and received many other awards and honors.

One of the characteristic features of Krylov's popularity is the numerous semi-legendary stories about his laziness, slovenliness, gluttony, and wit.

Already the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the fabulist's creative activity in 1838 turned into a truly national celebration. For almost two centuries that have passed since then, there has not been a single generation in Russia that has not been brought up on Krylov's fables.

Krylov died in 1844 in St. Petersburg.

Tamara Eidelman

Born in 1769 in Moscow. The young Krylov studied little and haphazardly. He was in his tenth year when his father, Andrei Prokhorovich, who at that moment was a petty official in Tver, died. Andrey Krylov “did not study the sciences”, but he loved to read and instilled his love in his son. He himself taught the boy to read and write and left him a chest of books as a legacy. Krylov received further education thanks to the patronage of the writer Nikolai Alexandrovich Lvov, who read the poems of the young poet. In his youth, he lived a lot in Lvov's house, studied with his children, and simply listened to the conversations of writers and artists who came to visit. The shortcomings of fragmentary education affected later - for example, Krylov was always weak in spelling, but it is known that over the years he acquired fairly solid knowledge and a broad outlook, learned to play the violin and speak Italian.

He was signed up for service in the lower zemstvo court, although, obviously, it was a simple formality - Krylov did not go to the presence or almost did not go and did not receive money. At the age of fourteen, he went to St. Petersburg, where his mother went to apply for a pension. Then he transferred to the service in the St. Petersburg State Chamber. However, official affairs did not interest him too much. In the first place among Krylov's hobbies were literary studies and theater visits. These addictions did not change even after he lost his mother at the age of seventeen, and the care of his younger brother fell on his shoulders. In the 1980s he wrote a lot for the theatre. From under his pen came the libretto of the comic operas Coffee House and the Mad Family, the tragedies Cleopatra and Philomela, the comedy The Writer in the Hallway. These works did not bring the young author any money or fame, but helped him to get into the circle of St. Petersburg writers. He was patronized by the famous playwright Ya.B. Knyaznin, but the arrogant young man, having decided that they were mocking him in the house of the “master”, broke with his older friend. Krylov wrote the comedy Pranksters, in the main characters of which, Rifmokrad and Tarator, contemporaries easily recognized Knyazhnin and his wife. Pranksters is a more mature work than previous plays, but the production of the comedy was banned, and Krylov's relations deteriorated not only with the Knyazhnin family, but also with the theater management, on which the fate of any dramatic work depended.

The greatest success of the "Spectator" was brought by the works of Krylov Kaib himself, an oriental story, a fairy tale of the Night, Eulogy in memory of my grandfather, A speech spoken by a rake in a meeting of fools, Philosopher's thoughts about fashion. The number of subscribers grew. In 1793, the magazine was renamed "St. Petersburg Mercury". By this time, his publishers focused primarily on constant ironic attacks on Karamzin and his followers. The publisher of "Mercury" was alien to the reformist work of Karamzin, which seemed to him artificial and excessively subject to Western influences. Admiration for the West, the French language, French fashions was one of the favorite themes of the young Krylov's work and the object of ridicule in many of his comedies. In addition, the Karamzinists repelled him with their disdain for the strict classicist rules of versification, and Karamzin's unnecessarily simple, in his opinion, "common" style revolted him. As always, he portrayed his literary opponents with venomous causticity. So, in the Eulogy to Yermolafida, spoken in a meeting of young writers, Karamzin was mockingly depicted as a man carrying nonsense, or "Yermolafiya". Perhaps it was the sharp controversy with the Karamzinists that pushed readers away from the St. Petersburg Mercury.

At the end of 1793, the publication of "St. Petersburg Mercury" ceased, and Krylov left St. Petersburg for several years. According to one of the writer's biographers, "From 1795 to 1801, Krylov, as it were, disappears from us." Some fragmentary information suggests that he lived for some time in Moscow, where he played cards a lot and recklessly. Obviously, he wandered around the province, lived in the estates of his friends. In 1797, Krylov left for the estate of Prince S.F. Golitsyn, where, apparently, he was his secretary and teacher of his children.

It was for the home performance at the Golitsyns in 1799-1800 that the play Trumph or Podshchipa was written. In an evil caricature of the stupid, arrogant and evil warrior Trumph, one could easily guess Paul I, who did not like the author primarily for his admiration for the Prussian army and King Frederick II. The irony was so caustic that the play was first published in Russia only in 1871. The importance of Trumpf is not only in its political overtones. More importantly, the very form of “joke tragedy” parodied the classical tragedy with its high style and in many ways meant the author’s rejection of those aesthetic ideas that he had been faithful to during the previous decades.

It is known that in 1805 Krylov in Moscow showed the famous poet and fabulist I.I. Dmitriev his translation of two fables by Lafontaine: The Oak and the Cane and the Picky Bride. Dmitriev highly appreciated the translation and was the first to note that the author had found his true calling. The poet himself did not immediately understand this. In 1806 he published only three fables, after which he returned to drama.

In 1807 he released three plays at once, which gained great popularity and were successfully staged. This is a fashion store, a lesson for daughters and Ilya Bogatyr. The first two plays were especially successful, each of which in its own way ridiculed the predilection of the nobles for the French language, fashions, customs, etc. and actually put an equal sign between gallomania and stupidity, debauchery and extravagance. Plays were repeatedly staged on the stage, and the Fashion Store was played even at court.

Despite the long-awaited theatrical success, Krylov decided to take a different path. He stopped writing for the theater and every year he paid more and more attention to working on fables.

In 1808, he had already published 17 fables, including the famous Elephant and Pug.

In 1809, the first collection was published, which immediately made its author truly famous. In total, until the end of his life, he wrote more than 200 fables, which were combined into nine books. He worked until his last days - the writer's friends and acquaintances received the last lifetime edition of the fables in 1844, along with a notice of the death of their author.

Krylov became a classic during his lifetime. As early as 1835, V. G. Belinsky, in his article Literary Dreams, found only four classics in Russian literature and put Krylov on a par with Derzhavin, Pushkin and Griboyedov.

One of the characteristic features of Krylov's popularity is the numerous semi-legendary stories about his laziness, slovenliness, gluttony, and wit.

Krylov died in 1844 in St. Petersburg.

Tamara Eidelman

Krylov Ivan Andreevich(1769-1844) - Russian fabulist, writer, playwright Born in 1769 in Moscow. Studied young Krylov small and unorganized. He was in his tenth year when his father, Andrei Prokhorovich, who at that moment was a petty official in Tver, died. Andrey Krylov “did not study the sciences”, but he loved to read and instilled his love in his son. He himself taught the boy to read and write and left him a chest of books as a legacy. Further education Krylov received thanks to the patronage of the writer Nikolai Aleksandrovich Lvov, who read the poems of the young poet. In his youth, the future poet lived a lot in Lvov's house, studied with his children, and simply listened to the conversations of writers and artists who came to visit. The shortcomings of fragmentary education affected later - for example, Krylov was always weak in spelling, but it is known that over the years he acquired fairly solid knowledge and a broad outlook, learned to play the violin and speak Italian.

He was signed up for service in the lower zemstvo court, although, obviously, it was a simple formality - Krylov did not go to the presence or almost did not go and did not receive money. At the age of fourteen, he went to St. Petersburg, where his mother went to apply for a pension. Then he transferred to the service in the St. Petersburg State Chamber. However, official affairs did not interest him too much. In the first place among Krylov's hobbies were literary studies and theater visits. These addictions did not change even after he lost his mother at the age of seventeen, and the care of his younger brother fell on his shoulders. In the 1980s he wrote a lot for the theatre. From under his pen came the libretto of the comic operas Coffee House and the Mad Family, the tragedies Cleopatra and Philomela, the comedy The Writer in the Hallway. These works did not bring the young author any money or fame, but helped him to get into the circle of St. Petersburg writers. He was patronized by the famous playwright Ya.B. Knyaznin, but the arrogant young man, having decided that they were mocking him in the house of the “master”, broke with his older friend. Krylov wrote the comedy Pranksters, in the main characters of which, Rifmokrad and Tarator, contemporaries easily recognized Knyazhnin and his wife. Pranksters is a more mature work than previous plays, but the production of the comedy was banned, and Krylov's relations deteriorated not only with the Knyazhnin family, but also with the theater management, on which the fate of any dramatic work depended.

In 1790 Krylov retired, deciding to devote himself entirely to literary activity. He became the owner of the printing house and in January 1792, together with his friend the writer Klushin, began to publish the magazine Spectator, which was already more popular.

At the end of 1793, the publication of "St. Petersburg Mercury" ceased, and Krylov left Petersburg for several years. According to one of the writer's biographers, "From 1795 to 1801, Krylov, as it were, disappears from us." Some fragmentary information suggests that he lived for some time in Moscow, where he played cards a lot and recklessly. Obviously, he wandered around the province, lived in the estates of his friends. In 1797, Krylov left for the estate of Prince S.F. Golitsyn, where, apparently, he was his secretary and teacher of his children.

After the death of Paul I, Prince Golitsyn was appointed governor-general of Riga, and Krylov served as his secretary for two years. In 1803 he retired again and, apparently, again spent the next two years in continuous travel around Russia and playing cards. It was during these years, about which little is known, that the playwright and journalist began to write fables. It is known that in 1805 Krylov in Moscow, he showed the famous poet and fabulist I.I. Dmitriev his translation of two fables by La Fontaine: The Oak and the Cane and the Picky Bride. Dmitriev highly appreciated the translation and was the first to note that the author had found his true calling. The poet himself did not immediately understand this. In 1806 he published only three fables, after which he returned to drama.

Despite the long-awaited theatrical success, Krylov decided to take a different path. He stopped writing for the theater and every year he paid more and more attention to working on fables. In 1808, he had already published 17 fables, including the famous Elephant and Pug. In 1809, the first collection was published, which immediately made its author truly famous. In total, until the end of his life, he wrote more than 200 fables, which were combined into nine books. He worked until his last days - the writer's friends and acquaintances received the last lifetime edition of the fables in 1844, along with a notice of the death of their author.

First in creativity Krylova In the 1970s, translations or adaptations of Lafontaine's famous French fables (Dragonfly and Ant, Wolf and Lamb) prevailed, then gradually he began to find more and more independent plots, many of which were associated with topical events in Russian life. So, the fables of the Quartet, the Swan, the Pike and Cancer, the Wolf in the kennel became a reaction to various political events. More abstract plots formed the basis of Curious, Hermit and the Bear and others. However, fables written "on the topic of the day" very soon also began to be perceived as more generalized works. The events that gave rise to their writing were quickly forgotten, and the fables themselves turned into a favorite reading in all educated families.

Krylov became a classic during his lifetime. As early as 1835, V. G. Belinsky, in his article Literary Dreams, found only four classics in Russian literature and put Krylov on a par with Derzhavin, Pushkin and Griboyedov.

One of the characteristic features of Krylov's popularity is the numerous semi-legendary stories about his laziness, slovenliness, gluttony, and wit.

Died Krylov in 1844 in St. Petersburg.

Ivan Andreevich Krylov - Russian fabulist, writer, playwright.

Born in 1769 in Moscow. The young Krylov studied little and haphazardly. He was in his tenth year when his father, Andrei Prokhorovich, who at that moment was a petty official in Tver, died. Andrey Krylov “did not study the sciences”, but he loved to read and instilled his love in his son. He himself taught the boy to read and write and left him a chest of books as a legacy. Krylov received further education thanks to the patronage of the writer Nikolai Alexandrovich Lvov, who read the poems of the young poet. In his youth, he lived a lot in Lvov's house, studied with his children, and simply listened to the conversations of writers and artists who came to visit. The shortcomings of fragmentary education affected later - for example, Krylov was always weak in spelling, but it is known that over the years he acquired fairly solid knowledge and a broad outlook, learned to play the violin and speak Italian.

Since the late 80s, the main activity has unfolded in the field of journalism. In 1789, he published the Spirit Mail magazine for eight months. The satirical orientation, already manifested in the early plays, has been preserved here, but in a somewhat transformed form. Krylov created a caricature picture of his contemporary society, dressing his story in a fantastic form of correspondence between gnomes and the wizard Malikulmulk. The publication was discontinued, as the magazine had only eighty subscribers. Judging by the fact that the Spirit Mail was republished in 1802, its appearance did not go unnoticed by the reading public.

In 1790 he retired, deciding to devote himself entirely to literary activity. He became the owner of the printing house and in January 1792, together with his friend, the writer Klushin, began publishing the Spectator magazine, which was already more popular.

At the end of 1793, the publication of "St. Petersburg Mercury" ceased, and Krylov left St. Petersburg for several years. According to one of the writer's biographers, "From 1795 to 1801, Krylov, as it were, disappears from us." Some fragmentary information suggests that he lived for some time in Moscow, where he played cards a lot and recklessly. Obviously, he wandered around the province, lived in the estates of his friends. In 1797, Krylov left for the estate of Prince S. F. Golitsyn, where, apparently, he was his secretary and teacher of his children.

It is known that in 1805 Krylov in Moscow showed the famous poet and fabulist I. I. Dmitriev his translation of two fables by Lafontaine: “The Oak and the Cane” and “The Picky Bride”. Dmitriev highly appreciated the translation and was the first to note that the author had found his true calling. The poet himself did not immediately understand this. In 1806, he published only three fables, after which he returned to drama.

In 1807, he released three plays at once, which gained great popularity and were successfully staged. These are Fashion Store, Lesson for Daughters and Ilya Bogatyr. The first two plays were especially successful, each of which in its own way ridiculed the predilection of the nobles for the French language, fashions, customs, etc. and actually put an equal sign between gallomania and stupidity, debauchery and extravagance. The plays were repeatedly staged on the stage, and the Fashion Store was played even at court.

Despite the long-awaited theatrical success, Krylov decided to take a different path. He stopped writing for the theater and every year he paid more and more attention to working on fables.

In 1808, he already published 17 fables, including the famous "Elephant and Pug".

At first, Krylov's work was dominated by translations or transcriptions of Lafontaine's famous French fables ("The Dragonfly and the Ant", "The Wolf and the Lamb"), then gradually he began to find more and more independent plots, many of which were associated with topical events in Russian life. So, the fables “Quartet”, “Swan”, “Pike and Cancer”, “Wolf in the kennel” became a reaction to various political events. More abstract plots formed the basis of "Curious", "The Hermit and the Bear" and others. However, fables written "on the topic of the day" very soon also began to be perceived as more generalized works. The events that gave rise to their writing were quickly forgotten, and the fables themselves turned into a favorite reading in all educated families.

One of the characteristic features of Krylov's popularity is the numerous semi-legendary stories about his laziness, slovenliness, gluttony, and wit.

Krylov died in 1844 in St. Petersburg.