Batyushkov Konstantin Nikolaevich (1787-1855), poet.

Born on May 29, 1787 in Vologda into 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.

Batyushkov’s first known poems (“God”, “Dream”) date back to approximately 1803-1804, and he began publishing in 1805.

In 1807, Batyushkov began a grandiose work - the translation of a poem by an Italian poet of the 16th century. Torquato Tasso "Jerusalem Liberated". In 1812 he went to war with Napoleon I, where he was seriously wounded. Subsequently, Batyushkov then re-entered military service(participated in the Finnish campaign of 1809, foreign campaigns of the Russian army of 1813-1814), he either served in the St. Petersburg Public Library, or lived in retirement in the village.

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

Facing tragic reality Patriotic War 1812 produced a complete revolution in the poet’s consciousness. “The terrible actions... of the French in Moscow and its environs... completely upset my little philosophy and quarreled me with humanity,” he admitted in one of his letters.

The cycle of Batyushkov’s elegies of 1815 opens with a bitter complaint: “I feel that my gift in poetry has gone out...”; "No no! life is a burden to me! What is there without hope?..” (“Memoirs”). The poet either hopelessly mourns the loss of his beloved (“Awakening”), or evokes her appearance (“My Genius”), or dreams of how he could hide with her in idyllic solitude (“Tavrida”).

At the same time, he seeks consolation in faith, believing that beyond the grave a “better world” will certainly await him (“Hope”, “To a Friend”). This confidence, however, did not relieve anxiety. Batyushkov now perceives the fate of every poet as tragic.

Batyushkov was tormented by illness (consequences of old wounds), and economic affairs were going badly. In 1819, after much trouble, the poet received an appointment to the diplomatic service in Naples. He hoped that the climate of Italy would benefit him, and that impressions of his childhood favorite country 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 disorder began to appear. Batyushkov was treated in Germany, then returned to Russia, but this did not help either: the nervous illness turned into a mental illness. Attempts at treatment yielded nothing. In 1824, the poet fell into complete unconsciousness and spent about 30 years there. Towards the end of his life his condition improved somewhat, but his sanity never returned.

Konstantin Nikolaevich Batyushkov

Batyushkov Konstantin Nikolaevich (1787/1855) - Russian poet. In the early period of his creativity, Batyushkov was assigned the title of head of the anacreontic movement with his characteristic chanting of the joys of life (“Bacchae”, “Merry Hour”, “My Penates”). In later years, Batyushkov’s poetry acquired completely different - elegiac and tragic - motifs, which are a reflection of the spiritual crisis he suffered (“Hope”, “My Genius”, “Separation”, “Dying Tass”).

Guryeva T.N. New literary dictionary / T.N. Guryev. – Rostov n/d, Phoenix, 2009, p. 29-30.

Batyushkov Konstantin Nikolaevich (1787 - 1855), poet.

Born on May 18 (29 NS) in Vologda into a noble noble family. His childhood years were spent on the family estate - the village of Danilovskoye, Tver province. The home education was supervised by the grandfather, the leader of the nobility of the Ustyuzhensky district.

From the age of ten, Batyushkov studied in St. Petersburg in private foreign boarding schools and spoke many foreign languages.

From 1802 he lived in St. Petersburg in the house of his relative M. Muravyov, a writer and educator who played a decisive role in the formation of the poet’s personality and talent. He studies the philosophy and literature of the French Enlightenment, ancient poetry, and the literature of the Italian Renaissance. For five years he served as an official in the Ministry of Public Education.

In 1805 he made his debut in print with satirical poems “Message to My Poems.” During this period, he wrote poems mainly of the satirical genre ("Message to Chloe", "To Phyllis", epigrams).

In 1807 he enlisted in the people's militia and, as the commander of a hundred-man militia battalion, went on the Prussian campaign. In the battle of Heilsberg he was seriously wounded, but remained in the army and in 1808 - 09 participated in the war with Sweden. After retiring, he devoted himself entirely to literary creativity.

The satire “Vision on the Shores of Lethe,” written in the summer of 1809, marks the beginning of the mature stage of Batyushkov’s work, although it was published only in 1841.

In 1810 - 12 he actively collaborated in the journal "Bulletin of Europe", became close to Karamzin, Zhukovsky, Vyazemsky and other writers.

His poems “The Merry Hour”, “The Happy One”, “The Source”, “My Penates”, etc. appear.

During the War of 1812, Batyushkov, who did not join the active army due to illness, experienced “all the horrors of war,” “poverty, fires, hunger,” which was later reflected in the “Message to Dashkov” (1813). In 1813 - 14 he participated in the foreign campaign of the Russian army against Napoleon. The impressions of the war formed the content of many poems: “The Prisoner”, “The Fate of Odysseus”, “Crossing the Rhine”, etc.

In 1814 - 17 Batyushkov traveled a lot, rarely staying in one place for more than six months. He is going through a severe spiritual crisis: disappointment in the ideas of enlightenment philosophy. Religious sentiments are growing. His poetry is painted in sad and tragic tones: the elegy “Separation”, “Shadow of a Friend”, “Awakening”, “My Genius”, “Tavrida”, etc. In 1817 the collection “Experiments in Poems and Prose” was published, which included translations , articles, essays and poems. In 1819 he left for Italy at the place of his new service - he was appointed an official at the Neopolitan mission. In 1821 he was overcome by an incurable mental illness (persecution mania). Treatment in the best European clinics was not successful - Batyushkov never returned to normal life. His

last years passed with relatives in Vologda. Died of typhus .

July 7 (19 n.s.) 1855. Buried in

Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery
Materials used from the book: Russian writers and poets. Brief biographical dictionary. Moscow, 2000. Vologda. Monument to K. Batyushkov. .

Photo

A.N. Savelyeva BATYUSHKOV Konstantin Nikolaevich (05/18/1787-07/7/1855), Russian poet. Born into a family that belonged to the ancient Novgorod nobility. After the early death of his mother, he was brought up in private St. Petersburg boarding schools and in the family of the writer and public figure M. N. Muravyov. He gets close to Radishchev's Free Society of Lovers of Literature, Science and the Arts, but quickly moves away from it. His creative connections with the circle are much closer A. N. Olenina (I. A. Krylov, Gnedich, Shakhovskoy), where the cult of antiquity flourished. Actively collaborates in the magazine “Flower Garden” (1809).

Joins the literary circle “Arzamas”, which actively opposes the “Conversation of Lovers of the Russian Word”, an association of patriotic writers and linguists (cm.: Shishkov A.S.). In the satire “Vision on the Shores of Lethe” (1809) he first used the word "Slavophile".

In the 1810s, Batyushkov became the head of the so-called. “light poetry”, dating back to the tradition of anacreoticism of the 18th century. (G. R. Derzhavin, V. V. Kapnist): the glorification of the joys of earthly life is combined with the affirmation of the poet’s inner freedom from the political system, the stepson of which the poet felt himself to be.

The patriotic inspiration that gripped Batyushkov in connection with Patriotic War of 1812, takes him beyond the limits of “chamber lyricism”. Under the influence of the hardships of war, the destruction of Moscow and personal upheavals, the poet experiences a spiritual crisis, disillusioned with educational ideas.

In 1822, Batyushkov fell ill with a hereditary mental illness, which forever stopped his literary activity.

BATYUSHKOV Konstantin Nikolaevich (05/18/1787 - 07/7/1855), poet. Born in Vologda. He belonged to an old noble family. He was brought up in St. Petersburg, in private foreign boarding schools. Except French , was fluent in Italian and later Latin. He served in the military (he took part in three wars, including the foreign campaign of 1814) and minor bureaucratic service, and later in the Russian diplomatic mission in Italy. In 1822 he fell ill with a hereditary mental illness that had long been creeping up on him. From 1802 he settled in the house of the writer M. N. Muravyov, his relative; Then he began to write poetry. He became a member of the Free Society of Lovers of Literature, Science and the Arts. With his poetic satire “Vision on the Shores of Lethe” (1809), which was widely published in lists, Batyushkov took an active part in the controversy with “Conversation of Lovers of the Russian Word.” , whose powerful talent Batyushkov immediately highly appreciated. He became close to the circle of A.N. Olenin, where the cult of antiquity flourished. Batyushkov’s works, published in magazines, were published in a separate publication in 1817 - “Experiments in Poems and Prose” (in 2 parts).

Batyushkov became the head of the so-called. “light poetry”, dating back to the tradition of anacreontics of the 18th century, the most outstanding representatives of which were G. R. Derzhavin and V. V. Kapnist (“a model in a syllable,” as Batyushkov called it).

The chanting of the joys of earthly life - friendship, love - was combined in Batyushkov’s intimate friendly messages with the affirmation of the poet’s inner freedom, his independence from the “slavery and chains” of the feudal-absolutist social system, whose stepson he acutely felt himself to be. The programmatic work of this kind was the message “My Penates” (1811-12, published 1814); according to Pushkin, it “...breathes with some kind of rapture of luxury, youth and pleasure - the syllable trembles and flows - the harmony is charming.” An example of “light poetry” is the poem “The Bacchante” (published in 1817). for the “education” and “improvement” of the poetic language (“Speech on the influence of light poetry on the language”, 1816). Batyushkov also wrote in prose, believing that this is also an important school for the poet (mainly essays, articles on literature and art; the most significant of them are “Evening at Kantemir’s”, “Walk to the Academy of Arts”).

Batyushkov's verse reached high artistic perfection. Contemporaries admired his “plasticity”, “sculpture”, Pushkin - his “Italian” melodiousness (“Italian sounds! What a miracle worker is this Batyushkov”). With his translations “From the Greek Anthology” (1817-18) and “Imitations of the Ancients” (1821), Batyushkov prepared anthological poems by Pushkin. Batyushkov was burdened by the narrowness of themes and motives, the monotony of the genres of his poetry. He conceived a number of monumental works filled with content “useful to society, worthy of himself and the people,” and was fond of the work of Byron (translation into Russian from “The Wanderings of Childe Harold”). All this was cut short by mental illness, which forever stopped Batyushkov’s literary activity. The poet noted bitterly: “What can I say about my poems! I look like a man who did not reach his goal, but he was carrying on his head a beautiful vessel filled with something. The vessel fell off the head, fell and broke into pieces, now go find out what was in it.” Pushkin, objecting to critics who attacked Batyushkov’s poetry, called on them to “respect his misfortunes and unripe hopes.”

Batyushkov played a significant role in the development of Russian poetry: along with Zhukovsky, he was the immediate predecessor and literary teacher of Pushkin, who accomplished much of what Batyushkov started. Materials used from the site Great Encyclopedia of the Russian People - http://www.rusinst.ru

Batyushkov and

Pushkin

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Batyushkov Konstantin Nikolaevich (1787-1853) - poet, participant in the Patriotic War of 1812. Pushkin met Batyushkov as a child, in his parents’ house. Their communication was especially frequent in 1817-1818, at meetings of the Arzamas society. Batyushkov’s poetry, saturated with motifs of careless love, friendship, and the joy of communicating with nature, had a strong influence on Pushkin’s early work. Unknown artist. 1810s Book materials used: Pushkin A.S. Works in 5 volumes. M., Synergy Publishing House, 1999.- came to Tsarskoe Selo to visit a promising lyceum student (1815).

By this time, young Pushkin was already reading Batyushkov’s poems, imitating them, and learning from them. Until the end of his days, he remained a supporter of the “school of harmonic precision”, the founders of which he considers Zhukovsky and Batyushkov - this “miracle worker” who brought “Italian sounds” to Russian poetry. Pushkin’s personal communication with Batyushkov was not too close and long-lasting. They met in the Arzamas literary society, of which they were members, and saw each other on “Saturdays” at V. A. Zhukovsky’s, in the Olenins’ salon and in other St. Petersburg houses. Batyushkov entered the diplomatic service and was assigned to Italy. Pushkin was among those who came to see him off and say goodbye. It was November 19, 1818. Since then, he saw Batyushkov only once more, many years later, when he visited the mentally ill poet in Gruziny near Moscow on April 3, 1830. Impression from this last meeting

reflected, apparently, in the poem “God forbid I go crazy...”.

Batyushkov's fate is full of tragedy. Having outlived Pushkin by almost two decades, he nevertheless remained for his contemporaries and descendants his young predecessor, who did not have time to demonstrate his exceptional talent. He himself understood this and wrote with bitterness: “What can I say about my poems! I look like a man who did not reach his goal, but he was carrying on his head a beautiful vessel filled with something. The vessel fell off the head, fell and broke into pieces. Now go find out what was in it.”

And Pushkin called on Batyushkov’s critics to “respect his misfortune and unripe hopes.” Throughout his life, he carefully studied and highly appreciated what Batyushkov managed to do in Russian poetry. Melody, euphony, freedom of intonation, extraordinary harmony of all elements of Batyushkov's verse, plasticity of the lyrics, unconventional image of the author - a sage and an epicurean - all this made Batyushkov a direct teacher of the young Pushkin. You could even say that he was “Pushkin before Pushkin.”

During his lyceum years, Pushkin dedicated two messages to Batyushkov. In many poems of that time, he imitates the “Russian Guys” (“Gorodok”, “Shadow of Fonvizin”, “Memories in Tsarskoe Selo” and others). In conversations and drafts of critical articles of 1824-1828, Pushkin constantly returns to the assessment of creativity and historical significance Batyushkova. The most detailed analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of Batyushkov’s lyrics is contained in Pushkin’s notes in the margins of his book “Experiments in Poems.” Researchers find traces of Batyushkov’s influence in Pushkin’s later works.

L.A. Chereisky. Contemporaries of Pushkin. Documentary essays. M., 1999, p. 55-57.

Read further:

Pushkin, Alexander Sergeyevich(1799-1837), poet.

Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery, Vologda diocese, in the vicinity of Vologda.

Essays:

Experiments in poetry and prose, parts 1-2. St. Petersburg, 1817;

Op., [Intro. Art. L. N. Maykova, note. him and V.I. Saitov], vol. 1-3, St. Petersburg, 1885-87.

Literature:

Grevenits I. Several notes about K. N. Batyushkov // VGV. 1855. N 42, 43;

Gura V.V. Russian writers in the Vologda region. Vologda, 1951. P. 18-42;

Lazarchuk R. M. New archival materials for the biography of the poet K. N. Batyushkov // Russian literature. 1988. N 6. P. 146-164;

Maykov L.N. Batyushkov, his life and works. St. Petersburg, 1896;

Sotnikov A. Batyushkov. Vologda, 1951;

Tuzov V.I. In memory of the Vologda poet K.N. Batyushkov. Vologda, 1892.

The place of K. N. Batyushkov (1787–1855) in the history of Russian literature was determined by Belinsky. In his articles, the name of Batyushkov as a “remarkable talent”, “great talent”, an artist primarily constantly stands after Karamzin, next to Zhukovsky, before Pushkin and is considered as a necessary link in the development of Russian poetic culture. Batyushkov’s services to Russian poetry are especially great in the enrichment of lyrical genres, poetic language. He was the immediate predecessor of Pushkin, in many ways close to him in spirit and in his poetic worldview. “Batyushkov,” wrote Belinsky, “contributed a lot to the fact that Pushkin appeared as he really appeared. This merit alone on Batyushkov’s part is enough for his name to be pronounced in the history of Russian literature with love and respect” (7, 228).

There was and is no consensus on Batyushkov’s literary position or his affiliation with one direction or another. Contemporary criticism of the poet called him either a representative of the “newest school,” which meant emerging romanticism, or a “neoclassicist,” while others saw the predominance of sentimentalism in his work.

In Soviet historical and literary science, it is more common to call Batyushkov a “pre-romanticist,” although there are other concepts. This point of view was introduced into scientific circulation with appropriate argumentation by B.V. Tomashevsky: “This word (i.e., “pre-romanticism” - K.G.) is usually used to call those phenomena in the literature of classicism in which there are some signs of a new direction, received full expression in romanticism. Thus, pre-romanticism is a transitional phenomenon.”

What are these “some signs”? - “This is, first of all, a clear expression of a personal (subjective) attitude towards what is being described, the presence of “sensitivity” (among pre-romanticists - predominantly dreamy-melancholic, sometimes tearful); a sense of nature, often with a desire to depict unusual nature; The landscape depicted by the pre-romanticists was always in harmony with the poet’s mood.”

Further substantiation of the point of view of B.V. Tomashevsky is found in a detailed monograph by N.V. Friedman - with the difference that its author, calling Batyushkov a “pre-romanticist”, like Pushkin of the early period, denies any connections of “ideological foundations” Batyushkov's poetry with classicism.

Conflicting judgments about Batyushkov’s literary position are caused by the very nature of his work, which reflects one of the significant transitional stages in the development of Russian poetry.

The end of the 18th - the first years of the 19th century. were the heyday of Russian sentimentalism, the initial stage of the formation of the romantic movement. This era is characterized by transitional phenomena, reflecting both new trends and the influence of the still existing aesthetic norms of classicism. Batyushkov was a typical figure of this time, called “strange” by Belinsky, when “the new appeared without replacing the old, and the old and the new lived amicably next to each other, without interfering with one another” (7, 241). None of the Russian poets early XIX V. I did not feel as keenly as Batyushkov the need to update outdated norms and forms. At the same time, his connections with classicism, despite the predominance of the romantic element in his poetry, were quite strong, which Belinsky also noted. Having seen “renewed classicism” in a number of Pushkin’s early “plays,” Belinsky called their author “an improved, improved Batyushkov” (7, 367).

A literary movement is not formed in an empty space. Its initial stage is not necessarily marked by a manifesto, declaration, or program. It always has its own prehistory from the moment of its emergence in the depths of the previous direction, the gradual accumulation of certain characteristics in it and the further movement towards qualitative changes, from lower to higher forms, in which the aesthetic principles of the new direction are most fully expressed. In the emerging, in the new, to one degree or another, there are some features of the old, transformed, updated in accordance with the requirements of the time. This is the pattern of continuity and continuity of the literary process.

When studying the literary activity of such a typical figure of the transitional era as Batyushkov, it is important first of all to understand the relationship, the peculiar combination in his poetry of the new and the old, that which is the main thing that determines the poet’s worldview.

Batyushkov walked next to Zhukovsky. Their creativity constitutes a natural link in the process of updating poetry, enriching its internal content and forms. They both relied on the achievements of the Karamzin period and were representatives of the new generation. But although the general trend in the development of their creativity was the same, they followed different paths. Zhukovsky's lyrics grew directly in the depths of sentimentalism. Batyushkov also had organic connections with sentimentalism, although in his lyrics some features of classicism were preserved in a transformed form. On the one hand, he continued (this is the main, main road of his creative development) the elegiac line of sentimentalism; on the other hand, in his desire for clarity and rigor of form, he relied on the achievements of classicism, which gave modern critics a reason to call him a “neoclassicist.”

Batyushkov lived a troubled life. He was born in Vologda on May 29 (according to modern times) 1787 into an old noble family. He was brought up in St. Petersburg private boarding schools. Then he served in the Ministry of Public Education (as a clerk). At the same time (1803) his friendship with N.I. Gnedich began, acquaintances with I.P. Pnin, N.A. Radishchev, I.M. Born began. In April 1805, Batyushkov joined the “Free Society of Literature, Sciences and Arts.” In the same year, Batyushkov’s first printed work, “Message to My Poems,” appeared in the magazine “News of Russian Literature.” During the second war with Napoleonic France (1807), he takes part in the campaigns of the Russian army in Prussia; in 1808–1809 - in the war with Sweden. In the battle of Heilsberg, Batyushkov was seriously wounded in the leg. In 1813, he took part in the battles near Leipzig as an adjutant of General N.N. Raevsky.

Batyushkov’s personal drama dates back to 1815 - his infatuation with Anna Fedorovna Furman.

At the end of 1815, when the Karamzinists, as a counterweight to the conservative “Conversation of Lovers of the Russian Word,” created their own literary association “Arzamas,” Batyushkov became a member of it and defended N. M. Karamzin’s language reform program.

In 1817, a two-volume collection of Batyushkov’s works, “Experiments in Poetry and Prose,” was published, the only lifetime edition of the poet’s works. In 1818–1821 He is in Italy in the diplomatic service, where he becomes close to N.I. Turgenev (later one of the prominent figures in the “Union of Welfare”).

Batyushkov hated clerical work, although he was forced to serve. He dreamed of free creativity and put the vocation of a poet above all else.

Batyushkov’s literary fate was tragic. At thirty-four years of age, he leaves the field of “literature” forever. Then silence, long-term (inherited from the mother) mental illness and death from typhus on July 7 (19), 1855.

The poet's madness is the result not only of heredity, but also of increased vulnerability and poor security. In a letter to N.I. Gnedich in May 1809, Batyushkov wrote: “I am so tired of people, and everything is so boring, and my heart is empty, there is so little hope that I would like to be destroyed, diminished, become an atom.” In November of the same year, in a letter to him, “If I live another ten years, I will go crazy... I’m not bored, not sad, but I feel something extraordinary, some kind of spiritual emptiness.” So, long before the onset of the crisis, Batyushkov foresaw the sad outcome of the internal drama he was experiencing.

The process of formation of Batyushkov’s aesthetic views was beneficially influenced by his close acquaintance and friendship with many prominent literary figures of that time.

From Batyushkov’s inner circle, special mention should be made of Mikhail Nikitich Muravyov (1757–1807), the poet’s cousin, under whose strong influence he was, from whom he studied and whose advice he valued. Muravyov guided and encouraged his first steps in the field of literature.

Sensitivity, dreaminess, thoughtfulness, which determine the emotional tonality of Batyushkov’s lyrics, in their original expressions are present in Muravyov’s poems as their integral part, as their characteristic feature.

Muravyov rejected rational “floridism”, cold rationalism in poetic creativity, called for naturalness and simplicity, the search for “treasures” in one’s own heart. Muravyov is the first Russian poet to substantiate the dignity of “light poetry” as poetry of small lyrical forms and informal, intimate themes. He wrote an entire treatise in verse, outlining the stylistic principles of “light poetry.”

In “An Essay on Poetry” he wrote:

Love common sense: be captivated by simplicity

……………….

Flee false art and mind

…………….

Remember your goal, be able to do it without regret

Ambitious discard decorations

…………….

The syllable should be like a transparent river:

Swift, but clean and full without spilling.

(“Essay on Poetry,” 1774–1780)

These “rules”, set out in the language of poetry, which have not lost their meaning even today, would not have such an attractive and effective force if they were not supported by the examples of simple and euphonious Russian poetic speech created by Muravyov:

Your evening is full of coolness -

The shore is moving in crowds,

Like a magical serenade

The voice comes in waves

Show favor to the goddess

He sees an enthusiastic drink.

Who spends the night sleepless,

Leaning on granite.

(“To the Goddess of the Neva”, 1794)

Not only in themes, in the development of lyrical genres, but also in work on language and poetry, Batyushkov relied on the experience and achievements of his talented predecessor and teacher. What is outlined as a program in Muravyov’s poetry finds development in Batyushkov’s lyrics, which was facilitated by a common aesthetic platform and a common view of poetry.

In his first poetic declaration (“Message to my poems,” 1804 or 1805), Batyushkov tries to determine his position, his attitude to the modern state of Russian poetry. On the one hand, he is repelled by description (who “messes up poetry”, “composes odes”), on the other hand, by the excesses of sentimentalism (tearfulness, games of sensitivity). Here he condemns “poets - boring liars” who “do not fly up, not to the sky,” but “to the ground.” In this fundamental question about the relationship between the ideal (“sky”) and the real (“earth”), Batyushkov shared the romantic point of view: “What is in loud songs for me? I am happy with my dreams..."; “...by dreaming we are closer to happiness”; “...we all love fairy tales, we are children, but big ones.” “Dream” is opposed to rationality and rationalism:

What is empty in truth? She just dries out the mind

A dream gilds everything in the world,

And angry from sadness

Dream is our shield.

Oh, should the heart be forbidden to forget itself,

Exchange poets for boring sages!

(“Message to N. I. Gnedich”, 1805)

Nothing characterizes the personality of Batyushkov the poet more than dreaminess. It runs like a running leitmotif through all his lyrics, starting from his first poetic experiments:

And sorrow is sweet:

He dreams in sorrow.

A hundred times we are happy with fleeting dreams!

(“Dream”, 1802–1803; pp. 55–56)

After many years, the poet returns to his early poem, devoting enthusiastic lines to a poetic dream:

Friend of tender muses, messenger of heaven,

A source of sweet thoughts and heart-loving tears,

Where are you hiding, Dream, my goddess?

Where is that happy land, that peaceful desert,

Which mysterious flight are you aiming for?

Nothing - neither wealth, “neither light, nor empty glory” - replaces dreams. It contains the highest happiness:

So the poet considers his hut a palace

And happy - he dreams.

(“Dream”, 1817; pp. 223–224, 229)

In the formation of the aesthetics of Russian romanticism, romantic ideas about poetry and the poet, Batyushkov’s role was exceptional, as great as Zhukovsky’s. Batyushkov was the first in the history of Russian poetry to give a heartfelt definition of inspiration as “an impulse of winged thoughts”, a state of internal clairvoyance when “excitement of passions” is silent and a “bright mind”, freed from “earthly bonds”, soars “in the heavens” (“My Penates” , 1811–1812). In the “Message to I.M. Muravyov-Apostol” (1814–1815), the same theme is developed, acquiring an increasingly romantic character:

I see in my mind how an inspired youth

Stands in silence above the furious abyss

Among dreams and first sweet thoughts,

Listening to the monotonous noise of the waves...

His face burns, his chest sighs painfully,

And a sweet tear wets the cheek...

(p. 186)

Poetry is born of the sun. She is the “heavenly flame”, her language is the “language of the gods” (“Message to N.I. Gnedich”, 1805). The poet is a “child of heaven,” he is bored on earth, he strives for “heaven.” Thus, Batyushkov’s romantic concept of “poetry” and “poet” gradually takes shape, not without the influence of traditional ideas.

Batyushkov’s personality was dominated by what Belinsky called “noble subjectivity” (5, 49). The predominant element of his work is lyricism. Not only the original works, but also Batyushkov’s translations are marked with the stamp of his unique personality. Batyushkov's translations are not translations in the strict sense, but rather alterations, free imitations, into which he introduces his own moods, themes and motives. In the Russified translation of “Boalo’s 1st satire” (1804–1805) there is a lyrical image of the inhabitant of Moscow himself, a poet, “unhappy,” “unsociable,” who runs from “fame and noise,” from the vices of “the world,” a poet who “I have never flattered people,” “I have not lied,” in whose songs there is “holy truth.” No less important for Batyushkov was the idea of ​​independence and integrity of the singer. Let him be “poor”, “endure cold, heat”, “forgotten by people and the world”, but he cannot put up with evil, does not want to “crawl” before those in power, does not want to write odes, madrigals, or sing praises of “rich scoundrels”:

Rather, I am like a simple peasant,

who then sprinkles his daily bread,

Than this fool, big gentleman,

With contempt he crushes people on the pavement!

(pp. 62–63)

The translation of Boileau’s satire reflects Batyushkov’s life position, his contempt for “rich scoundrels” who are “disgusted by the world of truth”, for whom “there is nothing sacred in the whole world.” “Sacred” for the poet is “friendship”, “virtue”, “pure innocence”, “love, beauty of hearts and conscience”. Here is an assessment of reality:

Vice reigns here, vice is the ruler here,

He is wearing ribbons, wearing orders, and is clearly visible everywhere...

(p. 64)

Batyushkov twice refers to the “sacred shadow” of Torquato Tasso, tries to translate (excerpts have been preserved) his poem “Liberated Jerusalem”. The poem “To Tassu” (1808) selects those facts and situations from the Italian poet’s biography that allowed Batyushkov to express “many of his secret thoughts” about his own life path, about the personal tragedy he was experiencing. What reward awaits the poet “for harmonious songs”? - “Zoil’s sharp poison, feigned praise and caresses of the courtiers, poison for the soul and the poets themselves” (p. 84). In the elegy “The Dying Tass” (1817), Batyushkov creates the image of a “sufferer,” “exile,” “wanderer,” who has “no refuge on earth.” “Earthly”, “instant”, “perishable” in Batyushkov’s lyrics are opposed to the sublime, “heavenly”. Eternity, immortality - “in the works of the majestic” “arts and muses.”

The epicurean motifs of Batyushkov’s lyrics are permeated with contempt for wealth, nobility, and rank. More dear to the poet is freedom, the ideal of personal independence, “freedom and tranquility” that he glorifies. "carelessness and love":

"Happy! happy who flowers

Decorated the days of love,

Sang with carefree friends

And I dreamed about happiness!

He is happy, and three times as happy,

All nobles and kings!

So come on, in an unknown place,

Alien to slavery and chains,

Somehow we drag out our lives,

Often with grief in half,

Pour the cup fuller

And laugh at fools!”

(“To Petin”, 1810; pp. 121–122)

This conclusion is a conclusion to reflections on life. Before this “song” with a call for “carelessness” there are significant lines:

I'll come to my senses... yes joy

Will he get along with his mind?

(p. 122)

“Mind” here in the sense of rationality, opposed to feeling, destroying joy. Hence the cult of feeling, the desire to live “with the heart.”

In the poem “To Friends” (1815), Batyushkov calls himself a “carefree poet,” which gives rise to incorrect interpretations of the pathos of his work. His Epicureanism flowed from his position in life, from his “philosophical life.” “Life is a moment! It won't take long to have fun." Merciless time takes away everything. And therefore

Oh, while youth is priceless

Didn't rush away like an arrow,

Drink from a cup full of joy...

(“Elysius”, 1810; p. 116)

All the best, significant things in Batyushkov’s work, which constitute the enduring aesthetic value of his lyrics, are to a certain extent connected with the concept of “light poetry,” the founder of which on Russian soil was M. N. Muravyov.

The term "light poetry" can be interpreted in different ways. It is important how Batyushkov himself understood him. First of all, this is not an easy genre of salon, cutesy lyricism, but one of the most difficult types of poetry, requiring “possible perfection, purity of expression, harmony in style, flexibility, smoothness; he demands truth in feelings and the preservation of the strictest decency in all respects... poetry, even in small forms, is a difficult art and requires all life and all spiritual efforts.”

In the field of “light poetry” Batyushkov included not only poems in the spirit of Anacreon, but also generally small forms of lyricism, intimate and personal themes, “graceful” subtle sensations and feelings. Batyushkov passionately defended the dignity of small lyrical forms, which was of fundamental importance to him. He sought support in the past achievements of Russian poetry, highlighting trends, the line of its development, in which he found reflection of Anacreon’s Muse. The same considerations dictated Batyushkov’s increased interest in French “light poetry,” in particular Parni.

This was the time when sensitivity - the banner of sentimentalism - became the defining feature of the new style. For Batyushkov, poetry is a “heavenly flame,” combining “in the human soul” “imagination, sensitivity, dreaminess.” He also perceived the poetry of ancient times in this aspect. In addition to personal passion, Batyushkov was also influenced by the trends and literary hobbies of his time, “a craving for the restoration of ancient forms... The most sensitive works were taken from antiquity, translated into lyric poetry and served as an object of imitation for elegiacs: Tibullus, Catullus, Propertius...”.

Batyushkov had a rare gift for comprehending the uniqueness of Hellenistic and Roman culture, the ability to convey through the means of Russian poetic speech all the beauty and charm of the lyrics of antiquity. “Batyushkov,” wrote Belinsky, “introduced into Russian poetry a completely new element for it: ancient artistry” (6, 293).

The desire to “forget sadness”, “drown grief in a full cup” led to the search for “joy and happiness” in “carelessness and love”. But what is “joy” and “happiness” in a “fleeting life”? Batyushkov’s epicureanism, called “ideal” by Belinsky (6, 293), is of a special nature; it is brightly colored by quiet dreaminess and an innate ability to seek and find beauty everywhere. When the poet calls for “golden carelessness”, and advises “to mix wisdom with jokes”, “to seek fun and amusement”, then one should not think that we are talking about rough passions here. Earthly pleasures in themselves are worthless in the eyes of the poet if they are not warmed by a dream. The dream gives them grace and charm, sublimity and beauty:

...let's forget the sadness

Let's dream in sweet bliss:

Dream is a direct mother of happiness!

(“Advice to Friends”, 1806; p. 75)

The content of Batyushkov’s poetry is far from limited to poems in the anthological genre. She in many ways anticipated and predetermined the themes and main motives of Russian romantic poetry: the glorification of personal freedom, the independence of the artist, hostility to “cold rationality,” the cult of feeling, the subtlest “feelings,” the movements of the “life of the heart,” admiration for “wonderful nature,” the feeling of “ the mysterious" connection of the human soul with nature, faith in poetic dream and inspiration.

Batyushkov contributed many significant new things to the development of lyrical genres. His role in the development of Russian elegy is especially important. In his lyrics, the process of further psychologizing the elegy continues. Traditional elegiac complaints about fate, the pangs of love, separation, infidelity of a loved one - all that is found in abundance in the elegies of the late 18th century, in the poetry of sentimentalists - are enriched in Batyushkov’s elegies by the expression of complex individual experiences, the “life” of feelings in their movement and transitions. For the first time in Russian lyrics, complex psychological states are expressed with such spontaneity and sincerity of tragically colored feelings and in such an elegant form:

There is an end to wanderings - never to sorrows!

In your presence there is suffering and torment

I learned new things with my heart.

They are worse than separation

The most terrible thing! I saw, I read

In your silence, in your intermittent conversation,

In your sad gaze,

In this secret sorrow of downcast eyes,

In your smile and in your very gaiety

Traces of heartache...

(“Elegy”, 1815; p. 200)

For the fate of Russian lyric poetry, the psychologization of the landscape and the strengthening of its emotional coloring were no less important. At the same time, in Batyushkov’s elegies, the passion for the night (lunar) landscape, characteristic of romantic poetry, is striking. Night is the time for dreams. “Dream is the daughter of the silent night” (“Dream”, 1802 or 1803):

...like a ray of sunshine goes out in the middle of the heavens,

Alone in exile, alone with my longing,

I talk in the night with the pensive moon!

(“Evening. Imitation of Petrarch”, 1810; p. 115)

Where Batyushkov turns to a contemplative and dreamy depiction of a night landscape in attempts to convey the “picturesque beauty” of nature, to “paint” its pictures by means of poetic speech, his closeness to Zhukovsky is reflected, his kinship with him not only in common literary origins, but also in character perception, figurative system, even vocabulary:

... In the valley where the spring gurgles and sparkles,

In the night, when the moon quietly sheds its ray on us,

And the clear stars shine from behind the clouds...

(“God”, 1801 or 1805; p. 69)

I'll touch the magic strings

I will touch... and the nymphs of the mountains in the monthly radiance,

Like light shadows, in a transparent robe

Timid naiads, floating above the water,

They will clasp their white hands,

And the May breeze, waking up on the flowers,

In cool groves and gardens,

Will blow quiet wings...

(“Message to Count Vielgorsky”, 1809; p. 104)

The Patriotic War of 1812 became an important milestone in Batyushkov’s spiritual development and caused certain changes in his public sentiments. The war brought a civil theme that had hitherto faintly sounded in the poet’s lyrics. During these years, Batyushkov wrote a number of patriotic poems, including the message “To Dashkov” (1813), in which the poet, in the days of national disaster, “among the ruins and graves”, when the “dear homeland” is in danger, refuses to “sing love and joy , carelessness, happiness and peace":

No no! my talent perish

And the lyre is precious to friendship,

When you are forgotten by me,

Moscow, the golden land of the fatherland!

(p. 154)

It is no coincidence that it was precisely in these years, after the Patriotic War, in the atmosphere of a general rise in national self-awareness that Batyushkov developed a persistent desire to expand the field of elegy. Her framework for the implementation of his new plans, the poetic development of historical, heroic themes seemed narrow to him. The search for the poet did not go in one direction. He experiments, turns to Russian ballads, even fables. Batyushkov gravitates toward multi-subject themes, complex plot structures, and a combination of intimate elegy motifs with historical meditation. An example of such a combination is the famous poem, noted by Belinsky as one of Batyushkov’s highest achievements, “On the ruins of a castle in Sweden” (1814). The introduction, a gloomy night landscape, written in the Ossian style, is fully consistent with the character of dreamy reflection and gives a romantic sound to the entire work:

I am here, on these rocks hanging above the water,

In the sacred twilight of the oak forest

I wander thoughtfully and see before me

Traces of past years and glory:

Debris, a formidable rampart, a moat overgrown with grass,

Pillars and a dilapidated bridge with cast iron chains,

Mossy strongholds with granite teeth

And a long row of coffins.

Everything is quiet: a dead sleep in the monastery.

But here the memory lives:

And the traveler, leaning on the grave stone,

Tastes sweet dreams.

(p. 172)

Batyushkov possessed a rare gift: with the power of dreamy imagination, he could “revive” the past, the signs of which were inspired in his poems by a single feeling. Contemplation of the ruins in the silence of the night imperceptibly turns into a dreamy thought about people, brave warriors and freedom-loving skalds, and the frailty of everything earthly:

But everything is covered here in the gloomy darkness of the night,

All time has turned to dust!

Where before the skald thundered on a golden harp,

There the wind whistles only sadly!

………………

Where are you, brave crowds of heroes,

You, wild sons of both war and freedom,

Arose in the snow, among the horrors of nature,

Among the spears, among the swords?

The strong died!..……

(p. 174)

Such a perception of the distant historical past is not a tribute to fashion, as is often the case; it is internally inherent in Batyushkov the poet, which is confirmed by another similar description, where for the first time in Russian lyrics the poetic “formula” of the “secret” language of nature is given:

Nature's horrors, hostile elements battle,

Waterfalls roaring from gloomy rocks,

Snowy deserts, eternal masses of ice

Or the noisy sea, the vast view -

Everything, everything lifts the mind, everything speaks to the heart

With eloquent but secret words,

And the fire of poetry feeds between us.

(“Message to I.M. Muravyov-Apostol”, 1814–1815; p. 186)

The poem “On the ruins of a castle in Sweden”, despite the presence in it of elements of other genres (ballads, odes), is still an elegy, that variety of it that can be called a historical meditative elegy.

Contemplation, daydreaming, thoughtfulness, despondency, sadness, disappointment, doubt - too much general concepts, especially when it comes to lyric poetry; they are filled with different psychological content, which receives different colors depending on the individuality of the poet. Dreaminess, for example, among sentimentalists (or rather, among the epigones of this trend), was often feigned, a tribute to fashion, excessively tearful. In the lyrics of Zhukovsky and Batyushkov, dreaminess appears in a new quality, combined with elegiac sadness, imbued with philosophical reflection - a poetic state that is inherent in both of them. “In the works of these writers (Zhukovsky and Batyushkov - K.G.), - wrote Belinsky, - ... it is not only official delights that speak the language of poetry. but also such passions, feelings and aspirations, the source of which was not abstract ideals, but the human heart, the human soul” (10, 290–291).

Both Zhukovsky and Batyushkov owed a lot to Karamzin and sentimentalism, as well as to Arzamas. There were many similarities in their daydreaming, but there were also differences. For the first, it is predominantly contemplative in nature with a mystical overtones. For the second, daydreaming is not “replaced,” as Belinsky assumed (6, 293), but is combined with thoughtfulness, in the words of Batyushkov himself, “quiet and deep thoughtfulness.”

Batyushkov also wrote in prose. Batyushkov’s prose experiments reflect the general process of searching for new paths, the author’s desire for genre diversity (see Chapter 3).

Batyushkov viewed his prose experiments as “material for poetry.” He turned to prose mainly in order to “write well in poetry.”

Belinsky did not highly value Batyushkov’s prose works, although he noted their “good language and style” and saw in them “an expression of the opinions and concepts of the people of his time” (1, 167). In this regard, Batyushkov’s prose “experiments” had an impact on the formation of the style of Pushkin’s prose.

Batyushkov’s merits are great in enriching the Russian poetic language and the culture of Russian verse. In the dispute about the “old” and “new syllable”, in this central issue of the socio-literary struggle of the era, which has a broader significance than the problem of the language of literature, Batyushkov took the position of the Karamzinists. The poet considered the main advantages of the “poetic style” to be “movement, strength, clarity.” In his poetic work, he adhered to these aesthetic norms, especially the last one - “clarity”. According to Belinsky’s definition, he introduced “correct and pure language”, “sonorous and light verse”, “plasticism of forms” into Russian poetry (1, 165; 5, 551).

Belinsky recognized the “importance” of Batyushkov for the history of Russian literature, called Batyushkov “one of the smartest and most educated people of his time,” spoke of him as a “true poet,” gifted by nature with great talent. Nevertheless, in general judgments about the nature and content of Batyushkov’s poetry, the critic was too harsh. Batyushkov’s poetry seemed to Belinsky “narrow”, overly personal, poor in content from the point of view of its social sound, expression of the national spirit in it: “Batiushkov’s muse, forever wandering under foreign skies, did not pick a single flower on Russian soil” (7, 432 ). Belinsky could not forgive Batyushkov for his passion for the “light poetry” of Parni (5, 551; 7, 128). The critic's judgments may have been influenced by the fact that he wrote about Batyushkov as Pushkin's predecessor, in connection with Pushkin - and in assessing Batyushkov's lyrics, the vast world of Pushkin's poetry could serve as a criterion.

The range of Batyushkov’s elegiac thoughts was determined early. He deeply believed in the power of the initial “first impressions”, “first fresh feelings” (“Message to I.M. Muravyov-Apostol”), which the poet did not betray throughout his entire creative life. Batyushkov’s poetry is closed primarily in the circle of personal experiences, and this is the source of its strength and weakness. Throughout his creative career, the poet remained faithful to “pure” lyrics, limiting its content to a personal theme. Only the Patriotic War of 1812 gave an explosion of patriotic sentiment, and then not for long. This time dates back to Batyushkov’s desire to get out of his closed world of favorite motifs, expand the boundaries of elegy, and enrich it thematically with the experience of other genres. The search went in different directions, but Batyushkov achieved tangible results where he did not betray his natural gift as an elegiac poet. He created new varieties of the genre, which were destined for a great future in Russian poetry. These are his message elegies and meditative, philosophical and historical elegies.

Thought, along with daydreaming, has always been characteristic of Batyushkov’s inner world. Over the years, in his lyrics, meditation “under the burden of sadness” increasingly acquires a gloomy shade, “heartfelt melancholy”, “spiritual sorrow” are heard, tragic notes sound more and more clearly, and as if a kind of result of the poet’s thoughts about life, one of his last poems sounds:

You know what you said

Saying goodbye to life, gray-haired Melchizedek?

A man will be born a slave,

He will go to his grave as a slave,

And death will hardly tell him

Why did he walk through the valley of wonderful tears,

He suffered, cried, endured, disappeared.

(1824; p. 240)

When reviewing Batyushkov’s literary heritage, one gets the impression of incompleteness. His poetry is deep in content and significance, but it, according to Belinsky’s definition, “is always indecisive, always wants to say something and seems to find no words” (5, 551).

Batyushkov did not have time to express much of what was inherent in his richly gifted nature. What prevented the poetry living in his soul from sounding in full voice? In Batyushkov’s poems one often encounters the bitterness of resentment that he is “unknown” and “forgotten.” But no less clearly sounds in them the bitter confession that inspiration is leaving him: “I feel that my gift in poetry has gone out...” (“Memories”, 1815). Batyushkov was experiencing a deep internal drama that accelerated the onset of the crisis, and he fell silent... But what he managed to accomplish gave him every right to identify the image of a true poet he created with himself:

Let the fierce rock play at their will,

Even if unknown, without gold and honor,

With his head drooping, he wanders among people;

………………

But he will never betray the muses or himself.

In the very silence he will drink everything.

(“Message to I.M. Muravyov-Apostol”, p. 187)

Batyushkov’s significance is not limited to the fact that he was Pushkin’s immediate predecessor. Elegies, messages and other poems by Batyushkov have independent and enduring aesthetic value. They entered the treasury of Russian literature, constituting one of the most important stages in the development of Russian lyric poetry.

Key dates in the life and work of K. N. Batyushkov/ Comp. I. M. Semenko// Batyushkov K. N. Experiments in poetry and prose / USSR Academy of Sciences; Ed. prepared I. M. Semenko. - M.: Science, 1977 . - (Lit. monuments). - pp. 596-599.

KEY DATES
LIFE AND CREATIVITY
K. N. BATYUSHKOVA

1787 May 18 (29) in Vologda, in the family of Nikolai Lvovich Batyushkov and his wife Alexandra Grigorievna, born. Berdyaeva, born Konstantin Nikolaevich Batyushkov.

1787-1797. Lives in the Batyushkov family estate, the village of Danilovsky, Bezhetsk district, Tver province.

1795. Death of mother.

1797-1800. Stay at the French guesthouse Jaquino in St. Petersburg.

1801-1802. Stay at the Italian guesthouse Tripoli in St. Petersburg.

1802. First known poem "Dream".

1802-1806. Lives in the house of his cousin, writer M. N. Muravyov; serves in his office at the Ministry of Public Education as a “writer for Moscow University.” He becomes close to the poet I. P. Pnin, N. A. Radishchev (son of A. N. Radishchev) and the family of an expert on antiquity, the future president of the Academy of Arts, A. N. Olenin.

1805. First appearance in print: “Message to My Poems” was published in the magazine “News of Literature.” Published in Severny Vestnik and in the Journal of Russian Literature. Accepted as a member of the Free Society of Lovers of Literature, Sciences and Arts.

1807. Enlists in the militia (militia), participates in a campaign in Prussia. Wounded (in the leg) near Heilsberg. He is being treated in Riga in the house of the merchant Mugel. Infatuation with his daughter. Transfer to the Guard. Life in St. Petersburg and in the village of Khantonovo, Novgorod province, inherited from my mother.

1808. Participation in the war with Sweden. During the campaign in Finland, the message “To Tassu” was written and an excerpt from T. Tasso’s poem “Jerusalem Liberated” was translated.

1809. In the first half of the year he is in Sweden, then he receives leave and lives in Khantonov. “Vision on the Shores of Lethe” and “Memoirs” were written.

1810. Resigns with the rank of second lieutenant. In Moscow he translates Guys and Petrarch. Meets N. M. Karamzin, makes friends with V. A. Zhukovsky, P. A. Vyazemsky, V. L. Pushkin. The second half of the year he lives in Khantonov.

1811. First half of the year in Moscow. “My penates” are written.

1812. Since the beginning of the year - in St. Petersburg. Service in the Public Library as assistant curator of manuscripts. A few days before the Battle of Borodino, he comes to Moscow and accompanies the widow of the writer E.F. Muravyova and her children to Nizhny Novgorod.

1813. Arrival in St. Petersburg. Passion for the Olenins' pupil Anna Furman. Poems “To Dashkov” and “Singer in the conversation of lovers of the Russian word.” Enlists again in military service. He goes to the active army, to Dresden (Saxony) as an adjutant to General N.N. Raevsky. Participates in the battle of Leipzig.

1814. Participates in battles in France and in the siege of Paris. Visits Ciret Castle, where Voltaire lived. Lives in Paris, visits theaters, the Louvre, and attends the Academy meeting. Receives leave and returns to Russia through England and Sweden. The essays “Walk to the Academy of Arts”, “Shadow of a Friend”, “On the Ruins of a Castle in Sweden” were written.

1815. Returns from vacation to Kamenets-Podolsky, where his military unit is located. Admitted in absentia to the Karamzinist society "Arzamas". Elegies were written: “My Genius”, “Separation”, “Tavrida”, “Hope”, “To a Friend”, “Awakening”, “The Last Spring” and a number of prose works.

1816. Arrives in Moscow. Transferred to the Guard, but decides to retire. Accepted into the Moscow Society of Literature Lovers. “It’s about the influence of light poetry on language.” Preparing the first volume of “Experiments” (prose) for publication. “Evening at Cantemir” and the poems “Song of Harald the Bold”, “Hesiod and Omir, Rivals” were written. At the end of the year he moves to Khantonovo.

1817. Lives in Khantonov. He is preparing the second volume of “Experiments” (poems). In the summer he moves to St. Petersburg. Participates in meetings of Arzamas. Written “Crossing the Rhine”, “Dying Tass”, “Arbor of the Muses”, part of the poems of the cycle “From the Greek Anthology”; Two volumes of “Experiments” are published, favorably assessed by critics. A number of unrealized works were conceived (the fairy tale “Balladera”, the poems “Rusalka” and “Rurik”, a course on the history of Russian literature).

1818. At the beginning of the year he comes to St. Petersburg and is trying to enter the diplomatic service. He goes to Crimea for treatment, where he is interested in archeology. After a farewell in St. Petersburg and farewell to the “Arzamas” team, he leaves for Italy on November 19. In 1817-1818 he created a series of translations from the Greek anthology.

1819-1820. At the beginning of the year he lives in Rome, then in Naples, where he hosts the artist S. Shchedrin and patronizes a colony of Russian artists. He is interested in Byron, whom he reads in Italian translations. Translates an excerpt from Childe Harold, writes the poem “You Awaken, O Baya, from the Tomb.”

1820. Continues diplomatic service in Italy.

1821. Receives indefinite leave for health reasons. He is treated in the waters in Teplice. Writes “Imitations of the Ancients.” He is planning a new edition of his poems. A misunderstanding with the publication in CO of P. A. Pletnev’s elegy “B .... , to from Rome,” which he regards as a hostile attack. In September he moves to Dresden. Writes<«Изречение Мельхиседека»>and burns everything he wrote in Italy.

1822. Returns to St. Petersburg, then is treated in the Caucasus mineral waters. Lives in Simferopol. Increasing mental distress.

1823. Burns his library. Attempts suicide three times.

1824. His sister takes him to a psychiatric hospital in Sonnenstein (Saxony).

1824-1827. Unsuccessful treatment in Sonnenstein.

1828-1832. Lives with relatives in Moscow.

1833-1855. Resigns with the appointment, at the request of V. A. Zhukovsky, of a pension. Lives with relatives in Vologda.

Batyushkov Konstantin Nikolaevich (1787-1855) is one of the most beautiful Russian poets of his time. For a long time he led the movement of Anacreontist poets and was a very well-known figure in literary circles. Today his name is practically forgotten; few people know that such a wonderful writer once lived. Let's correct this injustice.

Batyushkov: biography

The future writer was born on May 18 in the city of Vologda, into an old but impoverished family of nobles. He was the first son; before him, the Batyushkov couple had four daughters. Konstantin turned out to be the long-awaited boy.

The poet's father, Nikolai Lvovich, was an educated man, but his character was greatly spoiled by his resentment against the government due to the disgrace that befell the Batyushkovs due to the participation of a relative in a conspiracy against Catherine II. Konstantin did not have time to recognize his mother, Alexandra Grigorievna (nee Berdyaeva) at all - she became seriously ill when the boy was just six years old, and soon died. Her illness was mental and was transmitted to the writer himself and his older sister.

Little Kostya spent his childhood on the family estate, which was located in the village of Danilovskoye. But after the death of his mother, he was sent to the St. Petersburg boarding house O. Zhakino. Only at the age of 16 Batyushkov was able to leave this educational institution. At this time, he actively began to study literature, read a lot in French, and mastered Latin perfectly in order to study classical texts in the original.

Independent life in the capital

Batyushkov Konstantin Nikolaevich decides to stay in the capital. At first, his uncle, M. N. Muravyov, helps him. In 1802, he arranged for the young man to work in the Ministry of Public Education. Then, in 1804, the writer went to serve in Muravyov’s office at Moscow University, where he held the position of clerk.

During these years, Batyushkov became close to some of his colleagues, many of whom began to join Karamzin’s rule and eventually founded the “Free Society of Lovers of Literature, Science and the Arts.” His closest friends were N. Gnedich and I. Pnin. Thanks to their influence, the future poet begins to try his hand at writing.

In 1805, Batyushkov’s first poem, “Message to My Poems,” was published in the magazine “News of Russian Literature.”

Civil uprising

In 1807, despite his father’s protests, Batyushkov enlisted in the people’s militia. In these years, poetry fades into the background for a young man. On February 22 of the same year, he was appointed a hundredth in a police battalion and sent to Prussia. Since May, Batyushkov begins to take an active part in hostilities. Soon he is seriously wounded and sent to Riga for treatment. For his heroism he receives the Order of St. Anne, 3rd degree.

While the treatment lasted, the writer fell in love with Emilia, the daughter of a local merchant. However, the love interest did not continue, and only two poems remained in memory of it: “Memories of 1807” and “Recovery.”

By 1808, the writer had become physically stronger and was returned to service. This time he ended up in the Guards Jaeger Regiment, which was sent to the war with Sweden. After returning from the campaign, he took leave and went to visit his unmarried sisters who lived in the Novgorod province. At this time, his mother’s “inheritance” began to manifest itself - Batyushkov became more and more impressionable, sometimes it came to hallucinations. The writer himself believed that in ten years he would finally go crazy.

Return to the light

In December 1809, Muravyov invited his nephew to Moscow. With great joy, Batyushkov returns to the world. The writer's biography tells us that he had many friends among artists whom he met in St. Petersburg and Moscow. At this time, the writer became especially close friends with P. Vyazemsky and V. Pushkin.

But his acquaintance with V. Zhukovsky and N. Karamzin became fateful; the latter very soon realized how talented the young man was and highly appreciated his work. In 1810, having received his resignation from the regiment, he went at the invitation of Karamzin to rest in the fate of the Vyazemsky Fathers. The poet's poems became more and more popular in these years, which explains the desire of noble nobles to see him as guests.

In 1813, the writer moved to St. Petersburg, where he got a job at the Public Library. He continues to meet new people and lead an active social life.

Unhappy love

In 1815, Batyushkov fell in love for the second time. The biography says that this time his chosen one was a socialite, Anna Furman. However, the writer quickly realized that the girl did not reciprocate his feelings, and was ready to get married only at the will of her guardians. The situation was aggravated by the fact that Konstantin Nikolaevich could not get a transfer to the guard. All this led to a severe nervous breakdown that lasted several months.

A new blow for the writer was the death of his father in 1817, with whom he had always been on bad terms. Feelings of guilt and unsuccessful love prompted him to turn to religion, in which he saw the only opportunity for a person to maintain his high moral and spiritual position.

During these difficult years, Batyushkov was greatly helped by Zhukovsky, who constantly supported the poet and convinced him to continue writing. This helped, and Batyushkov took up his pen again. A year later he returned to Moscow, where close friends and acquaintances were waiting for him.

Italy

In 1818, the Russian poet Batyushkov went to Odessa for treatment. Here he received a letter from A. Turgenev, who managed to secure a place for his friend in Naples at the diplomatic mission. Konstantin Nikolaevich dreamed of visiting Italy for many years, but the news did not please him. At this time he was experiencing great disappointment in life, and the news only made the situation worse.

Despite these sentiments, in 1819 Batyushkov arrived in Italy. This country made a strong impression on him. He met many interesting people, including Russian artists who lived in Rome. But the happiness did not last long, and soon the poet began to miss his homeland.

The writer's health did not improve, so in 1821 he went to Germany for water. His mental illness manifested itself more and more, Batyushkov began to suspect that some enemies were watching him. The poet spent the winter of 1821 and all of 1822 in Dresden. At this time, he wrote the best poem, according to critics, “The Testament of Melchizedek.”

Last years and death

In 1822, Batyushkov began to lose his mind (his biography confirms this). He returns to his homeland. He lives in St. Petersburg for some time, and then goes on a trip to the Caucasus and Crimea. During the trip, he attempted suicide several times.

In 1824, the poet, thanks to the financial assistance of Alexander I, was placed in a private psychiatric hospital in Saxony. He spent 4 years here, but the treatment did not bring any benefit. Therefore, his family decided to move him to Moscow. At home, Konstantin Nikolaevich Batyushkov felt better, the acute attacks practically passed, and the disease subsided for a short time.

In 1833, the writer was transported to the house of his nephew, who lived in Vologda. Here Batyushkov spent the rest of his days. The poet died on July 7, 1855.

Konstantin Batyushkov: interesting facts

Let us list some interesting moments from the life of the writer:

• Pushkin called the poet his teacher and admired his work, especially highlighting the early period.
• Batyushkov’s main principle when writing a work was: “Live as you write, and write as you live.”
• In 1822, the poet wrote his last work; he was only 35 years old.
• Batyushkov lived the last 22 years of his life completely losing his mind.

Features of creativity

Konstantin Batyushkov did a lot for Russian literature and poetic language. Poems about love, usually sad and melancholy, are why they were so popular among their contemporaries. The poet managed to transform native language, make it more flexible and harmonious. Belinsky believed that only thanks to the works of Batyushkov and Zhukovsky, Pushkin managed to achieve such lightness and grace in his poetry.

The main advantage of Konstantin Nikolaevich’s poems lies in the perfection of their form, the purity and correctness of the language, and the always consistent artistic style. Batyushkov worked long and hard on every word, often correcting what he had written. At the same time, he tried to maintain sincerity and avoided any far-fetchedness and tension.

Crucial moment

Konstantin Nikolaevich Batyushkov often turned to the past in his works. Poems about nature were usually interspersed with ancient mythological traditions. His early work is usually called Epicurean (or Anacreontic). The poet tried to reproduce the light and elegant style of ancient writers, but he believed that the Russian language was still too rough for this. Although critics admitted that he achieved significant success in this area.

But the cheerful epicurean poetry did not attract Batyushkov for long. After the War of 1812, in which the poet participated, his worldview changed greatly. He considered the French Enlightenment to be the cause of Napoleonic acts. And he considered the trials that befell Russia to be the accomplishment of its historical mission. At this time, his poems changed greatly. There is no longer lightness and carelessness in them, they talk about reality - war, the soul of the Russian soldier, the strength of the people's character. The best poem of this period is considered “Crossing the Rhine”.

Let's answer the question about in which direction of poetry Konstantin Batyushkov became famous, since it is asked most often. As already mentioned, these are Anacreontic (or Epicurean) lyric poetry. Her distinctive features- lightness, carefreeness, joy, glorification of life and enjoyment of it.

Prose

Batyushkov was known not only as a poet, his prose was also highly appreciated by his contemporaries. According to them, the main advantage of his works was his clear, imaginative and vivid language. However, the writer turned to prose much later than his literary career began. This happened after a creative turning point, so religious and philosophical issues are often raised in these works. Batyushkov also paid great attention to theoretical problems of literature (“Something about the poet and poetry”, “Speech about the influence of light poetry on the language”).

Now we see that the importance of the writer’s works for the development of Russian literature cannot be overestimated.