Physics
A message about the life of Ivan Andreevich Krylov. Ivan Krylov: brief biography of the fabulist. The childhood years of the future writer

A message about the life of Ivan Andreevich Krylov. Ivan Krylov: brief biography of the fabulist. The childhood years of the future writer

The years of Krylov’s life and biography in a number of articles have gaps when it is unknown what the playwright, journalist, and fabulist did. During his lifetime, he himself refused to edit his biography in a very harsh form: “I read it; there is neither time nor desire to correct, nor to straighten.” Is this why, despite all his publicity, both the fabulist himself and the years of Krylov’s life are partly mysterious.

Early childhood

In the family of the modest lieutenant Krylov, a son, Ivan, was born in Moscow at the beginning of February 1769. During the Pugachev riot, four-year-old Vanyusha lived with his mother in besieged Orenburg, and his father at that time defended the Yaitsky town and worried about the family. Pugachev promised to destroy not only the captain, but also his family. During these years of Krylov’s life, when he was still just a baby, there were fires and alarm bells. When she began to decline, the brave Maria Alekseevna went with her son to Yaik, to her beloved husband. The years of Krylov’s life in the Yaitsk fortress were spent riding sleds in winter, watching adult Cossacks engage in underwater fishing for sturgeon and sterlet. In the evenings, the father, who had a chest of books, read entertaining novels and instructive stories to his family.

In Tver

In 1775, Ivan Krylov’s father retired and went with his family to his mother. Having no money, Krylov himself taught his son to read and write, and he read a lot and willingly. The boy walked a lot around the city, observing the life of the townspeople and attending debates at the seminary. There he first became acquainted with the performances that seminarians staged on stage. These sketches ridiculed bribery, red tape, and chicanery. Here Ivan saw it with his own eyes for the first time. On the streets he independently learned to speak a little Italian (there were many foreigners in Tver) and play the violin. And in the house of the landowner Lvov, he was allowed to study with teachers. And he began to study arithmetic, geometry and French. This is how the years of Krylov’s life passed. And my father was very ill, there was almost no money. In addition, another son was born - Levushka. Krylov the father did not rise and soon died, leaving the family almost in poverty.

Saint Petersburg

The mother and her two sons had to go to the capital to ask for a pension. In 1783, the teenager began to serve in the government service. And at the age of 16, his literary talent first manifested itself: he wrote the libretto for the opera “The Coffee House.” A year later, the drama “Cleopatra” appeared, and later the tragedy “Philomela”. At the same time, Ivan Krylov wrote the comic opera “The Mad Family” and the comedy “The Writer in the Hallway,” whose years of life can be described as prolific. But the young man is looking for himself. The 90s of Krylov’s life and personal life were marked by a sad event - his mother dies, and his younger brother Levushka remains in the care of Ivan Andreevich. They treat each other with tenderness.

Satirical magazine

Its publication was preceded by the comedy “Pranksters”, in which the leading playwright of the country at that time, Ya. B. Knyazhnin, recognized himself and his family. not distinguished by complacency, greatly angered Yakov Borisovich and the theater management. However, Krylov does not lose heart, but begins to publish the magazine “Mail of Spirits”. Here talent gradually manifests itself, marked by the sharp eye of a satirist. But the magazine has to be closed - there are too few subscribers.

Unlucky Groom

In 1791, after the massacre of Radishchev, Krylov was oppressed by St. Petersburg, and when one of his acquaintances invited him to go to he happily agreed. There, while visiting various estates, the young 22-year-old metropolitan poet met a young girl, Anna Alekseevna Konstantinova. He became seriously interested, simply fell in love and proposed, but was refused because he was too lowly born and poor.

Publisher and journalist

Then he returned home and plunged headlong into the publishing business, which he opened on shares together with Klushin and Plavilshchikov. Krylov’s articles, which became more demanding of his style, in the magazine “Spectator” sparkled with wit. He wrote an oriental fairy tale “Kaib”, which is all riddled with satire. Under the oriental robes of the viziers, one can discern the nobles and dignitaries of Russia. The St. Petersburg fairy tale “Night” also greatly affected the court aristocrats, serf owners and odopists. The “spectator” laughed at the craze for Western novels and sentimentalism. Strict surveillance was established over the magazine, and for the time being Krylov withdrew from literature and journalism.

Voluntary link

The young and previously cheerful writer began to feel burdened by inactivity and the ensuing lack of money. But one day a deck of cards fell into his hands. He got up from the gambling table with his pockets weighed down. Gambling captivated him, but at the gambling table he observed a different life, unfamiliar to him. There was a change of places: Yaroslavl, Tver, Tambov, Tula. Nizhny Novgorod... Being an old man, Krylov recalled that he was carried away not by winnings, but by strong sensations. And the memory accumulated plots, images, epithets, comparisons. This is how the years of Ivan Andreevich Krylov’s life passed. He thought about himself and those who surrounded him - people who wasted time and energy on trifles and nonsense.

Return to St. Petersburg

It took place after the death of Catherine II, hated by Krylov, who in last years its reign stifled every living thought. By chance, on the street, Krylov ran into Pavel I, who mistook him for someone else and invited him to come in without hesitation. Krylov took advantage of the invitation, and the empress accepted him. Witty and lively, moderately respectful, Maria Fedorovna liked him. But from the suffocating capital, Krylov again left for the provinces. Occasionally he published his articles and translations from Italian, French and German, which by this time he had seriously studied.

Fabulist

By 1805, many changes had occurred in Krylov's life. He was a teacher for the children of Prince Golitsyn, served, wrote comedies, and in Moscow showed translations of La Fontaine's fables. Finally, the 36-year-old writer found himself. And yet he continues to write plays. They were successful, and he became a famous playwright, but he did not abandon the fables. This is how the years of the life of Krylov the fabulist passed. He is treated kindly by the authorities and is not financially offended. The government pays him high pensions, constantly increasing them. For his literary merits, he was already approved as an academician under Nicholas I. If at the beginning of his work he relied on the stories of La Fontaine and Aesop, now the author begins to find topical, poignant Russian stories, such as “The Swan, the Crayfish and the Pike,” for example. And gradually he becomes a popular writer, whom everyone quotes. His popularity is great. The young Belinsky put him in the same row as Pushkin, Griboyedov and Lermontov.

The biography and years of life of Ivan Andreevich Krylov are concluded in a rather long period of time - 75 years. We appreciate this man for his mind, in which slyness and mockery are mixed, for his lively and clear Russian style. He knew how to subtly, sharply and evilly make fun of Krylov’s shortcomings. The years of life and death (1769 - 1844) were a time of stagnation in society, then enthusiasm, and then again government pressure on a thinking person.

Biography for children

Ivan Andreevich Krylov has had a long journey life path. He was born into a poor family. His father served for thirty years to obtain the nobility and pass it on to his children. Ivan Andreevich saw neither tutors nor schools. He received his first knowledge from his father, and then the years of Ivan Andreevich Krylov’s life are an example of constant self-education for children. He read a lot and became one of the most versatile personalities of his time. He taught himself Italian as a child and German as an adult. He also knew French, since it was accepted colloquial society of that time. Krylov wrote better and better every year, increasing his demands on himself. Ivan Andreevich lived during the reign of three emperors, who treated him with both distrust and respect.

His services to Russian literature are unusually high - it is not without reason that every educated Russian person knows the lines from his fables. For the last thirty years of his life he served in the Public Library, while also studying literary work. His funeral in 1844 was solemn. The second most important person in the state - Count Orlov - carried his coffin. I. A. Krylov was buried in St. Petersburg.

nickname - Navi Volyrk

Russian publicist, poet, fabulist, publisher of satirical and educational magazines

Ivan Krylov

short biography

Russian writer, famous fabulist, journalist, translator, state councilor, founder of realistic fables, whose work, together with the activities of A. S. Pushkin and A. S. Griboedov, stood at the origins of Russian literary realism. On February 13 (February 2, O.S.), 1769, he was born into the family of an army officer who lived in Moscow. The main source of data about Krylov’s biography is the memoirs of his contemporaries; almost no documents have survived, so there are many gaps in the biography.

When Ivan was little, their family was constantly on the move. The Krylovs lived in Tver, in the Urals, and were well acquainted with poverty, especially after the head of the family died in 1778. Krylov was never able to receive a systematic education; his father taught him to read and write; the boy received lessons from the home teachers of a wealthy neighboring family. Krylov’s track record included positions as a sub-clerk at the Kalyazin Lower Zemstvo Court, and then at the Tver Magistrate. From the end of 1782, the Krylovs lived in St. Petersburg, where his mother successfully sought a better fate for Ivan: from 1783, he was taken to the St. Petersburg Treasury Chamber as a minor official. It is known that during this period Krylov devoted a lot of time to self-education.

Krylov made his debut in literature between 1786 and 1788. as the author of dramatic works - the comic opera “The Coffee House” (1782), the comedies “The Pranksters”, “Mad Family”, “The Writer in the Hallway”, etc., which did not bring fame to the author.

In 1788 I.A. Krylov quits the civil service so as not to return to it for many years, and devotes himself to journalism. In 1789, he began publishing the satirical magazine Spirit Mail. Using techniques of using magical creatures as characters, he paints a picture of his contemporary society, criticizes officials, as a result of which the magazine is banned. In 1791, I. A. Krylov and his comrades created a book publishing company, which published new magazines - “The Spectator” (1792), “St. Petersburg Mercury” (1793). Despite the milder form of denunciation, the publications again attracted the attention of those in power and were closed, and there is evidence that Krylov had a conversation about this with Catherine II herself.

At the end of 1793, the satirical journalist moved from St. Petersburg to Moscow. There is information that since the fall of 1795 he was not allowed to live in these cities; Krylov's name no longer appears in print. Since 1797 he has served with Prince S.F. Golitsyn's personal secretary, follows his family into exile. After the prince was appointed governor-general of Livonia, Krylov worked for two years (1801-1803) as manager of the chancellery affairs. At the same time, Ivan Andreevich is reconsidering his creative platform, having become disillusioned with the idea of re-educating people through literature, he abandons bookish ideals in favor of practical experience.

His return to literature took place in 1800 with the writing of a comic tragedy of anti-government content, “Podchipa, or Trump,” which was banned by censorship, but, spreading in the lists, became one of the most popular plays. In 1806, Krylov moved to St. Petersburg.

Written during 1806-1807. and the comedies “Fashion Shop” and “Lesson for Daughters”, staged on the Moscow and St. Petersburg stages, enjoyed considerable success. But the greatest glory of I.A. Krylov gained fame as an author of fables. He first turned to this genre in 1805, translating two fables by La Fontaine. Already in 1809, the first book of fables was published, marking a new period creative biography, dedicated to intensive fable writing. It is then that Krylov learns what true glory is. In 1824, his fables were published in translation in two volumes in Paris.

During 1808-1810. Krylov served in the Coinage Department, from 1812 he became an assistant librarian of the Imperial Public Library, and in 1816 he was appointed librarian. Krylov was a holder of the Order of St. Vladimir IV degree (1820), Stanislav II degree (1838). In 1830, he received the rank of state councilor, although lack of education did not give him such a right. His 70th anniversary and 50th anniversary of the beginning of literary activity were celebrated in 1838 as an official solemn event.

Being a very original person, back in the 20s. Ivan Andreevich turned into the hero of jokes and tales, which, at the same time, were invariably good-natured. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, Krylov not only did not hide his vices, for example, gluttony, addiction to gambling, untidiness, etc., but also deliberately exposed them to everyone. At the same time, Krylov did not stop self-education until his old age, in particular, he studied English and ancient Greek. Even those writers whose views on creativity differed markedly from Krylov’s were considered an authority and valued the writer.

In 1841, the writer left government service. In 1844, November 21 (November 9 according to the old style), I.A. Krylov died; He was buried in the St. Petersburg Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

Biography from Wikipedia

early years

Volkov R. M. Portrait of the fabulist I. A. Krylov. 1812.

Father, Andrei Prokhorovich Krylov (1736-1778), knew how to read and write, but “did not study science,” he served in a dragoon regiment, in 1773 he distinguished himself while defending the Yaitsky town from the Pugachevites, then was the chairman of the magistrate in Tver. He died with the rank of captain in poverty. Mother, Maria Alekseevna (1750-1788) remained a widow after the death of her husband.

Ivan Krylov spent the first years of his childhood traveling with his family. He learned to read and write at home (his father was a great lover of reading, after him a whole chest of books passed to his son); He studied French in a family of wealthy neighbors. In 1777, he was enrolled in the civil service as a sub-clerk of the Kalyazin Lower Zemstvo Court, and then of the Tver Magistrate. This service was, apparently, only nominal, and Krylov was considered to be probably on leave until the end of his studies.

Krylov studied little, but read quite a lot. According to a contemporary, he “I visited with particular pleasure public gatherings, shopping areas, swings and fist fights, where I jostled among the motley crowd, eagerly listening to the speeches of the common people”. In 1780 he began to serve as a sub-office clerk for a pittance. In 1782, Krylov was still listed as a sub-office clerk, but “this Krylov did not have any business on his hands.”

At this time, he became interested in street fighting, wall to wall. And since he was physically very strong, he often emerged victorious over older men.

At the end of 1782, Krylov went to St. Petersburg with his mother, who intended to work for a pension and a better arrangement for her son’s fate. The Krylovs remained in St. Petersburg until August 1783. Upon their return, despite a long-term illegal absence, Krylov resigned from the magistrate with the rank of clerk and entered service in the St. Petersburg treasury chamber.

At this time, Ablesimov’s “The Miller” enjoyed great fame, under whose influence Krylov wrote, in 1784, the opera libretto “The Coffee House”; He took the plot from Novikov’s “The Painter”, but changed it significantly and ended with a happy ending. Krylov took his book to Breitkopf, who gave the author of the book 60 rubles for it (Racine, Moliere and Boileau), but did not publish it. “The Coffee House” was published only in 1868 (in an anniversary edition) and is considered an extremely young and imperfect work. When comparing Krylov's autograph with printed edition it turns out, however, that the latter is not entirely correct; Having removed many of the publisher's oversights and obvious slips of the young poet, who in the manuscript that has reached us has not yet completely finished his libretto, the poems of “The Coffee House” can hardly be called clumsy, and an attempt to show that newfangledness (the subject of Krylov’s satire is not so much a corrupt coffee house, how much lady Novomodova) and “free” views on marriage and morality, strongly reminiscent of the adviser in “The Brigadier”, do not exclude the cruelty characteristic of the Skotinins, as well as many perfectly chosen folk sayings, make the libretto of the 16-year-old poet, despite the inconsistency of the characters, a remarkable phenomenon for that time. The “Coffee House” was probably conceived back in the provinces, close to the way of life that it depicts.

In 1785, Krylov wrote the tragedy “Cleopatra” (not preserved) and took it to the famous actor Dmitrevsky for viewing; Dmitrevsky encouraged the young author to continue his work, but did not approve of the play in this form. In 1786, Krylov wrote the tragedy “Philomela,” which, except for the abundance of horrors and screams and lack of action, does not differ from other “classical” tragedies of that time. Little better than the libretto of the comic opera “The Mad Family” written by Krylov at the same time and the comedy “The Writer in the Hallway”, about the latter Lobanov, Krylov’s friend and biographer, 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 “Mad Family”, apart from the liveliness of the dialogue and a few popular “words”, there are no merits. The only curious thing is the prolificity of the young playwright, who entered into close relations with the theater committee, received a free ticket, an assignment to translate from the libretto of the French opera “L'Infante de Zamora” and the hope that “The Mad Family” will be shown at the theater, since it was already music ordered.

In the government chamber, Krylov then received 80-90 rubles a year, but he was not happy with his position and moved to Her Majesty’s Cabinet. In 1788, Krylov lost his mother, and in his arms was left his young brother Lev, whom he cared for all his life like a father about his son (he usually called him “little darling” in his letters). In 1787-1788 Krylov wrote the comedy “Pranksters”, where he brought to the stage and cruelly ridiculed the first playwright of that time, Ya. B. Knyazhnin ( Rhyme thief) and his wife, daughter Sumarokov ( Taratora); according to Grech, the pedant Tyanislov was copied from the bad poet P. M. Karabanov. Although in “The Pranksters”, instead of true comedy, we find a caricature, but this caricature is bold, lively and witty, and the scenes of the complacent simpleton Azbukin with Tyanislov and Rhymestealer could be considered very funny for that time. The “pranksters” not only quarreled Krylov with Knyazhnin, but also brought upon him the displeasure of the theater management.

"Spirit Mail"

In 1789, in the printing house of I. G. Rachmaninov, an educated and devoted person to the literary work, Krylov published the monthly satirical magazine “Mail of Spirits”. The depiction of the shortcomings of modern Russian society is presented here in the fantastic form of correspondence between gnomes and the wizard Malikulmulk. The satire of “Spirit Mail”, both in ideas and in the degree of depth and relief, serves as a direct continuation of the magazines of the early 70s (only Krylov’s biting attacks on Rhythmokrad and Taratora and on the management of theaters introduce a new personal element), but in relation to the art of depiction, a major step forward. According to J. K. Grot, “Kozitsky, Novikov, Emin were only smart observers; Krylov is already an emerging artist.”

"Spirit Mail" was published only from January to August, as it had only 80 subscribers; in 1802 it was published in a second edition.

His magazine business aroused the displeasure of the authorities, and the empress offered Krylov to travel abroad for five years at the government’s expense, but he refused.

"Spectator" and "Mercury"

In 1791-1796. Krylov lived in the house of I. I. Betsky on Millionnaya Street, 1. In 1790, he wrote and published an ode to the conclusion of peace with Sweden, a weak work, but still showing in the author developed person and future artist of the word. On December 7 of the same year, Krylov retired; the following year he became the owner of the printing house and from January 1792 began publishing the magazine “Spectator” in it, with a very broad program, but still with a clear inclination towards satire, especially in the editor’s articles. Krylov’s largest plays in “The Spectator” are “Kaib, an Eastern Tale”, the fairy tale “Nights”, satirical and journalistic essays and pamphlets (“A eulogy in memory of my grandfather”, “A speech spoken by a rake in a meeting of fools”, “Thoughts of a philosopher according to fashion").

From these articles (especially the first and third) one can see how Krylov’s worldview is expanding and how his artistic talent is maturing. At this time, he was already the center of a literary circle, which entered into polemics with Karamzin’s “Moscow Journal”. Krylov's main employee was A.I. Klushin. “The Spectator”, already having 170 subscribers, in 1793 turned into “St. Petersburg Mercury”, published by Krylov and A. I. Klushin. Since at this time Karamzin’s “Moscow Journal” ceased to exist, the editors of “Mercury” dreamed of distributing it everywhere and gave their publication the most literary and artistic character possible. “Mercury” contains only two satirical plays by Krylov - “A speech in praise of the science of killing time” and “A speech in praise of Ermolafides, given at a meeting of young writers”; the latter, ridiculing the new direction in literature (under Ermolafid, that is, a person who carries Ermolafia, or nonsense, it is implied, as J. K. Grot noted, mainly Karamzin) serves as an expression of Krylov’s literary views of that time. This nugget severely reproaches the Karamzinists for their lack of preparation, for their contempt for the rules and for their desire for common people (bast shoes, zipuns and hats with a crease): obviously, the years of his magazine activity were for him academic years, and this late science brought discord into his tastes, which probably served as the reason for the temporary cessation of his literary activity. Most often, Krylov appears in “Mercury” as a lyricist and imitator of Derzhavin’s simpler and playful poems, and he shows more intelligence and sobriety of thought than inspiration and feelings (especially in this regard, the “Letter on the Benefits of Desires” is characteristic, which, however, remained not printed). Mercury lasted only one year and was not particularly successful.

At the end of 1793, Krylov left St. Petersburg; Little is known about what he was doing in 1794-1796. In 1797, he met in Moscow with Prince S. F. Golitsyn and went to his Zubrilovka estate, as a children's teacher, secretary, etc., at least not in the role of a free-living parasite. At this time, Krylov already had a broad and varied education (he played the violin well, knew Italian, etc.), and although he was still weak in spelling, he turned out to be a capable and useful teacher of language and literature. For a home performance in Golitsyn’s house, he wrote a joke-tragedy “Trumph” or “Podschipa” (printed first abroad in 1859, then in “Russian Antiquity”, 1871, book III), rough, but not without salt and vitality, a parody of classical drama, and through it forever put an end to his own desire to extract tears from the audience. The melancholy of rural life was such that one day visiting ladies found him at the pond completely naked, with an overgrown beard and uncut nails.

In 1801, Prince Golitsyn was appointed governor-general of Riga, and Krylov was appointed his secretary. In the same or the next year, he wrote the play “Pie” (printed in the VI volume of “Collection of Academic Sciences”; presented for the first time in St. Petersburg in 1802), a light comedy of intrigue, in which, in the person of Uzhima , casually touches upon the sentimentalism that is antipathetic to him. Despite friendly relations with his boss, Krylov resigned again on September 26, 1803. We don’t know what he did for the next 2 years; They say that he played a big game of cards, once won a very large sum, traveled to fairs, etc. For playing cards, he was at one time forbidden to appear in both capitals.

Fables

I. A. Krylov at the Monument “1000th Anniversary of Russia” in Veliky Novgorod

In 1805, Krylov was in Moscow and showed I. I. Dmitriev his translation (from French) two fables by La Fontaine: “The Oak and the Reed” and “The Picky Bride”. According to Lobanov, Dmitriev, after reading them, said to Krylov: “this is your true family; at last you have found it.” Krylov always loved La Fontaine (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. A wonderful connoisseur and artist simple language, who always loved to clothe his thoughts in the plastic form of an apologist, and was also very prone to ridicule and pessimism, Krylov, indeed, was, as it were, created for a fable, but still he did not immediately settle on this form of creativity: in 1806 he published only 3 fables, and in 1807 three of his plays appeared, two of which, corresponding to the satirical direction of Krylov’s talent, had great success on stage: this is “The Fashion Shop” (finally processed back in 1806 and presented for the first time in Petersburg on July 27) and “A Lesson for Daughters” (the plot of the latter is freely borrowed from Moliere’s “Précieuses ridicules”; presented for the first time in St. Petersburg on June 18, 1807). The object of satire in both is the same, in 1807 it was completely modern - the passion of Russian society for everything French; in the first comedy, Frenchmania is associated with debauchery, in the second it is brought to the Herculean pillars of stupidity; In terms of liveliness and strength of dialogue, both comedies represent a significant step forward, but the characters are still missing. Krylov's third play: “Ilya Bogatyr, Magic Opera” was written by order of A. L. Naryshkin, director of theaters (staged for the first time on December 31, 1806); despite the mass of nonsense characteristic of extravaganzas, it presents several strong satirical features and is curious as a tribute to youthful romanticism, brought by such an extremely unromantic mind.

It is not known to what time Krylov’s unfinished comedy in verse (it contains only one and a half acts, and the hero has not yet appeared on stage) dates back to: “The Lazy Man” (published in volume VI of the “Collection of Academic Sciences”); but it is curious as an attempt to create a comedy of character and at the same time merge it with a comedy of manners, since the shortcoming depicted in it with extreme harshness had its basis in the living conditions of the Russian nobility of that and later eras.

Hero Lentulus
loves to lounge around; But you can’t discredit him for anything else:
He is not angry, he is not grumpy, he is happy to give the last
And if not for laziness, he would be a treasure in husbands;
Friendly and courteous, but not ignorant
I am glad to do all the good, but only while lying down.

In these few verses we have a talented sketch of what was later developed in Tentetnikov and Oblomov. Without a doubt, Krylov found a fair dose of this weakness in himself and, like many true artists, that is why he set out to depict it with possible strength and depth; but to completely identify him with his hero would be extremely unfair: Krylov is a strong and energetic person when necessary, and his laziness, his love of peace ruled over him, so to speak, only with his consent. The success of his plays was great; in 1807, his contemporaries considered him a famous playwright and placed him next to Shakhovsky; his plays were repeated very often; “Fashion Shop” was also going on in the palace, in the half of Empress Maria Feodorovna. Despite this, Krylov decided to leave the theater and follow the advice of I. I. Dmitriev. In 1808, Krylov, who again entered the service (in the coin department), published 17 fables in the “Dramatic Herald” and between them several (“Oracle”, “Elephant in the Voivodeship”, “Elephant and Moska”, etc.) that were quite original . In 1809, he published the first separate edition of his fables, in the amount of 23, and with this little book he won a prominent and honorable place in Russian literature, and thanks to subsequent editions of the fables, he became a writer to such a national degree as no one else had been before. . From that time on, his life was a series of continuous successes and honors, which, in the opinion of the vast majority of his contemporaries, were well deserved.

In 1810, he became an assistant librarian at the Imperial Public Library, under the command of his former boss and patron A. N. Olenin; At the same time, he was given a pension of 1,500 rubles a year, which was subsequently (March 28, 1820), “in honor of excellent talents in Russian literature,” doubled, and even later (February 26, 1834) quadrupled, at which point he was elevated to in ranks and positions (from March 23, 1816 he was appointed librarian); upon his retirement (March 1, 1841), “unlike others,” he was given a pension full of his library allowance, so that in total he received 11,700 rubles. Ass. in year.

Krylov has been a respected member of the “Conversation of Lovers of Russian Literature” since its very foundation. On December 16, 1811 he was elected a member Russian Academy, January 14, 1823 received from her gold medal for literary merits, and during the transformation of the Russian Academy into the department of Russian language and literature of the Academy of Sciences (1841) he was approved as an ordinary academician (according to legend, Emperor Nicholas I agreed to the transformation with the condition “that Krylov be the first academician”). On February 2, 1838, the 50th anniversary of his literary activity was celebrated in St. Petersburg with such solemnity and at the same time with such warmth and sincerity that such a literary celebration cannot be mentioned earlier than the so-called Pushkin holiday in Moscow.

Ivan Andreevich Krylov died on November 9, 1844. He was buried on November 13, 1844 at the Tikhvin cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. On the day of the funeral, friends and acquaintances of I. A. Krylov, along with an invitation, received a copy of the fables he published, on the title page of which, under a mourning border, was printed: “An offering in memory of Ivan Andreevich, at his request.”

Anecdotes about his amazing appetite, slovenliness, laziness, love of fires, amazing willpower, wit, popularity, evasive caution are all too well known.

High position in literature Krylov did not achieve immediately; Zhukovsky, in his article “On Krylov’s fables and fables,” written about the publication. 1809, also compares him with I.I. Dmitriev, not always to his benefit, points out “errors” in his language, “expressions contrary to taste, rude” and with obvious hesitation “allows himself” to raise him here and there to La Fontaine , as a “skilled translator” of the king of fabulists. Krylov could not have any particular claim to this verdict, since out of the 27 fables he had written up to that time, in 17 he, indeed, “took both fiction and story from La Fontaine”; on these translations, Krylov, so to speak, trained his hand, sharpened the weapon for his satire. Already in 1811, he appeared with a long series of completely independent (of the 18 fables of 1811, only 3 were borrowed from documents) and often amazingly bold plays, such as “Geese”, “Leaves and Roots”, “Quartet”, “Council of Mice” and etc. The entire best part of the reading public then recognized in Krylov a huge and completely independent talent; his collection of “New Fables” became a favorite book in many homes, and Kachenovsky’s malicious attacks (“Vestn. Evropy” 1812, No. 4) damaged the critics much more than the poet. In year Patriotic War In 1812, Krylov became a political writer, precisely the direction that the majority of Russian society adhered to. The political idea is also clearly visible in the fables of the two subsequent years, for example. “Pike and Cat” (1813) and “Swan, Pike and Cancer” (1814; she does not mean the Congress of Vienna, six months before the opening of which she was written, but expresses the dissatisfaction of Russian society with the actions of the allies of Alexander I). In 1814, Krylov wrote 24 fables, all of them original, and repeatedly read them at court, in the circle of Empress Maria Feodorovna. According to Galakhov’s calculations, only 68 fables fall in the last 25 years of Krylov’s activity, while in the first twelve - 140.

A comparison of his manuscripts and numerous editions shows with what extraordinary energy and care this otherwise lazy and careless man corrected and smoothed out the initial drafts of his works, which were already apparently very successful and deeply thought out. He sketched out the fable so fluently and unclearly that even to himself the manuscript only resembled something thought out; then he rewrote it several times and corrected it every time wherever he could; Most of all, he strived for plasticity and possible brevity, especially at the end of the fable; moral teachings, very well conceived and executed, he either shortened or completely threw out (thus weakening the didactic element and strengthening the satirical one), and thus through hard work he reached his sharp, stiletto-like conclusions, which quickly turned into proverbs. With the same labor and attention, he expelled from the fables all book turns and vague expressions, replaced them with folk, picturesque and at the same time quite accurate ones, corrected the construction of the verse and destroyed the so-called. "poetic license". He achieved his goal: in terms of the power of expression, the beauty of the form, Krylov’s fable is the height of perfection; but still, to assure that Krylov does not have incorrect accents and awkward expressions is an anniversary exaggeration (“from all four legs” in the fable “The Lion, the Chamois and the Fox”, “You and I can’t fit in there” in the fable “Two Boys”, “The fruits of ignorance are terrible” in the fable “Atheists”, etc.). Everyone agrees that in the mastery of storytelling, in the relief of characters, in subtle humor, in the energy of action, Krylov is a true artist, whose talent stands out the brighter the more modest the area he has set aside for himself. His fables as a whole are not a dry moralizing allegory or even a calm epic, but a living drama in one hundred acts, with many charmingly outlined types, a true “spectacle of human life,” viewed from a certain point of view. How correct this point of view is and how edifying Krylov’s fable is for contemporaries and posterity - opinions on this are not entirely similar, especially since not everything necessary has been done to fully clarify the issue. Although Krylov considers the benefactor of the human race “the one who the most important rules offers virtuous actions in short expressions,” he himself, neither in his magazines nor in his fables, was not a didacticist, but a bright satirist, and, moreover, not one who punishes with ridicule the shortcomings of his contemporary society, in view of the ideal firmly rooted in his soul, but a pessimistic satirist who has little faith in the possibility of correcting people by any means and strives only to reduce the amount of lies and evil. When Krylov, as a moralist, tries to propose “the most important rules of virtuous actions,” he comes out dry and cold, and sometimes not even very smart; but when he has the opportunity to point out the contradiction between the ideal and reality, to expose self-delusion and hypocrisy, phrases, falsehood, stupid complacency, he is a true master. Therefore, it is hardly appropriate to be indignant at Krylov for the fact that he “did not express his sympathy for any discoveries, inventions or innovations” (Galakhov), just as it is inappropriate to demand that all his fables preach humanity and spiritual nobility. He has another task - to execute evil with merciless laughter: the blows he inflicted on various types of meanness and stupidity are so accurate that no one has the right to doubt the beneficial effect of his fables on a wide circle of their readers. Are they useful as pedagogical material? Without a doubt, as everything is true piece of art, quite accessible to the child’s mind and helping its further development; but since they depict only one side of life, material of the opposite direction should also be offered next to them. The important historical and literary significance of Krylov is also beyond doubt. Just as in the age of Catherine II the pessimist Fonvizin was needed next to the enthusiastic Derzhavin, so in the age of Alexander I Krylov was needed; acting at the same time as Karamzin and Zhukovsky, he represented them as a counterweight, without which Russian society might have gone too far down the path of dreamy sensibility.

Not sharing Shishkov’s archaeological and narrowly patriotic aspirations, Krylov consciously joined his circle and spent his entire life fighting against half-conscious Westernism. In fables he appeared as our first “truly folk” (Pushkin, V, 30) writer, both in language and in images (his animals, birds, fish and even mythological figures are truly Russian people, each with characteristic features era and social position), 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: “Leaves and Roots,” “Worldly Gathering,” “Wolves and Sheep” put him far ahead among the then idyllic defenders of serfdom. Krylov chose a modest poetic field for himself, but in it he was a major artist; his ideas are not lofty, but reasonable and strong; its influence is not deep, but extensive and fruitful.

Translations of fables

In 1825 in Paris, Count Grigory Orlov published I. A. Krylov’s Fables in two volumes in Russian, French and Italian, this book became the first foreign publication of fables.

The first translator of Krylov into Azerbaijani was Abbas-Quli-Aga Bakikhanov. In the 30s of the 19th century, during Krylov’s own lifetime, he translated the fable “The Donkey and the Nightingale.” It would be appropriate to note that, for example, on Armenian language the first translation was made in 1849, and into Georgian in 1860. Over 60 of Krylov’s fables were translated by Hasanaliaga Khan of Karadag in the 80s of the 19th century.

Last years

At the end of his life, Krylov was favored by the royal family. He had the rank of state councilor and a six-thousand-dollar pension. From March 1841 until the end of his life he lived in the Blinov apartment building on the 1st line of Vasilievsky Island, 8.

Krylov lived a long time and did not change his habits in any way. Completely lost in laziness and gourmand. He, an intelligent and not very kind man, eventually settled into the role of a good-natured eccentric, an absurd, unembarrassed glutton. The image he invented suited the court, and at the end of his life he could afford anything. He was not ashamed to be a glutton, a slob and a lazy person.

Everyone believed that Krylov died from volvulus due to overeating, but in fact - from bilateral pneumonia.

The funeral was magnificent. Count Orlov - the second person in the state - removed one of the students and himself carried the coffin to the road.

Contemporaries believed that the daughter of his cook, Sasha, was his father. This is confirmed by the fact that he sent her to a boarding school. And when the cook died, he raised her like a daughter and gave her a large dowry. Before his death, he bequeathed all his property and rights to his compositions to Sasha’s husband.

Recognition and adaptations

Krylov had the rank of state councilor, was a full member of the Imperial Russian Academy (since 1811), and an ordinary academician of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in the Department of Russian Language and Literature (since 1841).

Perpetuation of the name

Commemorative coin of the Bank of Russia, dedicated to the 225th anniversary of the birth of I. A. Krylov. 2 rubles, silver, 1994

There are streets and alleys named after Krylov in dozens of cities in Russia and countries former USSR and in Kazakhstan
Monument in the Summer Garden of St. Petersburg
In Moscow, near the Patriarch's Ponds, a monument to Krylov and the heroes of his fables was erected
In St. Petersburg, Yaroslavl and Omsk there are children's libraries named after I. A. Krylov

In music

I. A. Krylov’s fables were set to music, for example, by A. G. Rubinstein - the fables “The Cuckoo and the Eagle”, “The Donkey and the Nightingale”, “The Dragonfly and the Ant”, “Quartet”. And also - Yu. M. Kasyanik: vocal cycle for bass and piano (1974) “Krylov’s Fables” (“Crow and Fox”, “Pedestrians and Dogs”, “Donkey and Nightingale”, “Two Barrels”, “Triple Man” ").

Essays

Fables

Alcides
Apelles and the foal
Poor rich man
Atheists
Squirrel (two known fables about a squirrel)
The Rich Man and the Poet
Barrel
Razors
Bulat
Cobblestone and Diamond
Kite
cornflower
Nobleman
Nobleman and Poet
Nobleman and Philosopher
Divers
Waterfall and Stream
Wolf and Wolf Cub
Wolf and Crane
Wolf and Cat
Wolf and Cuckoo
Wolf and Fox
Wolf and Mouse
Wolf and Shepherds
Wolf and Lamb
Wolf at the kennel
Wolves and Sheep
Crow
Crow and Chicken
The Crow and the Fox (1807)
Little Crow
Raising a Leo
Golik
Mistress and two Maids
Crest
Two pigeons
Two boys
Two Guys
Two barrels
Two dogs
Demyanova's ear
Tree
Wild Goats
Oak and cane
Hare on the hunt
Mirror and Monkey
Snake and Sheep
Rock and Worm
Quartet
The Slanderer and the Snake
Ear
Mosquito and Shepherd
Horse and Rider
Cat and Cook
Cauldron and Pot
Kitten and Starling
Cat and Nightingale
Peasants and River
Peasant in trouble
Peasant and Snake
Peasant and Fox
Peasant and Horse
Peasant and Sheep

Peasant and Worker
Peasant and Robber
Peasant and Dog
Peasant and Death
Peasant and Ax
Cuckoo and Dove
Cuckoo and Rooster
Cuckoo and Eagle
Merchant
Doe and Dervish
Chest
Swan, Crayfish and Pike (1814)
Leo and Leopard
Lion and Wolf
Lion and Mosquito
Lion and Fox
Lion and Mouse
Lion and Man
Lion on the hunt
Lion aged
Lion, Chamois and Fox
Fox the Builder
Fox and Grapes
Fox and Chickens
Fox and donkey
Fox and Marmot
Sheets and Roots
Curious
Frog and Ox
Frog and Jupiter
Frogs asking for a king
Boy and Snake
Boy and Worm
Monkey and glasses
Bear in the nets
Bear at the Bees
Miller
Mechanic
Bag
World meeting
Miron
Pestilence of Beasts
Mot and Swallow
Musicians
Ant
Fly and road
Fly and Bee
Mouse and Rat
Lunch at the bear's
Monkey
Monkey
Sheep and Dogs
Gardener and Philosopher
Oracle
Eagle and Mole
Eagle and Chickens
Eagle and Spider
Eagle and Bee

Donkey and Hare
Donkey and Man
Donkey and Nightingale
Farmer and Shoemaker
Hunter
Peacock and nightingale
Parnassus
Shepherd
Shepherd and sea
Spider and Bee
Rooster and Pearl Seed
Pied sheep
Swimmer and Sea
Plotichka
Gout and Spider
Fire and Diamond
Funeral
Parishioner
Passersby and Dogs
Pond and River
Hermit and Bear
Guns and Sails
Bee and Flies
The picky bride
Chapter
Grove and fire
Creek
Fish dance
Knight
Pig
Pig under the Oak
Tit
Starling
Stingy
Stingy and Chicken
Elephant in case
Elephant and Moska
Elephant in the voivodeship
Dog and Horse
Dog, Man, Cat and Falcon
Dog friendship
Council of Mice
Falcon and Worm
Nightingales
Writer and robber
Old man and three young people
Dragonfly and Ant
Shadow and Man
Tripartite
Trishkin caftan
Hardworking Bear
Owl and Donkey
Fortune and the Beggar
Hop
Master and Mice
Flowers
Chervonets
Siskin and Hedgehog
Siskin and Dove
Pike and Cat
Pike and mouse
Lamb

Other

The Coffee House (1783, published 1869, libretto of a comic opera)
The Mad Family (1786, comedy)
The Writer in the Hallway (1786-1788, published 1794, comedy)
Pranksters (1786-1788, published 1793, comedy)
Philomela (1786-1788, published 1793, tragedy)
The Americans (1788, comedy, together with A. I. Klushin)
Kaib (1792, satirical story)
Nights (1792, satirical story; unfinished)
Trumpf (“Podschipa”; 1798-1800, published 1859; distributed in handwritten copies)
Pie (1801, published 1869, comedy)
Fashion Shop (1806, comedy)
A Lesson for Daughters (1807, comedy)
Ilya the Bogatyr (1807, comedy)

Bibliography

The first monographs about Krylov were written by his friends - M. E. Lobanov (“The Life and Works of Ivan Andreevich Krylov”) and P. A. Pletnev (with the complete works of Ivan Krylov, ed. by J. Jungmeister and E. Weimar in 1847); Pletnev’s biography was reprinted many times both in the collected works of Krylov and in his fables.
Notes, materials and articles about him appeared in both historical and general magazines(for a list of them, see Mezhov, “History of Russian and General Words.”, St. Petersburg, 1872, as well as Kenevich and L. Maykov).
A serious and conscientious, but far from complete work by V.F. Kenevich: Bibliographical and historical notes on Krylov’s fables. 2nd ed. St. Petersburg, 1878.
Valuable material is provided by the article by L. N. Maykov: “The first steps of I. A. Krylov in the literary field” (“Russian Bulletin” 1889; reprinted in “Historical and Literary Essays”, St. Petersburg 1895).
A. I. Lyashchenko, in the “Historical Bulletin” (1894 No. 11);
A. Kirpyachnikova in “Initiation”,
V. Peretz in “Annual. Imp. Theaters for 1895"
a number of articles about Krylov in the Journal of Min. Nar. Enlightened." 1895 Amon, Draganov and Nechaev (the latter caused the brochure of A.I. Lyashchenko).
a scientific work about Krylov was published under the editorship of Kallash (St. Petersburg, 1903-1905).
S. Babintsev. Krylov's world fame (I. A. Krylov. Research and materials. Moscow, OGIZ, 1947, 296 pp.), 274 pp.
M. Rafili. I. A. Krylov and Azerbaijani literature, Baku, Azerneshr, 1944, pp. 29-30.
M. Gordin. "The Life of Ivan Krylov."
Babintsev S. M. I. A. Krylov: Essay on his publishing and library activities / All-Union Book Chamber, Ministry of Culture of the USSR, Glavizdat. - M.: Publishing House of the All-Union Book Chamber, 1955. - 94, p. - (Book figures). - 15,000 copies. (region)

Categories:

Ivan Andreevich Krylov. Born on February 2 (13), 1769 in Moscow - died on November 9 (21), 1844 in St. Petersburg. Russian publicist, poet, fabulist, publisher of satirical and educational magazines.

He is best known as the author of 236 fables, collected in nine lifetime collections (published from 1809 to 1843). The plots of a number of Krylov’s fables go back to the fables of La Fontaine (who, in turn, borrowed them from and Babriy), although there are many original plots. Many expressions from Krylov's fables have become popular expressions.

Father, Andrei Prokhorovich Krylov (1736-1778), knew how to read and write, but “did not study science,” he served in a dragoon regiment, in 1772 he distinguished himself while defending the Yaitsky town from the Pugachevites, then was the chairman of the magistrate in Tver. He died with the rank of captain in poverty. Mother, Maria Alekseevna (1750-1788) remained a widow after the death of her husband.

Ivan Krylov spent the first years of his childhood traveling with his family. He learned to read and write at home (his father was a great lover of reading, after him a whole chest of books passed to his son); He studied French in a family of wealthy neighbors. In 1777, he was enrolled in the civil service as a sub-clerk of the Kalyazin Lower Zemstvo Court, and then of the Tver Magistrate. This service was, apparently, only nominal and Krylov was considered to be probably on leave until the end of his training.

Krylov studied little, but read quite a lot. According to a contemporary, he “attended with particular pleasure public gatherings, shopping areas, swings and fist fights, where he jostled among the motley crowd, greedily listening to the speeches of the common people.” In 1780 he began to serve as a sub-office clerk for a pittance. In 1782, Krylov was still listed as a sub-office clerk, but “this Krylov did not have any business on his hands.”

At this time, he became interested in street fighting, wall to wall. And since he was physically very strong, he often emerged victorious over older men.

At the end of 1782, Krylov went to St. Petersburg with his mother, who intended to work for a pension and a better arrangement for her son’s fate. The Krylovs remained in St. Petersburg until August 1783. Upon their return, despite the long-term illegal absence, Krylov resigned from the magistrate with the rank of clerk and entered service in the St. Petersburg treasury chamber.

At this time, Ablesimov’s “The Miller” enjoyed great fame, under whose influence Krylov wrote, in 1784, the opera libretto “The Coffee House”; He took the plot from Novikov’s “The Painter”, but changed it significantly and ended with a happy ending. Krylov took his book to Breitkopf, who gave 60 rubles to the author of the book (Racine, Moliere and Boileau) for it, but did not publish it. “The Coffee House” was published only in 1868 (in an anniversary edition) and is considered an extremely young and imperfect work. When comparing Krylov's autograph with the printed edition, it turns out, however, that the latter is not entirely correct; Having removed many of the publisher's oversights and obvious slips of the young poet, who in the manuscript that has reached us has not yet completely finished his libretto, the poems of “The Coffee House” can hardly be called clumsy, and an attempt to show that newfangledness (the subject of Krylov’s satire is not so much a corrupt coffee house, how much lady Novomodova) and “free” views on marriage and morality, strongly reminiscent of the adviser in “The Brigadier”, do not exclude the cruelty characteristic of the Skotinins, as well as many beautifully selected folk sayings, make the libretto of the 16-year-old poet, despite the uncontrolled characters, a phenomenon remarkable for that time. The “Coffee House” was probably conceived back in the provinces, close to the way of life that it depicts.

In the government chamber, Krylov then received 80-90 rubles a year, but he was not happy with his position and moved to Her Majesty’s Cabinet. In 1788, Krylov lost his mother, and in his arms was left his young brother Lev, whom he cared for all his life like a father about his son (he usually called him “little darling” in his letters). In 1787-1788 Krylov wrote the comedy “Pranksters,” where he brought to the stage and cruelly ridiculed the first playwright of the time, Ya. according to Grech, the pedant Tyanislov was copied from the bad poet P. M. Karabanov. Although in “The Pranksters”, instead of true comedy, we find a caricature, but this caricature is bold, lively and witty, and the scenes of the complacent simpleton Azbukin with Tyanislov and Rhymestealer could be considered very funny for that time. The “pranksters” not only quarreled Krylov with Knyazhnin, but also brought upon him the displeasure of the theater management.

"Spirit Mail" was published only from January to August, as it had only 80 subscribers; in 1802 it was published in a second edition.

His magazine business aroused the displeasure of the authorities, and the empress offered Krylov to travel abroad for five years at the government’s expense, but he refused.

In 1791-96. Krylov lived in the house of I. I. Betsky on Millionnaya Street, 1. In 1790, he wrote and published an ode to the conclusion of peace with Sweden, a weak work, but still showing the author as a developed person and a future artist of words. On December 7 of the same year, Krylov retired; the following year he became the owner of the printing house and from January 1792 began publishing the magazine “Spectator” in it, with a very broad program, but still with a clear inclination towards satire, especially in the editor’s articles. Krylov’s largest plays in “The Spectator” are “Kaib, an Eastern Tale”, the fairy tale “Nights”, satirical and journalistic essays and pamphlets (“A eulogy in memory of my grandfather”, “A speech spoken by a rake in a meeting of fools”, “Thoughts of a philosopher according to fashion").

“Mercury” contains only two satirical plays by Krylov - “A speech in praise of the science of killing time” and “A speech in praise of Ermolafides, given at a meeting of young writers”; the latter, ridiculing the new direction in literature (by Ermolafide, that is, a person who carries Ermolafia, or nonsense, is meant, as Y. K. Grot noted, mainly Karamzin) serves as an expression of Krylov’s literary views of that time. This nugget severely reproaches the Karamzinists for their lack of preparation, for their contempt for the rules and for their desire for common people (bast shoes, zipuns and hats with a crease): obviously, the years of his journal activity were educational years for him, and this late science brought discord into his tastes , which probably caused the temporary cessation of his literary activity. Most often, Krylov appears in “Mercury” as a lyricist and imitator of Derzhavin’s simpler and playful poems, and he shows more intelligence and sobriety of thought than inspiration and feelings (especially in this regard, the “Letter on the Benefits of Desires” is characteristic, which, however, remained not printed). Mercury lasted only one year and was not particularly successful.

At the end of 1793, Krylov left St. Petersburg; Little is known about what he was doing in 1794-1796. In 1797, he met in Moscow with Prince S. F. Golitsyn and went to his Zubrilovka estate, as a children's teacher, secretary, etc., at least not in the role of a free-living parasite. At this time, Krylov already had a broad and versatile education (he played the violin well, knew Italian, etc.), and although he was still weak in spelling, he turned out to be a capable and useful teacher of language and literature (see “ Memories" by F. F. Vigel). For a home performance in Golitsyn’s house, he wrote a joke-tragedy “Trumph” or “Podschipa” (printed first abroad in 1859, then in “Russian Antiquity”, 1871, book III), rough, but not without salt and vitality, a parody of classical drama, and through it forever put an end to his own desire to extract tears from the audience. The melancholy of rural life was such that one day visiting ladies found him at the pond completely naked, with an overgrown beard and uncut nails.

In 1801, Prince Golitsyn was appointed governor-general of Riga, and Krylov was appointed his secretary. In the same or the next year, he wrote the play “Pie” (printed in the VI volume of “Collection of Akd. Sciences”; presented for the first time in St. Petersburg in 1802), a light comedy of intrigue, in which, in the person of Uzhima , casually touches upon the sentimentalism that is antipathetic to him. Despite friendly relations with his boss, Krylov resigned again on September 26, 1803. We don’t know what he did for the next 2 years; They say that he played a big game of cards, once won a very large sum, traveled to fairs, etc. For playing cards, he was at one time forbidden to appear in both capitals.

In 1805, Krylov was in Moscow and showed I. I. Dmitriev his translation (from French) of two fables by La Fontaine: “The Oak and the Cane” and “The Picky Bride.” According to Lobanov, Dmitriev, after reading them, said to Krylov: “this is your true family; at last you have found it.” Krylov always loved La Fontaine (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 thoughts in the plastic form of an apologist, and, moreover, strongly inclined to ridicule and pessimism, Krylov, indeed, was, as it were, created for a fable, but still he did not immediately settle on this form of creativity: in 1806 he published only 3 fables, and in 1807 three of his plays appeared, two of which, corresponding to the satirical direction of Krylov’s talent, had great success on stage: this is “The Fashion Shop” (finally processed back in 1806). and presented for the first time in St. Petersburg on July 27) and “A Lesson for Daughters” (the plot of the latter is freely borrowed from Moliere’s “Précieuses ridicules”; presented for the first time in St. Petersburg on June 18, 1807). The object of satire in both is the same, in 1807 it was completely modern - the passion of our society for everything French; in the first comedy, Frenchmania is associated with debauchery, in the second it is brought to the Herculean pillars of stupidity; In terms of liveliness and strength of dialogue, both comedies represent a significant step forward, but the characters are still missing.

Krylov's third play: “Ilya Bogatyr, Magic Opera” was written by order of A. L. Naryshkin, director of theaters (staged for the first time on December 31, 1806); despite the mass of nonsense characteristic of extravaganzas, it presents several strong satirical features and is curious as a tribute to youthful romanticism, brought by such an extremely unromantic mind.

Krylov did not reach a high position in literature right away; Zhukovsky, in his article “On Krylov’s fables and fables,” written about the publication. 1809, also compares him with I.I. Dmitriev, not always to his benefit, points out “errors” in his language, “expressions contrary to taste, rude” and with obvious hesitation “allows himself” to raise him here and there to La Fontaine , as a “skilled translator” of the king of fabulists. Krylov could not have any particular claim to this verdict, since out of the 27 fables he had written up to that time, in 17 he, indeed, “took both fiction and story from La Fontaine”; on these translations, Krylov, so to speak, trained his hand, sharpened the weapon for his satire. Already in 1811, he appeared with a long series of completely independent (of the 18 fables of 1811, only 3 were borrowed from documents) and often amazingly bold plays, such as “Geese”. “Sheets and Roots”, “Quartet”, “Council of Mice”, etc. The entire best part of the reading public then recognized Krylov’s enormous and completely independent talent; his collection of “New Fables” became a favorite book in many homes, and Kachenovsky’s malicious attacks (“Vestn. Evropy” 1812, No. 4) damaged the critics much more than the poet. In the year of the Patriotic War of 1812, Krylov became a political writer, precisely the direction that the majority of Russian society adhered to. The political idea is also clearly visible in the fables of the two subsequent years, for example. “Pike and Cat” (1813) and “Swan, Pike and Cancer” (1814; she does not mean the Congress of Vienna, six months before the opening of which she was written, but expresses the dissatisfaction of Russian society with the actions of the Allies). In 1814, Krylov wrote 24 fables, all of them original, and repeatedly read them at court, in the circle of Empress Maria Feodorovna. According to Galakhov’s calculations, only 68 fables fall in the last 25 years of Krylov’s activity, while in the first twelve - 140.

Krylov has been a respected member of the “Conversation of Lovers of Russian Literature” since its very foundation. On December 16, 1811, he was elected a member of the Russian Academy, on January 14, 1823, he received a gold medal from it for literary merits, and when the Russian Academy was transformed into the department of Russian language and literature of the Academy of Sciences (1841), he was confirmed as an ordinary academician (according to legend, Emperor Nicholas I agreed to the transformation on the condition “that Krylov be the first academician”). On February 2, 1838, the 50th anniversary of his literary activity was celebrated in St. Petersburg with such solemnity and at the same time with such warmth and sincerity that such a literary celebration cannot be mentioned earlier than the so-called Pushkin holiday in Moscow.

Ivan Andreevich Krylov - famous poet and publicist, born on February 2, 1769 in Moscow. Ivan Krylov did not have the opportunity to get a good education, and from his father he received only a lot of books and great love for them. The boy's wealthy neighbors allowed him to attend French lessons for their children. So Ivan Andreevich Krylov learned French tolerably.

The boy began to work very early, and also learned what it was like to live in poverty. When Ivan’s dad died, he was hired as a sub-clerk at the provincial magistrate of Tver, where Krylov Sr. had previously worked. There was only enough money for food, so life was very difficult. After 5 years, the mother of the future fabulist takes her children with her and goes to St. Petersburg to seek her pension, as well as to prepare her eldest son for work. So Ivan Krylov began working as a clerk in the treasury chamber.

Young Krylov read a lot to get proper self-education. It is also known that in his youth he taught himself to play various instruments. At the age of 15, the young man himself wrote a small comic opera called “The Coffee House.” This can be called the poet’s first debut in literature. Due to poverty, Ivan Krylov was well acquainted with the life and customs of ordinary people, so such experience became very useful in the future.

Creation

After moving to St. Petersburg, Ivan Andreevich visited the newly opened theater. There he met many artists and from then on lived the passions of this sanctuary of art. Krylov loved too much literary activity, so at the age of 18 he resigned from government service.

Literary activity was not very successful at first. Soon the fabulist wrote the tragedy Philomela, imitating the classics. But this work was mediocre, but the young writer did not stop.

After some time, the poet created several comedies: “Pranksters”, “Mad Family”, “Writer in the Hallway” and many others. This time, the growth of Krylov's skill was noticeable, but most readers and critics were unhappy.

Ivan Andreevich's first fables were published without a subscription. In 1788 they could be seen in the magazine " Morning hours" Three creations, called “The Newly Granted Donkey,” “The Fate of the Gamblers,” and “The Shy Gambler,” were practically unnoticed by critics and readers. They had a lot of causticity and sarcasm, but no skill.

In 1789, the fabulist published the magazine “Mail of Spirits” together with Rachmanin. But the publication does not receive the desired success and is no longer published. Krylov does not stop there.

Magazine "Mail of Spirits"

After 3 years, he creates another magazine called “Spectator”. Then, after another 1 year, the magazine “St. Petersburg Mercury” is published. Ivan Andreevich Krylov published some of his works in these publications.

In 1805, Krylov translated two fables, “The Oak and the Cane” and “The Picky Bride.” In 1809, the first edition of Ivan Krylov gained enormous popularity; it consisted of 23 works. Thus, the fabulist becomes very popular and the public eagerly awaits his new creations.

In 1810, he became an assistant librarian at the Imperial Public Library, where he would work until 1841.

In 1825, in Paris, Count Grigory Orlov published I. A. Krylov's Fables in two volumes in French, Russian and Italian. This book was the first foreign publication of fables.

Throughout his life, the writer created more than 200 fables. Krylov lived long enough, he was very smart and kind person. He created his works not only for the highly educated intelligentsia, but also for ordinary people. The fabulist died on November 21, 1844. Many thought that Krylov died from volvulus, but in fact the cause of death was bilateral pneumonia.

This man is one of the most famous fabulists in the history of our country, so people should definitely read interesting facts from the life of Ivan Andreevich Krylov, from whom there is sometimes something to learn.

Krylov began earning money at the age of 10, since there was no father in the family and no money for food either.. Due to the fact that Ivan’s mother had no money at all, he could not get an education and learned his first basics of literacy on his own.
Ivan Andreevich had an enviable appetite. He could eat an unlimited amount of food at any time of the day or night. Those who were familiar with such moments were therefore wary of inviting him to visit them, and if they did so, they first purchased groceries.
Outwardly, the great fabulist looked extremely untidy. Krylov hated changing dirty clothes for clean ones and combing his hair. His jacket sometimes shone with grease stains left by fallen food. Friends often suggested that he wash and change clothes.
Those around him considered Krylov a callous person. He was more than once accused of being thick-skinned and completely lacking any feelings. They say that after his mother’s death he went to a performance. However, this fact is just an unconfirmed rumor.
In his youth, Ivan was fond of fist fights. Even as a child, being a strong and tall boy, he fought one on one with adult men and often defeated them. With age, he managed this even more easily.
Krylov did not hide his laziness. There was a painting hanging right above the sofa at his house. People around her more than once told the fabulist that she was at a dangerous angle and it was better to re-hang this work of art. Ivan Andreevich only laughed at those around him and did nothing about it.
Once, being late to visit Musin-Pushkin, the late fabulist was subjected to a “penalty” punishment - food. He ate a large plate of pasta with a heap, the same portion of soup, and then ate the second and once again refreshed himself with flour products. Those around were shocked.
Ivan Andreevich had a tradition - to sleep in the library after a hearty lunch. At first he could read books, and then gradually fell asleep. Friends knew this and placed a spacious soft chair there in advance.
8
Krylov was delighted by the contemplation of fires. In St. Petersburg they happened often. As soon as the source of the fire was identified, firefighters and Ivan Andreevich, who could not miss this spectacle and watched with interest what was happening, went to the scene.
Traveling, Krylov traveled all over Russia, which surprised the fabulist’s friends who knew about his natural slowness. Ivan Andreevich liked to study the customs and life of different regions of our vast country. The character of people from small provincial towns and villages, where Krylov often visited, is described in many of his fables.
Ivan Andreevich knew how and loved to make fun of others. There is a famous case in his biography when Krylov went for a walk. On the street, merchants began to lure the writer into their shops, almost forcing him to look at the goods. He began to go into every store and then wonder why there was so little product. Finally, the merchants understood everything and left the writer behind.
Krylov's fables criticized the mores of society of that time. Ivan Andreevich especially loved to ridicule, in a “camouflaged” form, the bureaucracy and rudeness of government officials, as well as the behavior of people from “high society.”
12
The fabulist had an illegitimate daughter, Sasha, from a cook. He even sent the girl to a good boarding school. After the death of Sasha’s mother, he took over her upbringing, and subsequently married her off with a good dowry. They say that he bequeathed all rights to his works to his daughter.
13
Krylov died not from volvulus, but from bilateral pneumonia. In recent years he has had serious health problems. However, many thought that the cause of Krylov’s death was excess weight, which appeared as a result of overeating.
Before his death, Krylov ordered a copy of his fables to be distributed to all close people.. The writer's friends received the book along with notice of his death. Ivan Andreevich's funeral was luxurious, and Count Orlov was one of the pallbearers.

We hope you liked the selection of pictures - Interesting Facts from the life of Ivan Andreevich Krylov (15 photos) online good quality. Please leave your opinion in the comments! Every opinion is important to us.