Gavrila Derzhavin
Although his works are traditionally considered literary classicism, his best verse is rich with antitheses and conflicting sounds in a way reminiscent of John Donne and other metaphysical poets.His family descended from a 15th-century Tatar nobleman named Morza Bagrim, who converted to Christianity and became a vassal of Grand Prince Vasily II.The Derzhavins once held profitable estates along the Myosha River, about 25 miles (40 km) from the capital city of Kazan, but over time they were divided, sold or mortgaged.[3] Derzhavin considered himself a native of Kazan—which proudly proclaims itself as the city of his birth—but he was possibly born at one of his family's estates in Sokury or Karmachi, in Laishevsky County.Roman Derzhavin, who was suffering from consumption, needed to formally apply for retirement in Moscow, and then planned to continue to Saint Petersburg to register his son for future enlistment as required.He rose to the position of governor of Olonets (1784) and Tambov (1785), personal secretary to the Empress (1791), President of the College of Commerce (1794), and finally the Minister of Justice (1802).In 1800, Derzhavin wrote the political work Opinion in response to a request by Emperor Paul I to investigate recent famines in Mogilev Governorate.The Opinion became an influential source of information during the early reign of Alexander I, who eventually implemented several of Derzhavin's suggested reforms in the 1804 Statute Concerning the Organization of the Jews.Unlike other Classicist poets, Derzhavin found delight in carefully chosen details, such as a colour of wallpaper in his bedroom or a poetic inventory of his daily meal.
Eastern Slavic naming customspatronymicfamily nameVladimir BorovikovskyLaishevsky UyezdKazan GovernorateRussian EmpireNovgorod GovernorateNeoclassicismAlexander PushkinclassicismJohn Donnemetaphysical poetsvassalGrand PrinceVasily IITeglevMyosha RiverLaishevsky CountyArchangel Gabrielbread peelYaranskStavropolOrenburgMoscowconsumptionSaint PetersburgMolièreAlexander SumarokovPreobrazhensky RegimentCatherine the GreatPugachev's RebellionOlonetsTambovPaul IMogilev GovernoratemagnatesBlack SeaAlexander INovgorodanacreontic verseLovers of the Russian WordKhutyn MonasteryNovgorod KremlinFyodor IordangenresalliterationscacophonousPrince PotemkinSuvorovLet the thunder of victory sound!1993 Russian 1 rouble coinD. S. MirskyNikolai NekrasovMarina TsvetaevaTambov State UniversityPushkinTsarskoye Selo LyceumIlya RepinKhodasevich, VladislavD.S. MirskyGrot, Y. K.Khodasevich, V. F.University of Wisconsin PressWikisourceProject GutenbergWayback MachineToronto Slavic Quarterly