Karamzin’s biography is briefly the most important. Karamzin Nikolai Mikhailovich N m Karamzin as a statesman

Biography

Carier start

Trip to Europe

Return and life in Russia

Karamzin - writer

Sentimentalism

Karamzin's poetry

Works by Karamzin

Karamzin's language reform

Karamzin - historian

Karamzin - translator

Works of N. M. Karamzin

(December 1, 1766, family estate Znamenskoye, Simbirsk district, Kazan province (according to other sources - the village of Mikhailovka (now Preobrazhenka), Buzuluk district, Kazan province) - May 22, 1826, St. Petersburg) - an outstanding historian, the largest Russian writer of the era of sentimentalism, nicknamed Russian Stern.

Honorary member of the Imperial Academy of Sciences (1818), full member of the Imperial Russian Academy (1818). Creator of the “History of the Russian State” (volumes 1-12, 1803-1826) - one of the first generalizing works on the history of Russia. Editor of the Moscow Journal (1791-1792) and Vestnik Evropy (1802-1803).

Karamzin went down in history as a great reformer of the Russian language. His style is light in the Gallic manner, but instead of direct borrowing, Karamzin enriched the language with tracing words, such as “impression” and “influence,” “falling in love,” “touching” and “entertaining.” It was he who introduced into use the words “industry”, “concentrate”, “moral”, “aesthetic”, “era”, “scene”, “harmony”, “catastrophe”, “future”.

Biography

Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin was born on December 1 (12), 1766 near Simbirsk. He grew up on the estate of his father, retired captain Mikhail Egorovich Karamzin (1724-1783), a middle-class Simbirsk nobleman, a descendant of the Tatar Murza Kara-Murza. Received home education. In 1778 he was sent to Moscow to the boarding school of Moscow University professor I.M. Schaden. At the same time, he attended lectures by I. G. Schwartz at the University in 1781-1782.

Carier start

In 1783, at the insistence of his father, he entered service in the Preobrazhensky Guards Regiment of St. Petersburg, but soon retired. The first literary experiments date back to his military service. After retirement, he lived for some time in Simbirsk, and then in Moscow. During his stay in Simbirsk, he joined the Masonic lodge of the Golden Crown, and after arriving in Moscow, for four years (1785-1789) he was a member of the Friendly Scientific Society.

In Moscow, Karamzin met writers and writers: N.I. Novikov, A.M. Kutuzov, A.A. Petrov, and participated in the publication of the first Russian magazine for children - “Children’s Reading for the Heart and Mind.”

Trip to Europe

In 1789-1790 he made a trip to Europe, during which he visited Immanuel Kant in Königsberg, and was in Paris during the great French Revolution. As a result of this trip, the famous “Letters of a Russian Traveler” were written, the publication of which immediately made Karamzin a famous writer. Some philologists believe that it is from this book that modern Russian literature begins. Be that as it may, Karamzin really became a pioneer in the literature of Russian “travels” - he quickly found both imitators (V.V. Izmailov, P.I. Sumarokov, P.I. Shalikov) and worthy successors (A.A. Bestuzhev, N. A. Bestuzhev, F. N. Glinka, A. S. Griboyedov). It is since then that Karamzin has been considered one of the main literary figures in Russia.

Return and life in Russia

Upon returning from a trip to Europe, Karamzin settled in Moscow and began working as a professional writer and journalist, starting the publication of the Moscow Journal 1791-1792 (the first Russian literary magazine, in which, among other works of Karamzin, the story “Poor” appeared, which strengthened his fame Liza"), then published a number of collections and almanacs: “Aglaya”, “Aonids”, “Pantheon of Foreign Literature”, “My Trinkets”, which made sentimentalism the main literary movement in Russia, and Karamzin its recognized leader.

Emperor Alexander I, by personal decree of October 31, 1803, granted the title of historiographer to Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin; 2 thousand rubles were added to the rank at the same time. annual salary. The title of historiographer in Russia was not renewed after Karamzin’s death.

From the beginning of the 19th century, Karamzin gradually moved away from fiction, and from 1804, having been appointed by Alexander I to the post of historiographer, he stopped all literary work, “taking monastic vows as a historian.” In 1811, he wrote “A Note on Ancient and New Russia in its Political and Civil Relations,” which reflected the views of conservative layers of society dissatisfied with the liberal reforms of the emperor. Karamzin’s goal was to prove that no reforms were needed in the country.

“A Note on Ancient and New Russia in its Political and Civil Relations” also played the role of an outline for Nikolai Mikhailovich’s subsequent enormous work on Russian history. In February 1818. Karamzin released the first eight volumes of “The History of the Russian State,” the three thousand copies of which sold out within a month. In subsequent years, three more volumes of “History” were published, and a number of translations of it into the main European languages ​​appeared. Coverage of the Russian historical process brought Karamzin closer to the court and the tsar, who settled him near him in Tsarskoe Selo. Karamzin's political views evolved gradually, and by the end of his life he was a staunch supporter of absolute monarchy.

The unfinished XII volume was published after his death.

Karamzin died on May 22 (June 3), 1826 in St. Petersburg. His death was the result of a cold contracted on December 14, 1825. On this day Karamzin was on Senate Square.

He was buried at the Tikhvin Cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

Karamzin - writer

Collected works of N. M. Karamzin in 11 volumes. in 1803-1815 was printed in the printing house of the Moscow book publisher Selivanovsky.

“Karamzin’s influence on literature can be compared with Catherine’s influence on society: he made literature humane,” wrote A. I. Herzen.

Sentimentalism

Karamzin’s publication of “Letters of a Russian Traveler” (1791-1792) and the story “Poor Liza” (1792; separate publication 1796) ushered in the era of sentimentalism in Russia.

Sentimentalism declared feeling, not reason, to be the dominant of “human nature,” which distinguished it from classicism. Sentimentalism believed that the ideal of human activity was not the “reasonable” reorganization of the world, but the release and improvement of “natural” feelings. His hero is more individualized, his inner world is enriched by the ability to empathize and sensitively respond to what is happening around him.

The publication of these works was a great success among readers of that time; “Poor Liza” caused many imitations. Karamzin's sentimentalism had a great influence on the development of Russian literature: it inspired, among other things, the romanticism of Zhukovsky and the work of Pushkin.

Karamzin's poetry

Karamzin's poetry, which developed in line with European sentimentalism, was radically different from the traditional poetry of his time, brought up on the odes of Lomonosov and Derzhavin. The most significant differences were the following:

Karamzin is not interested in the external, physical world, but in the internal, spiritual world of man. His poems speak “the language of the heart,” not the mind. The object of Karamzin’s poetry is “simple life”, and to describe it he uses simple poetic forms - poor rhymes, avoids the abundance of metaphors and other tropes so popular in the poems of his predecessors.

“Who is your dear?”

I'm ashamed; it really hurts me

The strangeness of my feelings is revealed

And be the butt of jokes.

The heart is not free to choose!..

What to say? She...she.

Oh! not important at all

And talents behind you

Has none;

The Strangeness of Love, or Insomnia (1793)

Another difference between Karamzin’s poetics is that the world is fundamentally unknowable for him; the poet recognizes the existence of different points of view on the same subject:

It's scary in the grave, cold and dark!

The winds howl here, the coffins shake,

Quiet in the grave, soft, calm.

The winds blow here; sleepers are cool;

Herbs and flowers grow.

Cemetery (1792)

Works by Karamzin

• “Eugene and Yulia”, story (1789)
• "Letters of a Russian Traveler" (1791-1792)
• "Poor Liza", story (1792)
• “Natalia, the Boyar’s Daughter”, story (1792)
• “The Beautiful Princess and the Happy Karla” (1792)
• "Sierra Morena", a story (1793)
• "The Island of Bornholm" (1793)
• "Julia" (1796)
• “Martha the Posadnitsa, or the Conquest of Novagorod”, story (1802)
• “My Confession,” letter to the magazine publisher (1802)
• "Sensitive and Cold" (1803)
• "A Knight of Our Time" (1803)
• "Autumn"

Karamzin's language reform

Karamzin's prose and poetry had a decisive influence on the development of the Russian literary language. Karamzin purposefully refused to use Church Slavonic vocabulary and grammar, bringing the language of his works to the everyday language of his era and using the grammar and syntax of the French language as a model.

Karamzin introduced many new words into the Russian language - as neologisms (“charity”, “love”, “freethinking”, “attraction”, “responsibility”, “suspiciousness”, “industry”, “refinement”, “first-class”, “humane” ") and barbarisms ("sidewalk", "coachman"). He was also one of the first to use the letter E.

The changes in language proposed by Karamzin caused heated controversy in the 1810s. The writer A. S. Shishkov, with the assistance of Derzhavin, founded in 1811 the society “Conversation of Lovers of the Russian Word”, the purpose of which was to promote the “old” language, as well as criticize Karamzin, Zhukovsky and their followers. In response, in 1815, the literary society “Arzamas” was formed, which ironized the authors of “Conversation” and parodied their works. Many poets of the new generation became members of the society, including Batyushkov, Vyazemsky, Davydov, Zhukovsky, Pushkin. The literary victory of “Arzamas” over “Beseda” strengthened the victory of the linguistic changes that Karamzin introduced.

Despite this, Karamzin later became closer to Shishkov, and, thanks to the latter’s assistance, Karamzin was elected a member of the Russian Academy in 1818.

Karamzin - historian

Karamzin developed an interest in history in the mid-1790s. He wrote a story on a historical theme - “Martha the Posadnitsa, or the Conquest of Novagorod” (published in 1803). In the same year, by decree of Alexander I, he was appointed to the position of historiographer, and until the end of his life he was engaged in writing “The History of the Russian State,” practically ceasing his activities as a journalist and writer.

Karamzin’s “History” was not the first description of the history of Russia; before him there were the works of V.N. Tatishchev and M.M. Shcherbatov. But it was Karamzin who opened the history of Russia to a wide educated public. According to A.S. Pushkin, “Everyone, even secular women, rushed to read the history of their fatherland, hitherto unknown to them. She was a new discovery for them. Ancient Russia seemed to be found by Karamzin, like America by Columbus.” This work also caused a wave of imitations and contrasts (for example, “The History of the Russian People” by N. A. Polevoy)

In his work, Karamzin acted more as a writer than a historian - when describing historical facts, he cared about the beauty of the language, least of all trying to draw any conclusions from the events he described. Nevertheless, his commentaries, which contain many extracts from manuscripts, mostly first published by Karamzin, are of high scientific value. Some of these manuscripts no longer exist.

In his “History” elegance, simplicity

They prove to us, without any bias,

The need for autocracy

And the delights of the whip.

Karamzin took the initiative to organize memorials and erect monuments to outstanding figures of Russian history, in particular, K. M. Minin and D. M. Pozharsky on Red Square (1818).

N. M. Karamzin discovered Afanasy Nikitin’s “Walking across Three Seas” in a 16th-century manuscript and published it in 1821. He wrote:

Karamzin - translator

In 1792-1793, N. M. Karamzin translated a wonderful monument of Indian literature (from English) - the drama “Sakuntala”, authored by Kalidasa. In the preface to the translation he wrote:

Family

N. M. Karamzin was married twice and had 10 children:

Memory

The following are named after the writer:

• Karamzin passage in Moscow
• Regional clinical psychiatric hospital in Ulyanovsk.

A monument to N.M. Karamzin was erected in Ulyanovsk, and a memorial sign was erected in the Ostafyevo estate near Moscow.

In Veliky Novgorod, on the monument “1000th Anniversary of Russia”, among 129 figures of the most outstanding personalities in Russian history (as of 1862), there is the figure of N. M. Karamzin

The Karamzin Public Library in Simbirsk, created in honor of the famous fellow countryman, opened for readers on April 18, 1848.

Addresses

Saint Petersburg

• Spring 1816 - house of E.F. Muravyova - embankment of the Fontanka River, 25;
• spring 1816-1822 - Tsarskoye Selo, Sadovaya street, 12;
• 1818 - autumn 1823 - house of E.F. Muravyova - embankment of the Fontanka River, 25;
• autumn 1823-1826 - Mizhuev apartment building - Mokhovaya street, 41;
• spring - 05/22/1826 - Tauride Palace - Voskresenskaya street, 47.

Moscow

• The Vyazemsky-Dolgorukov estate is the home of his second wife.
• The house on the corner of Tverskaya and Bryusov Lane, where he wrote “Poor Liza”, has not survived

Works of N. M. Karamzin

• History of the Russian State (12 volumes, until 1612, Maxim Moshkov’s library)
• Poems
• Karamzin, Nikolai Mikhailovich in the library of Maxim Moshkov
• Nikolai Karamzin in the Anthology of Russian Poetry
• Karamzin, Nikolai Mikhailovich “Complete collection of poems.” Library ImWerden.(See other works by N. M. Karamzin on this site.)
• Karamzin N. M. Complete collection of poems / Introduction. Art., prepared. text and notes Yu. M. Lotman. L., 1967.
• Karamzin, Nikolai Mikhailovich “Letters to Ivan Ivanovich Dmitriev” 1866 - facsimile reprint of the book
• “Bulletin of Europe”, published by Karamzin, facsimile pdf reproduction of magazines.
• Karamzin N. M. Letters of a Russian traveler / Ed. prepared Yu. M. Lotman, N. A. Marchenko, B. A. Uspensky. L., 1984.
• N. M. Karamzin. A note on ancient and new Russia in its political and civil relations
• Letters from N. M. Karamzin. 1806-1825
• Karamzin N. M. Letters from N. M. Karamzin to Zhukovsky. (From Zhukovsky’s papers) / Note. P. A. Vyazemsky // Russian Archive, 1868. - Ed. 2nd. - M., 1869. - Stb. 1827-1836.
• Karamzin N. M. Selected works in 2 volumes. M.; L., 1964.

A short biography is presented in this article.

Nikolay Karamzin short biography

Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin- historian, the largest Russian writer of the era of sentimentalism. Creator of “History of the Russian State”

Was born December 12 (December 1, O.S.) 1766 in an estate located in Simbirsk district in a noble family. At first he received home education, after which he continued to study, first at the Simbirsk noble boarding house, then from 1778 at the boarding school of Professor Schaden (Moscow). Throughout 1781-1782. Karamzin attended university lectures.

From 1781, at the insistence of his father, he served in the Preobrazhensky Regiment, where he began to write. In 1784, after the death of his father, having retired with the rank of lieutenant, he finally parted with military service. While living in Simbirsk, he joined the Masonic lodge.

In 1785 he moved to Moscow, where he met N.I. Novikov and other writers, joins the “Friendly Scientific Society”, takes part in the publication of the magazine “Children’s Reading for the Heart and Mind,” which became the first Russian magazine for children.

Over the course of a year (1789-1790), Karamzin traveled around Europe, where he met not only with prominent figures of the Masonic movement, but also with great thinkers, in particular, Kant, I.G. Herder, J.F. Marmontel. Impressions from the trips formed the basis for the future famous “Letters of a Russian Traveler,” which brought fame to the author.

The story “Poor Liza” (1792) strengthened Karamzin’s literary authority. The subsequently published collections and almanacs “Aglaya”, “Aonids”, “My Trinkets”, “Pantheon of Foreign Literature” ushered in the era of sentimentalism in Russian literature.

A new period in Karamzin’s life is associated with the accession to the throne of Alexander I. In October 1803, the emperor appointed the writer as an official historiographer, and Karamzin was given the task of capturing the history of the Russian state. His genuine interest in history, the priority of this topic over all others, was evidenced by the nature of the publications of “Bulletin of Europe” (Karamzin published this first socio-political, literary and artistic magazine in the country in 1802-1803).

In 1804, literary and artistic work was completely curtailed, and the writer began to work on “The History of the Russian State” (1816-1824), which became the main work in his life and a whole phenomenon in Russian history and literature. The first eight volumes were published in February 1818. Three thousand copies were sold in a month. The next three volumes, published in the following years, were quickly translated into several European languages, and the 12th, final, volume was published after the death of the author.

Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin is a great Russian writer, the largest writer of the era of sentimentalism. He wrote fiction, poetry, plays, and articles. Reformer of the Russian literary language. Creator of the “History of the Russian State” - one of the first fundamental works on the history of Russia.

“I loved to be sad, not knowing what...”

Karamzin was born on December 1 (12), 1766 in the village of Mikhailovka, Buzuluk district, Simbirsk province. He grew up in the village of his father, a hereditary nobleman. It is interesting that the Karamzin family has Turkic roots and comes from the Tatar Kara-Murza (aristocratic class).

Little is known about the writer’s childhood. At the age of 12, he was sent to Moscow to the boarding school of Moscow University professor Johann Schaden, where the young man received his first education and studied German and French. Three years later, he begins to attend lectures by the famous professor of aesthetics, educator Ivan Schwartz at Moscow University.

In 1783, at the insistence of his father, Karamzin enlisted in the Preobrazhensky Guards Regiment, but soon retired and left for his native Simbirsk. An important event for young Karamzin takes place in Simbirsk - he joins the Masonic lodge of the “Golden Crown”. This decision will play a role a little later, when Karamzin returns to Moscow and meets with an old acquaintance of their home - freemason Ivan Turgenev, as well as writers and writers Nikolai Novikov, Alexei Kutuzov, Alexander Petrov. At the same time, Karamzin’s first attempts in literature began - he participated in the publication of the first Russian magazine for children - “Children’s Reading for the Heart and Mind.” The four years he spent in the society of Moscow Freemasons had a serious influence on his creative development. At this time, Karamzin read a lot of the then popular Rousseau, Stern, Herder, Shakespeare, and tried to translate.

“In Novikov’s circle, Karamzin’s education began, not only as an author, but also as a moral one.”

Writer I.I. Dmitriev

Man of pen and thought

In 1789, a break with the Freemasons followed, and Karamzin went to travel around Europe. He traveled around Germany, Switzerland, France and England, stopping mainly in large cities, centers of European education. Karamzin visits Immanuel Kant in Königsberg and witnesses the Great French Revolution in Paris.

It was based on the results of this trip that he wrote the famous “Letters of a Russian Traveler.” These essays in the genre of documentary prose quickly gained popularity among readers and made Karamzin a famous and fashionable writer. At the same time, in Moscow, from the pen of the writer, the story “Poor Liza” was born - a recognized example of Russian sentimental literature. Many specialists in literary criticism believe that it is with these first books that modern Russian literature begins.

“In the initial period of his literary activity, Karamzin was characterized by a broad and politically rather vague “cultural optimism,” a belief in the salutary influence of cultural success on individuals and society. Karamzin hoped for the progress of science and the peaceful improvement of morals. He believed in the painless realization of the ideals of brotherhood and humanity that permeated 18th-century literature as a whole.”

Yu.M. Lotman

In contrast to classicism with its cult of reason, following in the footsteps of French writers, Karamzin affirms in Russian literature the cult of feelings, sensitivity, and compassion. New “sentimental” heroes are important primarily in their ability to love and surrender to feelings. "Oh! I love those objects that touch my heart and make me shed tears of tender sorrow!”(“Poor Lisa”).

“Poor Liza” is devoid of morality, didacticism, and edification; the author does not teach, but tries to evoke empathy for the characters in the reader, which distinguishes the story from previous traditions of classicism.

“Poor Liza” was received by the Russian public with such enthusiasm because in this work Karamzin was the first to express the “new word” that Goethe said to the Germans in his “Werther.”

Philologist, literary critic V.V. Sipovsky

Nikolai Karamzin at the “Millennium of Russia” monument in Veliky Novgorod. Sculptors Mikhail Mikeshin, Ivan Schroeder. Architect Victor Hartman. 1862

Giovanni Battista Damon-Ortolani. Portrait of N.M. Karamzin. 1805. Pushkin Museum im. A.S. Pushkin

Monument to Nikolai Karamzin in Ulyanovsk. Sculptor Samuil Galberg. 1845

At the same time, the reform of the literary language began - Karamzin abandoned the Old Slavonicisms that populated the written language, Lomonosov’s pomposity, and the use of Church Slavonic vocabulary and grammar. This made "Poor Liza" an easy and enjoyable story to read. It was Karamzin’s sentimentalism that became the foundation for the development of further Russian literature: the romanticism of Zhukovsky and early Pushkin was based on it.

“Karamzin made literature humane.”

A.I. Herzen

One of Karamzin’s most important merits is the enrichment of the literary language with new words: “charity”, “falling in love”, “freethinking”, “attraction”, “responsibility”, “suspiciousness”, “refinement”, “first-class”, “humane”, “sidewalk” ", "coachman", "impression" and "influence", "touching" and "entertaining". It was he who introduced into use the words “industry”, “concentrate”, “moral”, “aesthetic”, “era”, “scene”, “harmony”, “catastrophe”, “future” and others.

“A professional writer, one of the first in Russia who had the courage to make literary work a source of livelihood, who valued the independence of his own opinion above all else.”

Yu.M. Lotman

In 1791, Karamzin began his career as a journalist. This becomes an important milestone in the history of Russian literature - Karamzin founded the first Russian literary magazine, the founding father of the current “thick” magazines - “Moscow Journal”. A number of collections and almanacs appear on its pages: “Aglaya”, “Aonids”, “Pantheon of Foreign Literature”, “My Trinkets”. These publications made sentimentalism the main literary movement in Russia at the end of the 19th century, and Karamzin its recognized leader.

But Karamzin’s deep disappointment in his old values ​​soon follows. A year after Novikov’s arrest, the magazine was closed, after Karamzin’s bold ode “To Grace”, Karamzin himself lost the favor of the “powerful of the world”, almost falling under investigation.

“As long as a citizen can calmly, without fear, fall asleep, and all those under your control can freely direct their lives according to their thoughts; ...as long as you give everyone freedom and do not darken the light in their minds; as long as your trust in the people is visible in all your affairs: until then you will be sacredly honored... nothing can disturb the peace of your state.”

N.M. Karamzin. "To Grace"

Karamzin spent most of 1793–1795 in the village and published collections: “Aglaya”, “Aonids” (1796). He plans to publish something like an anthology on foreign literature, “The Pantheon of Foreign Literature,” but with great difficulty he makes his way through the censorship prohibitions, which did not allow even the publication of Demosthenes and Cicero...

Karamzin expresses his disappointment in the French Revolution in poetry:

But time and experience destroy
Castle in the air of youth...
...And I see clearly that with Plato
We cannot establish republics...

During these years, Karamzin increasingly moved from lyrics and prose to journalism and the development of philosophical ideas. Even the “Historical eulogy to Empress Catherine II,” compiled by Karamzin upon the accession to the throne of Emperor Alexander I, is primarily journalism. In 1801-1802, Karamzin worked in the journal “Bulletin of Europe”, where he wrote mainly articles. In practice, his passion for education and philosophy is expressed in writing works on historical topics, increasingly creating the authority of a historian for the famous writer.

The first and last historiographer

By decree of October 31, 1803, Emperor Alexander I granted Nikolai Karamzin the title of historiographer. It is interesting that the title of historiographer in Russia was not renewed after Karamzin’s death.

From this moment on, Karamzin stopped all literary work and for 22 years was exclusively engaged in compiling a historical work, familiar to us as “History of the Russian State”.

Alexey Venetsianov. Portrait of N.M. Karamzin. 1828. Pushkin Museum im. A.S. Pushkin

Karamzin sets himself the task of compiling a history for the general educated public, not to be a researcher, but “choose, animate, color” All "attractive, strong, worthy" from Russian history. An important point is that the work must also be designed for foreign readers in order to open Russia to Europe.

In his work, Karamzin used materials from the Moscow College of Foreign Affairs (especially spiritual and contractual letters of princes, and acts of diplomatic relations), the Synodal Repository, the libraries of the Volokolamsk Monastery and the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, private collections of manuscripts of Musin-Pushkin, Rumyantsev and A.I. Turgenev, who compiled a collection of documents from the papal archive, as well as many other sources. An important part of the work was the study of ancient chronicles. In particular, Karamzin discovered a chronicle previously unknown to science, called the Ipatiev Chronicle.

During the years of work on “History...” Karamzin mainly lived in Moscow, from where he traveled only to Tver and Nizhny Novgorod, during the occupation of Moscow by the French in 1812. He usually spent the summer in Ostafyevo, the estate of Prince Andrei Ivanovich Vyazemsky. In 1804, Karamzin married the prince’s daughter, Ekaterina Andreevna, who bore the writer nine children. She became the writer's second wife. The writer first married at the age of 35, in 1801, to Elizaveta Ivanovna Protasova, who died a year after the wedding from puerperal fever. From his first marriage, Karamzin had a daughter, Sophia, a future acquaintance of Pushkin and Lermontov.

The main social event in the writer’s life during these years was the “Note on Ancient and New Russia in its Political and Civil Relations,” written in 1811. The “Note...” reflected the views of conservative sections of society dissatisfied with the liberal reforms of the emperor. “The note...” was handed over to the emperor. In it, once a liberal and a “Westernizer,” as they would say now, Karamzin appears in the role of a conservative and tries to prove that no fundamental changes are needed in the country.

And in February 1818, Karamzin released the first eight volumes of his “History of the Russian State.” A circulation of 3,000 copies (huge for that time) was sold out within a month.

A.S. Pushkin

“The History of the Russian State” became the first work aimed at the widest reader, thanks to the high literary merits and scientific scrupulousness of the author. Researchers agree that this work was one of the first to contribute to the formation of national identity in Russia. The book has been translated into several European languages.

Despite his enormous work over many years, Karamzin did not have time to finish writing “History...” before his time - the beginning of the 19th century. After the first edition, three more volumes of “History...” were released. The last was the 12th volume, describing the events of the Time of Troubles in the chapter “Interregnum 1611–1612”. The book was published after Karamzin’s death.

Karamzin was entirely a man of his era. The establishment of monarchist views in him towards the end of his life brought the writer closer to the family of Alexander I; he spent his last years next to them, living in Tsarskoe Selo. The death of Alexander I in November 1825 and the subsequent events of the uprising on Senate Square were a real blow for the writer. Nikolai Karamzin died on May 22 (June 3), 1826 in St. Petersburg, he was buried at the Tikhvin cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

05/22/1826 (06/04). - Writer, historian Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin, author of the 12-volume “History of the Russian State” has died

Karamzin: from Freemasonry to monarchism
Towards knowledge of Russia “from the opposite” – 8

A. Venetsianov. Portrait of Karamzin. 1828

Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin (12/1/1766–5/22/1826) was born in the Simbirsk province into the family of a poor landowner (from the old Crimean Tatar family of Kara-Murza). Having been educated in private boarding schools, Karamzin studied at, and served for some time in the Preobrazhensky Regiment. After the death of his father, he retired in 1784 and became close to Novikov’s “religious and educational” group, under the influence of which his views and literary tastes were formed. He studied the literature of the French "enlightenment", German philosophers and romantic poets, and was engaged in translations of religious and moral works (he spoke many ancient and modern languages).

By 1788, Karamzin sensed a danger in Freemasonry, masked by vague religious piety, and broke off relations with the lodge. In the spring of 1789, he went on a long trip abroad, where he stayed until the fall of 1790, visited Austria, Switzerland, France, England, met with I. Kant, I. Goethe, and in Paris witnessed the events of the French Revolution. As a result of personal acquaintance with the West, he became more critical of its “advanced” ideas. “The age of enlightenment! I don’t recognize you - in blood and flame I don’t recognize you - among murders and destruction I don’t recognize you!” Karamzin wrote at that time (“Melodorus to Philalethes”). Karamzin outlined his impressions from a trip to Western European countries in “Letters of a Russian Traveler” (published in the “Moscow Journal”, which he founded, 1791–1792), which brought him all-Russian fame.

When the French Revolution developed into a bloody Jacobin dictatorship, this aroused doubts in Karamzin about the possibility for humanity to achieve earthly prosperity at all. But the conclusion from this was not yet Orthodox. The philosophy of despair and fatalism permeates his new works: the story “The Island of Bornholm” (1793); "Sierra Morena" (1795); poems “Melancholy”, “Message to A.A. Pleshcheev”, etc.

At this time, Karamzin published the first Russian almanacs - "Aglaya" (parts 1-2, 1794–1795) and "Aonids" (parts 1-3, 1796–1799), "Pantheon of Foreign Literature" (1798), the magazine " Children's reading for the heart and mind" (1799). As a writer, Karamzin creates a new direction in Russian literature - sentimentalism ("Poor Liza"), which was highly appreciated by K. Batyushkov, young. At the same time, Karamzin introduces a new form of the Russian language into literary circulation, freeing it from the Western pretentious imitation of the Peter the Great era, bringing it closer to living, colloquial speech.

In 1791 Karamzin wrote: “In our so-called good society, without the French language you will be deaf and dumb. Isn't it a shame? How can you not have people's pride? Why be parrots and monkeys together? And his story “Natalya, the Boyar’s Daughter” (1792) began with the words: “Who among us does not love those times when Russians were Russians, when they dressed up in their own clothes, walked with their own gait, lived according to their custom, spoke in their own language and in their own way.” to your heart..?"

It is indicative of Karamzin’s way of thinking during this period that he became close to the conservative poet. In 1802, he published the “Historical Word of Praise,” which was an order to the new Sovereign, in which he expressed the program and significance of the Autocracy. During this period, Karamzin began to publish the journal “Bulletin of Europe,” from the pages of which he acted as a political writer, publicist, commentator and international observer who defended Russian national interests “The patriot hastens to appropriate to the fatherland what is beneficial and necessary, but rejects slavish imitation in trinkets... It is good and should be studied: but woe... to the people who will be an everlasting student,” wrote. Karamzin on borrowings from the West.

In 1803, through M. Muravyov, Karamzin received the official title of court historiographer. From 1803 to 1811 he writes “The History of the Russian State” (before 1611, the 12th volume was published posthumously), for the first time using sources kept in secret. Each volume had extensive documentary appendices, not inferior in volume to the main text. Karamzin, as a researcher, meticulously strove to comprehend events through the eyes of a contemporary, guided by finding out the truth of history, no matter how bitter it may be. This is what made his “History” very popular. Pushkin wrote: “Everyone, even secular women, rushed to read the history of their fatherland, hitherto unknown to them. She was a new discovery for them. Ancient Russia seemed to be found by Karamzin, like America by Colomb. They didn’t talk about anything else for a while.” (But unfortunately, residual Westernism was reflected in this work: in particular, in recognition.)

It should be noted, however, that the red thread in Karamzin’s “History” is the idea: the fate of Russia and its greatness lie in the development of the Autocracy. Under strong monarchical power, Russia prospered; under weak monarchy, it fell into decline. Thus, under the influence of his studies in Russian history, Karamzin becomes a convinced, ideological monarchist-statist. Although we must admit that we do not find the proper coordinates of the Orthodox meaning of history during this period even among such outstanding representatives of Russian patriotic thought. History seemed to Karamzin as a continuous movement towards progress, a struggle of enlightenment against ignorance; and this struggle is directed by the activities of great people.

Through his relative F.V. Rostopchina Karamzin meets the leader of the then “Russian party” at the Court - Grand Duchess Ekaterina Pavlovna, and then the Dowager Empress Maria Fedorovna, who has since become one of his patrons. On the initiative of Ekaterina Pavlovna Karamzin wrote and submitted to Alexander I in March 1811 the treatise “On Ancient and New Russia in its Political and Civil Relations” - a remarkable document of the reviving Russian conservative thought, containing a complete and original concept of Autocracy as a typically Russian principle of power, closely associated with the Orthodox Church. Autocracy is the main reason for the power and prosperity of Russia - this was the conclusion of the Note.

In the last years of his life, Karamzin lived in St. Petersburg, communicating with such prominent conservative figures as V.A. Zhukovsky, etc. In 1818, for the “History” he compiled, Karamzin was accepted as a member of the Russian Imperial Academy. The significance of his work was accurately expressed: “Karamzin’s creation is our only book, truly state, folk and monarchical.”

We often use familiar words like charity, attraction, and even love. But few people know that if it were not for Nikolai Karamzin, then perhaps they would never have appeared in the Russian dictionary. Karamzin's work was compared with the works of the outstanding sentimentalist Stern, and even put the writers on the same level. Possessing deep analytical thinking, he managed to write the first book, “History of the Russian State.” Karamzin did this without describing a separate historical stage, of which he was a contemporary, but by presenting a panoramic image of the historical picture of the state.

Childhood and youth of N. Karamzin

The future genius was born on December 12, 1766. He grew up and was brought up in the house of his father, Mikhail Yegorovich, who was a retired captain. Nikolai lost his mother early, so his father was completely involved in his upbringing.

As soon as he learned to read, the boy took books from his mother’s library, among which were French novels, works by Emin and Rollin. Nikolai received his primary education at home, then studied at the Simbirsk noble boarding school, and then, in 1778, he was sent to the boarding school of Professor Moskovsky.

Even as a child, he began to be interested in history. This was facilitated by a book on the history of Emin.

Nikolai's inquisitive mind did not allow him to sit still for long; he began studying languages ​​and went to listen to lectures at Moscow University.

Carier start

Karamzin's creativity dates back to the time when he served in the Preobrazhensky Guards Regiment in St. Petersburg. It was during this period that Nikolai Mikhailovich began to try himself as a writer.

Words and the acquaintances he made in Moscow contributed to the formation of Karamzin as an artist. Among his friends were N. Novikov, A. Petrov, A. Kutuzov. During the same period, he became involved in social activities - he helped in the preparation and publication of the children's magazine “Children's Reading for the Heart and Mind.”

The period of service was not only the beginning of Nikolai Karamzin, but also shaped him as a person and gave him the opportunity to make many acquaintances that were useful. After the death of his father, Nikolai decides to quit his service, never to return to it. In the world at that time, this was regarded as insolence and a challenge to society. But who knows, if he had not left the service, he would have been able to publish his first translations, as well as original works, which show a keen interest in historical topics?

Trip to Europe

Karamzin’s life and work radically changed their usual structure when, from 1789 to 1790. he travels around Europe. During the trip, the writer visits Immanuel Kant, which made a remarkable impression on him. Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin, whose chronological table is supplemented by his presence in France during the Great French Revolution, subsequently writes his “Letters of a Russian Traveler.” It is this work that makes him famous.

There is an opinion that this book marks the beginning of a new era of Russian literature. This is not unreasonable, since such travel notes were not only popular in Europe, but also found their followers in Russia. Among them are A. Griboedov, F. Glinka, V. Izmailov and many others.

This is where the comparison between Karamzin and Stern “grows.” The latter’s “Sentimental Journey” is reminiscent of Karamzin’s works in theme.

Arrival in Russia

Returning to his homeland, Karamzin decides to settle in Moscow, where he continues his literary activity. In addition, he becomes a professional writer and journalist. But the apogee of this period is, of course, the publication of the Moscow Journal - the first Russian literary magazine, which published Karamzin’s works.

At the same time, he published collections and almanacs that strengthened him as the father of sentimentalism in Russian literature. Among them are “Aglaya”, “Pantheon of Foreign Literature”, “My Trinkets” and others.

Moreover, Emperor Alexander I established the title of court historiographer for Karamzin. It is noteworthy that after that no one was awarded a similar title. This not only strengthened Nikolai Mikhailovich, but also strengthened his status in society.

Karamzin as a writer

Karamzin joined the writing class while already in the service, since attempts to try himself in this field at the university were not crowned with great success.

Karamzin’s creativity can be divided into three main lines:

• literary prose, which forms a significant part of the heritage (listed: stories, novellas);
• poetry - there is much less of it;
• fiction, historical works.

In general, the influence of his works on Russian literature can be compared with the influence of Catherine on society - changes occurred that made the industry humane.

Karamzin is a writer who became the starting point of new Russian literature, the era of which continues to this day.

Sentimentalism in the works of Karamzin

Karamzin Nikolai Mikhailovich turned the attention of writers, and, as a result, their readers, to feelings as the dominant feature of human essence. It is this feature that is fundamental to sentimentalism and separates it from classicism.

The basis of a normal, natural and correct existence of a person should not be a rational principle, but the release of feelings and impulses, the improvement of the sensual side of a person as such, which is given by nature and is natural.

The hero is no longer typical. It was individualized and given uniqueness. His experiences do not deprive him of strength, but enrich him, teach him to feel the world subtly and respond to changes.

“Poor Liza” is considered to be the programmatic work of sentimentalism in Russian literature. This statement is not entirely true. Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin, whose work exploded literally after the publication of “Letters of a Russian Traveler,” introduced sentimentalism precisely with travel notes.

Karamzin's poetry

Karamzin's poems occupy much less space in his work. But their importance should not be underestimated. As in prose, Karamzin the poet becomes a neophyte of sentimentalism.

The poetry of that time was guided by Lomonosov and Derzhavin, while Nikolai Mikhailovich changed course towards European sentimentalism. There is a reorientation of values ​​in literature. Instead of the external, rational world, the author delves into the inner world of man and is interested in his spiritual powers.

Unlike classicism, the heroes become characters of simple life, everyday life; accordingly, the object of Karamzin’s poem is simple life, as he himself claimed. Of course, when describing everyday life, the poet refrains from pompous metaphors and comparisons, using standard and simple rhymes.

But this does not mean at all that poetry becomes poor and mediocre. On the contrary, to be able to select those that are available so that they produce the desired effect and at the same time convey the hero’s experiences - this is the main goal pursued by Karamzin’s poetic work.

The poems are not monumental. They often show the duality of human nature, two ways of looking at things, unity and the struggle of opposites.

Karamzin's prose

Karamzin’s aesthetic principles reflected in prose are also found in his theoretical works. He insists on moving away from the classicist fixation on rationalism to the sensitive side of man, his spiritual world.

The main task is to incline the reader to maximum empathy, to make him worry not only about the hero, but also with him. Thus, empathy should lead to an internal transformation of a person, forcing him to develop his spiritual resources.

The artistic side of the work is structured in the same way as that of the poems: a minimum of complex speech patterns, pomp and pretentiousness. But so that the same traveler’s notes are not dry reports, in them the focus on displaying mentality and characters comes to the fore.

Karamzin's stories describe what is happening in detail, focusing on the sensual nature of things. But since there were many impressions from the trip abroad, they were transferred to paper through the sieve of the author’s “I”. He does not become attached to associations that are firmly established in his mind. For example, he remembered London not for the Thames, bridges and fog, but in the evenings, when the lanterns are lit and the city shines.

The characters find the writer themselves - these are his fellow travelers or interlocutors whom Karamzin meets during the journey. It is worth noting that these are not only noble people. He communicates without hesitation with both socialites and poor students.

Karamzin - historian

The 19th century brings Karamzin to history. When Alexander I appoints him court historiographer, Karamzin’s life and work again undergo dramatic changes: he abandons literary activity completely and immerses himself in writing historical works.

Oddly enough, Karamzin dedicated his first historical work, “A Note on Ancient and New Russia in Its Political and Civil Relation,” to criticism of the emperor’s reforms. The purpose of the “Note” was to show conservative-minded sections of society, as well as their dissatisfaction with liberal reforms. He also tried to find evidence of the futility of such reforms.

Karamzin - translator

Structure of the “History”:

• introduction - describes the role of history as a science;
• history up to 1612 from the time of nomadic tribes.

Each story or narrative ends with conclusions of a moral and ethical nature.

The Meaning of "Stories"

As soon as Karamzin completed his work, “The History of the Russian State” literally sold out like hot cakes. Within a month, 3,000 copies were sold. Everyone was engrossed in “history”: the reason for this was not only the filled-in blank spots in the history of the state, but also the simplicity and ease of presentation. Based on this book, more than one was later created, since “History” also became a source of plots.

“History of the Russian State” became the first analytical work on the subject. It also became a template and example for the further development of interest in history in the country.