Only in beauty and harmony can one find the meaning of the concepts “divine” and “eternal”. So the poet of the Silver Age Athanasius Fet believed - a nobleman who lost his name and devoted his life to its restoration. The chronological table Feta A. A. will tell you in detail about the stages of his life and work.
Origin and education
The poet was a native of Oryol province. Father - Athanasius Shenshin, is a landowner who plays an important role in high society. Mother was from Germany, her name was Carolina Charlotte Fet. However, the parents of the future poet were never bound by marriage. Of course, the baby was given the name of the father. But after 14 years, this entry was legally illegal. Therefore, the Shenshin’s heir began to bear his surname as his mother’s, and at the same time lost all the privileges of the heir to the noble family.
To be a man without a name, clan and inheritance, Fet considered it a shame. Therefore, I decided at all costs to regain the title of nobleman. Fet's chronological table will tell more about the years of his youth:
the date | Event |
11/23 (5.12 Gregorian) 1820 | In the family of a retired captain Afanasy Afanasyevich Fet was born. |
1834 | The diocesan authority in the Russian Orthodox Church deleted the entry according to which Athanasius belonged to the Shenshin family. Johann Wilhelm Fet (the first husband of Carolina Fet) is written in the “father” line. Thus Athanasius was deprived of the legal nobility and all its privileges. |
1835-1837 | Sent to study in a German, private boarding house located in Livonia (now Estonia). Becomes interested in classical literature and poetry. |
1838 | In the guesthouse, M.P. Pogodin is preparing for entrance exams at Moscow University. |
August 1838 | He enters Moscow University. |
Student years
During his studies in Moscow, Athanasius met many writers and journalists. He begins to publish his first works. Gogol and Belinsky had a special influence on the formation of Fet as a poet, giving him positive characteristics. An important role in the fate of Athanasius was played by Grigoryev - a peer and friend "by pen". More information will be provided by the Fet chronological table. The life and work of the poet during his student years:
the date | Event |
1840 | Published "Lyric Pantheon" - the first collection of poems on which Fet worked with his friend Apollon Grigoriev. |
1841 | Fet's poems begin to appear in the Moskvityan. |
1842 | Thanks to the assistance of influential acquaintances (Belinsky and Botkin), the young poet became a regular author in the publication "Domestic Notes". |
1844 | Graduation. The death of Carolina Charlotte Fet. |
The beginning of military service
After Carolina Fet’s death, Shenshin’s support is becoming less regular. Fet leaves Moscow and enters military service. He is still obsessed with the idea of regaining his noble title, and is doing everything possible to achieve this. At the same time, he continues to write poetry. Fet's chronological table shows that more than 5 years passed before Athanasius could boast of his small achievements:
the date | Event |
1845 | He begins to serve in the Kherson province. Having lost stable financial support from his father, he lives poorly and is practically deprived of the literary environment he is used to during his studies. |
1846 | The first increase in military service. |
1850 | He publishes a second collection of poems, which he signs in his own name: “Poems by A. Fet.” |
First achievements
Fet completely devotes himself to military affairs and poetry. The results are not long in coming. 6 years after the start of his military career, he can already live near St. Petersburg and communicate with people involved in literature. Fet's chronological table confirms what was said:
the date | Event |
1853 | Fet becomes a member of the Guards Regiment, at the same time gets the opportunity to live near St. Petersburg and establish contacts with literary figures (Goncharov, Nekrasov and others). |
1854 | He takes up military duties in the Baltic port. |
1855 | He meets L. Tolstoy, with whom he has corresponded for a long time. |
1856 | Under the leadership of Turgenev, the third collection of works of the poet is published. |
1857 | Goes on a trip to Europe. In Paris he meets Maria Botkina and marries her. |
Resignation and the nobility
Creativity Afanasy Afanasevich Fet always had many fans, but times have changed. For a long time he moved away from literary activity and struck into philosophy, supporting the ideas of Schopenhauer. The answer to the question becomes unclear: "Did the poet manage to regain the title of nobleman?" As the chronological table shows - Afanasy Afanasyevich Fet did achieve the desired:
the date | Event |
1858 | Having reached the rank of captain, he departs from military affairs and settles in Moscow. |
1859 | It breaks all relations with the Sovremennik publishing house, where it was published for many years. This was due to the article "Shakespeare in the translation of Fet", where the poet was deliberately offended. |
1860 | In Mtsensk district it acquires land and becomes a real landowner. Almost stops writing. |
1862 | In the magazines Russky Vestnik and Notes on Civilian Labor, he publishes a paper on the protection of the rights of landowners, which causes outrage among many sections of the population. |
1863 | It turns out two volumes of poetry Fet. |
1867 | Fet is elected to the post of justice of the peace, which he held for 10 long years. During this time he completely departs from poetry and plunges into philosophy. |
1873 | It turns out a royal decree, according to which, Fet can regain the name of Shenshin, and with it all the legal rights of a nobleman. |
1877 | Sells the estate and buys another in the Kursk province. With new zeal begins to write poetry, publishes translations of Goethe and Schopenhauer. |
Last decade
Fet was able to regain the nobility, but did not stop there. At the age of 66, he becomes a member of the Academy of Sciences and publishes several collected works and translations. The publication order is presented by Fet's chronological table (briefly). His last works are presented in the form of prose. Poetry is extremely rare. These are the events of recent years Fet:
the date | Event |
1881 | After buying a new estate, he buys an apartment in Moscow to live there in winter. |
1883 | A book is published, on which the poet worked as a student - "Evening Lights." It contains translated works of Horace. |
1885 | The second edition of Evening Lights is printed. |
1886 | Having published translations of ancient authors, Fet receives the title of corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences. |
1888 | Published release of publications entitled "Evening Lights". |
1890 | Two volumes of the autobiographical work “My Memories” are published. |
1891 | The fourth and final issue of the essays "Evening Lights". |
November 21 (December 3) 1892 | Fet dies of a heart attack in Moscow. |
Athanasius Fet is a great poet and thinker, translator and memoirist. His works reflect the feelings that the surrounding world evokes, and the author himself is constantly in search of harmony. Despite his subtle nature, he had a goal that he successfully achieved through hard work. Fet is a writer who can rightly be called an example to follow, especially when it comes to perseverance in achieving his plan.