Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin (1743-1816) - an outstanding Russian poet of the 18th - early 19th century. Derzhavinâs work was in many ways innovative and left a significant mark in the history of our country's literature, influencing its further development.
Life and work of Derzhavin
Reading Derzhavinâs biography, it can be noted that the writerâs youth did not indicate in any way that he was destined to become a great man and a brilliant innovator.
Gavrila Romanovich was born in 1743 in the Kazan province. The family of the future writer was very poor, but belonged to the nobility.
Young years
In childhood, Derzhavin had to survive the death of his father, which further worsened the financial situation of the family. Mother had to do anything to provide for her two sons and give them at least some upbringing and education. There were not so many good teachers in the province where the family lived; I had to put up with those whom I managed to hire. Despite the difficult situation, poor health, unqualified teachers, Derzhavin, thanks to his abilities and perseverance, was still able to get a decent education.
Military service
While still a student of the Kazan gymnasium, the poet wrote his first poems. However, he failed to finish his studies at the gymnasium. The fact is that the clerical mistake made by some employees led to the fact that the young man was sent to military service a year earlier in St. Petersburg, in the Preobrazhensky regiment, as an ordinary soldier. Only ten years later, he still managed to achieve the rank of officer.
With the entry into military service, Derzhavinâs life and work changed dramatically. The duty of service left little time for literary activity, but, despite this, during the war years Derzhavin composed quite a few comic poems, and also studied the works of various authors, including Lomonosov, whom he especially revered and considered a role model. German poetry also attracted Derzhavin. He knew German very well and was engaged in translations of German poets into Russian and often relied on them in his own poems.
However, at that time Gavrila Romanovich had not yet seen his main calling in poetry. He strove for a military career, for serving the homeland and improving the financial situation of the family.
In the years 1773-1774. Derzhavin participated in the suppression of the uprising of Emelyan Pugachev, but he did not achieve an increase and recognition of his merits. Having received as a reward all three hundred souls, he was demobilized. For some time, circumstances forced him to earn a living in a not entirely honest way - by playing cards.
Talent disclosure
It is worth noting that it was at this time, by the seventies, that his talent first truly revealed. Chatalagai Odes (1776) aroused the interest of readers, although in the creative sense these and other works of the seventies were not yet completely independent. Derzhavinâs work was somewhat imitative, in particular Sumarokov, Lomonosov and others. The strict rules of versification, which, following the classic tradition, obeyed his verses, did not allow the unique talent of the author to be fully revealed.
In 1778, a joyful event happened in the writer's personal life - he passionately fell in love and married Ekaterina Yakovlevna Bastidon, who became for many years his poetic muse (under the name of Plenir).
Own path in literature
Since 1779, the writer has chosen his own path in literature. Until 1791 he worked in the genre of ode, which brought him the greatest fame. However, the poet does not just follow the classic examples of this strict genre. He is reforming it, completely changing the language, which becomes unusually sonorous, emotional, completely different from what it was in measured, rational classicism. Derzhavin completely changed the ideological content of the ode. If previously state interests were above all else, now Derzhavinâs work is also filled with personal, intimate revelations. In this regard, he foreshadowed sentimentalism with its emphasis on emotionality, sensuality.
Last years
In the last decades of his life, Derzhavin ceased to write odes, in his work love lyrics, friendly messages, comic poems began to prevail.
The poet died on July 8, 1816 in the estate of Zvanka, a place he loved very much.
Derzhavin's work is brief
The poet himself considered his main merit to be the introduction of "funny Russian syllable" into fiction, in which elements of a high and vernacular style were mixed, lyrics and satire combined. Derzhavinâs innovation was also in the fact that he expanded the list of topics of Russian poetry to include plots and motifs from everyday life.
Solemn Odes
Derzhavinâs work is briefly characterized by his most famous odes. In them, everyday and heroic, civil and personal principles often coexist. Derzhavinâs work, therefore, combines previously incompatible elements. For example, âPoems on the birth of a porphyrogenic lad in the Northâ can no longer be called a solemn ode in the classic sense of the word. The birth of Alexander Pavlovich in 1779 was described as a great event, all geniuses bring him various gifts - reason, wealth, beauty, etc. However, the wish of the last of them (âBe a man on the throneâ) indicates that the tsar is a man, which was not characteristic of classicism. Innovation in the work of Derzhavin manifested itself here in a mixture of civil and personal status of a person.
"Felitsa"
In this ode, Derzhavin dared to turn to the empress herself and to polemicize with her. Felitsa is Catherine II. Gavrila Romanovich represents the reigning person as a private person, thereby violating the strict classic tradition that existed at that time. The poet admires Catherine II not as a statesman, but as a wise man who knows his path in life and follows him. Then the poet describes his life. Self-irony in describing the passions that owned the poet serves to emphasize the virtues of Felitsa.
That is, the ode genre, completely focused on the object of praise, turns into a friendly message with the poet, where there are two sides, and each of them is important, not just the addressee. In Catherine II, the poet appreciates most generosity, simplicity, condescension, that is, personal, human qualities.
"To the taking of Ishmael"
This ode depicts the majestic image of the Russian people conquering the Turkish fortress. His strength is likened to the forces of nature: earthquake, sea storm, volcanic eruption. However, it is not spontaneous, but submits to the will of the Russian sovereign, driven by a sense of devotion to the homeland. The extraordinary power of the Russian warrior and the Russian people as a whole, its power and greatness were depicted in this work.
"Waterfall"
This ode, written in 1791, mainly becomes the image of a stream symbolizing the perishability of being, earthly glory and human greatness. The prototype of the waterfall was Kivach, located in Karelia. The color palette of the work is rich in various shades and colors. Initially, it was just a description of the waterfall, but after the death of Prince Potemkin (who unexpectedly died on the way home, returning with a victory in the Russian-Turkish war), Gavrila Romanovich supplemented the picture with semantic content, and the waterfall began to embody the mortality of life and suggest philosophical thoughts about various values. Derzhavin was personally acquainted with Prince Potemkin and could not help but respond to his sudden death.
However, Gavrila Romanovich was far from admiration for Potemkin. In an ode, Rumyantsev is opposed to him - thatâs who, according to the author, is a true hero. Rumyantsev was a true patriot, caring for the common good, and not personal glory and welfare. This hero in an ode figuratively corresponds to a quiet stream. The bustling beauty of the Suna River is contrasted with the noisy waterfall, with its majestic and calm course, clear waters full of clarity. People like Rumyantsev, who live their lives calmly, without fuss and boiling passions, can reflect the whole beauty of the sky.
Philosophical Odes
The themes of Derzhavinâs work continue with philosophical odes. Ode "On the death of the prince of Meshchersky" (1779) was written after the death of the heir to Paul, Prince Meshchersky. Moreover, death is depicted figuratively, it "sharpens the blade of a braid" and "grinds its teeth." Reading this ode, at first it even seems that this is a kind of "anthem" of death. However, it ends with the opposite conclusion - Derzhavin urges us to value life as a âheavenly instant giftâ and live it in such a way as to die with a pure heart.
Anacreontic Lyrics
Imitating ancient authors, creating translations of their poems, Derzhavin created his miniatures in which the Russian national color is felt, life, Russian nature is described. Classicism in the work of Derzhavin and here underwent its transformation.
Anavreon's translation for Gavrila Romanovich is an opportunity to go into the realm of nature, man and life, which did not have a place in strict classic poetry. The image of this ancient poet, despising the light and loving life, was very attractive to Derzhavin.
In 1804 they came out as a separate edition of Anacreontic Songs. In the preface, he explains why he decided to write âeasy poetryâ: the poet wrote such poems in his youth, and printed now because he left the service, became a private person and is now free to publish whatever he wants.
Late lyrics
A feature of Derzhavinâs work in the late period is that at this time he practically ceases to write odes and creates mainly lyrical works. The poem "Eugene. Life called", written in 1807, describes the daily home life of an old nobleman who lives in a luxurious rural family estate. Researchers note that this work was written in response to Zhukovskyâs elegy âEveningâ and was polemic of nascent romanticism.
Derzhavinâs later lyrics also include the work âMonumentâ, filled with faith in the dignity of man, despite adversity, life's upheavals and historical changes.
The value of Derzhavinâs work was very great. The transformation of classic forms begun by Gavrila Sergeyevich was continued by Pushkin, and later by other Russian poets.