Karamzin, Nikolai Mikhailovich - short biography. Biography of Karamzin briefly the most important thing Karamzin is the author of the work

Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin is a great Russian writer, the largest writer of the era of sentimentalism. Wrote fiction, lyrics, plays, articles. Russian reformer 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, studied German and French languages. 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 enters Masonic lodge"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 big cities, centers European Enlightenment. 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 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 implementation of the ideals of brotherhood and humanity that permeated literature XVIII century 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. It did " Poor Lisa"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 achievements 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 write literary work source of existence, who valued independence of his own opinion above all else.”

Yu.M. Lotman

In 1791, Karamzin began his career as a journalist. It's becoming 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 mainstream literary movement in Russia late XIX century, and Karamzin as its recognized leader.

But Karamzin’s deep disappointment in his old values ​​soon follows. Already a year after Novikov’s arrest, the magazine was closed, after Karamzin’s bold ode “To Mercy” to mercy “ powerful of the world“Karamzin himself is deprived, 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 is planning to publish something like an anthology on foreign literature, “Pantheon of Foreign Literature,” but with with great difficulty breaks through censorship restrictions that did not allow even Demosthenes and Cicero to be published...

Disappointment in French Revolution Karamzin bursts out in verse:

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 development philosophical ideas. Even "Historical" word of praise Empress Catherine II", compiled by Karamzin upon the accession to the throne of Emperor Alexander I - mainly 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 Karamzin stops all literary work and for 22 years he has been 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. Important point- 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 the enormous work over many years, Karamzin did not have time to finish “History...” before his time - early XIX 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, last years he spent close to them, living in Tsarskoe Selo. The death of Alexander I in November 1825 and subsequent events of the uprising Senate Square became 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.

Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin - famous Russian writer, historian, largest representative era of sentimentalism, reformer of the Russian language, publisher. With his input, the vocabulary has been enriched big amount new crippled words.

The famous writer was born on December 12 (December 1, O.S.) 1766 in an estate located in Simbirsk district. The noble father took care of his son’s home education, after which Nikolai continued to study, first at the Simbirsk noble boarding school, then from 1778 at the boarding school of Professor Schaden (Moscow). Throughout 1781-1782. Karamzin attended university lectures.

His father wanted Nikolai to enter military service after boarding school; his son fulfilled his wish, ending up in the St. Petersburg Guards Regiment in 1781. It was during these years that Karamzin first tried himself in the literary field, in 1783 making a translation from German. 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.

Since 1785, Karamzin’s biography has been connected with Moscow. In this city he meets N.I. Novikov and other writers, joins the “Friendly Scientific Society”, settles in a house that belongs to him, and subsequently collaborates with members of the circle in various publications, in particular, takes part in the publication of the magazine “Children’s Reading for the Heart and Mind”, which became the first Russian magazine for children.

Throughout the year (1789-1790) Karamzin traveled around the countries Western 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.” This story (1791-1792) appeared in the Moscow Journal, which N.M. Karamzin began publishing upon his arrival in his homeland, and brought the author enormous fame. A number of philologists believe that modern Russian literature dates back to the Letters.

The story “Poor Liza” (1792) strengthened literary authority Karamzin. The subsequently published collections and almanacs “Aglaya”, “Aonids”, “My Trinkets”, “Pantheon of Foreign Literature” ushered in the era of sentimentalism in Russian literature, and it was N.M. Karamzin was at the head of the current; under the influence of his works, V.A. wrote. Zhukovsky, K.N. Batyushkov, as well as A.S. Pushkin at the beginning of his creative career.

A new period in the biography of Karamzin as a person and a writer 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 history 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 - such active sales had no precedent. 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 was an adherent of conservative views, absolute monarchy. The death of Alexander I and the Decembrist uprising, which he witnessed, became a heavy blow for him, depriving the writer-historian of his last vitality. On June 3 (May 22, O.S.), 1826, Karamzin died while in St. Petersburg; He was buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, at the Tikhvin cemetery.

Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin- famous Russian writer, historian, the largest representative of the era of sentimentalism, reformer of the Russian language, publisher. With his input, the vocabulary was enriched with a large number of new crippled words.

The famous writer was born on December 12 (December 1, O.S.) 1766 in an estate located in Simbirsk district. The noble father took care of his son’s home education, after which Nikolai continued to study, first at the Simbirsk noble boarding school, then from 1778 at the boarding school of Professor Schaden (Moscow). Throughout 1781-1782. Karamzin attended university lectures.

His father wanted Nikolai to enter military service after boarding school; his son fulfilled his wish, ending up in the St. Petersburg Guards Regiment in 1781. It was during these years that Karamzin first tried himself in the literary field, in 1783 making a translation from German. 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.

Since 1785, Karamzin’s biography has been connected with Moscow. In this city he meets N.I. Novikov and other writers, joins the “Friendly Scientific Society”, settles in a house that belongs to him, and subsequently collaborates with members of the circle in various publications, in particular, 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 through the countries of Western Europe, where he met not only with prominent figures in 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.” This story (1791-1792) appeared in the Moscow Journal, which N.M. Karamzin began publishing upon his arrival in his homeland, and brought the author enormous fame. A number of philologists believe that modern Russian literature dates back to the Letters.

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, and it was N.M. Karamzin was at the head of the current; under the influence of his works, V.A. wrote. Zhukovsky, K.N. Batyushkov, as well as A.S. Pushkin at the beginning of their creative career.

A new period in the biography of Karamzin as a person and a writer 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 - such active sales had no precedent. 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 was an adherent of conservative views and an absolute monarchy. The death of Alexander I and the Decembrist uprising, which he witnessed, became a heavy blow for him, depriving the writer-historian of his last vitality. On June 3 (May 22, O.S.), 1826, Karamzin died while in St. Petersburg; He was buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, at the Tikhvin cemetery.

Biography from Wikipedia

Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin(December 1, 1766, Znamenskoye, Simbirsk province, Russian empire- May 22, 1826, St. Petersburg, Russian Empire) - historian, the largest Russian writer of the era of sentimentalism, nicknamed the “Russian Stern.” 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 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”.

Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin was born on December 1 (12), 1766 near Simbirsk. He grew up on the estate of his father - retired captain Mikhail Yegorovich Karamzin (1724-1783), a middle-class Simbirsk nobleman from the Karamzin family, descended from the Tatar Kara-Murza. Primary education received in a private boarding school in Simbirsk. 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.

In 1783, at the insistence of his father, he entered service in the Preobrazhensky Guards Regiment, but soon retired. At the time military service include the first literary experiments. 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) was a member of the Friendly Learned 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.”

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 modern Russian literature dates back to this book. 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.

N. M. Karamzin at the monument “1000th anniversary of Russia” in Veliky Novgorod

Upon returning from a trip to Europe, Karamzin settled in Moscow and began working as a professional writer and journalist, starting to publish the Moscow Journal 1791-1792 (the first Russian literary magazine, in which, among other works of Karamzin, the story “Poor Liza” that strengthened his fame appeared "), 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.

In addition to prose and poetry, the Moscow Journal systematically published reviews, critical articles and theatrical analyses. In May 1792, the magazine published Karamzin’s review of Nikolai Petrovich Osipov’s ironic poem “ Virgil's Aeneid, turned inside out"

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. Since the beginning of the 19th century, Karamzin gradually moved away from fiction, and in 1804, having been appointed by Alexander I to the post of historiographer, he stopped all literary work and “took monastic vows as a historian.” In this regard, he refused government posts offered to him, in particular, the post of Tver governor. Honorary member of Moscow University (1806).

In 1811, Karamzin 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. His 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. Covering the Russian historical process brought Karamzin closer to the court and the tsar, who settled him near him in Tsarskoye Selo. Karamzin's political views evolved gradually, and by the end of his life he was a staunch supporter of absolute monarchy. The unfinished 12th volume was published after his death.

Karamzin died on May 22 (June 3), 1826 in St. Petersburg. According to legend, his death was the result of a cold contracted on December 14, 1825, when Karamzin witnessed with his own eyes the events 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.

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.

Lisa was surprised and dared to look at young man, - she blushed even more and, looking down at the ground, told him that she would not take the ruble.
- For what?
- I don't need anything extra.
- I think that beautiful lilies of the valley, plucked by the hands of a beautiful girl, are worth a ruble. When you don’t take it, here’s your five kopecks. I would like to always buy flowers from you; I would like you to tear them just for me.

Dominant " human nature“Sentimentalism declared feeling, not reason, 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 enriched by the ability to empathize and sensitively respond to what is happening around.

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 person. 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:

One voice
It's scary in the grave, cold and dark!
The winds howl here, the coffins shake,
White bones are knocking.
Another voice
Quiet in the grave, soft, calm.
The winds blow here; sleepers are cool;
Herbs and flowers grow.
Cemetery (1792)

Karamzin's prose

• “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"
• Translation - retelling of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”
• “On Friendship” (1826) to the writer A. S. Pushkin.

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 it was formed literary society"Arzamas", 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. Literary victory“Arzamas” over “Beseda” strengthened the victory of the language changes that Karamzin introduced.

Despite this, later there was a rapprochement between Karamzin and Shishkov, and, thanks to the latter’s assistance, Karamzin was elected a member in 1818 Russian Academy. In the same year he became a member of the Imperial Academy of Sciences.

Karamzin the 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.

“The History of the Russian State” by Karamzin 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, “Everything, even secular women, rushed to read the history of their fatherland, hitherto unknown to them. She was a new discovery for them. Ancient Russia, it seemed, was found by Karamzin, like America was found 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 - 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, are of high scientific value, for the most part first published by Karamzin. Some of these manuscripts no longer exist.

In his “History” elegance and simplicity prove to us, without any bias, the necessity of autocracy and the charms of the whip.

Karamzin took the initiative to organize memorials and erect monuments to outstanding figures national history, in particular, to K. M. Sukhorukov (Minin) and Prince 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:

“Until now, geographers did not know that the honor of one of the oldest described European journeys to India belongs to Russia of the Ioannian century... It (the journey) proves that Russia in the 15th century had its own Taverniers and Chardeneis, less enlightened, but equally courageous and enterprising; that the Indians heard about it before they heard about Portugal, Holland, England. While Vasco da Gama was only thinking about the possibility of finding a way from Africa to Hindustan, our Tverite was already a merchant on the banks of Malabar...”

Karamzin - translator

In 1787, fascinated by the work of Shakespeare, Karamzin published his translation original text tragedy "Julius Caesar". About his assessment of the work and his own work as a translator, Karamzin wrote in the preface:

“The tragedy that I translated is one of his excellent creations... If reading the translation gives Russian literature lovers a sufficient understanding of Shakespeare; if it brings them pleasure, the translator will be rewarded for his work. However, he was prepared for the opposite.”

In the early 1790s, this edition, one of the first works of Shakespeare in Russian, was included by the censor among the books for confiscation and burning.

In 1792-1793 N. M. Karamzin translated the monument Indian literature(from English) - the drama "Sakuntala", the author of which is Kalidasa. In the preface to the translation, he wrote:

“The creative spirit does not live in Europe alone; he is a citizen of the universe. A person is a person everywhere; He has a sensitive heart everywhere, and in the mirror of his imagination he contains heaven and earth. Everywhere Nature is his mentor and main source his pleasures.

I felt this very vividly while reading Sakontala, a drama composed in an Indian language, 1900 years before this, by the Asian poet Kalidas, and recently translated into English by William Jones, a Bengali judge ... "

Family

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

• First wife (from April 1801) - Elizaveta Ivanovna Protasova(1767-1802), sister of A. I. Pleshcheeva and A. I. Protasov, father of A. A. Voeikova and M. A. Moyer. According to Karamzin to Elizaveta, he “I knew and loved for thirteen years”. She was a very educated woman and an active assistant to her husband. Having poor health, she gave birth to a daughter in March 1802, and in April she died of puerperal fever. Some researchers believe that the heroine of “Poor Lisa” was named in her honor.
  • Sofya Nikolaevna(03/05/1802-07/04/1856), since 1821, maid of honor, close acquaintance of Pushkin and friend of Lermontov.
• Second wife (from 01/08/1804) - Ekaterina Andreevna Kolyvanova(1780-1851), illegitimate daughter of Prince A. I. Vyazemsky and Countess Elizaveta Karlovna Sivers, half-sister of the poet P. A. Vyazemsky.
  • Natalia (30.10.1804-05.05.1810)
  • Ekaterina Nikolaevna(1806-1867), St. Petersburg acquaintance of Pushkin; from April 27, 1828, she was married to retired lieutenant colonel of the guard, Prince Pyotr Ivanovich Meshchersky (1802-1876), who married her for the second time. Their son is writer and publicist Vladimir Meshchersky (1839-1914)
  • Andrey (20.10.1807-13.05.1813)
  • Natalia (06.05.1812-06.10.1815)
  • Andrey Nikolaevich(1814-1854), after graduating from the University of Dorpat, was forced to be abroad due to health, later - a retired colonel. He was married to Aurora Karlovna Demidova. He had children from an extramarital affair with Evdokia Petrovna Sushkova.
  • Alexander Nikolaevich(1815-1888), after graduating from the University of Dorpat, he served in the horse artillery, in his youth he was great dancer and a merry fellow, was close to Pushkin's family in his last year of life. Married to Princess Natalya Vasilievna Obolenskaya (1827-1892), there were no children.
  • Nikolai (03.08.1817-21.04.1833)
  • Vladimir Nikolayevich(06/05/1819 - 08/07/1879), member of the consultation under the Minister of Justice, senator, owner of the Ivnya estate. He was distinguished by his wit and resourcefulness. He was married to Baroness Alexandra Ilyinichna Duka (1820-1871), daughter of General I. M. Duka. They left no offspring.
  • Elizaveta Nikolaevna(1821-1891), maid of honor since 1839, was not married. Having no fortune, she lived on a pension, which she received as Karamzin’s daughter. After the death of her mother, she lived with her older sister Sophia, in the family of the sister of Princess Ekaterina Meshcherskaya. She was distinguished by her intelligence and boundless kindness, taking all other people's sorrows and joys to heart. Writer L. N. Tolstoy

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

    In philately

    Postage stamp of the USSR, 1991, 10 kopecks (TsFA 6378, Scott 6053)

    Postage stamp Russia, 2016

    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 - apartment building Mizhueva - Mokhovaya street, 41;
      • spring - 05/22/1826 - Tauride Palace - Voskresenskaya street, 47.
    • Moscow
      • Vyazemsky-Dolgorukov estate - native home his second wife.
      • The house on the corner of Tverskaya and Bryusov Lane, where he wrote “Poor Liza”, has not survived

Famous writer, historian, poet, publicist. Creator of "History of the Russian State".

Family. Childhood

Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin was born in the Simbirsk province into a family of poor, educated nobles. Received a good home education. At the age of 14 he began studying at the Moscow private boarding school of Professor Schaden. Upon completion of it in 1783, he went to St. Petersburg to serve in. In the capital, Karamzin met the poet and future employee of his “Moscow Journal” Dmitriev. At the same time, he published the first translation of S. Gesner’s idyll “The Wooden Leg.” Having served in the army less than a year, Karamzin, with the low rank of lieutenant, resigned in 1784 and returned to Simbirsk. Here he led an outwardly secular life, but at the same time was engaged in self-education: he studied history, literature and philosophy. Family friend Ivan Petrovich Turgenev, a freemason and writer, who was in great friendship with, played a certain role in the life of the future writer. On his advice, Nikolai Mikhailovich moved to Moscow and met Novikov’s circle. So it began new period in his life, covering the time from 1785 to 1789.

Moscow period (1785-1789). Travel to Europe (1789-1790)

In Moscow, Karamzin translated fiction; since 1787, he regularly published his translations of Thomson’s “The Seasons,” Janlis’ “Village Evenings,” the tragedy “Julius Caesar,” and Lessing’s tragedy “Emilia Galotti.” He also begins to write for the magazine “Children's Reading for the Heart and Mind,” whose publisher was Novikov. In 1789, the first original story Karamzin "Evgeniy and Yulia".

Soon Nikolai Mikhailovich decides to go on a trip to Europe, for which he mortgages his ancestral estate. This was a bold step: it meant giving up living on the income from the hereditary estate and supporting oneself through the labor of serfs. Now Nikolai Mikhailovich had to earn a living through his own work as a professional writer. He will spend about a year and a half abroad. During this time, he visits Germany, Switzerland, France, where he observes the activities of the revolutionary government. In June 1789, Karamzin moved from France to England. Throughout the journey, the writer meets interesting and outstanding people. Nikolai Mikhailovich is interested in people’s homes, historical monuments, factories, universities, street celebrations, taverns, village weddings. He evaluates and compares the characters and morals of a particular nationality, studies the characteristics of speech, recording various conversations and his own thoughts.

At the origins of sentimentalism

In the fall of 1790, Karamzin returned to Moscow, where he began publishing the monthly “Moscow Journal”, in which his stories (such as “Liodor”, “Natalia, the Boyar’s Daughter”, “Flor Silin”), critical articles and poems were published. The famous “Letters of a Russian Traveler” and the story “Poor Liza” were also published here. Karamzin attracted Dmitriev and Petrov, Kheraskov and others to collaborate in the magazine.

In his works of this period, Karamzin asserts a new literary direction- sentimentalism. This direction 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.

In the 1790s, the writer published almanacs. Among them are “Aglaya” (parts 1-2, 1794-1795), “Aonids,” written in verse (parts 1-3, 1796-1799), as well as the collection “My Trinkets,” which includes various stories and poems. Fame comes to Karamzin. He is known and loved throughout Russia.

One of Karamzin’s first works written in prose is published in 1803 historical story"Martha Posadnitsa" It was written long before the craze for Walter Scott’s novels began in Russia. This story revealed Karamzin’s attraction to antiquity and classics as an unattainable ideal of morality. In an epic, ancient form, Karamzin presented the struggle of the Novgorodians with Moscow. “Posadnitsa” touched upon important ideological issues: about the monarchy and the republic, about the people and leaders, about “divine” historical predestination and the disobedience of an individual to it. The author's sympathies were clearly on the side of the Novgorodians and Marfa, and not of monarchical Moscow. This story also revealed the writer’s ideological contradictions. Historical truth was undoubtedly on the side of the Novgorodians. However, Novgorod is doomed, bad omens are harbingers of the city's imminent death, and later they are justified.

But the greatest success was the story “Poor Liza,” published in 1792 and becoming a landmark work of sentimentalism. The plot of how a nobleman seduced a peasant or bourgeois woman, often found in Western literature of the eighteenth century, was first developed in Russian literature in this story by Karamzin. The biography of a morally pure, beautiful girl, as well as the idea that such tragic fates can also be found in the reality around us, contributed to the enormous success of this work. It was also important that N.M. Karamzin taught his readers to notice the beauty of their native nature and love it. The humanistic orientation of the work was invaluable for the literature of that time.

In the same year, 1792, the story “Natalya, the Boyar’s Daughter” was born. It is not as famous as “Poor Liza”, but it touches on very important moral issues, which worried N.M.’s contemporaries. Karamzin. One of the most important issues in the work is the problem of honor. Alexei, Natalia's lover, was an honest man who served the Russian Tsar. Therefore, he confessed to his “crime”, that he had kidnapped the daughter of Matvey Andreev, the beloved boyar of the sovereign. But the king blesses their marriage, seeing that Alexei is a worthy person. The girl’s father does the same. Concluding the story, the author writes that the newlyweds lived happily ever after and were buried together. They were distinguished by sincere love and devotion to the sovereign. In the story, the question of honor is inseparable from serving the king. Happy is the one whom the sovereign loves.

The year 1793 became a landmark year for Karamzin and his work. At this time, the Jacobin dictatorship was established in France, which shocked the writer with its cruelty. She aroused in him doubts about the possibility for humanity to achieve prosperity. He condemned the revolution. The philosophy of despair and fatalism permeates his new works: the stories “Bornholm Island” (1793), “Sierra Morena” (1795), the poems “Melancholy”, “Message to A. A. Pleshcheev”, etc.

By the mid-1790s, Nikolai Karamzin became the recognized head of Russian sentimentalism, which opened new page in Russian literature. He was an indisputable authority for the young Batyushkov.

"Bulletin of Europe". "Note on old and new Russia"

In 1802 - 1803, Karamzin published the journal “Bulletin of Europe”, in which literature and politics predominated. In his critical articles this time a new one was emerging aesthetic program, which contributed to the formation of Russian literature as nationally distinctive. Karamzin saw the key to the uniqueness of Russian culture in history. The most striking illustration of his views was the story “Martha the Posadnitsa” mentioned above. In their political articles Karamzin made recommendations to the government, pointing out the role of education.

Trying to influence Tsar Alexander I in this direction, Karamzin gave him his “Note on Ancient and New Russia in its Political and Civil Relations” (1811), which reflected the views of conservative sections of society who did not approve of the sovereign’s liberal reforms. The note irritated the latter. In 1819, the writer submitted a new note - “Opinion of a Russian Citizen,” which caused even greater displeasure to the tsar. However, Karamzin did not abandon his belief in the salvation of an enlightened autocracy and later condemned the Decembrist uprising. Despite this, Karamzin the artist was still highly valued by young writers, even those who did not share his political beliefs.

"History of Russian Goverment"

In 1803, through his friend and former teacher The young emperor Nikolai Mikhailovich receives the official title of court historiographer. This was of great importance for him, since now, thanks to the pension assigned by the sovereign and access to archives, the writer could carry out the work he had planned on the history of the fatherland. In 1804, he left the literary field and plunged headlong into work: in the archives and book collections of the Synod, the Hermitage, the Academy of Sciences, Public library, Moscow University, Alexander Nevsky and Trinity-Sergius Lavra, read manuscripts and books on history, sorted out ancient tomes (, Trinity Chronicle, Code of Law of Ivan the Terrible, “Prayer” and many others), copied and compared. It is difficult to imagine what great work the historian Karamzin did. After all, the creation of twelve volumes of his “History of the Russian State” took more than twenty years of hard work, from 1804 to 1826. Presentation historical events here it was distinguished, as far as possible, by impartiality and authenticity, as well as excellent artistic style. The narrative was brought to . In 1818, the first eight volumes of “History” were published, in 1821 the 9th volume, dedicated to the reign, was published, in 1824 - the 10th and 11th, about Fyodor Ioannovich and. Death interrupted work on the 12th volume and did not allow it to be completed. large-scale plan to end.

The 12 volumes of “History of the Russian State” that were published one after another evoked numerous responses from readers. Perhaps for the first time in history, a printed book provoked such a surge in the national self-awareness of Russian residents. Karamzin revealed his history to the people and explained his past. They said that, having closed the eighth volume, he exclaimed: “It turns out that I have a Fatherland!” Everyone was engrossed in “History”—students, officials, nobles, even society ladies. They read it in Moscow and St. Petersburg, they read it in the provinces: for example, 400 copies were purchased in Irkutsk.

But the content of the work was perceived ambiguously. Thus, freedom-loving youth were inclined to challenge the support for the monarchical system that Karamzin showed on the pages of “History of the Russian State.” And young Pushkin even wrote daring epigrams about the then venerable historian. In his opinion, this work proved “the need for autocracy and the charms of the whip.” Karamzin, whose books left no one indifferent, was always restrained in response to criticism, calmly accepting both ridicule and praise.

Last years

Having moved to St. Petersburg, Karamzin, starting in 1816, spends every summer with his family. The Karamzins were hospitable hosts who received such famous poets, like Zhukovsky and Batyushkov (they were members of the Arzamas society created in 1815 and defending the Karamzin direction in literature), as well as educated youth. Young A.S. also often visited here. Pushkin, listening to his elders read poetry, caring for his wife N.M. Karamzina Ekaterina Andreevna (she was the writer’s second wife, the couple had 9 children), no longer young, but charming and smart woman, to whom he even decided to send a declaration of love. The wise and experienced Karamzin forgave the young man’s antics, as well as his daring epigrams on “History.” Ten years later Pushkin, already being mature man, will look differently at the great work of Nikolai Mikhailovich. In 1826, while in exile in Mikhailovskoye, he wrote in the “Note on Public Education” that the history of Russia should be taught according to Karamzin, and called this work not just the work of a great historian, but also the feat of an honest man.

In general, the last years of the historian and writer’s life can be called happy. He was connected by friendship with Tsar Alexander. The two of them often walked, talking, in Tsarskoye Selo Park. The event that darkened these years was. On December 14, 1825, Karamzin was present on Senate Square. The historian, of course, was against the uprising, although he saw the familiar faces of the Muravyovs among the rebels. A few days after the speech, Nikolai Mikhailovich said: “The delusions and crimes of these young people are the delusions and crimes of our century.”

Karamzin himself became a victim of the events of December 14: standing on Senate Square, he caught a terrible cold and died on May 22, 1826.

Memory

In 1848, the Karamzin Public Library was opened in Simbirsk. In Novgorod, on the monument “1000th anniversary of Russia” (1862), among 129 figures the most outstanding personalities V Russian history there is also the figure of N.M. Karamzin. In Moscow in honor of N.M. Karamzin is named a passage, in Kaliningrad - a street. A monument to the historian was erected in Ulyanovsk, and a memorial sign was erected in the Ostafyevo estate.

Essays

Selected works in 2 vols. M.-L., 1964.

History of Russian Goverment. St. Petersburg, 1818-1826.

Complete works in 18 volumes. M., 1998-2008.

Complete collection of poems / Intro. Art., prepared. text and notes Yu. M. Lotman. L., 1967.

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 achievements 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 that 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.