Nikolai Karamzin - translator and journalist; the founder of sentimentalism and the creator of the multi-volume History of the Russian State. The literary language began with which later Zhukovsky and Pushkin wrote; the fascination with Russian history began with him.
Biography
Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin was born on December 1 (12), 1766 in the village of Mikhailovka, Buzulinsky district, Simbirsk province. Father - a hereditary nobleman and retired captain Mikhail Yegorovich Karamzin - raised his son with the help of tutors, because his wife died when the child was only two years old. Nikolai got a good home education. As a teenager, he knew several foreign languages.
At the age of 12, the father sent his son to study at the boarding school of a professor at Moscow University Johann Schaden. Three years later, Nikolai Karamzin begins to attend lectures by the famous professor of aesthetics and enlightener Ivan Schwartz at Moscow University.
Studying did not last long. At the insistence of his father, who wanted his son to follow in his footsteps, Nikolai Karamzin enters the service in the Preobrazhensky Guards Regiment, where he was assigned from infancy. And only the death of his father gives him the opportunity to end military service. Nikolai Karamzin resigns with the rank of lieutenant and returns to Simbirsk, where he joins the Masonic Lodge of the Golden Crown.
In 1785, at the age of 18, Karamzin returned to Moscow and became close friends with his longtime family friend, Freemason Ivan Petrovich Turgenev, who later became director of Moscow University. At the same time, Karamzin met with writers and writers Nikolai Novikov, Alexei Kutuzov and Alexander Petrov, who for some time became his teachers and guides in the spiritual world.
"Letters of a Russian traveler"
Nikolai Karamzin began his professional career, like many writers of that time, with translations. After meeting Nikolai Novikov’s circle, Karamzin takes part in the publication of the first Russian magazine for children, "Children's Reading for Heart and Mind."
Nikolai Karamzin, who grew up on old romances, and who knew several foreign languages since childhood, went on a trip to Europe in 1789. 22-year-old Karamzin visits Germany, Switzerland, France and England, gets acquainted with how the European intelligentsia lives. In Koenigsberg he met with Immanuel Kant, and in Paris he witnessed the events of the French Revolution. This trip to Europe, which lasted almost 1.5 years, became a landmark in the fate of Nikolai Karamzin - following her results, he writes "Letters of a Russian Traveler" and prints them in the "Moscow Journal". After the first issue, documentary notes on a trip to Europe gained popularity among readers, and Karamzin became a fashion writer.
Moscow Journal and Vestnik Evropy
In 1791, the 25-year-old Karamzin founded the first Russian literary magazine - Moscow Journal. Karamzin makes the entire magazine on his own - prints his translations of European authors; their works, both prose and poetry; Theatrical critical notes.
It was in the Moscow Journal that Karamzin published his story Poor Lisa, which became an event in the literary life of Russia and the basis of new literature. Love and feelings replaced the mind and rationalism.
A year later, Nikolai Karamzin had to close the magazine. This was influenced by the arrest of Novikov and the persecution of Masons by the tsarist administration. After the arrest of his close acquaintance, Karamzin writes an ode to “Grace”, and the police pay attention to him, suspecting that he went abroad with the money of freemasons. Karamzin falls into disgrace and leaves for the village, where he spends three years.
In the years 1801-1802. Nikolai Karamzin publishes the journal "Herald of Europe". The first issue of the magazine was published in January 1802. This magazine became the first socio-political and literary and artistic publication in Russia.
"History of Russian Goverment"
By a decree of October 31, 1803, Emperor Alexander I appointed 36-year-old Nikolai Karamzin an official historiographer and instructed him to write the history of Russia. There is no information why Karamzin, who was not previously keen on history, receives this title. Nikolai Karamzin ardently takes up the matter, all the more so since the title of historiographer opens for Karamzin all archives and collections of documents that are not accessible not only to the general public, but also to historians. Karamzin brought his story to the Time of Troubles. Working on his "Story
.", Karamzin refuses state career, including the post of Tver governor.
The position of historiographer brought Karamzin 2000 rubles of additional annual salary. This was less than the publishing and journalistic activities brought him (for example, for editing the Vestnik Evropy, his salary was 3 thousand rubles a year), however, from that moment on, Nikolai Karamzin devoted himself entirely to the main work of his life - the compilation of History Russian state. " He spent 22 years looking at and extracting from hundreds of documents, many of which were previously unknown. In particular, Karamzin discovered Athanasius Nikitin in the 16th-century manuscript “Walking Over Three Seas” and published it in 1821.
Work on the “History of the Russian State” was interrupted only once in 1812. Karamzin, who was eager for a militia and was ready to defend Moscow, agreed to leave the city only when the French were about to enter. During the fires, Karamzin's library burned down. Karamzin spent the beginning of 1813 in evacuation - first in Yaroslavl, then in Nizhny Novgorod, after which he returned to Moscow and continued to work on his historical work.
In February 1818, when the writer was preparing to celebrate his 50th anniversary, the first eight volumes of his work were published. During the month 3 thousand copies were sold - it was a sales record of that time. The 12th volume was published after the death of the author.
In 1810, Alexander I granted Karamzin the Order of St. Vladimir 3 degrees. In 1816, Nikolai Karamzin received the title of State Councilor and was awarded the Order of St. Annas 1st grade. Since 1818, Karamzin was a member of the Imperial Russian Academy, and since 1824 - a full state adviser.
The last years of his life, Nikolai Karamzin spent in St. Petersburg, was close to the royal family and had his own housing in Tsarskoye Selo, granted to him by the emperor.
Nikolay Karamzin died on May 22 (June 3), 1826 from consumption. His health was undermined after he went to Senate Square to watch the Decembrist uprising and caught a cold. For treatment, he was going to go to Italy and to the south of France. The emperor allocated him funds and a frigate for this, but the official historiographer could not take advantage of royal mercy. He was buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra at the Tikhvin Cemetery.
