| Aleksey Apukhtin | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 21, 1840 Bolkhov, Russia |
| Died | August 29, 1893 (aged 52) St. Petersburg, Russia |
Aleksey Nikolayevich Apukhtin (Russian: Алексе́й Никола́евич Апу́хтин, (November 21, 1840 – August 29, 1893) was a Russian poet, writer and critic.
Apukhtin came from an ancient noble family. He graduated from the Saint Petersburg School of Jurisprudence where he was a class mate of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who became a lifelong friend. Apukhtin dedicated several poems to Tchaikovsky.[1]
Following the traditions of amorous gypsy romance, he introduced into this genre much of his own artistic temperament. Many of his romances were set to music by Tchaikovsky[1] and by other well-known composers (To forget so soon, Does the day reign, Nights of madness and others).
Apukhtin's reputation as a poet was further strengthened in 1886, when his Poems collection was published.[1] In 1890 he published several prose works: Unfinished Story, Archive of the Countess D. , Pavlik Dolsky's Diary. The prose of Apukhtin was highly evaluated by Mikhail Bulgakov.
Apukhtin died on August 17 (29 New Style) 1893, in St. Petersburg.