Vasily Trediakovsky
Vasily Kirillovich Trediakovsky (Russian: ΠΠ°ΡΠΈΜΠ»ΠΈΠΉ ΠΠΈΡΠΈΜΠ»Π»ΠΎΠ²ΠΈΡ Π’ΡΠ΅Π΄ΠΈΠ°ΠΊΠΎΜΠ²ΡΠΊΠΈΠΉ (Π’ΡΠ΅Π΄ΡΡΠΊΠΎΜΠ²ΡΠΊΠΈΠΉ); 5 March [O.S. 22 February] 1703 in Astrakhan β 17 August [O.S. 6 August] 1769 in Saint Petersburg) was a Russian poet, essayist and playwright who helped lay the foundations of classical Russian literature.[1]
Trediakovsky was a Russian literary theoretician and poet whose writings contributed to the classical foundations of Russian literature. The son of a poor priest, Trediakovsky became the first Russian commoner to receive a humanistic education abroad, at the Sorbonne in Paris (1727β30) where he studied philosophy, linguistics and mathematics.[1] Soon after his return to Russia he became acting secretary of the Academy of Sciences and de facto court poet.
In 1735 Trediakovsky published ΠΠΎΠ²ΡΠΉ ΠΈ ΠΊΡΠ°ΡΠΊΠΈΠΉ ΡΠΏΠΎΡΠΎΠ±Ρ ΠΊΡ ΡΠ»ΠΎΠΆΠ΅Π½ΡΡ ΡΠΎΡΡΠΈΠΉΡΠΊΠΈΡ Ρ ΡΡΠΈΡ ΠΎΠ²Ρ ("A new and brief way for composing of Russian verses"), a highly theoretical work for which he is best remembered.[1] It discussed for the first time in Russian literature such poetic genres as the sonnet, the rondeau, the madrigal, and the ode. In 1748 appeared his Π Π°Π·Π³ΠΎΠ²ΠΎΡ ΠΎΠ± ΠΎΡΡΠΎΠ³ΡΠ°ΡΠΈΠΈ ("A Conversation on Orthography"), the first study of the phonetic structure of the Russian language. He continued his advocacy of poetic reform in Π Π΄ΡΠ΅Π²Π½Π΅ΠΌ, ΡΡΠ΅Π΄Π½Π΅ΠΌ ΠΈ Π½ΠΎΠ²ΠΎΠΌ ΡΡΠΈΡ ΠΎΡΠ²ΠΎΡΠ΅Π½ΠΈΠΈ ΡΠΎΡΡΠΈΠΉΡΠΊΠΎΠΌ (1752; "On Ancient, Middle, and New Russian Poetry").
Trediakovsky was also a prolific translator of classical authors, medieval philosophers, and French literature. His translations frequently aroused the ire of the censors, and he fell into disfavour with his Academy superiors and conservative court circles. In 1759 he was dismissed from the Academy. His last major work was a translation of François Fénelon's Les aventures de Telemaque (1766; Tilemakhida), which he rendered in Russian hexameters. His works marked the transition from syllabic versification to metric verse, more suited to the sound of the Russian tongue.
See also
- Mikhail Lomonosov, who created the basis of the modern Russian literary language
References
- 1 2 3 Berlin, Isaiah (2008). Russian Thinkers. Penguin Classics. pp. 379β380. ISBN 978-0-14-144220-4.