Maikov A.N. (Short biography)

Apollon Nikolaevich Maikov was born May 23 (June 4 n.s.), 1821 in Moscow in a noble family. The son of the academician of painting N.A. Maykov, brother V.N. and L.N. Maikovs.

Maikov was brought up in an atmosphere saturated with interest in art. Childhood years were spent in a Moscow house and estate near Moscow, which were often visited by artists and writers. The artistic atmosphere of the house contributed to the formation of the spiritual interests of the future poet, who early began to draw and write poetry.

Since 1834 the family moved to Petersburg, and further fate Maykova is connected with the capital. V 1837-1841 A.N. Maikov studied at the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University. After graduating from the university, he served in the Department of the State Treasury, but soon, having received an allowance from Nicholas I for traveling abroad, he left for Italy, where he studied painting and poetry, then to Paris, where he listened to lectures on art and literature. He visited both Dresden and Prague.

In 1844 Maikov returned to Russia. Since 1844- assistant librarian at the Rumyantsev Museum, since 1852 and until the end of his life - the censor, then the chairman of the committee of foreign censorship. Repeatedly traveled abroad, mainly to Greece and Italy.

His first poems appeared in the handwritten collections "Snowdrop" ( 1835-1838) and "Moonlight Nights" ( 1839 .), produced in the Maykov family. Appeared in print with the verse "Eagle" ("Library for reading", 1835., T. IX). In 1842 published a collection of "Poems", which showed Maikov's characteristic interest in Ancient Greece and Rome. Maykov continued the tradition of anthological poetry by K.N. Batyushkov and N.I. Gnedich. He is characterized by clarity and plasticity of images, the humanistic ideal of earthly life.

In the next collection "Essays on Rome" ( 1847 ) Maikov made an attempt on the background ancient world to show the nature and everyday scenes of modern Italy. The idealization of antiquity is combined with thoughts about the descendants of free peoples, sympathy for the national liberation movement led by J. Garibaldi (poetry "Palazzo"). In the mid 40s A. Maykov becomes close to Belinsky and the Petrashevites. Some works of this period, such as the poem "Two Fates" ( 1845 ), "Mashenka" ( 1846 ), "The young lady" ( 1846 ), written in the spirit of the natural school, contain civic motifs.

Starting out since the 50s, A. Maikov is increasingly joining the conservative camp. Patriotic feelings on the eve Crimean War reflected in the poem "Clermont Cathedral" ( 1853 ) and in the collection "1854" ( 1855 ). In 1858 after a trip to Greece, the cycles "Neapolitan Album" and "Modern Greek Songs" appeared. Peasant reform A. Maikov met with enthusiastic poems "Picture", "Fields", "Niva". Contrasting himself with the revolutionary-democratic camp, he became a supporter of "art for art's sake", which provoked sharp criticism from M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, parodies by N.A. Dobrolyubov, the poets of Iskra, Kozma Prutkov.

Apollo Maikov showed constant interest in historical subjects. Fascination with the era Ancient Russia and Slavic folklore helped him create one of the best poetic translations of "The Tale of Igor's Campaign" ( 1866-1870 ). Like the Slavophiles, Maykov opposed the new bourgeois relations with the traditions of Russian antiquity and a strong Russian statehood. With sympathy he painted images of Alexander Nevsky, Ivan IV, Peter I (“Who is he?”, 1868 ; "In Gorodets in 1263", 1875 ; Sagittarius legend about Princess Sofya Alekseevna, 1867 ; "At the tomb of the Terrible", 1887 ).

A. Maykov was attracted by dramatic episodes of world history. In the poems "Savonarola" ( 1851 ) and "Sentence" ( 1860 ) religious fanaticism and dogma are opposed to a humanistic worldview. Based on history ancient rome dramatic poems "Three Deaths" were written ( 1851 , publ. 1857 ), "Death of Lucius" ( 1863 ), "Two worlds" ( 1871, 1881 , was awarded the Pushkin Prize in 1882) are closely related. The first of them, depicting the despotism of Nero, provided rich material for parallels with the despotic regime of Nicholas I. In The Death of Lucius, Christianity is opposed to paganism, winning new supporters. The same antithesis is in the lyrical drama "Two Worlds".

last period ( since the 70s) is marked by a decline in the creative activity of A. Maykov, an increase in religious sentiments that replaced artistic epicureanism. Religious-philosophical themes take the first place, opposed to modernity with the offensive of capital hated by A. Maikov (the cycle of poems “Eternal Questions”, “From Apollodorus the Gnostic”). Among the best creations of Apollo Maykov is his landscape lyrics (“Spring! The first frame is exhibited”, “Haymaking”, “In the rain”, “Swallows”, etc.). Unlike Italian landscapes, where the poet strove for external decorativeness, poems dedicated to Russian nature are distinguished by sincerity, watercolor subtlety of colors, melodiousness, and some contemplation. Many of his poems inspired composers (P.I. Tchaikovsky, N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, and others). Apollo Maykov performed with translations from W. Goethe, G. Heine, A. Mickiewicz, G. Longfellow and others.

Born on May 23 (June 4), 1821, in Moscow, the family of the academician of painting N. A. Maikov, who came from an old noble family. His father was a famous artist. Childhood years were spent in a Moscow house and estate near Moscow, not far from the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, which were often visited by artists and writers. Apollo Maykov began to write poetry at the age of fifteen, but in choosing a vocation he hesitated for a long time between painting and poetry.
Since 1834, the family moved to St. Petersburg, and the further fate of Maykov is connected with the capital.
In 1837 - 41 he studied at the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University, without leaving literary studies. After graduation, he serves in the Ministry of Finance, but soon, having received an allowance from Nicholas I for traveling abroad, he leaves for Italy, where he studies painting and poetry, then to Paris, where he listens to lectures on art and literature. He visited both Dresden and Prague.
In 1844 Apollon Maikov returned to Russia. At first he worked as an assistant librarian at the Rumyantsev Museum, then he moved to the St. Petersburg Committee of Foreign Censorship.
His first poetry collection was published in 1842 and was highly appreciated by V. Belinsky, who noted "genuine and remarkable talent." The collection was a great success.
Impressions from a trip to Italy are expressed in Maikov's second collection of poetry, Essays on Rome (1847).
During these years, he became close to Belinsky and his entourage - Turgenev and Nekrasov, visited the "Fridays" of M. Petrashevsky, maintained a close acquaintance with F. Dostoevsky and A. Pleshcheev. Although Maikov did not fully share their ideas, they had a certain influence on his work. His works, such as the poems "Two Fates" (1845), "Mashenka" and "The Young Lady" (1846), contain civic motifs.
Since the 1850s, Apollon Maikov has increasingly consistently moved to conservative positions, as evidenced by the poem Clermont Cathedral published in 1853 and the cycles Neopolitan Album and Modern Greek Songs published in 1858 (after a trip to Greece). The Peasant Reform of 1861 met with enthusiastic poems "Fields", "Niva". Finally opposing his understanding of art to the ideas of revolutionary democrats, he became a supporter of "art for art's sake", which caused sharp criticism from M. Saltykov-Shchedrin and satirical parodies of N. Dobrolyubov.
In the 1860s, he turned to history, created a number of works on historical topics ("In Gorodets in 1263", "At the Grozny's tomb", "Yemshai", "Who is he?", etc.). Based on the history of ancient Rome, he wrote the poem "Two Worlds", awarded the Pushkin Prize in 1882. If before the poet attracted antiquity, now his interest has shifted to Christianity as a new moral teaching, opposing the aestheticism of paganism. Fascinated by the era of Ancient Russia and Slavic folklore, Apollon Maikov in 1889 completed one of the best translations of The Tale of Igor's Campaign, which has not lost its scientific and artistic value to this day.
Maikov's poetry is contemplative, idyllic and distinguished by a touch of rationality, but at the same time it reflects Pushkin's poetic principles: accuracy and concreteness of descriptions, logical clarity in the development of the theme, simplicity of images and comparisons. Maykov's artistic method is characterized by the allegorical use of landscapes, anthological paintings, plots to the poet's thoughts and feelings. This feature makes him related to the classical poets.
The theme of Maykov's poetry is correlated with the world of culture. The poet’s horizons include art (the cycle of poems “In an anthological kind”), European and Russian history (the cycles of poems “Centuries and Peoples”, “Reviews of History”), the work of poets of the West and East, whose works Maikov translates and stylizes (the cycle “Imitations ancient"). Maykov's poems contain many mythological symbols, historical and cultural names and titles, but often the color of other centuries and peoples is decorative in him. Maikov is especially close to ancient culture, in which he saw a treasury of ideal forms of beauty.
From the vast heritage of Apollon Maikov, poems about Russian nature stand out and retain their poetic charm “Spring! The first frame is exhibited”, “In the rain”, “Haymaking”, “Fishing”, “Swallows” and others distinguished by sincerity and melodiousness. Many of his poems inspired composers to write romances. Maikov owns translations from H. Heine, Goethe, Longfellow, Mickiewicz. Many of Maykov's poems have been set to music (Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and others).
Apollon Maykov died on March 8 (20), 1897 in St. Petersburg.

Oct 03 2011

Maikov Apollon Nikolaevich is a famous Russian poet and translator. Born May 23, 1821 in Moscow in the family of a famous artist, academician of the Imperial Academy of Arts. Maykov's childhood years were spent near Moscow in the family estate. In 1834, the Maikov family moved to St. Petersburg, where Maikov and his brother Valerian received an excellent education at home. They were taught literature by the writer I. Goncharov.

In 1837, Maikov entered the Faculty of Law at St. Petersburg University. The teachers drew attention to the student's poetic gift, which by that time had begun to be published in the almanacs "Library for Reading" and "Notes of the Fatherland". In 1842 Maykov published his first collection of poetry. The attention of the public was drawn to the main section of this book. VG Belinsky expressed admiration for the figurativeness and lightness of the poetic language. As in fact, in all of Maykov's work, landscape lyrics were vividly presented in this collection of poetry.

In 1841 Maikov graduated from the university as the first candidate and went to work in the Ministry of Finance. Soon, having received allowance from Nicholas I, Maikov makes a tour of Europe, he visits Italy, France, Germany, and the Czech Republic. Abroad Maikov is engaged in poetry and painting, listens to lectures on literature. The impressions received on this trip formed the basis of the poetry collection Essays on Rome (1847). In the works of this collection, along with the grandiose monuments of antiquity, modern everyday scenes coexisted.

In 1844 Maykov returned to Russia and got a place in the Rumyantsev Museum, and then in the Committee of Foreign Censorship in St. Petersburg. Maikov becomes a prominent figure in the literary environment of the capital, he actively collaborates in the progressive publications Sovremennik and Otechestvennye Zapiski, writes articles on art in the style of the Natural School, publishes several biographical essays and the poem Masha (1846), in which makes fun of romantic clichés.

Maykov maintained friendly relations with V. Belinsky, I. Turgenev, N. Nekrasov, A. Pleshcheev, F. Dostoevsky, participated in meetings of M. Petrashevsky's circle. In the course of the investigation into the case of the Petrashevites, Maikov was put under covert surveillance. After that, Maykov begins to share the ideas of Slavophilism and becomes a supporter of "patriarchal-monarchical" rule.

Maikov gained great popularity: he was published in the best literary and art magazines, and spoke at literary evenings. One of the important tasks of art Maikov considered the preservation of the historical memory of the people. Inspired by this task, Maikov makes free translations and stylizations of songs of the Belarusian and Serbian peoples. One of Maykov's most notable works is the poetic translation of The Tale of Igor's Campaign (1870).

At the center of all Maykov's poetry was the confrontation between Christianity and paganism. Maikov wrote the poem "Two Worlds" (1872, 1881) on this subject, for which Maikov was awarded the Pushkin Prize in 1882 by the Academy of Sciences. Maykov died in St. Petersburg on March 8, 1897.

Maikov Apollon Nikolaevich (1821-1897), poet.

Graduated from the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University. Maykov's first book of poems was published in 1842. Then the poem "Two Fates" (1844) and "Mashenka" (1846), a collection of lyrics "Essays on Rome" (1847), reflecting the impressions of a trip to Italy, were published. .

In 1848-1852. the activity of the poet has noticeably decreased.

The Crimean War, which began in 1853, again awakened him to intense creative activity(The result was the book "1854. Poems").

Poems from the late 50's and 60's. Maikov tried to critically assess the surrounding reality ("Whirlwind", 1856; "He and She", 1857; poem "Dreams", 1856-1858; collection "Neapolitan Album", 1858-1860; poems " Fields”, 1861, “To Friend Ilya Ilyich”, 1863, “On the White Shoal of the Caspian Sea...”, 1863, etc.). In the same years, he translated a lot from modern Greek folk poetry, imbued with the spirit of the struggle for independence.

A sympathetic attitude towards the national liberation movement also dictated a number of translations from Serbian youth songs (for example, “The Saber of Tsar Vukashin”, “Serbian Church”, “Radoytsa”, “Horse”), hence the poet’s attention to the period of the Tatar invasion of Russia and fight against nomads (“In Gorodets in 1263”, “Clermont Cathedral”).

In 1870, Maykov's translation of The Tale of Igor's Campaign was published - the result of four years of hard work.

In 1875 Maykov wrote the poem "Emshan" - an adaptation of one of the legends of the Ipatiev Chronicle. The poet had an enduring interest in the era of the clash of paganism with Christianity (“Olinth and Esther”, “Three Deaths”, the tragedy “Two Worlds”, etc.).

Despite the genre and thematic richness, Maykov's poetic heritage is unified in terms of style. Maikov's poetry captures with harmonic fusion
thoughts and feelings, impeccable artistic taste, melodiousness and musicality. It is no coincidence that in terms of the number of poems set to music, Apollon Nikolaevich occupies one of the first places among Russian poets of the 19th century.

Brief biography of the poet, the main facts of life and work:

APOLLO NIKOLAEVICH MAIKOV (1821-1897)

Apollon Nikolayevich Maikov was born on May 23 (June 4, New Style) 1821 in Moscow into an old noble family with rich cultural traditions. The ancestor of the Maykovs was the clerk of the Grand Duke Vasily Vasilyevich and Tsar Ivan the Terrible Andrei Mike. As many researchers suggest and all the Maikovs were sure, the Russian saint and church writer Nil Sorsky (in the world Nil or Nikolai Maikov) belonged to their family. However, no documentary evidence of this has yet been found.

The father of the future poet, Nikolai Apollonovich (1796-1873), was a man of unusually interesting fate. As a youth, Maykov the father “was sent to the second cadet corps at a time when only two careers were considered decent for a nobleman: either in the military or in the civil service. Right from the school bench, not having time to finish the course, he was, like many then, released as officers, 18 years old, in active army, in the case of Bagration. In the Battle of Borodino, Nikolai Apollonovich was wounded in the leg and sent to an estate in the Yaroslavl province for treatment. In the same place, out of boredom, the young man took up drawing, first copying the picture that hung over his bed. The copy was a success, and having already returned to the service in the hussar regiment, Maikov continued to indulge in a new hobby. After the end of the war, Maikov, who was awarded the Order of Vladimir, retired with the rank of major, got married and, with relief, shifting all the worries of life onto his wife's shoulders, took up painting. The Maikov brothers were already in adolescence when their father became a famous artist, a favorite of Emperor Nicholas I. On behalf of the sovereign, Maykov painted a number of images for the churches of the Holy Trinity in the Izmailovsky regiment (which brought him the title of academician in 1835), images for the small iconostases of St. Isaac's Cathedral, on the execution of which the artist worked about 10 years.

The mother of the Maykov brothers, Evgenia Petrovna, nee Gusyatnikova (1803-1880), came from an old merchant family. The woman is highly educated, she collaborated in literary magazines, acted as a poetess and novelist.

The Maykovs had four sons. The elders, Valerian and Apollo, and the younger ones, Vladimir and Leonid.

The early childhood of Apollon Nikolaevich was spent in the estate of his father, the village of Nikolsky, near the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, and partly in the estate of his grandmother, the village of Chepchikha, Klinsky district, Moscow province.

His constant comrades were peasant children. Here he became addicted to fishing for the rest of his life, which was later reflected in his poem "Fishing".

In 1834, the Maykovs moved to St. Petersburg, and the further fate of the poet was connected with the capital.

Evgenia Petrovna was a kind and sociable lady, she always welcomed young writers, fed the poor, everyone could find support and a kind word from her. Subsequently, Maykova was very fond of and respected as a kindest friend by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky.

Numerous guests - artists and writers - always gathered in the friendly Moscow mansion of the Maykovs. In the end, the Maykov salon took shape, but it was not high society, and famous writers were not attracted to it. There were mostly young, beginning writers, semi-professional writers, talented amateurs, students who worshiped poetry and art. At that time, he became a frequent guest of the salon famous Ivan Alexandrovich Goncharov (1812-1891).

The initial education of Maykov's sons - Valerian and Apollo - was carried out at the home of a friend of Nikolai Apollonovich by the writer Vladimir Andreevich Solonitsyn. The history of literature was taught to the brothers by I. A. Goncharov.

The resulting “home circle”, which also included house friends V. G. Benediktov, I. A. Goncharov and others, “issued” the handwritten magazine “Snowdrop” and the almanac “Moonlight Nights”, which included the first poetic samples of young Maykov .

When Apollo was sixteen years old, he and Valerian entered St. Petersburg University. Apollo studied at the Faculty of Law.

At the university, the young poet was actively engaged in creativity. Maykov's gift was noticed, especially by Professor Pyotr Alexandrovich Pletnev, who for many years then took care of the poet and introduced the greatest writers, in particular V. A. Zhukovsky and N. V. Gogol, to his works.

After graduating from the university, Apollon Nikolaevich was assigned to serve in the Department of the State Treasury, but soon, having received allowance from Nicholas I for traveling abroad, he left for Italy, where he studied painting and poetry, and then to Paris, where he listened to lectures on art and literature. Maikov visited both Dresden and Prague. He was especially interested in Prague, because by that time the poet had already become imbued with the ideas of Slavophilism and Pan-Slavism. In particular, he met and talked a lot with Safarik.

In 1844 Maykov returned to Russia, where he worked for eight years as an assistant librarian at the Rumyantsev Museum.

The first poetry collection of Apollon Nikolaevich "Poems" was published in 1842 and was highly appreciated by V. G. Belinsky.

During these years, Maykov became close to Belinsky and his entourage - I. S. Turgenev and N. A. Nekrasov. A special page in his life was the short-term participation of the poet in the activities of the Petrashevsky circle. On this basis, Maykov especially became friends with F. M. Dostoevsky.

On August 3, 1849, three and a half months after the arrest of all the activists of the Petrashevsky circle, Maikov was also arrested. He was interrogated, they came to the conclusion that he was a random person in this case, and they released him that evening.

In 1852, Maykov married a Russian German woman of the Lutheran faith, Anna Ivanovna Stemmer (1830-1911). Over time, four children were born to them, but only three sons survived to adulthood.

And in October 1852, the poet entered the service of the St. Petersburg Committee of Foreign Censorship, where he acted as junior censor. Despite the fact that the service was complex and difficult, the poet fell in love with her, especially when, on his advice, his friend and great Russian poet F. I. Tyutchev was appointed chairman of the committee, and in 1860 Ya. P. Polonsky became the secretary there. Since 1875 Maykov himself headed the committee.

I don’t need anything else: I want to die, like Tyutchev, in the committee dear to my heart, - Apollon Nikolaevich once admitted. Maykov worked in this department for forty-five years, until his death.

As head of the academic committee for foreign censorship, Maikov was also a member of the academic committee of the Ministry of Public Education. In 1853, the Academy of Sciences elected him a corresponding member in the department of the Russian language and literature, and the Kiev University an honorary member.

The Crimean War of 1853-1856 stirred up Maikov's patriotic and monarchist feelings. At the very beginning of 1855, his small book of poems "1854" was published.

After the Crimean War, Apollon Nikolaevich became close to the young editors of the Moskvityanin, the late Slavophiles and the "statesmen". On the basis of the Slavophils, but with a firm idea of ​​the state, with the recognition of post-Petrine history, Maykov became a supporter of the ideas of M. P. Pogodin and M. N. Katkov. At the same time, he created a number of poems about Russian nature, which were memorized “almost with the first prayers”, which became textbooks and quotes: “Spring! The first frame is exhibited…”, “Summer rain”, “Haymaking”, “Swallows” and others.

Fascinated by the era of Ancient Russia and Slavic folklore, Maikov created the best translation in the history of world literature into modern Russian of the epic "The Tale of Igor's Campaign" (the work went on in the period 1866-1870).

Based on the history of ancient Rome, the poet wrote the philosophical and lyrical drama "Two Worlds", awarded the Pushkin Prize by the Academy of Sciences in 1882.

In everyday life, Maikov was characterized by subtle carefree humor and kindness of heart. All his life he remained a sincere unmercenary.

On February 27, 1897, Apollon Nikolaevich Maikov went out into the street too lightly dressed, soon fell ill, and a month and a half later, on March 8 (20 according to the new style), 1897, he died.

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