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Maikov A.N. (Short biography)

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

APOLLO NIKOLAEVICH MAYKOV (1821-1897)

Apollo Nikolaevich 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 Mayk. As many researchers assume and all the Maykovs were sure, the Russian saint and church writer Nil Sorsky (in the world Nil or Nikolai Maykov) 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, Mike's 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 school, without even having time to finish his course, he, like many then, was released as an officer, about 18 years old, into the active army, into Bagration’s corps.” In the Battle of Borodino, Nikolai Apollonovich was wounded in the leg and sent for treatment to an estate in the Yaroslavl province. There, out of boredom, the young man took up drawing, first copying a picture hanging above his bed. The copy was a success, and after returning to serve in the hussar regiment, Maikov continued to indulge in a new hobby. After the end of the war, Maikov, awarded the Order of Vladimir, retired with the rank of major, got married and, relieved to shift all everyday worries onto his wife’s shoulders, took up painting. The Maikov brothers were already in their teens when their father became a famous artist, a favorite of Emperor Nicholas I. On the instructions of the sovereign, Maikov painted a number of images for the Holy Trinity churches in the Izmailovsky regiment (which gave him the title of academician in 1835), images for the small iconostases of St. Isaac's Cathedral , the artist worked on for about 10 years.

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

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

Apollo Nikolaevich's early childhood was spent on his father's estate in the village of Nikolskoye, near the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and partly on his grandmother's estate in the village of Chepchikha, Klinsky district, Moscow province.

His constant companions 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 Maikovs moved to St. Petersburg, and further fate the poet was connected with the capital.

Evgenia Petrovna was a kind and sociable lady, she always welcomed young writers, fed the needy, everyone could find support and a kind word from her. Subsequently, Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky loved and respected Maykova very much as a good friend.

Numerous guests - artists and writers - always gathered in the friendly Moscow mansion of the Maykovs. In the end, the Maykov salon was formed, but it was not high-society, and famous writers were not attracted to it. Mostly young, aspiring writers, semi-professional writers, talented amateurs, students who worshiped poetry and art visited here. At that time, no one had yet become 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 Nikolai Apollonovich's friend 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 friends of the house V. G. Benediktov, I. A. Goncharov and others, “released” the handwritten magazine “Snowdrop” and the anthology “Moonlit Nights,” which included the first poetic attempts of the 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 involved in creativity. Maikov’s gift was noticed especially by Professor Pyotr Aleksandrovich Pletnev, who then patronized the poet for many years and introduced major 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 State Treasury Department, but soon, having received an allowance from Nicholas I for traveling abroad, he went to Italy, where he studied painting and poetry, and then to Paris, where he attended lectures on art and literature. Maikov visited both Dresden and Prague. He was especially interested in Prague, since by that time the poet had already become imbued with the ideas of Slavophilism and Pan-Slavism. In particular, he met and communicated a lot with Safarik.

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

Apollon Nikolaevich's first poetry collection, “Poems,” was published in 1842 and was highly praised by V. G. Belinsky.

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

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

In 1852, Maikov married a Russian German of the Lutheran faith, Anna Ivanovna Stemmer (1830-1911). Over time, they had four children, but only three sons lived to adulthood.

And in October 1852, the poet joined the St. Petersburg Committee for Foreign Censorship, where he served as a junior censor. Despite the fact that the service was complex and difficult, the poet fell in love with it, 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, Maikov himself headed the committee.

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

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

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

After the Crimean War, Apollon Nikolaevich became close to the young editors of Moskvityanin, the late Slavophiles and “statists.” On the basis of the Slavophiles, but with a strong idea of the state, with the recognition of post-Petrine history, Maikov 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 quotable: “Spring! The first frame is being exhibited…”, “Summer Rain”, “Haymaking”, “Swallows” and others.

Fascinated by the era Ancient Rus' and Slavic folklore, Maikov created the best translation into modern Russian of the epic “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” in the history of world literature (work was carried out in the period 1866-1870).

Based on history Ancient Rome the poet wrote the philosophical and lyrical drama “Two Worlds,” which was awarded the Pushkin Prize by the Academy of Sciences in 1882.

In everyday life, Maykov 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 dressed too lightly, soon fell ill, and a month and a half later, on March 8 (20 New Style), 1897, he died.

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short biography Apollo Maykova

Apollo Nikolaevich Maikov was born in Moscow on June 4 (May 23, old style) 1821. Apollon Maykov's father, Nikolai Apollonovich Maykov, was a talented artist who achieved the title of academician of painting, and his mother, Evgenia Petrovna, wrote books. The artistic atmosphere of his parents' home contributed to the formation of the spiritual interests of the boy, who began to draw and write poetry early. His literature teacher was the writer I.A. Goncharov. As a twelve-year-old teenager, Maikov was taken to St. Petersburg, where the whole family soon moved.

Almost all family members tried their hand at literature. An idea arose to publish a handwritten magazine, which was called simply and beautifully “Snowdrop”.

Issues of "Snowdrop" were stitched together over the course of a year and decorated with a massive red cover with gold embossing.

In 1837, Apollon Maikov entered the law faculty of St. Petersburg University. His studies in Roman law aroused in him a deep interest in the ancient world, which later manifested itself in his work. Maikov knew several languages perfectly, including Latin and Ancient Greek.

A.N. Maikov’s debut as a poet took place in 1841. He became a famous poet of his time. Maikov is a word painter, creator of beautiful poems about native nature. He is the translator of the immortal monument of antiquity "The Tale of Igor's Campaign."

The poet's poems were included in all school anthologies in Russia.

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

In 1848-1852. The poet's activity decreased noticeably.

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

In poems of the late 50-60s. 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 my friend Ilya Ilyich", 1863, "On the white sandbank of the Caspian Sea...", 1863, etc.). During these same years, he translated a lot from modern Greek folk poetry, imbued with the spirit of the struggle for independence.

A number of translations from Serbian youth songs were also dictated by a sympathetic attitude towards the national liberation movement (for example, “The Saber of Tsar Vukashin”, “Serbian Church”, “Radojca”, “Horse”). Hence the poet’s attention to the period Tatar invasion to Rus' and the 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 an intense four-year work.

In 1875, Maikov 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 between paganism and Christianity (“Olynthos and Esther”, “Three Deaths”, the tragedy “Two Worlds”, etc.).

Maikov Apollon Nikolaevich (1821 1897), poet.

Born on May 23 (June 4 n.s.) in Moscow into an old noble family with rich cultural traditions. His father was famous artist, academician of painting. His 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 began to draw and write poetry early.

Since 1834, the family moved to St. Petersburg, and Maykov’s further fate is connected with the capital.

In 1837 1841 he studied at the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University, without leaving literary studies. After graduating from university, he served in the State Treasury Department, but soon, having received an allowance from Nicholas I to travel abroad, he went to Italy, where he studied painting and poetry, then to Paris, where he attended lectures on art and literature. He visited both Dresden and Prague.

His first collection of poetry was published in 1842 and was highly praised by V. Belinsky, who noted his “genuine and remarkable talent.” The collection was a great success.

Impressions from a trip to Italy are expressed in Maykov’s second collection of poetry, “Essays on Rome” (1847).

During these years, he became close to Belinsky and his entourage, Turgenev and Nekrasov, attended M. Petrashevsky’s “Fridays,” and maintained 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 motives.

Since 1852, Maikov took the place of censor in the Committee of Foreign Censorship and since then, for more than forty years, he served in this department. At the same time, he became close to the Slavophiles, imbued with their ideas and gradually moved away from the liberals and radicals, becoming a zealous defender of the “firm” monarchical power and the Orthodox religion. He more consistently switched to conservative positions, as evidenced by the poem “Clermont Cathedral” published in 1853 and the cycles “Neapolitan Album” and “Modern Greek Songs” published in 1858 (after a trip to Greece). The peasant reform of 1861 was greeted with enthusiastic poems “Fields” and “Niva”. Having finally contrasted his understanding of art with the ideas of revolutionary democrats, he became a supporter of “art for art’s sake,” which provoked sharp criticism from Saltykov-Shchedrin and Dobrolyubov’s satirical parodies.

Fascinated by the era of Ancient Rus' and Slavic folklore, Maikov created one of best translations"Tales about Igor's Campaign."

Based on the history of Ancient Rome, he wrote the philosophical and lyrical drama “Two Worlds,” which was awarded the Pushkin Prize by the Academy of Sciences in 1882. If earlier the poet was attracted to antiquity, now his interest has shifted to Christianity as a new moral teaching opposed to the aestheticism of paganism.

Among the best creations of Maykov are his landscape lyrics: “Haymaking”, “In the Rain”, “Swallows”, etc., distinguished by their sincerity and melodiousness. Many of his poems inspired composers to write romances. In 1893, his three-volume collected works were published, the sixth in a row, completing his sixty-year literary career.

Almost all family members tried their hand at literature. An idea arose to publish a handwritten magazine, which was called simply and beautifully “Snowdrop”.

Issues of "Snowdrop" were stitched together over the course of a year and decorated with a massive red cover with gold embossing.

In 1837, A. Maikov entered the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University. His studies in Roman law aroused in him a deep interest in the ancient world, which later manifested itself in his work. Maikov knew several languages perfectly, including Latin and Ancient Greek.

A.N. Maikov’s debut as a poet took place in 1841. He became a famous poet of his time. Maikov is a word painter, creator of beautiful poems about his native nature. He is the translator of the immortal monument of antiquity "The Tale of Igor's Campaign."

The poet's poems were included in all school anthologies in Russia.

In his declining years, Apollon Nikolaevich purchased in the vicinity of St. Petersburg at the Siverskaya Varshavskaya station railway a modest dacha. Here, as his contemporaries noted, “he found his honor and his place,” engaging in charitable activities. Thanks to his efforts and efforts, a church, a school and a library-reading room, named after the poet, were built in Siverskaya.

A. N. Maikov is one of the noble poets of conservative romanticism with an ethical and philosophical orientation.

Family education

Apollo Maykov was born in Moscow on May 23, 1821. This was an old noble family that preserved rich cultural traditions. There were talented people in the Maykov family who did a lot in the development of Russian culture, in particular, his parents and brothers. His father, for example, was at one time a famous self-taught artist, who over the years was awarded the title of academician of painting. Mother gravitated toward literature and wrote very high-quality poetry and prose.

The brothers also left their noticeable mark on the development of national culture. His younger brother Valerian, for example, being a prominent representative of the progressive intelligentsia, together with Belinsky, was an opponent of “pure art” and a supporter of socio-historical principles in criticism. He wrote many works in which he spoke out against the Slavophiles, calling them adherents of national stagnation, and generally played big role in the development of critical thought in Russia.

The Moscow house and the Maykovs' estate near Moscow were always full of people. Writers, artists, and musicians often visited here. The visits of I. A. Goncharov, I. I. Panaev, V. G. Benediktov, V. A. Solonitsyn, and F. M. Dostoevsky were a real holiday in the Maykovs’ house. The cult of art reigning in the family, the artistic atmosphere of the parental home - everything contributed to the formation of the spiritual interests of the future poet. Therefore, it is not surprising that Apollo was drawn to art from early childhood, read a lot, drew well and wrote lyrical poetry.

The house published the handwritten magazine “Snowdrop” and the almanac “Moonlit Nights”, where the whole family, and sometimes guests, published their works. Apollo's children's poems first appeared in these family publications.

Education. First collection

In 1834, the family left Moscow and settled in St. Petersburg. From then on, the further fate of the poet Apollo Maykov was connected with the northern capital, except for those years, of course, when he traveled. From 1837 to 1841 he studied at St. Petersburg University at the Faculty of Law. But he did not give up literary studies. After graduating from the university, Maikov entered the service of the State Treasury Department, and a year later he published his first collection of poems, which was praised by the famous literary critic V. G. Belinsky. He wrote that Maykov's poetry is always a picture that shines with the true features and colors of nature. The collection was also a success among readers.

Travel abroad

Emperor Nicholas the First gave Maikov an allowance, which allowed the poet to make a long trip abroad. First he went to Italy, where he visited many cities, visited museums and exhibitions, studied painting and, as before, poetry. Then there was Paris, where Maikov listened to a series of lectures on art and world literature. Traveling around Europe, the poet visited Dresden, Prague and other cities with the same goal - to become better acquainted with world culture.

Back home

In 1844 Apollo Maikov returned to Russia. He got a job at the Rumyantsev Museum as an assistant librarian. He wrote a lot and prepared for publication his second collection of poetry, “Essays on Rome,” dedicated to his impressions of a trip to Italy (1847). During these same years, Maikov became close to many famous writers: Belinsky, Turgenev, Nekrasov, Dostoevsky, Pleshcheev, and regularly attended “Fridays” in M. Petrashevsky’s circle. He did not fully share many of their ideas, but they still had a certain influence on his poetic work. This is evidenced by the appearance of the poems “Two Fates”, “Mashenka”, “The Young Lady” (1845 - 1846), which, unlike his previous poems, contained civic motives.

Ideological orientation

In 1852, Maikov became a censor on the staff of the Committee of Foreign Censorship and remained in this department position for more than forty years. During these years, the ideas of the Slavophiles became close to him. Disillusioned with liberals and radicals, he reconsidered his positions and, as a result, came to defend strong monarchical power and the Orthodox faith. The fact that Maikov consistently occupied conservative positions is evidenced by his poem “Clermont Cathedral” (1853), as well as the cycles of poems “Neapolitan Album” and “Modern Greek Songs” (1858), written under the influence of a trip to Greece.

Maikov greeted the peasant reform to abolish serfdom (1861) with enthusiastic, optimistic poems “Fields” and “Niva”. Gradually, the poet finally contrasted his position regarding art with the positions of revolutionary democrats and became an adherent of “pure art.” This transformation was sharply criticized by Saltykov-Shchedrin and Dobrolyubov in their satirical parodies.

Slavic theme

For a long time, Maikov was fascinated by antiquity, its harmonic art, and sought to express in his lyrics some imaginary world of beauty, far from the contradictions of the surrounding life. But over time, Slavophile views were added to this. Based on ancient motifs, the philosophical and lyrical drama “Two Worlds” was written, for which the Academy of Sciences awarded Maykov the Pushkin Prize (1882). The emerging interest in Christianity and Slavic folklore prompted the poet to work on a translation of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.” His treatment of the great work of the era of Ancient Rus' is one of the best.

Landscape lyrics

But Maikov’s talent in landscape themes was especially evident. Nature native land always worried the poet. For him, each landscape painting is full of beauty, natural harmony, a feeling of kinship and special warmth. He saw incredible creative powers in nature. He was worried about very ordinary phenomena, familiar to everyone: the onset of spring, the withering of autumn, the flight of a swallow, summer rain. His poems about Russian nature have sincerity, watercolor subtlety of colors, melodiousness, and keen observation.

Among best poems Maykov’s landscape lyrics can be called “Haymaking”, “Swallows”, “Spring”, “Autumn”, “Summer Rain”. Many of Maykov's poems once inspired some great composers to create romances (Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and others). But unlike the landscape lyrics of A. Fet, Maykov’s poems are not distinguished by that sophisticated “psychologism” for which the outstanding lyricist Fet became famous.

In 1893, the sixth collected works of Maykov was published in three volumes, the last lifetime edition for sixty years of his literary activity. Apollo Maikov died on March 8, 1897 in St. Petersburg.