Derzhavin: A Biography (Publications of the Wisconsin Center for Pushkin Studies)

Russian poet, soldier, and statesman Gavriil Derzhavin (1743–1816) lived during an epoch of momentous change in Russia—imperial expansion, peasant revolts, war with Turkey, and struggle with Napoleon—and he served three tsars, including Catherine the Great. Here in its first English translation is the masterful biography of Derzhavin by another acclaimed Russian man of letters, Vladislav Khodasevich. В В В В В В В В В В В Derzhavin occupied a position at the center of Russian life, uniting civic service with poetic inspiration and creating an oeuvre that at its essence celebrated the triumphs of Russia and its rulers, particularly Catherine the Great. His biographer Khodasevich, by contrast, left Russia in 1922, unable to abide the increasingly repressive regime of the Soviets. For Khodasevich, whose lyric poems were as commonplace in their focus as DerzhavinвЂTMs odes were grand, this biography was in a sense a rediscovery of a lost and idyllic era, a period when it was possible to aspire to the pinnacles of artistic achievement while still occupying a central role in Russian society. Khodasevich writes with humor, intelligence, and understanding, and his work stands as a monument to the last three centuries of Russian history, lending keen insight into RussiaвЂTMs past as well as its present and future. “KhodasevichвЂTMs light narrative touch (as translated by Brintlinger) lends a novelistic quality to the biography, making it a genuine tour de force. All students and scholars – of history, literature, poetry, biography – will find something of interest here.”— Choice

Russian poet, soldier, and statesman Gavriil Derzhavin (1743–1816) lived during an epoch of momentous change in Russia—imperial expansion, peasant revolts, war with Turkey, and struggle with Napoleon—and he served three tsars, including Catherine the Great. Here in its first English translation is the masterful biography of Derzhavin by another acclaimed Russian man of letters, Vladislav Khodasevich.

            Derzhavin occupied a position at the center of Russian life, uniting civic service with poetic inspiration and creating an oeuvre that at its essence celebrated the triumphs of Russia and its rulers, particularly Catherine the Great. His biographer Khodasevich, by contrast, left Russia in 1922, unable to abide the increasingly repressive regime of the Soviets. For Khodasevich, whose lyric poems were as commonplace in their focus as Derzhavin’s odes were grand, this biography was in a sense a rediscovery of a lost and idyllic era, a period when it was possible to aspire to the pinnacles of artistic achievement while still occupying a central role in Russian society.

Khodasevich writes with humor, intelligence, and understanding, and his work stands as a monument to the last three centuries of Russian history, lending keen insight into Russia’s past as well as its present and future.


“Khodasevich’s light narrative touch (as translated by Brintlinger) lends a novelistic quality to the biography, making it a genuine tour de force. All students and scholars – of history, literature, poetry, biography – will find something of interesthere.”—Choice

Russian poet, soldier, and statesman Gavriil Derzhavin (1743-1816) lived during an epoch of momentous change in Russia--imperial expansion, peasant revolts, war with Turkey, and struggle with Napoleon--and he served three tsars, including Catherine the Great ... Derzhavin occupied a position at the center of Russian life, uniting civil service with poetic inspiration and creating an oeuvre that at its essence celebrated the triumphs of Russia and its rulers ... This biography was in a sense a rediscovery of a lost and idyllic era, a period when it was possible to aspire to the pinnacles of artistic achievement while still occupying a central role in Russian society.--Back cover Contents 8 Illustrations 10 Acknowledgments 12 Note on the Translation 14 Translator’s Introduction 16 A chronology: Life of Gavrila Derzhavin 28 Author’s Preface 32 Chapter 1 34 Chapter 2 40 Chapter 3 65 Chapter 4 104 Chapter 5 133 Chapter 6 156 Chapter 7 184 Chapter 8 211 Chapter 9 230 Notes 288 Index 300 Russian poet, soldier, and statesman Gavriil Derzhavin (1743-1816) lived during an epoch of momentous change in Russia - imperial expansion, peasant revolts, war with Turkey, and struggle with Napoleon - and he served three tsars, including Catherine the Great. This is the biography of Derzhavin.