Afanasii Afanas'evich Fet
Afanasii Afanas'evich Fet was a notable Russian poet born in 1820 in the Mtsensk region. He is primarily recognized for his short lyric poems that often explore traditional themes, influenced by classical and German literary traditions. Fet's early education took place in a boarding school in Estonia, where he developed his love for poetry and language, ultimately publishing his first collection in 1840. Throughout his career, he contributed to various literary journals and became known for his innovative use of form and syntax, as well as a distinct psychological depth in his work.
His life was marked by personal challenges, including the loss of his mother and subsequent military service, during which he continued to write. In the latter part of his life, Fet settled in Vorob'evka and focused on translating works of prominent German authors like Goethe and Schiller. His poetry collections, notably "Vechernie ogni," were published in the late 19th century. Although he faced criticism during his lifetime, Fet's influence grew posthumously, particularly among the Russian Symbolists, showcasing his dedication to art for art's sake, free from social and political constraints.
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Afanasii Afanas'evich Fet
Poet
- Born: December 5, 1820
- Birthplace: Novoselki, Mtsensk region, Russia
- Died: November 21, 1892
Biography
Best known as a writer of short lyric poems on traditional themes, Afanasii Afanas’evich Fet was born in 1820 in the Mtsensk region of Russia. Fet’s mother, Charlotte Becker, was married to J. P. K. W. Foeth and was living in her native Darmstadt, Germany, when she met Afanasii Neofitovich Shenshin, a Russian army officer. Shenshin returned to Russia with a pregnant Becker, and when the baby was born, the infant was registered to Shenshin. Years after Foeth’s death in 1825, paternity was decided in his favor. After acquiring a basic education in German and Russian at home, Fet entered a boarding school run by German-born teachers in Werro, Estonia. There he studied German, Latin, Greek, French, English, and Russian, and he began writing poetry in Russian. Fet completed his formal education in Moscow and subsequently entered Moscow University, where he studied from 1838 to 1844. In 1840 he published his first book, Liricheskii Panteon (the lyrical pantheon); as with Fet’s subsequent publications, it is a combination of original poems and translations. The following year Fet’s verse began to appear in literary journals, and by 1842 he was a regular contributor to Moskvitianin (the Muscovite) and Otechestvennye zapiski (notes of the fatherland). His poems display classical and German influences alongside a distinct psychologism and formal and syntactic innovation. Hundreds of his poems have been set to music.
Upon the death of his mother in 1844 or 1845, Fet found himself without financial prospects, and so he joined a cavalry regiment in present-day Ukraine. While in the army, he continued to write and to publish both in journal and in book form. In 1857 Fet married Mariia Petrovna Botkina, with whom he settled in Moscow. He was discharged from the army shortly thereafter. While growing closer to Leo Tolstoy, Fet lost ground with the radical critics Nikolai Aleksandrovich Dobroliubov and Nikolai Gavrilovich Chernyshevsky. He soon ended his association with the journals to which he had been a regular contributor. By 1860, Fet had again established residence in the Mtsensk vicinity. He began to write agricultural essays and published his third collection of poetry, which was received with enmity. He also continued to translate and to publish essays on art. In 1877 Fet moved to Vorob’evka, an estate in the region of Shchigry (Kursk), where he worked on translations of Johanne Wolfgang von Goethe’s “Grenzen der Menschheit” (1789) and Friedrich Schiller’s Die Götter griechenlandes (1788). His translation of Goethe’s Faust, as well as the first of the four volumes of poetry he published as Vechernie ogni (evening lights), appeared in 1883. Other volumes were published in 1885, 1888, and 1891. Active until the end of his life, Fet was arguably more influential, particularly with the Russian Symbolists, after his death. His work serves as a crucial demonstration of pure art that is unconcerned with social or political impact.