Boleslav Mikhailovich Markevich
Boleslav Mikhailovich Markevich was a Russian writer born in 1822 to an aristocratic family in Kiev, now Ukraine. He received a rigorous education at home and later attended a lycée in Odessa, where he began publishing poetry in local newspapers. Markevich moved to St. Petersburg in 1842, where he gained fame as a charming figure in high society while working in government positions. His conservative views made him wary of the nihilist movement, which sought significant reforms in Russia during the 19th century.
In the late 1860s, Markevich turned to fiction, producing novels that reflected his concerns about the societal changes occurring in Russia, particularly the influence of radical ideologies on vulnerable populations. His notable work, "Marina iz Alogo Roga," defended traditional education against Western influences. Although his writings received criticism from liberal circles, they found popularity among readers, including Czar Alexander III. Markevich's works provide valuable insights into the moral dilemmas and cultural shifts of his time, as he sought to caution society against the potential dangers of unchecked reform. He passed away on November 6, 1884.
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Boleslav Mikhailovich Markevich
Writer
- Born: 1822
- Birthplace: Probably Kiev, Russia (now Ukraine)
- Died: November 6, 1884
Biography
Ironically, given his eventual reputation as a meticulous chronicler of his era, little has been documented of the childhood of Boleslav Mikhailovich Markevich. Born in 1822 to an aristocratic family that traced its nobility to medieval Poland, Markevich grew up in Kiev in present-day Ukraine. His later memoirs as well as his thinly-veiled autobiographical fictional work recount his education at home, extensive and rigorous, at the hands of extraordinarily gifted tutors who introduced the child both to the nascent movement to create a national literature for Russia (particularly Pushkin) as well as to traditional European literature. Markevich displayed a quick intelligence and advanced rapidly when he was matriculated into the lycée in Odessa.
Long before his 1841 graduation, Markevich experimented with poetry and had found publication in local newspapers. After relocating to St. Petersburg in 1842, however, he accepted a government position and soon became a society celebrity. Known for his engaging wit and his charisma (he flirted with a stage career), the handsome Markevich quickly found a place in the highest social circles. He would do little writing.
Moving to Moscow in 1848 and then back to St. Petersburg, accepting more powerful (and more lucrative) government posts, Markevich was naturally alarmed by the foment of the anti- government, anti-church reformists known collectively as the nihilists. The cultural movement, made up of passionately committed, university-educated young people influenced by Western ideas, sought to expand the reforms already initiated by Czar Alexander II. Markevich, conservative by nature, found the increasingly strident demands of the nihilists a threat to Russian stability as the group turned to violent propaganda and terrorist activities. When he turned to fiction in the late 1860’s, his novels, polemic and agenda-driven, reflected his concerns: they related dire tales of impressionable peasants lured to catastrophic behavior by the tempting promises of the radical left. His most notable work, Marina iz Alogo Roga (1873), specifically defended traditional education against the influx of Western ideas, specifically the new science and capitalism.
Caught up in a government scandal and accused of bribery, Markevich resigned under pressure in 1875 and devoted the next several years to a sequence of three novels (the last unfinished at his death) devoted specifically to chronicling the tectonic changes in Russia from the debacle in the Crimean War to the assassination of Alexander II at the hands of the nihilists in 1881. The novels lack a sophisticated plot structure, have little symbolic ornamentation, and often devote pages to espousing Markevich’s convictions concerning the immorality of the liberal movement. They received harsh criticism from the liberal press, although they were hugely popular and favorites of the new Czar Alexander III.
Markovich died November 6, 1884. Genuinely concerned over the moral implications of mass reform, Markevich used his fiction to caution his culture against the irreversible damage often brought out when government is directed by reckless passions. As period pieces, they offer contemporary readers invaluable insight into Russia during a tempestuous era.