Dmitrii Vladimirovich Venevitinov
Dmitrii Vladimirovich Venevitinov was a notable Russian Romantic poet whose life, although tragically short, left a significant mark on the literary landscape of his time. Born on September 14, 1805, he received a broad education that encompassed languages, music, painting, and philosophy, studying at Moscow University until 1822. His literary career began in earnest with works that drew on classical influences and themes from medieval Russian legends. Venevitinov's poetry often reflected Romantic ideals and incorporated philosophical elements, particularly those of Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling.
He is well-remembered for his lyric poems and his critical essays, including analyses of Alexander Pushkin's celebrated work, *Evgenii Onegin*. Venevitinov also made significant contributions through translations of works by influential foreign authors, such as Virgil and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. His creative output, while not groundbreaking, positioned him as an important figure within the Russian Romantic movement. Venevitinov's legacy continues to resonate, highlighting the depth of emotion and philosophical inquiry present in his relatively brief body of work.
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Dmitrii Vladimirovich Venevitinov
Poet
- Born: September 14, 1805
- Died: March 15, 1827
Biography
Much like his near contemporary John Keats, the Russian Romantic poet Dmitrii Vladimirovich Venevitinov saw his life cut severely short by illness. However, in his twenty-one years, Venevitinov managed to carve out an impressive literary career for himself. Venevitinov was born on September 14, 1805, to Vladimir Petrovich Venevitinov and Anna Nikolaevna, née Obolenskaia. Tutors instructed him in English, French, German, Greek, Latin, Russian, music, and painting. Additionally, Venevitinov became acquainted with philosophy and physics at Moscow University, where he studied until 1922. The same year, he and Prince Vladimir Fedorovich Odoevsky founded the Obshchestvo liubomudriia (society of lovers of wisdom), an organization concerned with the philosophy of Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling. Upon passing his university exams in 1824, Venevitinov began work at the Moscow Archive of the College of Foreign Affairs.
Given his early training in the classics, it is not surprising that Venevitinov’s first forays into literary creation rely on classical conventions. “K druz’iam” (to friends, 1821) is one such poem, while “Osvobozhdenie skal’da (Skandinavskaia povest’)” (liberation of the Skald [Scandinavian novella], 1823) demonstrates the influence of Scandinavian legend. He was also inspired by the medieval Russian legend Slovo o polku Igoreve (the tale of Igor’s campaign), as is clear in the long poem “Evpraksiia.”
Venevitinov’s lyric poems display both typical Romantic conceits and Schellingian philosophy. During 1825, Venevitinov wrote a few critical essays about Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin’s Evgenii Onegin. The following year he took a position at the College of Foreign of Affairs in St. Petersburg, where he began to plan a new journal, Moskovskii vestnik (the Moscow herald). A number of Venevitinov’s poems, including poems called “Sonet” (sonnet, 1825), “Poet” (1826), and “Liubi pitomtsa vdokhnoven’ia” (love the nursling of inspiration, 1827), treat the themes of genius and prophecy.
Among Venevitinov’s contributions to Russian letters are his many translations and adaptations. He published, in 1823, a translation of Virgil in Znameniia pered smert’iu Tsezaria: Otryvok iz Vergilievykh “Georgik” (signs preceding the death of Caesar: selection from Virgil’s “Georgics”). Other foreign authors he translated or adapted are Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Jean- Baptiste-Louis Gresset, E. T. A. Hoffman, and Charles-Hubert Millevoye. While Venevitinov’s poetic output broke little new ground, the man himself was an important Russian Romantic poet.