Evgenii Baratynskii
Evgenii Baratynskii was a notable Russian poet born into an aristocratic family. His life took an unexpected turn when he was expelled from the Corps of Pages at a young age due to a theft, leading him to serve as a private soldier. During this time, he began to write poetry, initially producing works that lacked lasting significance. His move to Finland from 1820 to 1826 marked a turning point, as he began to create higher-quality narrative and epic poems, influenced by Alexander Pushkin and the classicism of earlier poets.
Baratynskii's poetry often explored themes of melancholy and psychology, with notable works like "Eda," "Bal," and "Nalozhnitsa" reflecting a deeper emotional complexity. Following his marriage and subsequent resignation from the army, he sought solace in nature and became increasingly introspective, shifting towards a classicist style. His later works, while critically acclaimed, did not gain widespread popularity. Tragically, his life was cut short during a trip to Naples in 1844. Baratynskii is recognized as a significant figure in the "Pushkin Pleiad," contributing to the transitional phase of Russian literature with his unique blend of Romantic and classical influences.
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Subject Terms
Evgenii Baratynskii
Poet
- Born: February 19, 1800
- Birthplace: Mara, Tambov Province, Russia
- Died: June 29, 1844
- Place of death: Naples, Italy
Biography
Evgenii Abramovich Baratynskii was born into an aristocratic family of the landed gentry. At the age of twelve, he was sent to the Corps of Pages as a cadet. However, having taken part in a theft, he was expelled from the corps, thus losing the chance for a commission. He was reduced to the ranks as a private soldier instead. It was at that time that he began to write and publish poetry, inspired by the Romantic poets. His early poems, many of which are written in a lighthearted vein, produced no items of lasting significance.
In 1820, Baratynskii was transferred to Finland and remained there until 1826. The poetry he wrote at this time was of a higher quality. He preferred narrative or epic poems, undoubtedly imitating the most important bard of the Romantic period in Russian poetry, Alexander Pushkin, but also displaying the classicism of the preceding period. Among these poems, “Eda” features a Finnish peasant girl rather than the exotic Gypsies of his previous period; in “Bal” (the ball), a beautiful society woman commits suicide after being forsaken by her lover; and in “Nalozhnitsa” (the concubine), a gypsy woman returns and kills her lovers. These poems display characteristics that would later become staples of his entire poetry: precision, conciseness, expressiveness, an interest in psychology, and a prevalent melancholic mood.
After Baratynskii married, his life seemed to be happy, but an innate melancholy imbued his disposition and his poetry nevertheless. With the support of another leading poet, Vasily Zhukovsky, Baratynskii finally received his commission, but by this time he had lost a desire to stay in the officer corps. Soon he resigned from the army, and retired to his estate near Moscow. He now published lyrical poems, which were highly praised by critics but not as much by the general public.
As he grew older, Baratynskii became more and more meditative and intellectual, revealing a classicist rather than a Romanticist vein. He now sought the union with nature, from which, he believed, humans had increasingly distanced themselves. This development reinforced his own fascination with sadness, many of his poems being elegies. Inevitably, the thought of death recurs more and more. In 1843, he traveled to France and Italy, where he died suddenly in Naples a year later.
Baratynskii was one of the most talented younger poets in the so-called “Pushkin Pleiad,” which was heavily influenced by Pushkin. Inevitably, Baratynskii felt this influence too, although he was able to fashion his own style that is mostly classical with hefty doses of Romanticism. In this way, he was able to assure his place as a significant poet of the transitional period in Russian literature.