Fedor Nikolaevich Glinka
Fedor Nikolaevich Glinka, born in 1788 near Smolensk, Russia, was a notable figure in the early 19th century, known primarily for his poetry and military service. A cousin of the renowned composer Mikhail Glinka, Fedor came from a noble family of landowners and had a military background, which included participation in the battle of Austerlitz. Due to health issues, he retired from the military in 1806 and devoted himself to writing, producing patriotic poetry and prose that reflected his military experiences and views on tyranny, notably in works like *Vel'zen: Ili osvobozhdennaia Gollandia* and *Podarok russkomu soldatu*.
During the Napoleonic Wars, Glinka rejoined the military and became a celebrated poet among readers for his patriotic spirit. After the war, his focus shifted towards religious themes, and he became politically active, aligning himself with the Masons and the Decembrists. His participation in the Decembrist uprising led to his arrest, exile, and later a return to literary pursuits. In his later years, Glinka's poetry took on themes of mysticism and patriotism but faced criticism from emerging nihilist movements. Despite his contributions, he has largely been forgotten in contemporary Russian literature, passing away in 1880.
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Fedor Nikolaevich Glinka
Poet
- Born: 1788
- Birthplace: Near Smolerisk, Russia
- Died: February 11, 1880
- Place of death: St. Petersburg, Russia
Biography
A cousin of the famous composer Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka, Fedor Nikolaevich Glinka was born in 1788 in a village near Smolensk, Russia. He was born into an old, noble family of struggling landowners. His father was a retired captain of the Russian army. In his autobiography, Glinka recalls his childhood days in a sleepy provincial town with little to read. As a nine-year-old, Glinka was sent to the military school in St. Petersburg, where he continued to pursue his interest in books rather than in military matters. He became an officer, visited other countries, and fought in the battle of Austerlitz.
In 1806 he retired from military service because of poor health. He settled at his family estate and pursued his love of poetry, writing mostly patriotic poems that drew from his military experiences. He also wrote a tragedy, Vel’zen: Ili osvobozhdennaia Gollandia (Vilzen: or, Holland liberated, 1810), which was a veiled attack on tyranny that portrayed a lawful monarch as the liberator of his people.
When Napoleon attacked Russia, Glinka rejoined the military and fought bravely. Between battles, he wrote poetry, including Podarok russkomu soldatu (gift to a Russian soldier, 1818). He also wrote prose, including Pis’ma russkogo ofitsera o Pol’she (letters of a Russian officer, 1815-1816), which praised the Russian soldiers and analyzed the causes of the Napoleonic wars. His writings became popular with readers, who especially appreciated his patriotic spirit and the moral values he upheld.
After the war, Glinka returned to his estate and continued to write almost exclusively religious poetry, especially after 1820. He became active in political matters and joined the Masons and a secret society called the Decembrists. He refused to align himself with political conservatives, though he did defend the concept of a constitutional monarchy and believed that God would punish tyrants and free slaves. He was arrested when the Decembrist uprising took place and spent three months in prison. He was released, expelled from the military, and exiled to a city on the Karelian peninsula near the Finnish border. There he continued to write poetry—the best of which was Kareliya (1830)—that tried to make sense of the suffering experienced by innocent people.
He was allowed to return from exile in 1830 and went to Tver, Orel, and Moscow. He married and organized meetings of the intellectual elite for discussions of pressing problems. He had become a slavophile, and his poetry leaned increasingly toward mysticism, religious fervor, and renewed patriotism in the wake of the Crimean War. In the last twenty years of his long life, however, the new generations, especially the nihilists, ridiculed his conservatism. He died in 1880. Today he is largely forgotten by the general readers in Russia.