Iakov Borisovich Kniazhnin
Iakov Borisovich Kniazhnin was a notable Russian playwright and civil servant, born on October 14, 1740, in Pskov, Russia. His early education included private tutoring and attendance at the Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg. Kniazhnin's career began in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he initially achieved noble status and a military rank but faced setbacks due to a scandal involving financial misconduct. He later returned to civil service and became known for his literary works, particularly his comic plays, such as "Khvastun" (1786) and "Chudaki" (1793), which showcased a blend of French literary influence and Russian cultural elements.
Kniazhnin's writings often incorporated classical themes and he grappled with the moral implications of leadership, especially in the context of the political turmoils surrounding the French Revolution. His play "Vadim Novgorodskii" (1793) sparked controversy due to its critical examination of authority, leading to its suppression by Empress Catherine II after its posthumous discovery. Despite the challenges he faced during his lifetime, including censorship and political repercussions for his works, Kniazhnin's legacy endured, culminating in the posthumous publication of his collected works in 1914, which included the previously banned "Vadim Novgorodskii." Kniazhnin passed away on January 25, 1791, leaving a complex and impactful literary heritage.
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Iakov Borisovich Kniazhnin
Playwright
- Born: October 14, 1742
- Birthplace: Pskov, Russia
- Died: January 25, 1791
- Place of death: St. Petersburg, Russia
Biography
Iakov Borisovich Kniazhnin was born in Pskov, Russia, on October 14, 1740, the son of the city’s vice governor. Kniazhnin was taught at home until the age of sixteen, at which time he was sent to St. Petersburg to a private tutor and subsequently to the gymnasium (high school) of the Academy of Sciences. In 1764, he accepted employment with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the beginning of his checkered career. He attained noble status and the military rank of captain, only to lose these positions because of a scandal involving misappropriated funds and his failure to pay certain debts. In 1778, he was reinstated in the civil service when he became a secretary to the main curator of the institutions of education and enlightenment.
Kniazhnin’s writing was heavily influenced by French authors, particularly Voltaire, whose works he translated. Kniazhnin is best remembered for his comic plays, Khvastun (1786), and Chudaki (1793). The characters in these plays were various wantons and rogues, with some occasional nods to Russian mores to keep Kniazhnin clear of the censor. Kniazhnin preferred to write epic tragedy. He regarded the moral at the end of a story as an important element of formal closure, without which a work could not be considered truly complete, but he did not consider the moral to be thematically important. He drew heavily upon classical motifs and on French treatments of these motifs. However, he did not entirely neglect Russian historical themes, including the tragic murder of Iaropolk by Vladimir Sviatoslavich.
As Kniazhnin grew older, some of the themes of his work became more politically risky, particularly due to the tensions resulting from the French Revolution. He no longer unquestioningly assumed that the leader knew best but instead began to seek a balance between the Russian narod (people) and the autocratic ruler. This was particularly true of his play Vadim Novgorodskii (1793), which pitted the leader of Russia’s one democratically led city against Rurik, founder of the original Russian dynasty. This play was written in the months preceding the French Revolution but was withheld from publication upon its completion, due to the shift in public policy as a result of those events.
Kniazhnin died in St. Petersburg on January 25, 1791, but his saga was not over. Two years later, a copy of Vadim Novgorodskii was discovered among his papers and sold to a bookseller, who printed copies of it. When a copy was acquired by Russian Empress Catherine II, she was appalled by the sentiments she found in it, and ordered that all copies be immediately confiscated and burnt. In addition to punishing the bookseller who had illegally published it, she ordered Kniazhnin’s descendents to be punished as a way of punishing the author by proxy. However, at least one copy escaped the ban, and in 1914 it finally became possible to print a complete collected works of Kniazhnin, including the previously banned Vadim Novgorodskii.