Iakov Petrovich Polonsky
Iakov Petrovich Polonsky was a prominent Russian lyric poet, born on December 6, 1819, in Riazan', Russia. Growing up as the eldest son of a financially struggling nobleman, he faced significant hardships, particularly after his mother's death. He pursued law at Moscow University, where he became involved in literary circles and began writing poetry. Following his graduation in 1844, Polonsky worked in various capacities, including as a tutor and a civil servant, while continuing to produce poetry and essays.
Polonsky's work gained recognition with the publication of his poetry collection "Sazandar" in 1849. He moved to St. Petersburg in 1851 to forge a career as a writer but faced challenges due to increased government censorship. Throughout his life, he endured personal tragedies, including the loss of his wife and child, which deeply affected his work. In the 1880s, he shifted focus back to lyric poetry and "pure art," culminating in the publication of a comprehensive ten-volume edition of his works. Polonsky remained active in the literary community until his death on October 18, 1898, leaving a legacy that influenced many writers and composers who adapted his poetry into music.
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Subject Terms
Iakov Petrovich Polonsky
Writer
- Born: December 6, 1819
- Birthplace: Riazan', Russia
- Died: October 18, 1898
- Place of death: St. Petersburg, Russia
Biography
Known primarily as a late Romantic lyric poet, Iakov Petrovich Polonsky was born in the provincial town of Riazan’, Russia, on December 6, 1819, the eldest son of a poor nobleman, Petr Grigor’evich Polonsky, and Natalia Iakovlevna Polonskaia (née Kaftyreva), from a noble family. Polonsky was educated at home until the death of his mother in 1830, when he was enrolled in a local gymnasium. He entered the law department of Moscow University in 1838, graduating in 1844. In Moscow, Polonsky headed a student philosophy club, befriended many future literary figures, wrote poems, and attended literary salons. Plagued by financial instability for much of his life, Polonsky set out for Odessa upon graduation, procuring work as a tutor.
In 1846 he relocated to Tbilisi and worked as a civil servant in the governor general’s office and as an editorial assistant at the newspaper Zakavkazskii vestnik. During his years in Tbilisi, Polonsky wrote poems, ethnographic articles, and a historical drama. His third collection of poetry, Sazandar, was published in 1849 and met with praise in Tbilisi and Moscow. In 1851, Polonsky moved to St. Petersburg to launch a career as a professional writer; however, his plans were thwarted by increased government censorship. During the mid- 1850’s, he found work as a tutor with the governor’s son and traveled to Germany in this capacity. In 1857 he left his position to study painting in Geneva, Switzerland.
Shortly thereafter, Polonsky accepted an invitation to coedit Count Grigorii Aleksandrovich Kushelev-Bezborodko’s new journal, Russkoe slovo. He met and married Elena Vasil’evna Ustiuzhskaia in Paris in 1858, and together they returned to St. Petersburg, where difficulties soon befell them. In 1859, Polonsky was left permanently disabled when he fell from a carriage; the following year both his infant son and his wife died and he severed his ties with Russkoe slovo. Having begun work as a secretary at the state committee for censorship of foreign literature in 1860, Polonsky was promoted to junior censor in 1863. He started to write a novel in verse (which, like most of his longer efforts, remained unfinished) and socially concerned poetry. In 1866 he married Zhozefina Antonovna Riul’man, with whom he had two sons and a daughter. In the 1880’s Polonsky’s writing turned away from social engagement back towards the sphere of “pure art” and the personal and philosophical space of his earlier lyric poetry. Polonsky’s contribution to Russian letters was marked during his lifetime by the publication of Polnoe sobranie sochinenii (1885-1886), a ten-volume edition of his complete works, and by a celebration in 1887 to honor his fifty-year anniversary in the literary world. Polonsky did not retire from the censorship committee until 1896. Active until the end of his long life, he wrote memoirs and hosted a literary salon, where he enthusiastically welcomed a new generation of writers. After his death on October 18, 1898, the salon was continued by the nascent Polonsky Club and met until 1916. Additionally, many of his poems have been set to music by foremost composers.