Nestor Vasil'evich Kukol'nik
Nestor Vasil'evich Kukol'nik was a notable Russian playwright, poet, and fiction writer born on September 8, 1809, in St. Petersburg. He hailed from a family with Carpathian-Russian noble origins and was influenced by his father's role as an educator. Growing up in Nezhin, Kukol'nik developed an early passion for literature and theater, marked by a competitive relationship with fellow writer Nikolai Gogol. After embarking on a teaching career, he transitioned to government service while nurturing his literary ambitions.
Kukol'nik made a significant mark in the Romantic period with successful plays such as "Torkvato Tasso" and "Ruka Vsevyshnego otechestvo spasla," which showcased his affinity for historical themes and nationalist sentiment. His collaborations with composer Michail Glinka also highlight his engagement with the arts. Despite achieving popularity, Kukol'nik faced criticism from contemporaries for perceived shortcomings in his work and character. His later years were marked by a decline in recognition, ultimately leading to his death in Taganrog in 1868, where he had become somewhat overlooked in the literary landscape.
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Subject Terms
Nestor Vasil'evich Kukol'nik
Playwright
- Born: September 8, 1809
- Birthplace: St. Petersburg, Russia
- Died: December 8, 1868
- Place of death: Taganrog, Russia
Biography
Nestor Vasil’evich Kukol’nik was born on September 8, 1809, in St. Petersburg, Russia, to a family that descended from Carpathian-Russian nobility. His father was an educator and teacher at several schools, including the University of St. Petersburg; his mother was a Pole. Kukol’nik grew up in Nezhin, where he attended the gymnasium (high school). Early on, he showed an interest in literature, learned several languages, and was drawn to theater. He also developed a great rivalry in theatrical production with his gymnasium schoolmate, future author Nikolai Gogol.
After graduating from the gymnasium in 1829, he taught Russian language and literature in Vil’no for two years and held various positions in education until 1833, when he entered government service in St. Petersburg. However, he wanted a career in literature. He had began to write poetry in high school and wrote his first play in 1833, followed in the same year by perhaps his best play, Torkvato Tasso, about an artist unrecognized in his life time. A successful patriotic play, Ruka Vsevyshnega otechestvo spasla (1834), had broad public appeal and revealed Kukol’nik’s predilection for historical themes, which he pursued his entire career. These plays assured his fame as one of the leading playwrights in the Romantic period.
Between 1833 and 1847, Kukol’nik wrote and produced with great success many plays in blank verse, both historical dramas and fantasies. The plays were primarily designed to glorify and please the czar, and Kukol’nik collaborated with composer Michail Glinka on the opera Zhizn’za tsaria (1836), about the czar’s life. Kukol’nik also wrote many fawning historical novels and stories, several about Peter the Great and some about the plight of an unappreciated artist. By the 1850’s, Kukol’nik was one of the most popular Romantic poets, fiction writers, and playwrights in Russia. Glinka and other composers wrote songs based on his poems. Kukol’nik was knowledgeable in art and also performed well in music. He also edited Khudozhestvennaia gazeta, a journal about art.
However, he was not universally liked and praised. Many fellow writers pointed to great weaknesses in his works. Moreover, they found him personally careerist, servile, and conceited, and accused him of wanting to have his period named after him. His rivalry with poet Alexander Pushkin was well known. Kukol’nik spent the last two decades of his life working for the Russian government. He eventually retired to Taganrog, Russia; by now he had become a forgotten man of Russian letters. He died suddenly in Taganrog in 1868.