Nikolai Fedorovich Shcherbina
Nikolai Fedorovich Shcherbina was a minor Russian poet born on December 2, 1821, into an impoverished noble family near Taganrog. His lineage included Ukrainian and Don Cossack nobility, as well as Peloponnesian Greek roots, which influenced his early education; he grew up speaking Greek and studied ancient Greek literature. Shcherbina's literary career began with the publication of his sonnet "K moriu" in 1838, yet he faced challenges in his academic aspirations, particularly his failed attempt to enter Moscow University. Throughout the 1840s, he worked as a tutor and teacher while continuing to publish poetry.
In 1850, after a period of personal hardship in Odessa, Shcherbina released his first poetry collection, "Grecheskie stikhotvoreniia," which garnered critical acclaim. Subsequently, he moved to Moscow, where he developed an interest in Russian folk traditions and edited an anthology of notable Russian poetry. His later works included "Stikhotvorenii," which received mixed reviews, and a collection of satirical epigrams that circulated privately during his lifetime. Shcherbina's dedication to education culminated in the publication of "Pchela" in 1865, an anthology aimed at Russia's lower classes. Despite his modest reputation, his contributions, particularly in popular literature, reflect a significant aspect of Russian literary history.
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Nikolai Fedorovich Shcherbina
Writer
- Born: December 2, 1821
- Birthplace: Near Taganrog, Russia
- Died: April 10, 1869
- Place of death: St. Petersburg, Russia
Biography
A minor Russian poet of the mid-nineteenth century, Nikolai Fedorovich Shcherbina was born into an impoverished noble family near Taganrog on December 2, 1821, the son of a father descended from Ukrainian Cossack nobility and a mother descended from Don Cossack nobility and Peloponnesian Greeks. Shcherbina grew up speaking Greek, and he studied ancient Greek literature with a tutor in addition to the education he received at schools in Taganrog. Shcherbina’s sonnet “K moriu” was published in the journal Syn otechestva in 1838. Despite this accomplishment, Shcherbina was unable to gain entrance to Moscow University, where he hoped to study. He spent some years in Moscow, Khar’kov, and Taganrog, trying to rise out of his poverty.
In Khar’kov, Shcherbina was at last able to find work as a private tutor and as a teacher at a women’s boarding school. He also immersed himself in ancient Greek studies, composing and publishing poems derived from his study throughout the first half of the 1840’s. In 1849, Shcherbina traveled to Odessa with the intention of escorting a friend abroad. However, when his plans fell through, he soon found himself destitute and severely depressed. His acquaintances in Odessa, including writers Grigorii Petrovich Danilevsky and Iakov Petrovich Polonsky, encouraged him to publish a collection of his poems. Grecheskie stikhotvoreniia appeared in 1850 and was both a critical and a popular success. The same year, Shcherbina moved to Moscow and was made assistant editor of the government publication Moskovskie gubernskie vedomosti.
While in Moscow, Shcherbina developed an interest in Russian folk traditions, which would inform the book he edited, Sbornik luchshikh proizvedenii russkoi poezii (1858), an anthology of the best works of Russian poetry, and prompt his ethnologic travels throughout the villages of the Kostroma, Tver’, Moscow, and Vladimir provinces. In 1855, Shcherbina moved to St. Petersburg and became the personal assistant of Prince Viazemsky. Two years later he published a two-volume collection of his poetry, Stikhotvorenii. While this collection was not as well received as Grecheskie stikhotvoreniia, one of its five sections, “Pesni o prirode, or songs about nature, was commended for its philosophical deftness and its musicality.
In the 1850’s, Shcherbina’s began writing satirical epigrams, a move that was likely tied to his underprivileged station and to his enduring depression. The mordant and nonpartisan series of epigrams, Al’bom ipokhondrika, was popular as it circulated in handwritten form; it was not published, albeit in a censored version, until after Shcherbina’s death. A trip through western Europe in 1861 only accentuated Shcherbina’s passion for Russia. Upon his return, he worked diligently to compile an educational reader for Russia’s lower classes. Pchela: Sbornik dlia narodnogo chteniia i dlia upotrebleniia pri narodnom obuchenii, an anthology of popular readings, was published in 1865. While the Russian Symbolists took some interest in his poetry, Shcherbina’s anthology of popular literary works stands as his most decisive contribution to Russian letters.