Nikolai Mikhailovich Iazykov
Nikolai Mikhailovich Iazykov (1803-1846) was a notable Russian poet whose life and work were deeply intertwined with the Romantic literary movement. Born into a wealthy gentry family in Simbirsk, he was initially educated in military and engineering schools, but he found his true calling in poetry, gaining recognition in St. Petersburg's literary circles. Iazykov's early works often celebrated themes of love, nature, and defiance of authority, reflecting a hedonistic lifestyle that he later glorified in his writings. His collection, "Pesni" (Songs), showcased his ability to evoke emotion through rhythm and imagery.
Throughout his career, Iazykov underwent a significant transformation in his artistic approach, moving from sensual themes to the idealization of women and historical narratives. Influenced by Slavophile ideals later in life, he embraced conservative views, particularly regarding the role of the Russian peasantry and Orthodox Church in national identity. Despite his earlier innovations and technical prowess, Iazykov's later works received less acclaim and he faced criticism for his increasingly chauvinistic perspective. His final narrative poem, "Lipy," was ultimately denied publication due to its critical stance on government corruption. Iazykov's contributions to the Romantic period in Russian literature are still recognized, although his legacy has been complicated by his later beliefs and the changing literary landscape.
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Nikolai Mikhailovich Iazykov
Poet
- Born: March 4, 1803
- Birthplace: Simbirsk, Russia
- Died: December 26, 1846
Biography
Nikolai Mikhailovich Iazykov was born in 1803, in the district of Simbirsk, on the Volga in central Russia. His father belonged to the wealthy rural gentry, who supported the eldest of his ten children, Nikolai, all his life. Nikolai was sent to the military school in St. Petersburg at the age of eleven but, because he disliked it, he changed to an engineering school, from which he was expelled for poor attendance. He began to write and publish poetry in the capital’s journals. Iazykov transferred to the German University of Dorpat, Estonia, where he plunged into a life of debauchery, which he freely glorified in his Anacreontic, Romantic poetry. Wine, women, and song were his most frequent subjects. As a Romanticist, in Pesni (songs, 1823) he extolled in fluent rhythm emotions and love for his country, love for women and drinking, as well as irreverence and defiance of authority. He often visited Alexander Pushkin at his estate, where he wrote some of his best poems.
In his next cycle of poems, he turned to elegies. Moreover, his lustful, earthy poems turned to idealization of woman (1825-1830), believing that such poetry could purify his body and soul. Through this new manifestation of his poetic gifts, the idealization of a woman became a sort of artistic religion. Iazykov embraced another Romanticist creed—the idealization of the historical past—in fairy tales and epic poems like the famous Russian Slovo o polku Igoreve (the lay of Igor’s campaign). He also began to write historical ballads, the best of which is a song about a historical bard Baian.
Iazykov finally left the free-spirited life at the University of Dorpat in 1829 and went to Moscow, where he found new friends, mostly Slavophiles. Under the influence of Slavophile poets and thinkers, Iazykov became conservative, almost chauvinistic, in belief that the Russian peasant and the Russian Orthodox Church would bring about the rebirth of Russia. From 1833 to 1846, he wrote little good poetry, returned to fairy tales and historical ballads, and tried verse drama. His last narrative poem, Lipy (the lindens, written in 1846), was denied publication for its criticism of corrupted government. He traveled to Europe seeking a cure for a spinal disease he suffered from.
Iazykov is recognized for the technical and linguistic brilliance of his early poems, for expansion of poetic genres, and for innovations in Russian literature of the Romantic period. Later in life he was ignored by the younger generations and rejected because of his chauvinism and paucity of ideas.