Nikolai Petrovich Nikolev
Nikolai Petrovich Nikolev was a notable Russian playwright and poet born in Moscow in 1758. Raised in a culturally rich environment, he was exposed to literature from an early age, which significantly influenced his later work. Tragically, he lost his sight at the age of twenty, yet he persevered in his literary pursuits with the help of secretaries, producing numerous stage plays and poems throughout his life. His works often included critiques of political oppression, leading to temporary setbacks in his theatrical career, although he was eventually allowed to return to the stage by Czarina Catherine the Great.
Nikolev's literary style was rooted in Neoclassicism, yet he also incorporated elements of folklore, setting him apart from the emerging Sentimentalism of his time. Some of his notable works include the comedy "Samoliubivyi stikhotvorets," which was aimed at a literary rival. He gained further recognition with a poem honoring Prince Bagration, which was mentioned by the renowned author Leo Tolstoy in "War and Peace." After the end of the Napoleonic Wars, he moved to Tambov, where he produced sharp epigrams targeting Napoleon. Nikolev passed away in 1815, and his legacy continued as followers sought to commemorate his contributions to literature through annual gatherings and essays.
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Subject Terms
Nikolai Petrovich Nikolev
Playwright
- Born: November 10, 1758
- Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
- Died: January 24, 1815
Biography
Nikolai Petrovich Nikolev was born in Moscow, Russia, in 1758 and was raised in the house of Princess E. R. Dashkova. As a result, he was exposed to literary culture from an early age, learning under a variety of tutors of outstanding ability. However, at the tender age of twenty his life was blighted with blindness, which narrowed the range of options available to him. However, with his supple mind and the aid of good secretaries he was able to continue working and composed a large number of stage plays and a few poems.
One of his tragedies contained such obvious criticisms of political tyranny that he had to leave the stage for a time, but Czarina Catherine the Great later permitted him to return to theatrical work. Nikolev several comic works, including Rozana i Liubim (produced, 1778; published, 1781) and Samoliubivyi stikhotvorets (produced, 1781; published, 1787). The latter was intended as an attack on a literary rival. Although Nikolev was a firm adherent to the literary theories of Neoclassicism, he did experiment with the inclusion of various folkloric elements into his works. However, he was a fierce opponent of Sentimentalism, the new literary movement that arose during the latter part of his life and would ultimately give rise to Romanticism.
In 1806 Nikolev composed a solemn poem in praise of Prince Bagration which was of sufficient note to merit mention by Leo Tolstoy in his novel War and Peace. After Napoleon I’s threat to Russia was ended, Nikolev moved to Tambov, where he produced a large volume of brief epigrams and witty verse attacking Napoleon. Nikolev died in 1815, almost contemporaneous with the close of the Napoleonic Wars. There was an attempt by his followers to establish a cult of his memory, complete with annual gatherings to remember the day of his death by writing essays and collecting them into a book.