Nikolai Petrovich Osipov
Nikolai Petrovich Osipov was a Russian writer and military officer born in 1751, who initially received his education at home and private boarding schools, reflecting his gentry background. He entered military service in 1769 and rose through the ranks, reaching the position of first lieutenant by 1781, when health issues forced him to retire. After leaving the military, Osipov attempted to establish a career as a writer in St. Petersburg, where he struggled financially, primarily earning through translation work. His involvement in the Radishchev affair negatively impacted his reputation, suggesting a possible moral compromise with authorities that allowed his civil service career to advance. Osipov's literary contributions included a mix of practical prose, light satire, and translations of Western fiction, although his translations were often based on French versions, which may have restricted their quality. Notably, he produced a parody of Virgil's Aeneid, which was well-received in his time despite its derivative nature. Osipov also created a burlesque of Ovid towards the end of his life, although it remains incomplete. He passed away on May 19, 1799, leaving a complex legacy in the Russian literary landscape.
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Nikolai Petrovich Osipov
- Born: 1751
- Died: May 19, 1799
Biography
Nikolai Petrovich Osipov was born in 1751. He was first educated at home and then at private boarding schools, which indicates that his family was of the gentry. In 1769, he entered military service, and was promoted to corporal in 1771 and ensign in 1773. During this period, he also began to write, producing a manuscript periodical that appeared irregularly and contained short verses, some original and some translated.
By 1781, poor health had forced Osipov out of the military, and he retired with the rank of first lieutenant. He settled in St. Petersburg, where he tried to make a living as a writer. However, his only income came from his collaboration in a team of translators, and in 1790 he found work with the postal service.
However, he became entangled in the Radishchev affair, and although his deposition did not incriminate Radishchev, it appears to have damaged his reputation with his contemporaries. Apparently some point of honor opaque to later generations was involved. However, the fact that his civil service career began to take off at this point suggests to many that he made some moral compromise with the authorities and was in turn rewarded.
This period also marks the beginning of Osipov’s career as a literary hack, turning out numerous volumes of relatively pedestrian prose on practical topics such as the economy of the well-run estate. At the same time, he also began writing light satirical works, mostly amusing and even nonsensical. He also began translating Western prose fiction, which was emerging as a literary form in its own right at this time. However, he appears to have worked largely from French translations of the works of other Western languages, which probably limited the quality of his translations.
During this period Osipov also produced his only original poetic work that survives, namely his parody of Virgil’s Aeneid. It is largely derivative of existing parodies of Virgil by Western authors, although in his society this was considered high praise of one’s literary models rather than a serious flaw. Scholars have been able to subsequently identify the two major sources which Osipov adapted in creating his text. However, Osipov worked a variation on both his sources through the deliberate Russification of his subject in order to create incongruity between the high and noble events he was supposed to be describing and the prosaic elements that detailed it. Near the end of his life, he also produced a burlesque of Ovid, although it is incomlete and less successful. Osipov died on May 19, 1799, and a manuscript that is attributed to him but dated 1811 can only be either a forgery or an homage of some sort.