Nikolai Platonovich Ogarev
Nikolai Platonovich Ogarev, born on November 24, 1813, in St. Petersburg, was a lyric poet, revolutionary journalist, and social activist known for his contributions to Russian literature and his advocacy for social reform. He was educated at home and later enrolled at Moscow University, where he developed a passion for Romantic poetry and aligned himself with progressive philosophical ideas alongside his cousin Alexander Herzen. Ogarev faced political persecution early in his career, spending eight months in jail and later enduring exile due to his revolutionary activities.
Throughout his life, Ogarev married Mariia L'vovna Roslavleva but faced personal struggles, including a tumultuous relationship that led to his eventual cohabitation with Natal'ia Alekseevna Tuchkova, which became a scandal in Russian society. He also inherited significant land and serfs, implementing reforms that freed many of the peasants. His literary career flourished in the 1840s, with published works that included translations of notable writers and original poems that explored philosophical themes. After moving to England, he edited revolutionary publications and continued to write extensively, emphasizing the role of words in fostering social change. Ogarev's legacy is marked by his commitment to literature and social justice, making him a significant figure in Russian intellectual history.
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Subject Terms
Nikolai Platonovich Ogarev
Writer
- Born: November 24, 1813
- Birthplace: St. Petersburg, Russia
- Died: May 31, 1877
- Place of death: Greenwich, England
Biography
A lyric poet, revolutionary journalist, and social activist, Nikolai Platonovich Ogarev was born in St. Petersburg on November 24, 1813, to Platon Bogdanovich Ogarev, a wealthy state councilor, and Elizaveta Ivanovna Ogareva, née Baskakova, who died when Ogarev was just two. In 1820, the family moved to Moscow. Ogarev was an unhealthy child whose exacting father opposed his artistic bent; until he was seventeen, Ogarev was educated at home. He met his cousin Alexander Herzen in 1826 and the two began a lifelong friendship.
In 1830, Ogarev commenced his studies in literature and the natural sciences at Moscow University, where he began writing Romantic poetry and where he and Herzen organized a student group that was interested in the philosophy of Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling and in French utopian writing. Already under the scrutiny of police for their participation in this group, Ogarev and Herzen were arrested in 1834. Ogarev spent eight months in jail, then was exiled to his family home in Penza. Officially under his father’s supervision, he managed to write poetry.
Ogarev also met Mariia L’vovna Roslavleva, whom he married in 1836. The couple was not happy, and Ogarev’s health suffered as a result. In 1838, his father died and Ogarev became the owner of much land and more than four thousand serfs. He was able to introduce some reforms and freed nearly half of the peasants. Ogarev returned to Moscow in 1839 and began to write seriously.
The following year, a few of his poems appeared in Otechestvennye zapiski (notes of the fatherland), a significant liberal journal. Subsequently, Ogarev’s writing was published consistently. In the 1840’s he began translating the works of such writers as George Gordon, Lord Byron; Johann Wolfgang von Goethe; Heinrich Heine; Adam Mickiewicz; and William Shakespeare. From 1841 to 1846, Ogarev spent much of his time in Germany, Switzerland, and Italy for health reasons. He continued to write—not only the love cycle “Buch der Liebe” (The Book of Love, 1881) but also philosophical and longer narrative verse—and his poems were published in journals. When he returned to Russia, his status as a gifted poet was secure.
Although Ogarev and his wife separated in 1842, she would not give him a divorce; thus, his cohabitation with Natal’ia Alekseevna Tuchkova beginning in the late 1840’s created a scandal. The couple finally married in 1853. In 1856, prior to their departure for England, Ogarev’s Stikhotvoreniia (poems) was published. In London Ogarev edited the almanac Poliarnaia zvezda (the north star) and the revolutionary newspaper Kolokol (the bell). He also contributed hundreds of articles and leaflets on economic, social, and literary issues to Kolokol. Ultimately, Tuchkova left Ogarev for Herzen.
In 1856, all three moved to Geneva. The following year Ogarev returned to England, and spent the remainder of his life with Mary Sutherland, a former prostitute, in Greenwich. Ogarev left behind several works in progress, as well as the idea that words could function as instruments of important social change.