The Life of Derzhavin

43 hrs. 37 min.

Language Russian

Author Yakov Grot

Narrator Dina Grigoryeva

Description

Much has been written about the great Russian poet Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin, but his main monument is the monumental nine-volume collection of his works, accompanied by a biography, published by Academician Ya.K. Grot in 1864–1883 (St. Petersburg). Yakov Karlovich taught a literature course at the University of Helsingfors and later headed the department of belles-lettres at the Alexander Lyceum. He left major works on M.V. Lomonosov, A.P. Sumarokov, N.M. Karamzin, I.I. Dmitriev, A.S. Pushkin, I.A. Krylov, V.A. Zhukovsky, and devoted himself extensively and productively to the study of the Russian language. He did so much that gradually people began to write “by Grot” and to follow the norms he established. The biography of G.R. Derzhavin written by Ya.K. Grot is based on archival research and countless documents. Despite not being free of a biased attitude toward the poet, it remains the fullest compilation of facts about Derzhavin’s life and creative work, only gaining from the author’s scholarly pedantry.

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