Nikolai Mikhailovich
Karamzin (1766-1826) - Russian writer, poet, translator, and historian.
Born into the provincial gentry, Karamzin studied in Moscow and spent most
of his life in that city. His enthusiasm for England and English literature
was immense, he translated into Russian Shakespeare, Milton, Young, and
Thomson. In 1781-1784, he was in military service, in 1789-1791 traveled
abroad and in 1791 started publishing his first novel The Letters
of a Russian Traveler (1790-1792), in which he described his disillusionment
with the English and their 'sluggish blood', but his fascination with English
eccentricity. He wrote several novels, including Poor Lisa (1792),
which was very popular. From 1809, he studied old Russian chronicles and
started to write his great work History of Russia (1816-1829), which became
a manual for many following generations of Russians. His influence on Russian
literature and language was considerable. He modernized literary Russian
language, made it closer to the spoken language.
See: Vasily Tropinin. Portrait
of the Writer and Historian N. M. Karamzin
Alexey Venetsianov. Portrait of Nikolay Karamzin.
Poor Lisa is the main character of a sentimental novel by Karamzin.
Lisa, a girl from a common family, was seduced by a gentleman. When he
left her for an advantageous marriage, she committed suicide.
See: Orest Kiprensky Poor
Lisa