Ivan Ivanovich Dmitriev - Russian poet. His greatest merit is the development of the fable genre. He anticipated its further development, became a pioneer in this type of literary work. He achieved certain heights in literature, became a successful and respected person.
His name is not as famous as that of some other Russian poets, but Dmitriev’s works are also included in the school curriculum. He was one of the first to try to rid the poetic language of obsolete forms. His works were particularly smooth, light.
Fate was merciful to this man. His life can be called calm, smooth. He did not participate in conflicts with the authorities; he was not sent to exile. He did not try to get into a difficult position to find inspiration. It never left the poet.
If you are interested in his work, pay attention to our article. Below is a rating of interesting facts about Ivan Ivanovich Dmitriev. This information will help you understand how he was a person, you can find out some details from his life.
10. Bankruptcy of the family due to the rebellion of Pugachev
Dmitriev's parents were rich people. Father Ivan Gavrilovich - a descendant of the Smolensk princes, a landowner. He owned an estate in Simbirsk province.
Mother Ekaterina Afanasevna belonged to the rich family of the Beketovs. Her brother was a favorite of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna.
After the Pugachev revolt, the family was forced to abandon everything and leave for Moscow. One could only dream of the previous financial situation.
9. Did not get a good education
The boy was 7 years old when his mother drove him to Kazan. There lived the father of Ekaterina Afanasyevna. Vanya was identified in the boarding house of Manzhenya, where his older brother Alexander was studying there. After Manzhenya moved to Simbirsk, his institution was closed due to too high competition.
Dmitriev became a student of the Cabrit boarding house. They were much more serious about studying there, but the boy did not shine with special talents. He studied rather mediocre, although he tried.
He respected his mentor and spoke warmly about Cabrite. He was a young man of 26 years old, he often followed his wishes, his lifestyle was not a positive example for his students.
For this reason, Dmitriev’s father took him from the guesthouse. He decided to take up the education of his son himself. Nothing good came of it, Subsequently Dmitriev was very shy about his lack of education.
8. He served in the Life Guards of the Semenovsky Regiment
At the age of 12, Dmitriev was recorded as a soldier of the Life Guard in the Semenovsky Regiment. Two years later, his father took him to St. Petersburg. The young man studied at a regimental school, after which he was awarded the rank of non-commissioned officer.
The service weighed on Ivan Ivanovich. He dreamed of something else: he was interested in literature, studied the "rules of poetry", focusing mainly on foreign authors. In 1778 he became a sergeant.
Dmitriev built a rather successful career. He retired from the rank of colonel. All these years he was engaged in writing, although many tried to joke on this subject. Ivan Ivanovich did not care about the opinions of others. He often went on long vacations and spent time in his native places.
7. I read the work of Lafontaine
Dmitriev was a fan of Lafontaine. This is a French fabulist who lived in the XVII century. Ivan Ivanovich translated his works into Russian. His translations were very close to the originals. Subsequently, Dmitriev began to be called Russian Lafontaine.
6. Was a distant relative of Karamzin
Dmitriev was a distant relative of Karamzinbut they were not familiar. Their first meeting took place in the Preobrazhensky regiment, Ivan Ivanovich at that time was a sergeant, and Nikolai Mikhailovich only entered the service. Soon they became friends.
Karamzin had a great influence on the work of Dmitriev. It was he who advised him to turn to the books of the French Enlightenment. Despite his seniority, Ivan Ivanovich listened to the opinion of his relative. Karamzin even became his literary leader.
5. He left the service with the rank of colonel
It has already been noted above that Dmitriev rose to the rank of colonelwhen he decided to resign. He was then only 36 years old. But Ivan Ivanovich could only dream of a quiet life.
After the death of Catherine II, he was charged with preparing an attempt on the assassination of Paul I. It soon became clear that the denunciation was false. The emperor’s attitude towards Dmitriev has changed a lot. He literally showered him with favors. His career began to develop rapidly.
When Dmitriev became Minister of Justice, he got a lot of ill-wishers. He followed the law, did not give indulgences to anyone, did not participate in intrigues. An endless series of conflicts and quarrels led to the fact that his patience was at the limit, and Ivan Ivanovich decided to quit. Emperor Alexander I asked him to return, but the poet refused.
4. I was personally acquainted with Pushkin
Dmitriev knew father Pushkin and his uncle well. He often came to visit Sergey Lvovich and could not help but pay attention to his talented son. Ivan Ivanovich spoke well of Pushkin’s work, but soon their communication was stopped. Dmitriev allowed himself unflattering remarks about the poem Ruslan and Lyudmila. Opponents of Alexander Sergeyevich hastened to publish a review in the press. Pushkin, in turn, also did not hesitate in expressions and questioned the talent of a fabulist.
After some time, this case was forgotten. Poets decided not to recall the old insults, henceforth their attitude towards each other became calm and benevolent.
3. The letter “ё” first appeared in Dmitriev’s printed book “My Trinkets”
It turns out that the letter "ё" has a birthday (November 29, 1783). Princess Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova was an educated woman, she was the first to think about replacing the combination “io” with one letter.
The idea was picked up by writers and poets. This trend was called the "yo-movement." Derzhavin, Karamzin entered it. Dmitriev did not lag behind his comrades. The first printed edition to use this letter was the book "My Trinkets".
2. Encouraged Krylov to write fables
The Russian poet and fabulist Krylov is perhaps much more famous than Dmitriev. But if it weren’t for him, Ivan Andreevich would hardly have achieved such successes. For a long time he could not decide on the genre, he tried himself as a translator. The same Lafontaine.
Krylov showed his translations to Dmitriev, the poet was amazed. He noted that Ivan Andreevich is very talented and as if created for a fable. But he did not want to become a fabulist at all. Dmitriev made every effort to convince a talented young man not to abandon fables. Krylov listened to his advice and did not fail.
1. Belinsky praised his work
The famous literary critic Vissarion Grigorievich praised the work of Dmitriev. He said that Ivan Ivanovich can be considered one of the "remarkable actors in the field of Russian literature". Undoubtedly, this man has done a lot for the Russian classics. He became a pioneer, a transformer of the Russian poetic language.
The main features of his works are easy language, free and smooth versification. Dmitriev was especially successful in the satire genre.