What was Krylov like? Ivan Krylov short biography

Krylov Ivan Andreevich (1769 - 1844) - Russian publicist, poet, fabulist, publisher of satirical and educational magazines. Biography of Krylov nothing special, although, like great people, it has its own interesting nuances.

Brief biography of Krylov

Having lived 75 years, Ivan Krylov gained worldwide fame as the author of 236 fables. Many quotes from his fables have become catchphrases. But first things first.

Childhood and youth

Krylov was born on February 13, 1769 in Moscow, in the family of a retired army officer. He served as a minor official in the treasury chamber. He never received a proper education, although he was constantly engaged in self-education, studying literature and mathematics, French and Italian. In 1777–1790 a young official tries his hand at the dramatic field.

In 1789, Krylov published the magazine “Mail of Spirits”, in which he published satirical messages exposing the abuses of government officials.

In 1792, Krylov retired, published the satirical magazine “Spectator” in the printing house he bought, and in the same year his story “Kaib” was published. Engaged in political satire, Krylov continues the work of N.I. Novikova.

However, his work displeased Catherine II, Krylov had to leave St. Petersburg for a while and live in Moscow, and then in Riga.

The formation of the future fabulist

In 1805, Krylov translated two fables by the French fabulist La Fontaine. This began his activity as the most famous Russian fabulist. He continued to engage in this work until the end of his days, despite the considerable success in drama of his works such as “Fashion Shop”, “Lesson for Daughters” and “Pie”.

Portrait of Krylov

In 1809, the first book of fables of his own composition was published. It was then that real fame came to him for the first time.

Krylov’s biography included many honors. He was a respected member of the “Conversation of Lovers of Russian Literature” from its very foundation.

In 1811 he was elected a member of the Russian Academy, and on January 14, 1823 he received a gold medal from it for literary merits. When the Russian Academy was transformed into the Department of Russian Language and Literature of the Academy of Sciences (1841), he was approved as an ordinary academician.

In 1812–1841 He served as assistant librarian at the Imperial Public Library for almost thirty years. In general, Krylov’s biography is notable for the books that he passionately loved.

From a human point of view, it should be emphasized that Krylov was a very well-fed man, he loved to eat a lot and sleep a lot. However, he loved the Russian people even more.

Driving around the vast expanses of his homeland, he wrote wonderful fables, noticing the subtlest features of human behavior.

Death and folk memory

Ivan Andreevich Krylov died on November 9, 1844. He was buried on November 13, 1844 at the Tikhvin cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

Anecdotes about his amazing appetite, slovenliness, laziness, love of fires (the fabulist was unusually attracted to fires), amazing willpower, wit and popularity are still known.

We hope that a short biography of Krylov will help you understand the main points of the life of the great Russian writer.

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Ivan Andreevich Krylov is a Russian writer, fabulist, and playwright. Krylov's biography will be described in this article. We will talk not only about the writer’s life, but also about his work. You will learn that Ivan Andreevich Krylov is not only the creator of fables. He also wrote other works. Read more about this below.

The childhood years of the future writer

Krylov's biography begins as follows. The future writer was born in Moscow. Of course, readers would also be interested to know about the time of birth of such a person as Ivan Krylov. "When was he born?" - you ask. We answer: Ivan Andreevich was born in 1769, February 2 (13).

The future writer studied unsystematically and little. When Andrei Prokhorovich, his father, who served as a minor official in Tver, died, Ivan Andreevich was ten years old. Ivan’s parent “didn’t study science,” but he loved to read and instilled his love in his son. The boy's father himself taught him to write and read, and also left a chest of books as an inheritance to his son. See the portrait of Ivan Andreevich Krylov below.

Life with Nikolai Alexandrovich Lvov

Krylov received further education under the patronage of Nikolai Alexandrovich Lvov, a writer who became acquainted with the poems of the young poet. In his childhood, the author we are interested in spent a lot of time in Lvov’s house, located in the same city where Ivan Andreevich Krylov was born (that is, in Moscow). He studied with this man’s children and also listened to the conversations of artists and writers who visited Nikolai Alexandrovich. Subsequently, the shortcomings of such fragmentary education affected. Krylov, for example, was always weak in spelling, but over the years acquired a fairly broad outlook and solid knowledge, learned to speak Italian and play the violin.

Service of Ivan Andreevich

Ivan Andreevich was enrolled in the lower zemstvo court for service, although this was only a formality. Krylov never or almost never went to the presence, and did not receive money. At the age of 14, he moved to St. Petersburg, where Ivan Andreevich Krylov lived for some time after his mother went there to seek a pension. The future writer transferred to the St. Petersburg State Chamber to serve. But he was not very interested in his official affairs.

Krylov's first plays

Among Ivan Andreevich’s hobbies, literary studies and visiting the theater came first. These addictions did not change even after he lost his mother at the age of 17 and was forced to take care of his younger brother. Krylov wrote a lot for the theater in the 80s. He created librettos for such comic operas as “The Mad Family” and “The Coffee House,” as well as tragedies “Philomela” and “Cleopatra,” and a comedy called “The Writer in the Hallway.” These works did not bring fame or money to the young author, but they helped him enter the circle of writers in St. Petersburg. Krylov was patronized by Ya. B. Knyazhnin, a famous playwright, but a proud young man, deciding that he was being mocked in the “master’s” house, broke up with his friend. He wrote a comedy called "The Pranksters" - a work in which the main characters, Tarator and Rhymerstealer, strongly resembled the Prince and his wife. This was already a more mature creation than the previous plays, but the production of this comedy was prohibited. Ivan Andreevich's relationship with the theater management, which decided the fate of dramatic works, deteriorated.

Activities of Ivan Andreevich in the field of journalism

Since the late 80s, this author’s main activity has been in the field of journalism. For 8 months in 1789, Ivan Andreevich published a magazine called "Mail of Spirits." The satirical orientation, which appeared already in early work, was preserved here, but was somewhat transformed. Krylov painted a caricature depicting modern society. He framed his story in the form of correspondence between the wizard Malikulmulk and the dwarves. This publication was closed because the magazine had very few subscribers - only 80. Judging by the fact that Spirit Mail was republished in 1802, its appearance did not go unnoticed by the reading public.

Magazine "Spectator"

In 1790, Krylov’s biography was marked by the fact that Ivan Andreevich retired, deciding to focus on literary activity. The writer acquired a printing house in January 1792 and, together with Klushin, his friend, also a writer, began publishing a magazine called “The Spectator,” which was already enjoying some popularity.

The greatest success for the “spectator” was brought to him by the works written by Krylov himself: “Kaib”, “Thoughts of a Philosopher on Fashion”, “Speech Spoken by a Rake in a Assembly of Fools”, “Equipmentary Speech in Memory of My Grandfather”. The number of subscribers grew.

"Mercury"

The magazine was renamed "Mercury" in 1793. His publishers by that time focused on ironic attacks against Karamzin and his supporters. The reformist work of this writer was alien to “Mercury”; it seemed overly subject to Western influences and artificial. One of the favorite themes of Krylov’s work in his youth, as well as the object of depiction in many comedies written by him, is admiration for the West. Karamzinists, in addition, repelled Ivan Andreevich with their disdain for the classicist tradition of versification; this writer was outraged by Karamzin’s “common people,” overly uncomplicated style.

The publication of Mercury ceased in 1793, and Krylov left St. Petersburg for several years.

The life and work of the writer in the period from 1795 to 1801

For the period 1795-1801. Only fragmentary information about his life has survived. Krylov's biography of that time is presented very briefly. It is known that he traveled around the province, visiting the estates of his comrades. In 1797, the writer went to S.F. Golitsyn and lived with him as a children's teacher and secretary.

The play entitled "Trumph, or Podschipa" was written in 1799-1800 for Golitsyn's home performance. Tsar Paul I could be seen in the evil, arrogant, stupid warrior Trumf. The irony was so caustic that this play was first published in Russia only in 1871.

First fables

After the death of this tsar, Prince Golitsyn was appointed governor-general in Riga, and Ivan Andreevich Krylov was here for 2 years as his secretary. He retired again in 1803 and traveled around the country playing cards. It was at this time, about which little is known, that Ivan Andreevich Krylov began to create fables.

In 1805, the writer showed in Moscow to I. I. Dmitriev, a famous fabulist and poet, his translation of two of La Fontaine’s fables - “The Picky Bride” and “The Oak and the Cane.” Dmitriev highly appreciated the work done by Krylov and was the first to note that the author had finally found his calling. Ivan Andreevich, however, did not immediately understand this himself. In 1806, he published only 3 fables, and then returned again to drama.

Three famous plays in 1807

The writer released three plays in 1807, which became very popular and were successfully staged. These are “Ilya Bogatyr”, “Lesson for Daughters” and “Fashion Shop”. The last two enjoyed the greatest success, ridiculing the passion of the nobility for the French language, morals, fashion, etc. The “fashion shop” was even set up at court.

Krylov Ivan Andreevich, despite the long-awaited success in the theatrical field, decided to take a different path. This playwright stopped creating plays. Ivan Andreevich Krylov decided to write fables, the creation of which he paid more and more attention to every year.

Krylov continues to create fables

In 1809, the first collection was published, which immediately made Krylov truly famous. In total, he wrote more than 200 different fables, combined into 9 books. Ivan Andreevich worked until his last days: the writer’s acquaintances and friends received his last lifetime edition in 1844, along with a message about the writer’s death.

Krylov’s work was first dominated by adaptations and translations of La Fontaine’s fables (“The Wolf and the Lamb,” “Dragonfly and the Ant”), after which this author gradually began to find independent plots related to topical events of reality. For example, the fables “Wolf in the Kennel”, “Swan, Pike and Cancer”, “Quartet” are a reaction to political events. "The Hermit and the Bear", "The Curious" and others were based on more abstract plots. But the fables created “on the topic of the day” very soon began to be perceived as generalized.

At one time, Ivan Krylov, who laughed at Karamzin’s style for his predilection for common expressions, began to create works that everyone could understand. He turned into a truly people's writer.

Popularity of Ivan Andreevich Krylov

A short biography of Krylov would be incomplete without mentioning that this author became a classic during his lifetime. In 1835, in an article entitled “Literary Dreams” in Russian literature, Vissarion Grigorievich Belinsky found only four classics, including Krylov, whom he put on a par with Griboyedov, Pushkin and Derzhavin.

In 1838, the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the work of this fabulist became a national celebration. Since then, over the past almost two centuries, not a single generation in our country has passed by Krylov’s fables. Young people are educated on them to this day.

One of the attributes of the enormous popularity of this author was the many semi-legendary stories about his alleged gluttony, sloppiness, and laziness. Ivan Andreevich lived a long time and never changed his habits. There was talk that he was completely immersed in gourmetism and laziness. This intelligent and not entirely kind man eventually settled into the role of an eccentric, good-natured, absurd glutton. The image he had invented came to court, and in his declining years he could allow his soul anything. Ivan Andreevich was not shy about being lazy, slobish and gluttonous. Everyone believed that this writer died from volvulus due to overeating, although in fact he died from pneumonia.

Death of Ivan Andreevich

Ivan Krylov died in St. Petersburg in 1844. Ivan Andreevich's funeral was magnificent. The second man in the Russian state, Count Orlov, removed the student who was carrying the coffin and himself carried him to the road. Krylov's contemporaries believed that Sasha, the daughter of his cook, was born from him. This is confirmed by the fact that the writer sent the girl to a boarding school, and after the death of the cook, he raised her as a daughter, in addition, he gave a rich dowry for her. Before his death, Ivan Andreevich bequeathed all his property, as well as all rights to his works, to Sasha’s husband.

This is how our brief biography of Krylov ends. Now you know that this man created not only fables. In addition, you may not be aware that A. G. Rubinstein set to music such fables as “Quartet”, “Dragonfly and Ant”, “Donkey and Nightingale”, “Cuckoo and Eagle”. And Yu. M. Kasyanik also created a vocal cycle for piano and bass, “Krylov’s Fables,” which includes the works “The Crow and the Fox,” “The Donkey and the Nightingale,” “Pedestrians and Dogs,” and “The Threesome.” All these creations are very interesting.

The outstanding Russian fabulist, playwright and journalist, Ivan Andreevich Krylov, was born on February 2 (February 14 n.s.) in Moscow (the exact place of birth is unknown, but according to legend this place is considered to be Moscow) in the family of a poor retired army officer.

Childhood in Krylov’s biography

Krylov's childhood was spent in Tver and was far from rosy. Father - Andrei Prokhorovich Krylov, died in 1778 without leaving the family any means of subsistence, so little Krylov, already at the age of 10, had to work as a scribe in the Tver court. Krylova’s mother, Marya Alekseevna, had no opportunity to educate her son, but since she was a naturally intelligent woman, although not educated, she paid great attention to her son’s self-education. Ivan studied literacy, arithmetic and prayers at home. He was also allowed to study with the children of a local landowner, whom he somehow surprised with his poetry.

Youth in the biography of Krylov

Krylov’s mother was unable to obtain a pension after the death of her husband, so in 1782 she decided to move to St. Petersburg and apply for a pension there. In St. Petersburg, a position was found for Krylov as a clerk in the Treasury Chamber. In addition, this move gave Ivan the opportunity to engage in literary work. From 1786 to 1788, Krylov wrote tragedies "Cleopatra" and "Philomela" and comedies "Mad Family" and "Pranksters". Thanks to these works, the name of the young playwright gradually began to gain fame in the literary circles of St. Petersburg.

Krylov was not satisfied with the work in the Treasury Chamber and in 1787 he sought a place in the mountain expedition of the Cabinet of Her Imperial Majesty.

In 1789, in the printing house of I.G. Rachmaninov and with his financing, Krylov begins to publish the monthly satirical magazine "Mail of Spirits". True, due to its radical orientation, the magazine was destined to exist for only 8 months.

In 1792, Krylov, together with his friends, opened a printing house and began publishing a new satirical magazine, “The Spectator,” which immediately became popular due to the topicality of its subject matter.

In the summer of 1790, a search was carried out in the printing house, Krylov came under police surveillance, and publication of the magazine had to be stopped.

From 1791 to 1801, Krylov took a break from journalistic activity, but did not stop writing, although he occasionally appeared in print. At this time, he wanders around the province: he visited Tambov, Saratov, Nizhny Novgorod, and Ukraine.

Maturity in the biography of Krylov

After the death of Catherine II, Ivan Andreevich entered the service of Prince Golitsin as a personal secretary and teacher of his children.

In the autumn of 1803, Krylov left Riga to visit his brother in Serpukhov. And in 1806 he returned to St. Petersburg.

In 1808-1810 he worked in the Coinage Department.

In 1809, the first book of Krylov’s fables was published, in which he acted not only as a moralist, but as an accuser of the “powerful” of this world who oppress the people. It was the fable that became the genre in which Krylov’s genius expressed itself unusually widely. Nine books, including more than 200 fables, make up Krylov’s fable heritage. In the same year he ran for the Russian Academy. And in 1811 he was elected a member of the Russian Academy.

1812-1841 - works at the Public Library.

November 9 (21 n.s.) The biography of Krylov ends in 1844 at the age of 75 years. Krylov died and was buried in St. Petersburg.

Krylov Ivan Andreevich

Glorified throughout the centuries as a writer, and almost unknown as a person - this is a brief summary of Krylov’s biography.

A brilliant satirist and one of the most talented writers of his time, whose artistic thought is accessible even to children.

Having come to all-Russian fame from ignominy and poverty, Ivan Andreevich, apart from his literary heritage, left almost no personal documents.

Biographers had to reconstruct information about life events and character from the memories of friends and acquaintances of the famous Muscovite.

I. A. Krylov - Russian writer and fabulist

The small genre of fables glorified the son of a poor army officer. This says a lot about a person.

About the ability to grasp the very essence of complex moral issues and modern historical problems and present it in an accessible form with accuracy and humor, sometimes with malicious satire.

The small size of the work requires the highest concentration of language, thoughtfulness of the system of images and artistic and expressive means. Knowing about such nuances, you are only surprised how many fables Krylov wrote: 236!

The list of collections published during his lifetime includes 9 editions - and all of them sold out with a bang.

However, he took a long time to get into shape and started with high drama. Answering the question of when Krylov wrote his first play, biographers give an approximate answer - in 1785. After all, the tragedy “Cleopatra” has not been preserved. But just by the title you can understand that the young author tried to create within the framework of classicism.

However, it is in subsequent comedies that fans of Krylov’s work find his inherent courage of thought, accuracy of expression, sensitivity to the native language and a sense of the potential of Russian national culture.

Brief biography of Ivan Andreevich Krylov

The years of the writer's life cover a period of 75 years. And although the writer’s birthplace remains speculative, the year is precisely established – 1769. We will cite only the most important events.

Father and mother

The future writer was born into the family of a poor army officer, Andrei Prokhorovich, who rose to the rank through his own strength and abilities, without connections. The soldier was the organizer of the defense of Yaitsk from the Pugachevites, and subsequently anonymously published a story about this in Otechestvennye zapiski.

The first-born appeared in the family during the years of life in the capital, Troitsk or Trans-Volga region - one can only guess. Already at the age of 10, little Ivan, then living with his parents in Tver, lost his father - he died and left his son and widow in complete poverty.

The mother of the great Russian writer Maria Alekseevna was a poorly educated woman, perhaps even illiterate. But energetic, enterprising, smart and loving her children. Unlike her husband, she was not keen on reading books, but she encouraged her son to study them in every possible way.

Childhood

Information about childhood is extremely scarce. As a young child he lived in Yaitsk; during the Pugachev riot his mother took him to Orenburg, after which the family moved to Tver. His father instilled in the future famous writer a love of books and an interest in literature.

After the death of his father, the young man began working in the Kalyazin zemstvo court, and later transferred to the Tver magistrate.

Education

Homely and unsystematic: no gymnasium, no home teacher, no theological seminary or municipal school. During the years of living in Tver, Ivan Krylov, who had lost his father, out of mercy studied with the children of the local influential and wealthy Lvov family.

In 1783, the benefactors moved to St. Petersburg, taking Ivan Andreevich with them. He entered the service of the local Treasury Chamber, while at the same time reading a lot and studying science on his own.

As a result, he learned to play the violin, showed great talent in mathematics, and mastered the French, Italian and German languages ​​- enough for a deep acquaintance with world classical literature.

Of the fateful meetings pointing to the future of the brilliant writer, only two are known from this period of his life. At Lvov, Krylov met the famous classicist playwright Yakov Borisovich Knyazhnin and the great poet Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin.

Krylov's creative path

The writer had to search for himself for a long time, paying tribute to the fashion for classicism (creating high tragedies “Cleopatra” and “Philomela” and comedies “The Coffee House”, “The Writer in the Hallway”, etc.).

The young writer felt the breath of time. Russian literature turned from imitating European models to itself: language, themes, cultural customs.

Krylov worked as a publisher on the magazine “Mail of Spirits”. One of the sections was devoted to the correspondence of elves ridiculing among themselves the morals of Catherine’s enlightened absolutism. In 1790, censorship banned the publication (the government everywhere saw the threat of the French Revolution). The following magazines, Spectator and Mercury, suffered the same fate, although the editor in them toned down his tone somewhat.

In 1794, Ivan Andreevich was forced to leave the northern capital and move to Moscow, a year later he was asked to move from there. The disgraced young author had a hard time experiencing the social and literary blockade. He found shelter and support in the family of General Sergei Fedorovich Golitsyn, who had also fallen out of favor. He worked as the secretary of the head of the family and was involved in the education of children, and over the years he wrote only a couple of poems and a few stories.

After Alexander the First came to power, at the dawn of the 17th century, Ivan Andreevich returned to Moscow and began to create again. Yes, with such passion that the censorship vetoed the publication of the comedy “Podchipa or Triumph” - and the manuscripts circulated throughout Russia.

The author boldly ridiculed the height of the classicist Triumph and Podshchipa, which was alien to Russian political life - they say, the Russian writer has already outgrown patriarchy. The subsequent plays “Pie” and “Fashion Shop” were staged and became part of the theater repertoire for a long time.

In 1805, the fables “The Oak and the Reed” and “The Picky Bride” were published, and four years later the first collection was published. This became an event, as evidenced by the controversy surrounding Krylov’s work in Vestnik Evropy.

The recognized genius poet V. A. Zhukovsky reproached the fabulist for the rudeness of expressions, fashionable and following his own path A. S. Pushkin - sees in them the merit of hiding behind a pseudonym (the first fables, who experienced the disfavor of those in power, were signed by Krylov Navi Volyrk).

It is the simple language that makes these works unique not only for the genre, but for all Russian poetry in general.

The fables were circulated for quotations not only in Russia: a two-volume set was published in Paris, they are being translated into Italian. International popularity is also explained by the genre itself - an ancient one, actively using allegories and symbols, plots and themes common to many European peoples.

A Russian writer could borrow the image of his Italian or French predecessor - and they speak and think like modern Russian people. That’s what they say: the speech of the fables is lively and natural, almost freely conversational. Krylov was able to find his own unique winged language of apt expressions.

During his lifetime, Ivan Andreevich was revered as a luminary. However, taught by experience, he preferred to live in the shadows - not to participate in political and literary disputes, not to go out into the world, to dissuade himself from the attention of journalists by laziness and absent-mindedness, in his clothes and manners he showed eccentricity and carelessness, he preferred a hearty dinner to everything and loved to play cards. Therefore, many speculations have been generated about Krylov’s life and work - he has become a constant hero of jokes.

This image is contradicted by his friendship with A.S. Pushkin, which seems to be deep: only the great poet, already mortally wounded in a duel, said goodbye to his “grandfather.” An interesting fact from Krylov’s biography - already being an old man, the poet studied ancient Greek.

Personal life

I. A. Krylov was not officially married. However, biographers believe that his actual wife was the housekeeper Fenyushka, who gave birth to his daughter Sasha. The child lived in the Krylov house as a goddaughter. One can understand why the writer never officially recognized his own child and did not marry his mother.

Fenyushka was one of the simple ones, close and dear in spirit. However, the world would not forgive the “grandfather of Russian literature” for his misalliance. And it didn’t matter that he himself came from a poor and unborn family. He who kissed the hand of the empress could not kiss the hands of a rootless housekeeper.

However, it seems that Ivan Andreevich loved his wife and daughter very much. He sent Sasha to a boarding school, provided her with a dowry, did not alienate her from him after the death of his wife, and married her to a completely worthy man. After his death, he transferred all his fortune and rights to Sasha’s husband, whose origins did not allow him to challenge the will and deprive his daughter of his inheritance.

Last years of life and death

He was treated kindly by the royal family. He received a pension, was awarded a government order and the rank of state councilor.

Krylov's seventieth birthday was celebrated throughout the country.

He died of severe pneumonia in the house of his daughter - everyone's goddaughter - in St. Petersburg in 1844.

He was buried at the Tikhvin Cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg.

The writer was distinguished by a strange love for observing fires. There were legends about him as a great glutton. They even said that he died after eating too many pancakes. He posed for many artists; at least three portraits were written by famous painters of those times.

Famous fables and works of Ivan Krylov

It is difficult to single out the most famous ones. But, probably, every reader will be able to remember at least a line from the fables “The Dragonfly and the Ant,” “The Fable of the Crow and the Fox,” or “The Swan, the Pike and the Crayfish.”

But the latter, for example, was the writer’s deeply personal response to the political events of his time - the inconsistency of the allies in the war against Napoleon (according to another version - conflicts in the State Council).

But the magic of the genre and the extraordinary talent of the author made the work a fable for all time. There are many such creations in the works of Ivan Andreevich, and reading them is a real pleasure.

Conclusion

Many writers in Russia turned to short allegorical poems with a didactic meaning. Including A. S. Pushkin, L. N. Tolstoy, D. Bedny and S. Mikhalkov.

But no one was called the best fabulist after Krylov. Reading Krylov's fables, comparing them with previous and subsequent ones, you understand and even feel why.

I.A. began in noisy and bustling Moscow, where the future fabulist writer was born on February 2 (13), 1769.

Krylov's childhood

Ivan Andreevich’s parents were forced to frequently move from one place to another. At the height of the peasant uprising led by Emelyan Pugachev, Krylov and his mother were in Orenburg, and the father of the future writer was a captain in the Yaitsky town itself. Krylov was even mentioned in Pugachev’s hanging list, but, fortunately for the family, it didn’t come to that. However, after some time, Andrei Krylov dies, and the family is left with practically no money. Ivan's mother is forced to work part-time in the houses of rich people. Krylov himself began working at a very early age - from the age of nine. He was allowed to copy business papers for a small salary.

Then the boy received his education in the house of N. A. Lvov, a famous writer. Ivan studied with the owner’s children, met with artists and writers who often came to visit Lvov, and listened to their conversations.

Due to some fragmentary education, the writer subsequently encountered many difficulties. However, over time, he managed to learn to write correctly, significantly expand his horizons and even master the Italian language.

First attempts at writing

A new stage began in the life of the future fabulist from the moment the family moved to St. Petersburg. The biography of I. A. Krylov during this period is especially interesting, because it was at this time that his first steps on the literary path took place. The fabulist’s mother went to the northern capital to resolve the pension issue, but her efforts were unsuccessful.

Krylov himself, without wasting any time, gets a job in the office of the Treasury Chamber. However, official matters do not bother him too much. He spends almost all his free time on literary studies, visiting theaters, and begins to communicate closely with talented famous actors, as well as with P. A. Soimonov, the theater director.

Even after the death of his mother, Ivan's hobbies remain the same. Although now it is more difficult for the future fabulist: he must keep an eye on his younger brother, who remained in his care.

Biography of I. A. Krylov in the 80s. is a constant collaboration with the world of theater. During this period, librettos for the operas “Coffee Shop”, “Mad Family”, “Cleopatra”, as well as a comedy called “The Writer in the Hallway” came out from under his hand. Of course, they did not bring either fame or huge fees. But they allowed Krylov to join the literati of St. Petersburg.

The young man is taken under the protection of the popular playwright Knyazhin and strives to help Krylov more successfully promote his works. However, Ivan Andreevich himself not only refuses this help, but also ends any relationship with Prince, after which he writes the comedy “Pranksters,” in which he ridicules the playwright and his wife in every possible way. It is not at all strange that the comedy itself was banned from production, and the author ruined relations with both the writers and the theater management, thanks to whom the works were staged.

At the end of the decade, Krylov expressed a desire to try his hand at journalism. His songs were published in the magazine “Morning Hours” in 1788, but they also went unnoticed. After this, Ivan Andreevich decides to publish his magazine (“Spirit Mail”), which is published over eight months in 1789. “Spirit Mail” takes the form of correspondence between fairy-tale characters - gnomes and a wizard. In it, the author presents a caricature of the society of that time. However, the magazine was soon closed by censorship, explaining that the publication had only 80 subscribers.

Since 1790, Krylov retired, after which he devoted himself entirely to literary activities. At this time, the biography of I. A. Krylov is closely intertwined with the life paths of the author’s friends - A. Klushina, P. Plavilshchikov and I. Dmitriev. Ivan Andreevich runs the printing house and, together with his friends, begins to publish the magazine “Spectator” (later “St. Petersburg Mercury”). In 1793, the magazine was finally closed, and Krylov left the capital for several years.

In the service of Prince Golitsyn

Until 1797, Krylov lived in Moscow, and then began to travel around the country, staying at the houses and estates of his friends. The fabulist was constantly looking for sources of income, and for some time he found what he wanted in card games. By the way, Krylov was known as a very successful player, on the verge of cheating.

Prince Sergei Fedorovich Golitsyn, having met Ivan Andreevich, invited him to become his home teacher and personal secretary. Krylov lives on the prince’s estate in the Kyiv province and studies literature and languages ​​with the sons of the aristocrat. Here he writes plays for production in the home theater, and also masters the skill of playing various musical instruments.

In 1801, Alexander I ascended the throne, who had great confidence in Golitsyn and appointed him governor-general of Livonia. Krylov, in turn, is given the position of ruler of the chancellery. Until 1803, the fabulist worked in Riga, and then moved to his brother in Serpukhov.

Creative glory

Krylov’s work and biography become especially interesting starting from this time. Indeed, during this period, for the first time, Krylov’s play (“Pie”) won the hearts of the audience and brought long-awaited success to the author. He decides to continue his literary activity and returns to St. Petersburg.

In 1805, Ivan Andreevich demonstrated to I. Dmitriev, a talented poet, his first translations of fables. It becomes clear that the writer has found his true calling. But Krylov, nevertheless, publishes only three fables and again returns to drama. The next few years were particularly fruitful in this regard. Krylov is known and loved by connoisseurs of theatrical art, and the play “Fashionable Shop” was performed even at court.

However, Krylov himself is increasingly moving away from the theater and is seriously interested in translating and composing his own fables. In 1809, his first collection appeared on the shelves. Gradually, the number of works grew, new collections were published, and by 1830 there were already 8 volumes of Krylov’s fables.

In 1811, Ivan Andreevich became a member of the Russian Academy, and twelve years later he received a gold medal from it for achievements in literature. In 1841, Krylov was appointed academician of the department of Russian language and literature. Since 1812, writer-librarian at the Imperial Public Library. Krylov also receives a pension for his services to Russian literature, and after the publication of the eight-volume edition, he doubles the pension and appoints the writer as a state councilor.

In the winter of 1838, St. Petersburg supported the celebration of the author’s fiftieth creative anniversary with respect and solemnity. By this time, Krylov was already put on a par with the classics of Russian literature - Pushkin, Derzhavin, Griboedov. Ivan Andreevich's latest fables have been translated into more than 50 languages.

Last years

In 1841, Krylov retired and settled on Vasilyevsky Island to live in peace and for his own pleasure. The writer was always not averse to eating delicious food and lying on the couch, which is why some called him a glutton and a lazy person.

However, until his last days, Krylov worked on a new collection of essays. He died on November 9 (21), 1844 in St. Petersburg from double pneumonia.

Curious facts about the writer

There are interesting facts from Krylov’s biography that are worth mentioning in this article. For example, the fabulist was almost never shy and never missed an opportunity to make fun of the shortcomings of those around him.

One day he was walking along the Fontanka embankment. Seeing the massive figure of an unfamiliar old man, the resting students began to laugh, saying, “a cloud is coming.” Passing by them, Krylov calmly replied: “...And the frogs croaked.”

Another interesting incident happened to Ivan Andreevich in the theater. His neighbor turned out to be very noisy: he stomped his feet to the beat of the music, even sang along. Krylov said loudly enough: “Disgrace!” The writer’s neighbor insultedly asked if this applied to him, to which Krylov ironically replied that he said this “to that gentleman on the stage who is preventing me from listening to you [the neighbor].”

An indicative incident occurred after the author’s death. Paying tribute to Krylov, Count Orlov, who was second in command after the emperor, personally carried the coffin of the fabulist with ordinary students, all the way to the funeral cart.