Ye.A.Boratynsky (1800-1844)
Yevgeny Abramovich Boratynsky was born
in February 19, 1800 in his father's estate
in the village Vyazhla of the Kirsanovsky uyezd of the Tambov
province. He was primary educated and brought up at home by his
mother and a tutor - the Italian Borgeze. Borgeze acquainted his
pupil with French literature, cultivated in him love of classic Italian
world and of all the beautiful.
In 1812 Yevgeny Boratynsky entered the Page corps and in
1816 he was expelled from this institution for the prank
(he was deprived of his right to start any work, except the military
service, "and only as a soldier"). This event had a bad effect on the
young Boratynsky's temper and left a mark of melancholy on his poetry.
In 1819 he joined the Life Guards Yegersky regiment and
took up his residence in St.Petersburg together with the poet
A.A.Delvig. Delvig brought Boratynsky into the
literary circle headed by such poets as Zhukovsky and Pushkin.
The poems of the young poet were estimated at his true worth.
Later Pushkin wrote: "Boratynsky is one of our outstanding
poets... Harmony of his poems, freshness of his style, liveliness and
exactness of the expression had to strike anyone endowed with some
taste and feelings". Boratynsky was one of Pushkin's
friends.
Boratynsky's poems and elegies, wrote in Finland during his military
service as a non-commissioned officer, brought real literary fame
to him. In 1825 due to efforts of his friends and relatives
he had been promoted to an officer. Next year Boratynsky went into
retirement and married Anastasia Lvovna Engelgardt.
The rest of his life he lived in his country estates in Moscow, Kazan
and Tambov provinces, where he wrote his poems and was occupied with the
domestic affairs.
In June 29, 1844 Ye.A.Boratynsky had suddenly died in Neapol,
where he spent his time with his family. He was buried in
the Alexander Nevsky lavra in St.Petersburg.
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