The Russian poet Apollo Grigoriev, during his lifetime, achieved considerable popularity. Having composed many interesting works, he became famous, and therefore he came to many noble houses, where he was always accepted as a dear guest. His work, mostly quite light and romantic, and today has a lot of fans. The classics never grows old, and the verses by A. Grigoriev serve as a vivid confirmation of this.
The poet’s grandfather was a peasant, but he managed to break through into people, becoming an official, building a career and deserving hereditary nobility as a result. Apollo Grigoriev himself was born out of wedlock. His father married his mother, the daughter of a serf, only a year after the birth of his son. Because of this, he himself received a noble deed only after many decades. Like most young people of that era, Apollo Grigoriev received his first education at home. He later studied law at Moscow University. One of A. Grigoriev’s friends was the famous poet Athanasius Fet.
Parents throughout the life of Apollo Grigoriev tried to control him, and he, to get out of their influence, moved from Moscow to St. Petersburg. His first publication took place when he was 21 years old. One of the literary pseudonyms of Apollo Grigoriev was “A. Trismegistov. Grigoriev’s own poems were evaluated by critics moderately positively, nothing more, so he was actively engaged in translating foreign poetry. In particular, he translated many works of Byron and Shakespeare, including Romeo and Juliet.
The wife of the poet was the sister of a woman who was his first true love, alas, unrequited. In Grigoriev’s biography, it is noted that he drank often and often. Returning from St. Petersburg back to Moscow, Apollon Grigoriev became one of the founders and inspirers of the Literary Circle, which included many famous poets, writers and playwrights, including Alexander Ostrovsky. In the 60s of the 19th century, Apollo Grigoriev lost so much popularity that they ceased not only to criticize, but also to read altogether. His friend Fyodor Dostoevsky even suggested that he sign with a new pseudonym in order to somehow draw the attention of the public to his works.
One day, because of financial problems and the inability to pay off debts, Apollo Grigoriev even went to a debt prison. Success and recognition returned to the poet after publishing reviews of theatrical performances. As it turned out, he was also an extremely talented critic. Apollo Grigoriev’s life was cut short by his addiction to alcohol. When he was only 42 years old, he went into a long binge, from which he could not get out.
