The life of the poet Vasily Zhukovsky, one of the fathers of the direction of romanticism in Russian poetry, was really bright. This is confirmed by the fact that literary scholars study the biography of Zhukovsky on a par with his work, which is also very distinctive and worthy. Having had time to be both a military man and a teacher, he still always remained a poet in his heart.
Being an illegitimate son, Vasily could not claim the name of his actual father. He was nominally adopted his father’s friend, so he became Zhukovsky. Vasily Zhukovsky’s mother was from Turkey. Captured during the Russian-Turkish war, she was baptized and Russified, receiving the name Turchaninova. To his father she was the concubine. Her name was Salha, but at her baptism they called her Elizabeth. In fact, both his father, foster and biological, were engaged in the upbringing and education of Vasily Zhukovsky. The most remarkable fact of Vasily Zhukovsky’s biography is that he was a mentor to a young genius – Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin. While studying at the school, Vasily Zhukovsky was expelled from there for mediocre performance.
The legitimate wife of his father treated Vasily well, in his own memories, and also took part in his life. One of the mentors of the young Vasily Zhukovsky was a German who pretended to be a teacher. True, it did not last long, and he was soon dismissed. Vasily Zhukovsky’s father did not mention him in his will, but his widow gave the mother of the future poet a large sum of money to raise her son. In the biography of Vasily Zhukovsky it is mentioned that at the age of 11 he wanted to become a playwright. To enter the boarding house, the poet’s guardians made him a fake noble deed that opened prestigious doors for him. Throughout his life, Vasily Zhukovsky got up very early. When he was only 11, he composed tragedy and melodrama, based on French and ancient Greek works. Among all the writers, Vasily Zhukovsky respected Nikolai Karamzin more than the rest. His first love, and a serious one, which remained with him for many years, was the daughter of his half-sister. Alas, parents categorically opposed such a union.
The false nobility of Zhukovsky surfaced when he was already a state councilor at the imperial court. The emperor, having learned about it, granted him a real noble deed. At the beginning of his career, Vasily Zhukovsky imitated the idol of his youth, Gavriil Derzhavin. Zhukovsky was fluent in German, French and ancient Greek. In spite of his bad schooling, he finished the boarding school with a silver medal. The first works of Vasily Zhukovsky were published in the university magazine. Translations of classical ancient Greek poems “Odyssey” and “Iliad” by Vasily Zhukovsky are considered to be classic.
The public service of the poet. Once, after a conflict with the authorities, he stopped visiting her, for which he was put under house arrest. From the court he was saved only by the intervention of the patrons. Vasily Zhukovsky took part in the war of 1812, when Napoleon’s troops invaded Russia, and was present at the famous Battle of Borodino. Throughout Zhukovsky’s life, he dreamed of quitting his service and devoting all his time exclusively to literature. At one time he was a mentor to Grand Duchess Alexandra Feodorovna. Vasily Zhukovsky owned quite a few serfs, but he gave them all their freedom. It was thanks to the intervention of Zhukovsky that the later famous Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko became a free man. The influence they had on Emperor Alexander II led him to abolish serfdom in Russia.
For the first time, the famous “Don Quixote” was translated into Russian by Vasily Zhukovsky. In the war of 1812, the poet was engaged in propaganda and raising morale, personally not taking part in battles. For the first time, Gogol read the audience of his “Inspector” at a literary evening in the house of Vasily Zhukovsky.
