Aleksey Fyodorovich Merzlyakov (; 22 March 1778 – 7 August 1830) was a Russian poet, critic, translator, and professor.

Biography

Aleksey was born in

Dalmatovo Dalmatovo () is a town and the administrative center of Dalmatovsky District in Kurgan Oblast, Russia, located east of the Ural Mountains on the north bank of the Iset River (Tobol's tributary; Ob's basin), opposite the mouth of the Techa Rive ...

Perm Governorate Perm Governorate (), also known as the Governorate of Perm, was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and the Russian SFSR from 1781 to 1923. It was located on both slopes of the Ural Mountains, and its admi ...

. He went to Moscow in 1793 to study at

Moscow State University Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public university, public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, a ...

, where he would later teach as a professor of poetry. He published his first works in 1794 and contributed to various journals and papers for the rest of his life. He was considered to be a follower of the neo-classical school, but the simplicity and feeling exhibited in his shorter poems gave them lasting popularity. He translated many Greek and Latin works, and the works of Italian poets such as

Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso ( , also , ; 11 March 154425 April 1595) was an Italian poet of the 16th century, known for his 1591 poem ''Gerusalemme liberata'' (Jerusalem Delivered), in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between ...

and

Vittorio Alfieri Count Vittorio Amedeo Alfieri (, also , ; 16 January 17498 October 1803) was an Italians, Italian dramatist and poet, considered the "founder of Italian tragedy." He wrote nineteen tragedies, sonnets, satires, and a notable autobiography. Early l ...

. In 1815 Merzlyakov launched and became the editor-in-chief of the short-lived but influential ''

Amphion There are several characters named Amphion in Greek mythology: * Amphion, son of Zeus and Antiope, and twin brother of Zethus (see Amphion and Zethus). Together, they are famous for building Thebes. Pausanias recounts an Egyptian legend acco ...

'' magazine. His in-depth analysis of Kheraskov's ''Rossiyada'' (serialized in Nos. 1—3, 5—6 and 8—9), is considered to be the first piece of serious literary criticism in Russia.''Amphion''
at the History of Russian Civilization site He died in Moscow in 1830 and is interred in the

Vagankovo Cemetery Vagankovo Cemetery () is located in the Presnensky District of Moscow, Russia. It was established in 1771, in an effort to curb 1770–1772 Russian plague, an outbreak of bubonic plague in Central Russia. The cemetery was one of those created ou ...

. The study of Russian literature was introduced into Russian universities largely through the efforts of Merzlyakov. He stated that "literature was the highest achievement of a people, a sign of political and moral successes".

References

1778 births 1830 deaths People from Kurgan Oblast People from Shadrinsky Uyezd Poets from the Russian Empire Literary critics from the Russian Empire 19th-century educators from the Russian Empire Translators from the Russian Empire Imperial Moscow University alumni Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class Burials at Vagankovo Cemetery {{Russia-poet-stub