ed the _Russian_ and _Slavonic_, or also the Moscow and St.
Petersburg parties.
Not much less influence than Karamzin on the Russian prose, has Ivan
Dmitrief, born 1760, exercised on poetry. He had more taste and purity
than any of his predecessors; and was the first to prove by a great
many poetical tales, fables, odes, etc. that imagination and
correctness of language are not incompatible. The most successful of
his followers are the following:
Vassilii Shukofsky, born 1784, a poet of true and deep feeling,
without affectation, possessing more of what the Germans call
_subjectivity_, than any other Russian writer. He took the Germans for
his models, and partly imitated and partly translated them with
success. Ivan Koslof, interesting by his personal character and trying
misfortunes, must be mentioned as one of the most happy translators
from the English and German. His literary talents were awakened only
when he had lost the power of enjoying the world. Early in life he was
deprived by sickness of the use of his limbs; and of his eyes, some
years after. He bore this great affliction with the most amiable
philosophy; devoted himself entirely to literature; and studied and
imitated the English poets, chiefly Byron. Another successful
translator of this great poet, who excited as much interest in Russia
as in any other country, was Baron Rosen. Further, as lyrical poets,
are also esteemed: Prince Vjazemsky, Vostokof distinguished as an Old
Slavic philologist, Chwostof, Batjushkof,[33] Rileyef,[34] Baron
Delwig, Glinka, etc.
At the head of the Russian poets stands, almost without a rival,
Alexander Pushkin, born 1798, ob. 1835; but as his principal
productions belong to the next period, and his influence is chiefly
perceptible among the more recent poets, we defer for the present a
fuller notice of his writings and his fortunes.
The Russians are particularly fond of fables. Besides Chemnitzer,
mentioned above, who is flat and prosy, Ivan Krylof, born 1768, is
celebrated in this department. He may be truly called the favourite of
the nation. His fables, equally popular among all classes and
conditions of life, are the first book that a Russian child reads. A
considerable portion of them has been translated into French and
Italian; partly by Count Orlof at Paris, and partly by friends of the
latter, ladies and gentlemen of the most fashionable society in that
capital, among whom that nobleman distributed the labour
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