Krylov Ivan Andreevich(1769–1844) - Russian fabulist, writer, playwright Born in 1769 in Moscow. Studied young Krylov little and unsystematically. He was ten years old when his father, Andrei Prokhorovich, who was at that moment a minor official in Tver, died. Andrei Krylov “didn’t study science,” but he loved to read and instilled his love in his son. He himself taught the boy to read and write and left him a chest of books as an inheritance. Further education Krylov received thanks to the patronage of the writer Nikolai Alexandrovich Lvov, who read the poems of the young poet. In his youth, the future poet lived a lot in Lvov’s house, studied with his children, and simply listened to the conversations of writers and artists who came to visit. The shortcomings of a fragmentary education affected later - for example, Krylov was always weak in spelling, but it is known that over the years he acquired quite solid knowledge and a broad outlook, learned to play the violin and speak Italian.

He was registered for service in the lower zemstvo court, although, obviously, this was a simple formality - he did not go to Krylov’s presence, or almost did not go, and did not receive any money. At the age of fourteen he ended up in St. Petersburg, where his mother went to ask for a pension. Then he transferred to serve in the St. Petersburg Treasury Chamber. However, he was not too interested in official matters. In the first place among Krylov’s hobbies were literary studies and visiting the theater. These passions did not change even after he lost his mother at the age of seventeen, and caring for his younger brother fell on his shoulders. In the 80s he wrote a lot for the theater. From his pen came the libretto of the comic operas The Coffee House and the Mad Family, the tragedies Cleopatra and Philomela, and the comedy The Writer in the Hallway. These works did not bring the young author either money or fame, but helped him get into the circle of St. Petersburg writers. He was patronized by the famous playwright Ya.B. Knyazhnin, but the proud young man, deciding that he was being mocked in the “master’s” house, broke up with his older friend. Krylov wrote the comedy Pranksters, in the main characters of which, Rhymestealer and Tarator, contemporaries easily recognized the Prince and his wife. Pranksters is a more mature work than the previous plays, but the production of the comedy was prohibited, and Krylov’s relationship deteriorated not only with the Knyazhnin family, but also with the theater management, on which the fate of any dramatic work depended.

Since the late 80s, the main activity has been in the field of journalism. In 1789, he published the magazine “Mail of Spirits” for eight months. The satirical orientation, which appeared already in the early plays, was preserved here, but in a somewhat transformed form. Krylov created a caricature of his contemporary society, framing his story in the fantastic form of correspondence between gnomes and wizards Malikulmulk. The publication was discontinued because the magazine had only eighty subscribers. Judging by the fact that “Spirit Mail” was republished in 1802, its appearance did not go unnoticed by the reading public.

In 1790 Krylov retired, deciding to devote himself entirely to literary activity. He became the owner of a printing house and in January 1792, together with his friend, the writer Klushin, began publishing the magazine “Spectator,” which was already enjoying greater popularity.

The greatest success of “The Spectator” was brought by the works of Krylov himself, Kaib, an oriental story, a fairy tale of the Night, a eulogy in memory of my grandfather, a speech spoken by a rake in a meeting of fools, and a philosopher’s thoughts on fashion. The number of subscribers grew. In 1793 the magazine was renamed “St. Petersburg Mercury”. By this time, his publishers focused primarily on constant ironic attacks on Karamzin and his followers. The publisher of Mercury was alien to Karamzin’s reformist work, which seemed to him artificial and overly susceptible to Western influences. Admiration for the West, the French language, and French fashions was one of the favorite themes of the young Krylov’s work and the object of ridicule in many of his comedies. In addition, the Karamzinists repulsed him with their disdain for the strict classicist rules of versification, and he was outraged by the overly simple, in his opinion, “common” style of Karamzin. As always, he portrayed his literary opponents with poisonous causticism. Thus, in a speech in praise of Ermolafide, delivered at a meeting of young writers, Karamzin was mockingly depicted as a person talking nonsense, or “Yermolafia”. Perhaps it was the sharp polemics with the Karamzinists that pushed readers away from the St. Petersburg Mercury.

At the end of 1793, the publication of the St. Petersburg Mercury ceased, and Krylov left St. Petersburg for several years. According to one of the writer’s biographers, “From 1795 to 1801, Krylov seemed to disappear from us.” Some fragmentary information suggests that he lived for some time in Moscow, where he played cards a lot and recklessly. Apparently, he wandered around the province, living on the estates of his friends. In 1797, Krylov went to the estate of Prince S.F. Golitsyn, where he apparently was his secretary and teacher of his children.

It was for the Golitsyns' home performance that the play Trump or Podschipa was written in 1799-1800. In the evil caricature of the stupid, arrogant and evil warrior Trump, one could easily discern Paul I, who did not like the author primarily for his admiration for the Prussian army and King Frederick II. The irony was so caustic that the play was first published in Russia only in 1871. The significance of Trump is not only in its political overtones. What is more important is that the very form of “joke tragedy” parodied classical tragedy with its high style and in many ways meant the author’s rejection of those aesthetic ideas to which he had been faithful over the previous decades.

After the death of Paul I, Prince Golitsyn was appointed governor-general of Riga, and Krylov served as his secretary for two years. In 1803 he retired again and, apparently, again spent the next two years in continuous travel around Russia and playing cards. It was during these years, about which little is known, that the playwright and journalist began to write fables. It is known that in 1805 Krylov in Moscow showed the famous poet and fabulist I.I. Dmitriev his translation of two fables by La Fontaine: The Oak and the Reed and The Picky Bride. Dmitriev highly appreciated the translation and was the first to note that the author had found his true calling. The poet himself did not immediately understand this. In 1806 he published only three fables, after which he returned to dramaturgy.

In 1807 he released three plays at once, which gained great popularity and were performed successfully on stage. This is a Fashion Shop, a Lesson for Daughters and Ilya Bogatyr. The first two plays were especially successful, each of which in its own way ridiculed the nobles’ predilection for the French language, fashions, morals, etc. and actually equated gallomania with stupidity, debauchery and extravagance. The plays were repeatedly staged, and The Fashion Shop was even performed at court.

Despite the long-awaited theatrical success, Krylov decided to take a different path. He stopped writing for the theater and every year he devoted more and more attention to working on fables. In 1808, he had already published 17 fables, including the famous Elephant and the Pug. In 1809, the first collection was published, which immediately made its author truly famous. In total, before the end of his life, he wrote more than 200 fables, which were combined into nine books. He worked until his last days - the writer's friends and acquaintances received the last lifetime edition of the fables in 1844, along with notice of the death of their author.

First in creativity Krylova While translations or adaptations of La Fontaine's famous French fables predominated (The Dragonfly and the Ant, The Wolf and the Lamb), he gradually began to find more and more independent plots, many of which were related to topical events in Russian life. Thus, the fables Quartet, Swan, Pike and Cancer, Wolf in the kennel became a reaction to various political events. More abstract plots formed the basis of Curious, Hermit and the Bear and others. However, fables written “on the topic of the day” very soon also began to be perceived as more generalized works. The events that gave rise to their writing were quickly forgotten, and the fables themselves turned into favorite reading in all educated families.

Working in a new genre dramatically changed Krylov's literary reputation. If the first half of his life passed practically in obscurity, full of material problems and deprivations, then in maturity he was surrounded by honors and universal respect. Editions of his books sold in huge circulations for that time. The writer, who at one time laughed at Karamzin for his predilection for overly popular expressions, now himself created works that were understandable to everyone, and became a truly popular writer.

Krylov became a classic during his lifetime. Already in 1835, V.G. Belinsky, in his article Literary Dreams, found only four classics in Russian literature and put Krylov on a par with Derzhavin, Pushkin and Griboyedov.

All critics paid attention to the national character of his language and his use of characters from Russian folklore. The writer remained hostile to Westernism throughout his life. It is no coincidence that he joined the literary society “Conversation of Lovers of Russian Literature,” which defended the ancient Russian style and did not recognize Karamzin’s language reform. This did not prevent Krylov from being loved by both supporters and opponents of the new light style. Thus, Pushkin, who was much closer to the Karamzin direction in literature, comparing Lafontaine and Krylov, wrote: “Both of them will forever remain the favorites of their fellow citizens. Someone rightly said that simplicity is an innate property of the French people; On the contrary, a distinctive feature in our morals is a kind of cheerful slyness of mind, mockery and a picturesque way of expressing ourselves.”

In parallel with popular recognition, there was also official recognition. From 1810, Krylov was first an assistant librarian and then a librarian at the Imperial Public Library in St. Petersburg. At the same time, he received a repeatedly increased pension “in honor of his excellent talents in Russian literature.” He was elected a member of the Russian Academy, awarded a gold medal for literary merits and received many other awards and honors.

One of the characteristic features of Krylov’s popularity is the numerous semi-legendary stories about his laziness, sloppiness, gluttony, and wit.

Already the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the fabulist’s creative activity in 1838 turned into a truly national celebration. Over the past almost two centuries, there has not been a single generation in Russia that was not brought up on Krylov’s fables.

Died Krylov in 1844 in St. Petersburg.

Russian fabulist, playwright and journalist I.A. Krylov was born on February 2 (13), 1769 in Moscow. This is the most common date of his birth. Sometimes researchers call the year 1766 or 1768, because biographical information about it is very scanty. His father was a poor army officer, a captain, who had served as a soldier for thirteen years. Andrei Prokhorovich Krylov served in the Yaitsky town at the time of the Pugachev uprising. Pushkin even mentions it in “The History of the Pugachev Rebellion.” Little Ivan at that time was with his mother in besieged Orenburg, where he spent his early childhood. From this period of his life, he remembered the famine and the landing of several cannonballs in their yard. Since the rank of captain was significant at that time, the name of Krylova and her son were found in Pugachev’s papers in the schedule of who to hang on which street.

In 1774, at the end of the riot, the father of the future poet retired and moved to Tver, where he took the modest position of chairman of the provincial magistrate. Krylov’s father “didn’t study science,” but he loved to read and instilled his love in his son, he himself taught his son to read and write. Krylov's mother was a believer, an Orthodox woman, caring, although poorly educated. Young Krylov received a meager education at home, studied little and unsystematically, but had exceptional abilities, read a lot from childhood, persistently and persistently engaged in self-education.

And during the life of Krylov Sr., his family lived in poverty. When he died in 1778, the family was completely left without a livelihood. Young Ivan inherited a chest of books from his father, and his mother, who fell into poverty and worked part-time in rich houses, begged the authorities to accept her nine-year-old son into the service - copying business papers. So the boy had to work as a scribe, first in the Kalyazinsky district court, and then in the Tver magistrate, although, obviously, this was a simple formality - Krylov did not go to the magistrate, or almost never went, and did not receive any money. Ivan received further education thanks to the patronage of the landowner and writer N.A. Lvov. The boy lived in Lvov’s house, served as a footman and simply listened to the conversations of writers and artists who came to visit. Krylov, out of mercy, was allowed to study with the landowner’s children. The boy mastered foreign languages, learned to draw and play the violin. So even in his youth, Krylov was widely read in European literature, history, and philosophy. However, the shortcomings of a fragmentary education affected later - for example, Krylov was always weak in spelling.

Even then, Ivan Krylov began to try his hand at writing poetry. His mother encouraged her son's literary experiments, but she could not provide him with a good education. A modest and pious woman, whom Krylov himself called “the first joy and first happiness of life,” was unable to achieve a pension after the death of her husband, and in 1782 she decided to go to St. Petersburg to apply for a pension in the capital. She also failed to do anything there, but for 13-year-old Krylov a position was found as a clerk in the Treasury Chamber. In addition, Petersburg opened up the opportunity for him to engage in literary work.

Literary studies and theater fascinated young Krylov. He visited the theater, where plays by Knyazhnin and Sumarokov were staged, and became closely acquainted with the actors I. Dmitrevsky and P. Plavilshchikov, with the theater director P.A. Soymonov. Under the influence of the theater and meetings with actors, 14-year-old Krylov wrote his first work - a comic opera in verse "The Coffee House", in which he depicted the morals of provincial serf-owners. True, according to some sources, this play was composed by Krylov back in Tver. The beginning was unsuccessful: “The Coffee House” was a complete failure, it was not published and not staged. The first play was followed by the tragedy "Cleopatra", but it also suffered the same fate. The unknown young commoner Krylov could not break into the circle of recognized authors.

Krylov was not too interested in official affairs. For some time (1787-1788) he served in the Mountain Expedition, but literature and theater remained in first place among his hobbies. These passions did not change even after he lost his mother at the age of 17, and caring for his younger brother fell on his shoulders. During 1786-1788, Krylov wrote the tragedy "Philomela" and the comedies "The Mad Family", "The Writer in the Hallway" and "Pranksters", ridiculing the emptiness and depravity of the capital's nobility. These works did not bring the young author either money or fame, but helped him get into the circle of St. Petersburg writers. The name of the young playwright is gradually gaining fame in theatrical and literary circles. He was patronized by the famous playwright Ya.B. The prince, however, a proud young man, deciding that they were mocking him in the “master’s” house, broke up with his friend. In the comedy "Pranksters", in the main characters Rhymestealer and Tarator, contemporaries easily recognized the Prince and his wife. But the production of the comedy was prohibited, and Krylov’s relationship deteriorated not only with the Knyazhnin family, but also with the theater management, on which the fate of any dramatic work depended.

The first fables, published by Krylov in 1788 in the magazine "Morning Hours", went completely unnoticed. Then in 1789 Krylov decided to publish the satirical magazine “Mail of Spirits,” which continued the traditions of Russian satirical journalism. In the magazine, Krylov created a caricature of his contemporary society, framing his story in the fantastic form of correspondence between gnomes and the wizard Malikulmulk. Due to its radical direction, the magazine existed only for eight months and was then closed by censorship. The magazine only had 80 subscribers, but judging by the fact that “Spirit Mail” was republished in 1802, its appearance did not go unnoticed by the reading public.

In February 1792, together with A.I. Klushin, I.A. Dmitriev and P.A. Plavilshchikov Krylov began publishing a new magazine “The Spectator”, which immediately became popular, but already in May 1792 it was closed. Krylov's journalistic activities displeased Catherine II. In the summer of 1792, the printing house was searched, Krylov came under police surveillance, and publication of the magazine was stopped. In 1793, the magazine was renamed "St. Petersburg Mercury". By this time, his publishers focused primarily on constant ironic attacks on his followers. Krylov was alien to the reformist creativity of Karamzin, which seemed to him artificial and overly susceptible to Western influences. Admiration for the West, the French language, and French fashions was one of the favorite themes of the young Krylov’s work and the object of ridicule in many of his comedies. In addition, the Karamzinists repulsed him with their disdain for the strict classical canons of versification, and he was outraged by the overly simple, in his opinion, “common” style of Karamzin. Karamzin was mockingly portrayed as a man talking nonsense. Perhaps it was precisely the sharp polemics with the Karamzinists that pushed readers away from the St. Petersburg Mercury. At the end of 1793, publication of the St. Petersburg Mercury ceased.

For some time, Krylov retired from literary affairs and left the capital, which had become dangerous. He moved to Moscow, began looking for some kind of income and soon found it in a card game, where he had incredible luck, although he was considered not only a master, but also a magician of this type of activity. Krylov's name was included in the police register of avid card players, which is why, according to some accounts, he was forced to leave Moscow in 1795. Krylov wandered around the Russian province: he visited Tambov, Saratov, Nizhny Novgorod, and Ukraine. He did not stop composing, but his works only occasionally appeared in print. It is unknown where this would all lead, but at the beginning of 1797 he became close friends with Prince S.F. Golitsyn, who was in disgrace. The prince invited Krylov to take the place of his personal secretary and home teacher. Now Krylov spent a lot of time on the prince’s estate - the village of Kozatsky, Kyiv province. Knowing several languages, he taught the prince’s sons languages ​​and literature, and played musical instruments. Especially for the Golitsyns' home theater, Krylov wrote in 1799 the clownish tragedy "Trumph, or Podschipa" - a witty and apt satire on the royal court. Krylov himself played the role of Trump, an arrogant German prince. The irony against Paul I, who the author did not like primarily for his admiration for the Prussian army and King Frederick II, was so caustic that the play was first published in Russia only in 1871.

On March 11, 1801, Alexander I ascended the throne, in whom Prince Golitsyn enjoyed great confidence, as a result of which he was appointed governor-general of Livonia, and Krylov - ruler of the chancellery. Krylov served in Riga for two years, and in the fall of 1803 he moved to Serpukhov to live with his brother Lev Andreevich, an officer of the Oryol Musketeer Regiment. The next two years were apparently spent in constant travel around Russia and playing cards. It was during these years, about which little is known, that the playwright and journalist began to write fables. In the autumn of 1803 in St. Petersburg, and at the beginning of 1804 in Moscow, Krylov’s play “Pie” (1801) was staged for the first time, which was a success. Inspired, Krylov returned to St. Petersburg in 1806 and settled there forever. This was also a return to literary activity. Krylov wrote comedy plays "Fashionable Shop" (1806) and "A Lesson for Daughters" (1807), and translated several fables by La Fontaine, three of which were published in 1806.

Despite the long-awaited theatrical success, Krylov decided to take a different path. He stopped writing for the theater and every year he devoted more and more attention to working on fables. His very first fables, written back in 1788 ("The Shy Gambler", "The Fate of the Gamblers", "The Peacock and the Nightingale"), do not yet foreshadow the future fabulist. But everything changes in 1806. Krylov almost completely switches to fables; in 1808 he published 17 fables, including the famous “Elephant and Pug.” Collaborating in A. Shakhovsky's "Dramatic Bulletin", Krylov published only fables in the magazine, and in 1809 published them as a separate book. This collection of 23 fables immediately made its author truly famous. It was the fable that became the genre in which Krylov’s genius expressed itself unusually widely. In 1811, "New Fables of Ivan Krylov" appeared, in 1815 - "Fables of Ivan Krylov" in three parts, in 1816 - "New Fables of I.A. Krylov", which made up the fourth and fifth parts, in 1819 - in six parts, and in 1830 - already in eight. Then the publications followed one after another, with the addition of new fables; the last lifetime edition of 1843 already contains 197 fables. In total, Krylov wrote 201 fables, three of which were discovered after his death.

If at first Krylov’s work was dominated by translations or adaptations of La Fontaine’s famous fables (“The Dragonfly and the Ant,” “The Wolf and the Lamb”), then gradually he began to find more and more independent plots, many of which were related to topical events in Russian life. Thus, the fables “Quartet”, “Swan, Pike and Cancer”, “Wolf in the Kennel” became a reaction to various political events. Working in a new genre dramatically changed Krylov's literary reputation. If the first half of his life passed in obscurity, full of material problems and deprivations, then in maturity he was surrounded by honors and universal respect. Editions of his books sold in huge circulations for that time. The writer, who at one time laughed at Karamzin for his predilection for overly popular expressions, now himself created works that were understandable to everyone, and became a truly popular writer. With his fables, living folk speech entered Russian literature. Each new fable by Krylov was greeted with delight. The Patriotic War of 1812 caused a patriotic upsurge in him, and, according to contemporaries, after Kutuzov’s refusal to conduct peace negotiations with Napoleon, he rewrote the fable “The Wolf in the Kennel” with his own hand and gave it to the field marshal’s wife. Kutuzov read the fable after the battle near the village of Krasny to the officers gathered around him and, at the words: “You are gray, and I, friend, am gray,” he took off his white cap and shook his bowed gray head.

In parallel with popular recognition, there was also official recognition. In 1808-1810, Krylov served in the Coinage Department, in 1810 he was appointed assistant librarian, and from 1812 - librarian at the Imperial Public Library, where he served for 30 years in the depository of books in foreign languages. Back in 1812, he was given a lifelong pension, which was repeatedly increased “in respect of his excellent talents in Russian literature.” Krylov was elected a full member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (1841), an honorary member of St. Petersburg University (1829), an honorary free fellow of the Academy of Arts (1836), was awarded a gold medal for literary merits and received many other orders, honors and gifts from the royal family. In 1830, after the eight-volume edition of Krylov’s fables was published in 40,000 copies, Krylov doubled his pension and promoted him to state councilor.

In 1816, Krylov settled in one of the buildings of the Public Library - an old house, the lower floor of which was occupied by bookstores (20 Sadovaya Street, the house has been preserved unchanged). Krylov’s apartment was located on the second floor; M.E. lived on the third floor. Lobanov - member of the Russian Academy, poet, biographer, first collector of the works of I.A. Krylova. Ivan Andreevich retired in March 1841 and until the end of his life he wrote nothing more than fables, completely devoting himself to this type of poetry, in which he gained immortal fame as a famous folk writer. He became a classic during his lifetime. Already in 1835 V.G. Belinsky, in his article “Literary Dreams,” found only four classics in Russian literature and put Krylov on a par with Derzhavin, Pushkin and Griboyedov. The celebration of the 70th anniversary of his birth and the 50th anniversary of the fabulist’s creative activity in 1838 turned into a truly national celebration. Speeches were given by Minister Uvarov, the Tsarevich's tutor, and congratulatory couplets were written by Prince Vyazemsky. On the occasion of the anniversary, a medal was struck.

After retiring, Krylov moved out of his government-owned apartment and began renting an apartment in Blinov’s house on Vasilyevsky Island. The academician, a good friend of the most talented contemporaries, received invitations to the palace, was preparing to travel abroad, but became a homebody. His personal life passed as if in the shadows. Krylov was a sedentary and silent man. He became the hero of numerous jokes and legends and, nicknamed “Grandfather Krylov,” merged in the minds of his contemporaries with his fables, which he described as “poetic lessons of wisdom.” Semi-legendary stories circulated around the capital about his laziness, carelessness, and sloppiness. Loneliness weighed on him. He had no family. He was not interested in earthly interests, but he did not acquire heavenly ones either. Later, gluttony became his passion. And he died of intestinal volvulus, after a dinner party, having eaten deliciously cooked stewed hazel grouse in sour cream (however, the medical certificate of Krylov’s death has been preserved, which says that the fabulist died of transient pneumonia).

At one time, Krylov received invitations to small dinners with the Empress, about which he later spoke very unflatteringly due to the meager portions of dishes served to the table. V.V. Veresaev recalled that all the pleasure, all the bliss of life for Krylov lay in food. In the last years of his life, Krylov experienced health problems. Perhaps this was facilitated by excess weight and an overweight figure. But Krylov worked until his last days. Even a few hours before his death, Krylov asked to be moved from bed to a chair, but then, saying that it was hard for him, he asked to lie down again. The last order of the dying man was a request to distribute to everyone who remembered him a copy of his new edition of the fables, which the writer’s friends and acquaintances received along with the notice of the death of their author.

There are many such examples in the world:
No one likes to recognize themselves in satire.
I even saw this yesterday:
Everyone knows that Klimych is dishonest;
They read about bribes to Klimych,
And he furtively nods at Peter.

In the house of Blinov, the great fabulist died on November 9 (21), 1844 at the age of 75 years. He died, as Academician Lobanov wrote, “with a true Christian feeling, saying in a weak voice: “Lord, forgive me my sins.” The funeral of I.A. Krylov, in terms of solemnity and the huge number of people, the historian Pylyaev equates to the funeral of Lomonosov. After the funeral in St. Isaac's Cathedral The coffin with Krylov’s body was carried by university students to the Tikhvin Cemetery in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra (Necropolis of Art Masters). He was buried next to (1784-1833), who also worked in the Public Library. I.A. year according to a standard design in the St. Petersburg workshop of the Tropins (a similar tombstone of the life physician I. Ryul at the Volkovo Lutheran cemetery). During the construction of this tombstone, funds allocated from the imperial office were partially used. And on May 12, 1855, funds collected by subscription were used. initiated by P.A. Vyazemsky, a monument to the famous writer was unveiled in the Summer Garden - the first monument to a writer in Imperial Petersburg, so undeniable were Ivan Andreevich’s services to Russian literature. And today, even the most uneducated adult, having strained himself, will remember a couple of common quotes from Krylov’s fables. So, in terms of the degree of people’s love, Ivan Andreevich is puffing heavily at the back of Alexander Sergeevich’s head. Re-read the ageless fables of Grandfather Krylov!

Born in 1769 in Moscow. Young Krylov studied little and unsystematically. He was ten years old when his father, Andrei Prokhorovich, who was at that moment a minor official in Tver, died. Andrei Krylov “didn’t study science,” but he loved to read and instilled his love in his son. He himself taught the boy to read and write and left him a chest of books as an inheritance. Krylov received further education thanks to the patronage of the writer Nikolai Aleksandrovich Lvov, who read the poems of the young poet. In his youth, he lived a lot in Lvov’s house, studied with his children, and simply listened to the conversations of writers and artists who came to visit. The shortcomings of a fragmentary education affected later - for example, Krylov was always weak in spelling, but it is known that over the years he acquired quite solid knowledge and a broad outlook, learned to play the violin and speak Italian.

He was registered for service in the lower zemstvo court, although, obviously, this was a simple formality - he did not go to Krylov’s presence, or almost did not go, and did not receive any money. At the age of fourteen he ended up in St. Petersburg, where his mother went to ask for a pension. Then he transferred to serve in the St. Petersburg Treasury Chamber. However, he was not too interested in official matters. In the first place among Krylov’s hobbies were literary studies and visiting the theater. These passions did not change even after he lost his mother at the age of seventeen, and caring for his younger brother fell on his shoulders. In the 80s he wrote a lot for the theater. From his pen came the libretto of the comic operas The Coffee House and the Mad Family, the tragedies Cleopatra and Philomela, and the comedy The Writer in the Hallway. These works did not bring the young author either money or fame, but helped him get into the circle of St. Petersburg writers. He was patronized by the famous playwright Ya.B. Knyazhnin, but the proud young man, deciding that he was being mocked in the “master’s” house, broke up with his older friend. Krylov wrote the comedy Pranksters, in the main characters of which, Rhymestealer and Tarator, contemporaries easily recognized the Prince and his wife. Pranksters is a more mature work than the previous plays, but the production of the comedy was prohibited, and Krylov’s relationship deteriorated not only with the Knyazhnin family, but also with the theater management, on which the fate of any dramatic work depended.

Since the late 80s, the main activity has been in the field of journalism. In 1789, he published the magazine “Mail of Spirits” for eight months. The satirical orientation, which appeared already in the early plays, was preserved here, but in a somewhat transformed form. Krylov created a caricature of his contemporary society, framing his story in the fantastic form of correspondence between gnomes and wizards Malikulmulk. The publication was discontinued because the magazine had only eighty subscribers. Judging by the fact that “Spirit Mail” was republished in 1802, its appearance did not go unnoticed by the reading public.

In 1790 he retired, deciding to devote himself entirely to literary activity. He became the owner of a printing house and in January 1792, together with his friend, the writer Klushin, began publishing the magazine “Spectator,” which was already enjoying greater popularity.

The greatest success of “The Spectator” was brought by the works of Krylov himself, Kaib, an oriental story, a fairy tale of the Night, a eulogy in memory of my grandfather, a speech spoken by a rake in a meeting of fools, and a philosopher’s thoughts on fashion. The number of subscribers grew. In 1793 the magazine was renamed “St. Petersburg Mercury”. By this time, his publishers focused primarily on constant ironic attacks on Karamzin and his followers. The publisher of Mercury was alien to Karamzin’s reformist work, which seemed to him artificial and overly susceptible to Western influences. Admiration for the West, the French language, and French fashions was one of the favorite themes of the young Krylov’s work and the object of ridicule in many of his comedies. In addition, the Karamzinists repulsed him with their disdain for the strict classicist rules of versification, and he was outraged by the overly simple, in his opinion, “common” style of Karamzin. As always, he portrayed his literary opponents with poisonous causticism. Thus, in a speech in praise of Ermolafide, delivered at a meeting of young writers, Karamzin was mockingly depicted as a person talking nonsense, or “Yermolafia”. Perhaps it was the sharp polemics with the Karamzinists that pushed readers away from the St. Petersburg Mercury.

At the end of 1793, the publication of the St. Petersburg Mercury ceased, and Krylov left St. Petersburg for several years. According to one of the writer’s biographers, “From 1795 to 1801, Krylov seemed to disappear from us.” Some fragmentary information suggests that he lived for some time in Moscow, where he played cards a lot and recklessly. Apparently, he wandered around the province, living on the estates of his friends. In 1797, Krylov went to the estate of Prince S.F. Golitsyn, where he apparently was his secretary and teacher of his children.

It was for the Golitsyns' home performance that the play Trump or Podschipa was written in 1799-1800. In the evil caricature of the stupid, arrogant and evil warrior Trump, one could easily discern Paul I, who did not like the author primarily for his admiration for the Prussian army and King Frederick II. The irony was so caustic that the play was first published in Russia only in 1871. The significance of Trump is not only in its political overtones. What is more important is that the very form of “joke tragedy” parodied classical tragedy with its high style and in many ways meant the author’s rejection of those aesthetic ideas to which he had been faithful over the previous decades.

After the death of Paul I, Prince Golitsyn was appointed governor-general of Riga, and Krylov served as his secretary for two years. In 1803 he retired again and, apparently, again spent the next two years in continuous travel around Russia and playing cards. It was during these years, about which little is known, that the playwright and journalist began to write fables.

It is known that in 1805 Krylov in Moscow showed the famous poet and fabulist I.I. Dmitriev his translation of two fables by La Fontaine: The Oak and the Cane and The Picky Bride. Dmitriev highly appreciated the translation and was the first to note that the author had found his true calling. The poet himself did not immediately understand this. In 1806 he published only three fables, after which he returned to dramaturgy.

In 1807 he released three plays at once, which gained great popularity and were performed successfully on stage. This is a Fashion Shop, a Lesson for Daughters and Ilya Bogatyr. The first two plays were especially successful, each of which in its own way ridiculed the nobles’ predilection for the French language, fashions, morals, etc. and actually equated gallomania with stupidity, debauchery and extravagance. The plays were repeatedly staged, and The Fashion Shop was even performed at court.

Despite the long-awaited theatrical success, Krylov decided to take a different path. He stopped writing for the theater and every year he devoted more and more attention to working on fables.

In 1808, he had already published 17 fables, including the famous Elephant and the Pug.

In 1809, the first collection was published, which immediately made its author truly famous. In total, before the end of his life, he wrote more than 200 fables, which were combined into nine books. He worked until his last days - the writer's friends and acquaintances received the last lifetime edition of the fables in 1844, along with notice of the death of their author.

At first, Krylov’s work was dominated by translations or adaptations of La Fontaine’s famous French fables (The Dragonfly and the Ant, The Wolf and the Lamb), but gradually he began to find more and more independent plots, many of which were related to topical events in Russian life. Thus, the fables Quartet, Swan, Pike and Cancer, Wolf in the kennel became a reaction to various political events. More abstract plots formed the basis of Curious, Hermit and the Bear and others. However, fables written “on the topic of the day” very soon also began to be perceived as more generalized works. The events that gave rise to their writing were quickly forgotten, and the fables themselves turned into favorite reading in all educated families.

Working in a new genre dramatically changed Krylov's literary reputation. If the first half of his life passed practically in obscurity, full of material problems and deprivations, then in maturity he was surrounded by honors and universal respect. Editions of his books sold in huge circulations for that time. The writer, who at one time laughed at Karamzin for his predilection for overly popular expressions, now himself created works that were understandable to everyone, and became a truly popular writer.

Krylov became a classic during his lifetime. Already in 1835, V.G. Belinsky, in his article Literary Dreams, found only four classics in Russian literature and put Krylov on a par with Derzhavin, Pushkin and Griboyedov.

All critics paid attention to the national character of his language and his use of characters from Russian folklore. The writer remained hostile to Westernism throughout his life. It is no coincidence that he joined the literary society “Conversation of Lovers of Russian Literature,” which defended the ancient Russian style and did not recognize Karamzin’s language reform. This did not prevent Krylov from being loved by both supporters and opponents of the new light style. Thus, Pushkin, who was much closer to the Karamzin direction in literature, comparing Lafontaine and Krylov, wrote: “Both of them will forever remain the favorites of their fellow citizens. Someone rightly said that simplicity is an innate property of the French people; on the contrary, a distinctive feature in our morals is a kind of cheerful cunning of the mind, mockery and a picturesque way of expressing ourselves.”

In parallel with popular recognition, there was also official recognition. From 1810, Krylov was first an assistant librarian and then a librarian at the Imperial Public Library in St. Petersburg. At the same time, he received a repeatedly increased pension “in honor of his excellent talents in Russian literature.” He was elected a member of the Russian Academy, awarded a gold medal for literary merits and received many other awards and honors.

One of the characteristic features of Krylov’s popularity is the numerous semi-legendary stories about his laziness, sloppiness, gluttony, and wit.

Already the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the fabulist’s creative activity in 1838 turned into a truly national celebration. Over the past almost two centuries, there has not been a single generation in Russia that was not brought up on Krylov’s fables.

Krylov died in 1844 in St. Petersburg.

Tamara Eidelman

(17691844) Russian fabulist, writer, playwright

Born in 1769 in Moscow. Young Krylov studied little and unsystematically. He was ten years old when his father, Andrei Prokhorovich, who was at that moment a minor official in Tver, died. Andrei Krylov “didn’t study science,” but he loved to read and instilled his love in his son. He himself taught the boy to read and write and left him a chest of books as an inheritance. Krylov received further education thanks to the patronage of the writer Nikolai Aleksandrovich Lvov, who read the poems of the young poet. In his youth, he lived a lot in Lvov’s house, studied with his children, and simply listened to the conversations of writers and artists who came to visit. The shortcomings of a fragmentary education affected later for example, Krylov was always weak in spelling, but it is known that over the years he acquired quite solid knowledge and a broad outlook, learned to play the violin and speak Italian.

He was registered for service in the lower zemstvo court, although, obviously, this was a simple formality; he did not go, or almost did not go, into the presence of Krylov and did not receive any money. At the age of fourteen he ended up in St. Petersburg, where his mother went to ask for a pension. Then he transferred to serve in the St. Petersburg Treasury Chamber. However, he was not too interested in official matters. In the first place among Krylov’s hobbies were literary studies and visiting the theater. These passions did not change even after he lost his mother at the age of seventeen, and caring for his younger brother fell on his shoulders. In the 80s he wrote a lot for the theater. Librettoes of comic operas came from his pen Coffee pot And Rabid Family, tragedy Cleopatra And Philomel, comedy Writer in the hallway. These works did not bring the young author either money or fame, but helped him get into the circle of St. Petersburg writers. He was patronized by the famous playwright Ya.B. Knyazhnin, but the proud young man, deciding that he was being mocked in the “master’s” house, broke up with his older friend. Krylov wrote a comedy Pranksters, in the main characters of which, Rhymestealer and Tarator, contemporaries easily recognized the Prince and his wife. Pranksters a more mature work than the previous plays, but the production of the comedy was prohibited, and Krylov’s relationship deteriorated not only with the Knyazhnin family, but also with the theater management, on which the fate of any dramatic work depended.

Since the late 80s, the main activity has been in the field of journalism. In 1789, he published the magazine “Mail of Spirits” for eight months. The satirical orientation, which appeared already in the early plays, was preserved here, but in a somewhat transformed form. Krylov created a caricature of his contemporary society, framing his story in the fantastic form of correspondence between gnomes and wizards Malikulmulk. The publication was discontinued because the magazine had only eighty subscribers. Judging by the fact that “Spirit Mail” was republished in 1802, its appearance did not go unnoticed by the reading public.

In 1790 he retired, deciding to devote himself entirely to literary activity. He became the owner of a printing house and in January 1792, together with his friend, the writer Klushin, began publishing the magazine “Spectator,” which was already enjoying greater popularity.

The greatest success of “The Spectator” came from the works of Krylov himself. Kaib, an eastern story, fairy tale Nights, Eulogy for my grandfather, A speech spoken by a rake in an assembly of fools, Philosopher's thoughts on fashion. The number of subscribers grew. In 1793 the magazine was renamed “St. Petersburg Mercury”. By this time, his publishers focused primarily on constant ironic attacks on Karamzin and his followers. The publisher of Mercury was alien to Karamzin’s reformist work, which seemed to him artificial and overly susceptible to Western influences. Admiration for the West, the French language, and French fashions was one of the favorite themes of the young Krylov’s work and the object of ridicule in many of his comedies. In addition, the Karamzinists repulsed him with their disdain for the strict classicist rules of versification, and he was outraged by the overly simple, in his opinion, “common” style of Karamzin. As always, he portrayed his literary opponents with poisonous causticism. So, in A speech of praise to Ermolafide, given at a meeting of young writers Karamzin was mockingly portrayed as a man talking nonsense, or “Yermolafia.” Perhaps it was the sharp polemics with the Karamzinists that pushed readers away from the St. Petersburg Mercury.

At the end of 1793, the publication of the St. Petersburg Mercury ceased, and Krylov left St. Petersburg for several years. According to one of the writer’s biographers, “From 1795 to 1801, Krylov seemed to disappear from us.” Some fragmentary information suggests that he lived for some time in Moscow, where he played cards a lot and recklessly. Apparently, he wandered around the province, living on the estates of his friends. In 1797, Krylov went to the estate of Prince S.F. Golitsyn, where he apparently was his secretary and teacher of his children.

It was for the Golitsyns’ home performance that the play was written in 1799-1800 Trumph or Podschipa. In the evil caricature of the stupid, arrogant and evil warrior Trump, one could easily discern Paul I, who did not like the author primarily for his admiration for the Prussian army and King Frederick II. The irony was so caustic that the play was first published in Russia only in 1871. Meaning Trumpha not only in its political overtones. What is more important is that the very form of “joke tragedy” parodied classical tragedy with its high style and in many ways meant the author’s rejection of those aesthetic ideas to which he had been faithful over the previous decades.

After the death of Paul I, Prince Golitsyn was appointed governor-general of Riga, and Krylov served as his secretary for two years. In 1803 he retired again and, apparently, again spent the next two years in continuous travel around Russia and playing cards. It was during these years, about which little is known, that the playwright and journalist began to write fables.

It is known that in 1805 Krylov in Moscow showed the famous poet and fabulist I.I. Dmitriev his translation of two fables by La Fontaine: Oak and cane And The picky bride. Dmitriev highly appreciated the translation and was the first to note that the author had found his true calling. The poet himself did not immediately understand this. In 1806 he published only three fables, after which he returned to dramaturgy.

In 1807 he released three plays at once, which gained great popularity and were performed successfully on stage. This is Fashion shop, Lesson for daughters And Ilya Bogatyr. The first two plays were especially successful, each of which in its own way ridiculed the nobles’ predilection for the French language, fashions, morals, etc. and actually equated gallomania with stupidity, debauchery and extravagance. The plays were repeatedly staged on stage, and Fashion store They even played at court.

Despite the long-awaited theatrical success, Krylov decided to take a different path. He stopped writing for the theater and every year he devoted more and more attention to working on fables.

In 1808 he had already published 17 fables, including the famous Elephant and pug.

In 1809, the first collection was published, which immediately made its author truly famous. In total, before the end of his life, he wrote more than 200 fables, which were combined into nine books. He worked until his last days; the writer's friends and acquaintances received the last lifetime edition of the fables in 1844, along with notice of the death of their author.

At first, Krylov’s work was dominated by translations or adaptations of the famous French fables by La Fontaine, ( Dragonfly and ant, The Wolf and the Lamb), then gradually he began to find more and more independent plots, many of which were related to topical events in Russian life. Thus, fables became a reaction to various political events Quartet, Swan,Pike and Cancer, Wolf at the kennel. More abstract subjects formed the basis Curious, Hermit and bear and others. However, fables written “on the topic of the day” very soon also began to be perceived as more generalized works. The events that gave rise to their writing were quickly forgotten, and the fables themselves turned into favorite reading in all educated families.

Working in a new genre dramatically changed Krylov's literary reputation. If the first half of his life passed practically in obscurity, full of material problems and deprivations, then in maturity he was surrounded by honors and universal respect. Editions of his books sold in huge circulations for that time. The writer, who at one time laughed at Karamzin for his predilection for overly popular expressions, now himself created works that were understandable to everyone, and became a truly popular writer.

Krylov became a classic during his lifetime. Already in 1835 V.G. Belinsky in his article Literary dreams found only four classics in Russian literature and put Krylov on a par with Derzhavin, Pushkin and Griboyedov.

All critics paid attention to the national character of his language and his use of characters from Russian folklore. The writer remained hostile to Westernism throughout his life. It is no coincidence that he joined the literary society “Conversation of Lovers of Russian Literature,” which defended the ancient Russian style and did not recognize Karamzin’s language reform. This did not prevent Krylov from being loved by both supporters and opponents of the new light style. Thus, Pushkin, who was much closer to the Karamzin direction in literature, comparing Lafontaine and Krylov, wrote: “Both of them will forever remain the favorites of their fellow citizens. Someone rightly said that simplicity is an innate property of the French people; On the contrary, a distinctive feature in our morals is a kind of cheerful slyness of mind, mockery and a picturesque way of expressing ourselves."

In parallel with popular recognition, there was also official recognition. From 1810, Krylov was first an assistant librarian and then a librarian at the Imperial Public Library in St. Petersburg. At the same time, he received a repeatedly increased pension “in honor of his excellent talents in Russian literature.” He was elected a member of the Russian Academy, awarded a gold medal for literary merits and received many other awards and honors.

One of the characteristic features of Krylov’s popularity is the numerous semi-legendary stories about his laziness, sloppiness, gluttony, and wit.

Already the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the fabulist’s creative activity in 1838 turned into a truly national celebration. Over the past almost two centuries, there has not been a single generation in Russia that was not brought up on Krylov’s fables.

Krylov died in 1844 in St. Petersburg.

Gordin M.A. Life of Ivan Krylov. M., “Book”, 1985

KRYLOV, IVAN ANDREEVICH(1769–1844) – Russian fabulist, writer, playwright

Born in 1769 in Moscow. Young Krylov studied little and unsystematically. He was ten years old when his father, Andrei Prokhorovich, who was at that moment a minor official in Tver, died. Andrei Krylov “didn’t study science,” but he loved to read and instilled his love in his son. He himself taught the boy to read and write and left him a chest of books as an inheritance. Krylov received further education thanks to the patronage of the writer Nikolai Aleksandrovich Lvov, who read the poems of the young poet. In his youth, he lived a lot in Lvov’s house, studied with his children, and simply listened to the conversations of writers and artists who came to visit. The shortcomings of a fragmentary education affected later - for example, Krylov was always weak in spelling, but it is known that over the years he acquired quite solid knowledge and a broad outlook, learned to play the violin and speak Italian.

He was registered for service in the lower zemstvo court, although, obviously, this was a simple formality - he did not go to Krylov’s presence, or almost did not go, and did not receive any money. At the age of fourteen he ended up in St. Petersburg, where his mother went to ask for a pension. Then he transferred to serve in the St. Petersburg Treasury Chamber. However, he was not too interested in official matters. In the first place among Krylov’s hobbies were literary studies and visiting the theater. These passions did not change even after he lost his mother at the age of seventeen, and caring for his younger brother fell on his shoulders. In the 80s he wrote a lot for the theater. Librettoes of comic operas came from his pen Coffee pot And Rabid Family, tragedy Cleopatra And Philomel, comedy Writer in the hallway. These works did not bring the young author either money or fame, but helped him get into the circle of St. Petersburg writers. He was patronized by the famous playwright Ya.B. Knyazhnin, but the proud young man, deciding that he was being mocked in the “master’s” house, broke up with his older friend. Krylov wrote a comedy Pranksters, in the main characters of which, Rhymestealer and Tarator, contemporaries easily recognized the Prince and his wife. Pranksters- a more mature work than the previous plays, but the production of the comedy was prohibited, and Krylov’s relationship deteriorated not only with the Knyazhnin family, but also with the theater management, on which the fate of any dramatic work depended.

Since the late 80s, the main activity has been in the field of journalism. In 1789, he published the magazine “Mail of Spirits” for eight months. The satirical orientation, which appeared already in the early plays, was preserved here, but in a somewhat transformed form. Krylov created a caricature of his contemporary society, framing his story in the fantastic form of correspondence between gnomes and wizards Malikulmulk. The publication was discontinued because the magazine had only eighty subscribers. Judging by the fact that “Spirit Mail” was republished in 1802, its appearance did not go unnoticed by the reading public.

In 1790 he retired, deciding to devote himself entirely to literary activity. He became the owner of a printing house and in January 1792, together with his friend, the writer Klushin, began publishing the magazine “Spectator,” which was already enjoying greater popularity.

The greatest success of “The Spectator” came from the works of Krylov himself. Kaib, an eastern story, fairy tale Nights, Eulogy for my grandfather, A speech spoken by a rake in an assembly of fools, Philosopher's thoughts on fashion. The number of subscribers grew. In 1793 the magazine was renamed “St. Petersburg Mercury”. By this time, his publishers focused primarily on constant ironic attacks on Karamzin and his followers. The publisher of Mercury was alien to Karamzin’s reformist work, which seemed to him artificial and overly susceptible to Western influences. Admiration for the West, the French language, and French fashions was one of the favorite themes of the young Krylov’s work and the object of ridicule in many of his comedies. In addition, the Karamzinists repulsed him with their disdain for the strict classicist rules of versification, and he was outraged by the overly simple, in his opinion, “common” style of Karamzin. As always, he portrayed his literary opponents with poisonous causticism. So, in A speech of praise to Ermolafide, given at a meeting of young writers Karamzin was mockingly portrayed as a man talking nonsense, or “Yermolafia.” Perhaps it was the sharp polemics with the Karamzinists that pushed readers away from the St. Petersburg Mercury.

At the end of 1793, the publication of the St. Petersburg Mercury ceased, and Krylov left St. Petersburg for several years. According to one of the writer’s biographers, “From 1795 to 1801, Krylov seemed to disappear from us.” Some fragmentary information suggests that he lived for some time in Moscow, where he played cards a lot and recklessly. Apparently, he wandered around the province, living on the estates of his friends. In 1797, Krylov went to the estate of Prince S.F. Golitsyn, where he apparently was his secretary and teacher of his children.

It was for the Golitsyns’ home performance that the play was written in 1799-1800 Trumph or Podschipa. In the evil caricature of the stupid, arrogant and evil warrior Trump, one could easily discern Paul I, who did not like the author primarily for his admiration for the Prussian army and King Frederick II. The irony was so caustic that the play was first published in Russia only in 1871. Meaning Trumpha not only in its political overtones. What is more important is that the very form of “joke tragedy” parodied classical tragedy with its high style and in many ways meant the author’s rejection of those aesthetic ideas to which he had been faithful over the previous decades.

After the death of Paul I, Prince Golitsyn was appointed governor-general of Riga, and Krylov served as his secretary for two years. In 1803 he retired again and, apparently, again spent the next two years in continuous travel around Russia and playing cards. It was during these years, about which little is known, that the playwright and journalist began to write fables.

It is known that in 1805 Krylov in Moscow showed the famous poet and fabulist I.I. Dmitriev his translation of two fables by La Fontaine: Oak and cane And The picky bride. Dmitriev highly appreciated the translation and was the first to note that the author had found his true calling. The poet himself did not immediately understand this. In 1806 he published only three fables, after which he returned to dramaturgy.

In 1807 he released three plays at once, which gained great popularity and were performed successfully on stage. This - Fashion shop, Lesson for daughters And Ilya Bogatyr. The first two plays were especially successful, each of which in its own way ridiculed the nobles’ predilection for the French language, fashions, morals, etc. and actually equated gallomania with stupidity, debauchery and extravagance. The plays were repeatedly staged on stage, and Fashion store They even played at court.

Despite the long-awaited theatrical success, Krylov decided to take a different path. He stopped writing for the theater and every year he devoted more and more attention to working on fables.

In 1808 he had already published 17 fables, including the famous Elephant and pug.

In 1809, the first collection was published, which immediately made its author truly famous. In total, before the end of his life, he wrote more than 200 fables, which were combined into nine books. He worked until his last days - the writer's friends and acquaintances received the last lifetime edition of the fables in 1844, along with notice of the death of their author.

At first, Krylov’s work was dominated by translations or adaptations of the famous French fables by La Fontaine, ( Dragonfly and ant, The Wolf and the Lamb), then gradually he began to find more and more independent plots, many of which were related to topical events in Russian life. Thus, fables became a reaction to various political events Quartet, Swan,Pike and Cancer, Wolf at the kennel. More abstract subjects formed the basis Curious, Hermit and bear and others. However, fables written “on the topic of the day” very soon also began to be perceived as more generalized works. The events that gave rise to their writing were quickly forgotten, and the fables themselves turned into favorite reading in all educated families.

Working in a new genre dramatically changed Krylov's literary reputation. If the first half of his life passed practically in obscurity, full of material problems and deprivations, then in maturity he was surrounded by honors and universal respect. Editions of his books sold in huge circulations for that time. The writer, who at one time laughed at Karamzin for his predilection for overly popular expressions, now himself created works that were understandable to everyone, and became a truly popular writer.

Krylov became a classic during his lifetime. Already in 1835 V.G. Belinsky in his article Literary dreams found only four classics in Russian literature and put Krylov on a par with Derzhavin, Pushkin and Griboyedov.

All critics paid attention to the national character of his language and his use of characters from Russian folklore. The writer remained hostile to Westernism throughout his life. It is no coincidence that he joined the literary society “Conversation of Lovers of Russian Literature,” which defended the ancient Russian style and did not recognize Karamzin’s language reform. This did not prevent Krylov from being loved by both supporters and opponents of the new light style. Thus, Pushkin, who was much closer to the Karamzin direction in literature, comparing Lafontaine and Krylov, wrote: “Both of them will forever remain the favorites of their fellow citizens. Someone rightly said that simplicity is an innate property of the French people; On the contrary, a distinctive feature in our morals is a kind of cheerful slyness of mind, mockery and a picturesque way of expressing ourselves."

In parallel with popular recognition, there was also official recognition. From 1810, Krylov was first an assistant librarian and then a librarian at the Imperial Public Library in St. Petersburg. At the same time, he received a repeatedly increased pension “in honor of his excellent talents in Russian literature.” He was elected a member of the Russian Academy, awarded a gold medal for literary merits and received many other awards and honors.

One of the characteristic features of Krylov’s popularity is the numerous semi-legendary stories about his laziness, sloppiness, gluttony, and wit.

Already the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the fabulist’s creative activity in 1838 turned into a truly national celebration. Over the past almost two centuries, there has not been a single generation in Russia that was not brought up on Krylov’s fables.

Krylov died in 1844 in St. Petersburg.

Tamara Eidelman