Alexander Voeykov
| Alexander Fyodorovich Voeykov | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | September 10 [O.S. August 30] 1779 Moscow |
| Died | July 28 [O.S. July 16] 1839 Saint Petersburg |
| Occupation | Poet • translator • journalist • satirist |
| Nationality | Russia |
| Notable works | The Asylum (1814) |
| Spouse | Alexandra Protasova |
Alexander Fyodorovich Voeykov (Алекса′ндр Фё′дорович Вое′йков, September 10 (August 30, o.s) 1779, Moscow, Russian Empire - July 28 (16) 1839, Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire) was a Russian poet, translator, literary historian and journalist, best known for his satirical poems of 1814-1820.
Alexander Voeykov was born in Moscow to a nobleman and studied at the Moscow University's boarding school for nobility where his name later has been engraved onto the golden plaque of the best students in the history of the school. In 1796 he joined the Russian army and served in cavalry guards.
After retirement in 1801 he returned to Moscow and made his house a literary center, home to the circle known as Friendly Literature Society which had among its members Vasily Zhukovsky, brothers Andrey and Alexander Turgenev, Aleksey Merzlyakov, brothers Andrey and Mikhail Kaisarov, Semyon Rodzyanko. Voeykov's political views were radical for his times: he was denouncing 'tyranny', criticized Zhukovsky's neutrality in political issues and was the proponent of the 'social poetry'. Two of his best known early works were satires, "To Speransky: On Real Welfare" and "To My Starosta", published in 1806 and 1807 respectively. In 1909 his translations of Voltaire's The Age of Louis XIV and The Age of Louis XV were published.
In 1812-1813, Voeykov served in the Russian army. He became an active member of the literary circle which formed around Andrey Kaisarov's printing office at the Mikhail Kutuzov's headquarters. Inspired by Russian victory over Napoleon, he published several patriotic verses in 1813. In 1814, Voeykov married Alexandra Andreyevna Protasova, a niece of Zhukovsky who served as a prototype for his famous Svetlana ballad's heroine. The satirical pamphlet The Asylum (Дом сумесшедших, 1814), ridiculing prominent authors and politicians, gave him notoriety; it was first published only in 1857, almost twenty years after its author's death.
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