Dmitry Vladimirovich Venevitinov was a minor Russian Romantic poet who died (perhaps committed suicide) at the age of 21. He was one of the Russian Schellingians.
Background
Dmitry Vladimirovich Venevitinov was born on September 14, 1805, in Moscow City, Russian Federation. He came from an educated noble family; he is a fourth cousin of A.S. Pushkin by his mother's side, he knew him from childhood. His father V. Vlad. Petr. (1777-1814) - second major; he died when Dmitry Vladimirovich was 9 years old. In the family (five children) Dmitry was closer to his younger brother Aleksey (1806-1872) and to sister Sophia (1808-1877).
Education
Dmitry Vladimirovich was educated at home (learned Latin and Ancient Greek languages, philosophy, Russian and Western European literature, music, art). After that, he entered 1822 in Moscow University and in 1823 successfully passed the exam for a certificate. In the university M.G. Pavlov influenced his interest in the latest German philosophy, in particular to F. Schelling, as well as H.I. Loder, who taught him anatomy.
Career
By 1826, Dmitry Vladimirovich had already mastered lots of Schelling works, including the System of Transcendental Idealism. He also appreciated the natural philosophical ideas of L. Oken, translated his main work Theosophy(1825). After him, the other members of the Society of Wisdom attached fundamental importance to philosophy, since, in their opinion, it should fertilize all areas of the mental and artistic activity, "which will force it (Russia) to develop its strength and form a system of thinking".
His first literature experiments were translations of antique writers, in particular Horace, in 1819; the first well-known original story-poem In a turban, with lead behind his back (1960); then a poem from the history of the battle of the Ryazanians against Batyev "Eupraxia" (1829). In 1825 his article Analysis of the article about Eugene Onegin was published, then in 1827 – the poems Favorite color (1827), Three Roses (1827). In his works, he tried to renovate elegiac and meditative traditions. Besides, Dmitry Vladimirovich had a deeply personal basis for the motives of sadness and disappointment in his works: betrayal of "one dear person", and unrequited love to the princess Z.A. Volkonskaya, poetess, mistress of literature and music salon who was 16 years older than Venevitinov.
In the poems, Dmitry Vladimirovich developed rational moments. Sometimes, Faustian influence can be noted in his poetry, due to his interest in I.V. Goethe. Goethe and J. Byron forms two important ways in his works: in Byron he saw the fighter for freedom, however, later he paid more attention to Goethe who was a symbol of the general evolution of Russian poetry, where the image of German "poet and philosopher" substitute the "rebellious Byron".
Dmitry Vladimirovich professionally translated a number of works by Goethe: drama poems The fate of the artist and The Apotheosis of the artist, three fragments from Faust, scenes from Egmont. However, "Goetheanism" did not eliminate the freedom motives in his works; He totally expressed it in the "Novgorod" poem, written after the poet visited Novgorod on November 6-7 1826.
His aspiration for philosophy system, the development of the "basis of the positive" for all the private judgments about art, was expressed in his work as a critic where Dmitry Vladimirovich expressed his ideas of dialectics and historicism; one of his aesthetics criteria was "to evaluate literature ... by the degree of the philosophy of that time". In the philosophy system, Dmitry Vladimirovich based on the development of art forms successively replacing each other, i.e., about a certain philosophy "trialogue".
After his death, the collection of his works was published: Poems (1829), Prose (1831).
Politics
The pre-Decembrist situation contributeв to the radicalization of the views of Venevitinov. After the defeat of the rebellion, the Society of Wisdom put an end to their existence, and Dmitry Vladimirovich began to prepare to move to Petersburg in the hope of succeed at a state service, in order to “have a more opportunities”.
In November 1826 when he came in the capital, Venevitinov and his companion, the Frenchman Voche were arrested. During interrogation, Venevitinov stated that although he was not a Decembrist, he “could easily belong to them”. After a few days, he was released, but everything he experienced affected his mental health.
Personality
His sudden death (he caught a cold after the ball) was deeply experienced by friends. In the last minutes of his life, according to the will of the poet, they put a ring on his finger, presented to him by Z.A. Volkonskaya and mentioned in the poem "To my ring" (1829) (now it is kept in the State Museum of Literature in Moscow).
The memories of contemporaries recreate the extremely charming appearance of Dmitry Vladimirovich who tended to deep thoughtfulness and rapid mood swings: cheerfulness and self-forgetfulness were often replaced by sadness and melancholy. His friends established a Venevitinov cult, dedicating him to a lot of works. On the day of the poet’s death, former members of the Society of Wisdom met at his grave in Simonov Monastery.