Vladimir Karlovich Voight

Background

Vladimir Karlovich Voight was born on July 19 (31), 1814 in the city of Torzhok, Tver province (now Torzhok, Tver', Russian Federation), into a noble family of a head doctor.

Education

In 1826 Vladimir Karlovich entered the Naval Cadet Corps in Saint Petersburg, after which in 1831 he was left in the officer classes. Issued in 1835 with the rank of lieutenant. In 1839-1841 adjutant commander of the port of Sveaborg.

Career

Like many students and graduates of the officer classes, Vladimir Karlovich tried his hand in literature: published in the journal Son of the Fatherland and the Northern Archive. Poetization of passion and melodramatic style, dating back to the artistic style of A.A. Bestuzhev (Marlinsky), the type of disappointed hero and the halo of mystery surrounding him reveal the author’s orientation towards a romantic tradition. In the novel The First of April (Pantheon, St. Petersburg, 1841, book 1), where the hero’s lofty aspirations are opposed to the spiritual squalor of the inhabitants of a provincial town, Vladimir Karlovich goes beyond the bounds of pure love.

In 1844, Vladimir Karlovich published a collection of short stories Essays on Light and Life (Saint Petersburg), which included New Leander, Whistled Career and Armchairs in the fifth row of the Mikhailovsky Theater - unsuccessful attempt to create a secular satirical novel in the spirit of V.F. Odoevsky (with the themes of the ball, masquerade, intrigue, etc., mandatory for this genre). Adherence to the plot-stylistic system of romanticism, which became in the 1840s. possession of epigones led to a negative attitude of criticism of the collection. With the exception of approval in the Sovremennik (1844, ) and condescending in the Library for Reading (1844), the reviews were sharply negative, often ironic. In particular, they noted a poor knowledge of the subject of the image.

In 1851, dismissed from naval service (1850), Vladimir Karlovich went to civilian: he was at the Saint Petersburg and Kronstadt Customs (1853-1857), he was an official of special assignments of the Department of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Finance (1858-1860), headed Verzhbolovsky (1861-1865, Baltic States) and Skulyansky (1866-1868, Bessarabian province) Customs districts. He rose to the rank of valid state one councilor (1863). Upon his retirement in 1868, purchased the estate in Lepel in Vitebsk province (1869), and lived there until old age. He was an honorary magistrate Lepel district.

Personality

Quotes from others about the person

• One of the news providers describes the author in the following way: "And soon 53-year-old Vladimir Karlovich Voight will come to Lepel to equip his pension. The Tver nobleman, who until recently managed the customs district, traveling around the empire, for some reason looked at the Lepel region. And he bought the estate in Zabolotye, not far from the city. Indulging in their careless lives, the rare moldy landowners knew that the customs officer Voight was also a writer, author of pirate novels, akyn of filibuster romance."

Connections

Friend:

Dmitry Maksutov

References

• Russian writers. 1800-1917. Biographical Dictionary. Volume 1
  1989