Dmitry Grigorovich
Encyclopedia
Dmitry Vasilyevich Grigorovich ' onMouseout='HidePop("16853")' href="/topics/Ulyanovsk">Simbirsk
- , Saint Petersburg
) was a Russia
n writer, artist, and art critic.
, where he made friends with his fellow student Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and the Imperial Academy of Arts
until 1840. Grigorovich said that it was through his friendship with Dostoyevsky that he first became interested in literature.
.
In the mid-1840s Grigorovich renewed his friendship with Dostoyevsky after a chance meeting in the street. They soon moved in together. In 1846 Dostoyevsky read his first novel Poor Folk
to Grigorovich, who was so impressed by the reading that he took the manuscript to Nekrasov, who soon published it.
1846 also saw the publication of Grigorovich's short novel The Village, influenced by his reading of Dickens's Oliver Twist
. The Village, and his 1847 novel Anton Goremyka ('Luckless Anton') were both published in the influential magazine Sovremennik
. The realistic treatment of peasant life in these two novels was praised by Belinsky, and by the writer Shchedrin
, among others, and had a considerable impact on the writing of that period. Grigorovich's fame was soon eclipsed, though, by the publication of Ivan Turgenev's
A Sportsman's Sketches
.
In 1858 and 59, Grigorovich took part in a literary expedition organized by Grand Duke Konstantin
, along with other writers such as Alexander Ostrovsky and Ivan Goncharov
. Grigorovich described his travels to the Mediterranean as a part of this expedition in his book The Ship Retvizan.
As a result of the political tensions of the 1860s and 70s, Grigorovich turned away from literature, returning to it only in the 1880s. In 1862 he travelled to London to study English art at the 1862 International Exhibition
and in other galleries. In 1863 he published an account of his studies, Paintings by English Artists at London Exhibitions in 1862, in the Russian Herald. The article was significant both for providing the most comprehensive analysis of British painting yet to appear in the Russian press, and for Grigorovich's comments on the merits of British painting in comparison with those of other European schools. He especially liked the works of William Holman Hunt
.
In 1886 he wrote his celebrated letter to the young writer Anton Chekhov
, telling him that he had a gift, and that he should take his literary efforts more seriously. In his reply Chekhov said: "Your letter, my kind, fervently beloved bringer of good tidings, struck me like a flash of lightning. I almost burst into tears, I was overwhelmed, and now I feel it has left a deep trace in my soul."
Grigorovich died in St. Petersburg in 1900.
Ulyanovsk
Ulyanovsk The city is the birthplace of Vladimir Lenin , for whom it is named.-History:Simbirsk was founded in 1648 by the boyar Bogdan Khitrovo. The fort of "Simbirsk" was strategically placed on a hill on the Western bank of the Volga River...
- , Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
) was a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n writer, artist, and art critic.
Early life
Grigorovich was born in Simbirsk, where his family were members of the landed gentry. His father was Russian and his mother French. From 1832 to 1835 he studied at several French and German private schools in Moscow. He then did coursework at the Nikolayev Engineering InstituteMilitary Engineering-Technical University
The Saint Petersburg Military Engineering-Technical University , previously known as the Saint Petersburg Nikolaevsky Engineering Academy, was established in 1810 under Alexander I...
, where he made friends with his fellow student Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and the Imperial Academy of Arts
Imperial Academy of Arts
The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, was founded in 1757 by Ivan Shuvalov under the name Academy of the Three Noblest Arts. Catherine the Great renamed it the Imperial Academy of Arts and commissioned a new building, completed 25 years later in 1789...
until 1840. Grigorovich said that it was through his friendship with Dostoyevsky that he first became interested in literature.
Career
Upon leaving school, Grigorovich took a small room from the warder of the Academy of Arts. It was in the neighboring studios that he made his first literary acquaintances including Nikolay Nekrasov, who published Grigorovich's earliest work St. Petersburg Organ Grinders (1845). Nekrasov also introduced him to the influential critic Vissarion BelinskyVissarion Belinsky
Vissarion Grigoryevich Belinsky was a Russian literary critic of Westernizing tendency. He was an associate of Alexander Herzen, Mikhail Bakunin , and other critical intellectuals...
.
In the mid-1840s Grigorovich renewed his friendship with Dostoyevsky after a chance meeting in the street. They soon moved in together. In 1846 Dostoyevsky read his first novel Poor Folk
Poor Folk
Poor Folk , sometimes translated as Poor People, is the first novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, which he wrote over the span of nine months when he was 25 years old. It was originally published on January 15, 1846 in the almanac St...
to Grigorovich, who was so impressed by the reading that he took the manuscript to Nekrasov, who soon published it.
1846 also saw the publication of Grigorovich's short novel The Village, influenced by his reading of Dickens's Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens, published by Richard Bentley in 1838. The story is about an orphan Oliver Twist, who endures a miserable existence in a workhouse and then is placed with an undertaker. He escapes and travels to...
. The Village, and his 1847 novel Anton Goremyka ('Luckless Anton') were both published in the influential magazine Sovremennik
Sovremennik
Sovremennik was a Russian literary, social and political magazine, published in St. Petersburg in 1836-1866. It came out four times a year in 1836-1843 and once a month after that...
. The realistic treatment of peasant life in these two novels was praised by Belinsky, and by the writer Shchedrin
Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin
Mikhail Yevgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin , better known by his pseudonym Shchedrin , was a major Russian satirist of the 19th century. At one time, after the death of the poet Nikolai Nekrasov, he acted as editor of the well-known Russian magazine, the Otechestvenniye Zapiski, until it was banned by...
, among others, and had a considerable impact on the writing of that period. Grigorovich's fame was soon eclipsed, though, by the publication of Ivan Turgenev's
Ivan Turgenev
Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev was a Russian novelist, short story writer, and playwright. His first major publication, a short story collection entitled A Sportsman's Sketches, is a milestone of Russian Realism, and his novel Fathers and Sons is regarded as one of the major works of 19th-century...
A Sportsman's Sketches
A Sportsman's Sketches
A Sportsman's Sketches was an 1852 collection of short stories by Ivan Turgenev. It was the first major writing that gained him recognition...
.
In 1858 and 59, Grigorovich took part in a literary expedition organized by Grand Duke Konstantin
Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia
Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia was the second son of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia.During the reign of his brother Alexander II, Konstantin was an admiral of the Russian fleet and reformed the Russian Navy. He was also an instrumental figure in the emancipation of the serfs...
, along with other writers such as Alexander Ostrovsky and Ivan Goncharov
Ivan Goncharov
Ivan Alexandrovich Goncharov was a Russian novelist best known as the author of Oblomov .- Biography :Ivan Goncharov was born in Simbirsk ; his father was a wealthy grain merchant and respected official who was elected mayor of Simbirsk several times...
. Grigorovich described his travels to the Mediterranean as a part of this expedition in his book The Ship Retvizan.
Later life
1862 International Exhibition
The International of 1862, or Great London Exposition, was a world's fair. It was held from 1 May to 1 November 1862, beside the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society, South Kensington, London, England, on a site that now houses museums including the Natural History Museum and the Science...
and in other galleries. In 1863 he published an account of his studies, Paintings by English Artists at London Exhibitions in 1862, in the Russian Herald. The article was significant both for providing the most comprehensive analysis of British painting yet to appear in the Russian press, and for Grigorovich's comments on the merits of British painting in comparison with those of other European schools. He especially liked the works of William Holman Hunt
William Holman Hunt
William Holman Hunt OM was an English painter, and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.-Biography:...
.
In 1886 he wrote his celebrated letter to the young writer Anton Chekhov
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
, telling him that he had a gift, and that he should take his literary efforts more seriously. In his reply Chekhov said: "Your letter, my kind, fervently beloved bringer of good tidings, struck me like a flash of lightning. I almost burst into tears, I was overwhelmed, and now I feel it has left a deep trace in my soul."
Grigorovich died in St. Petersburg in 1900.
English Translations
- The Cruel City, (Novel-1855/56), Cassell Publishing Company, 1891. from Google Books
- The Peasant, (Short Novel), from Russian Sketches, Smith Elder & Co, 1913. from Archive.org
- The Fishermen, (Novel-1853), Stanley Paul and Co, 1916. from Archive.org