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Batyushkov (Батюшков) Konstantin Nikolayevich
(1787—1855)

The Russian poet Konstantin Batyushkov was born on May 18, 1787 to an ancient nobleman family in Vologda. His father was a gubernia prosecutor. After he retired he spent the rest of his life at the Danilovskoye estate (the Ustyuzhna district of the Vologda Oblast). Batyushkov's mother also came from a noble family. After she gave birth to the future poet she went mad and passed away in St.Petersburg, far away from her children.

Batyushkov spent his childhood in Danilovskoye. Not remembering his mother Konstantin was very attached to her. In the elegy "Dying Tass", which is autobiographical, one of the bitter passages is about his early seperation from his mother. Konstantin's grandfather was a highly educated man. He possessed a rich library and the first books the boy read in his childhood were M.Lomonosov's odes, Esope's fables, Vergily's poems. From 1797 to 1802 Batyushkov was educated at private boarding-schools in St.Petersburg. He mastered French, Italian and Latin. When Konstantin Batyushkov was a fourteen-year-old boy his first literary work was published. As a poet he made his debut in 1805. In February 1805 Batyushkov changed his way of life having joined the emergency volunteer corps and took part in the war against Napoleon. Soon he was seriously wounded. Batyushkov's further life was an alternation of small joys and misfortunes. In 1808-1809 he took part in a second war - this time against Sweden. After his retirement in the summer of 1809 Batyushkov came to Khantonovo ant took up writing poems. The year 1809 saw the publication of the satire "Visions on the Banks of the River Leta" which was a success in Moscow. At that time Batyushkov visited Moscow on many occasions where he met new freinds - Karamzin, Vyazemsky and Zhukovsky among them. The events of 1812 made Batyushkov change his former ideals. He expressed his patriotic feelings in the message "To Dashkov". In the post-war period Batyushkov gained success and fame as Russia's first poet. In 1815 he met Ann Furman but his love was full of sorrow and suffering though it gave impetus to expressive poems.

In 1818-1820 Batyushkov went abroad. At that time the first signs of his mental insanity became evident - the poet attempted to commit suicide three times. He set fire to his library and destroyed all his manuscripts. In spite of the four-year treatment at the best clinic in Germany the poet's health did not improve. In 1833 Batyushkov lived in the centre of Vologda in the house where now there is a commemorative marble plaque on its corner. The inscription reads: "Konstantin Nikolaevich Batyushkov lived and passed away in this house on July 7, 1855". It is here where the sick poet spent the last years of his life in the family of his nephew Grevens who was appointed his guardian.

Russia, Batyushkovo, Smolensk region

USSR, Batyushkovo, Smolensk region

Russia, 1993, Monument to Batyushkov in Vologda

USSR, 1987.11.26, Batyushkov monument in Vologda