We love reading Krylov's fables since childhood. Krylov’s images are stored in memory, which often pop up in the head in various life situations, we turn to them and every time we never cease to be amazed at Krylov’s insight.
It happens that I remember the Pug, who barks at the Elephant in order to give the impression of being brave and fearless, or suddenly the Monkey pops up before my eyes, who mocked himself, not recognizing the reflection in the Mirror. Laughter, and that's all! And how often do encounters occur that are involuntarily compared to the Monkey, who, out of her own ignorance, not knowing the value of the Glasses, broke them on a stone. Krylov’s little fables are short in size, but not in meaning, because Krylov’s word is sharp, and the morals of the fables have long turned into popular expressions. Krylov's fables accompany us through life, have become close to us and at any time will find understanding in us and help us re-realize our values.
Read Krylov's fables
| Fable title |
| Kite |
| Wolf and crane |
| Wolf and cat |
| Wolf and Lamb |
| Wolf at the kennel |
| Crow and fox |
| Two Barrels |
| Two dogs |
| Demyanova's ear |
| Mirror and monkey |
| Quartet |
| Cat and cook |
| Kitten and Starling |
| Cat and nightingale |
| Cuckoo and rooster |
| Chest |
| Swan, pike and crayfish |
| Leo and Leopard |
| Fox and grapes |
| Leaves and roots |
| Monkey and glasses |
| Convoy |
| Donkey and nightingale |
| Rooster and Pearl Seed |
| Pig under the oak tree |
| Starling |
| Elephant and Moska |
| Elephant in the voivodeship |
| Dragonfly and ant |
| Trishkin caftan |
| Hardworking bear |
| Siskin and pigeon |
Krylov is a famous writer. Of all the children's poems and fables, Krylov's works are always the best, they are etched in the memory and emerge throughout life when encountering human vices. It is often said that Krylov did not write for children, but isn’t the meaning of his fables clear to children? Usually the moral is clearly written, so even the smallest child can read Krylov’s fables with benefit.
On our website we post the best works of the author in their original presentation, and also highlight morality separately for convenience and better memorization of sometimes philosophical thoughts. Both children and adults will find a lot of meaning in these little life stories in which animals symbolize people, their vices and ridiculous behavior. Krylov's fables online are remarkable in that they contain not only text, but also a remarkable picture, easy navigation, educational facts and reasoning. After reading, the author will probably become your favorite, and his life essays in the form of humorous fables will be remembered for many years.
The fabulist led an absolutely open life, communicated a lot, published books one after another and did not shy away from his obesity and laziness. The oddities that happened to Krylov were expressed by him in instructive scenes, the simplicity of which is deceptive. He was not a fabulist, he was a thinker-philosopher, capable of, with childish unobtrusiveness and ease, comically describing the shortcomings of people in a stunning form accessible only to him. There is no need to look only for satire in Krylov’s fables; their value does not end there. The content and meaning are more philosophical than humorous. In addition to human vices, the truths of existence, the foundations of behavior and relationships between people are presented in a light form. Each fable is a combination of wisdom, morality and humor.
Start reading Krylov's fables to your child from an early age. They will show him what to watch out for in life, what behavior others condemn and what they can encourage. According to Krylov, the laws of life are natural and wise; he despises artificiality and self-interest. Morality, cleared of any impurities and trends, is clear and concise, containing the division between right and wrong. The remarkable manner of writing has led to the fact that every moral has become folk proverb or a cheerful aphorism. The works are written in such a language that, although they look like literary forms, they actually carry intonations and ridicule inherent only in the great national mind. Krylov's little fables changed the general view of this genre. Innovation was manifested in realism, a philosophical note and worldly wisdom. Fables became small novels, sometimes dramas, in which the accumulated wisdom and cunning of the mind over centuries was revealed. It is remarkable that with all this, the author did not turn the fable into a satirical poem, but managed to preserve a deep meaningful part, consisting of a short story and morality.
Krylov's fable penetrated into the essence of things, the characters' characters, and became a genre practically unattainable by other authors. Despite the satire, the fabulist loved life in all its manifestations, but he would really like simple and natural truths to finally replace base passions. The fable genre under his pen has become so high and refined that, after re-reading the fables of other authors, you will understand that there is no other like it, and there is unlikely to be one.
In the section of Krylov's fables online, we invite you to get acquainted with folk wisdom. Short philosophical works will not leave either children or adults indifferent.
Biography and episodes of life Ivan Krylov. When born and died Ivan Krylov, memorable places and dates important events his life. Quotes from the fabulist, images and videos.
Years of life of Ivan Krylov:
born 13 February 1769, died 21 November 1844
Epitaph
“With a kind smile, with a friendly look,
He, as if with an senile slowness of speech,
He tells us from his high chairs,
About the strange customs and stupidity of animals,
And everyone laughs around him and he himself is quietly cheerful.”
From a poem by Ivan Maykov dedicated to the memory of Krylov
“The rank alone was flattering to me,
Which I wear in nature, -
The rank of a person; - just to be in it
I put it as a position..."
From a poem by Ivan Andreevich Krylov
Biography
When Emelyan Pugachev led the assault on the city fortress of Yaitsk, Don Cossack officer Andrei Prokhorovich Krylov was among the soldiers loyal to the government who managed to protect the town from the onslaught. Pugachev vowed to deal with Krylov personally, as well as his entire family. The officer's wife, Maria Alekseevna, in fear, took their young son out of the city, having previously hidden him in a clay vessel. This is how the life of Ivan Andreevich Krylov, an outstanding Russian fabulist, was saved.
As a child, Ivan Krylov never managed to get a decent education. His father died quite early, and his mother, left with two young sons in her arms, could hardly make ends meet. But in memory of his father, Ivan has a whole chest of books - an excellent start for self-development. Subsequently, Ivan Andreevich will go down in history as one of the most educated people of his time.
Before turning to literary activity, Ivan Krylov served as a sub-clerk in the Kalyazinsky court, and then in the Tver magistrate. His financial situation remained very tense and especially worsened after the death of his mother, since he had to take custody of his little brother. However, with the move to St. Petersburg, good prospects opened up for Krylov’s work. Krylov enthusiastically takes up writing plays, but never achieves success in the field of drama.
However, his talent was fully revealed in fables. Ivan Turgenev perfectly characterized Krylov’s work, noting that “his writings were truly Russian.” “...It can be said without any exaggeration that a foreigner who has thoroughly studied Krylov’s fables will have a clearer idea of the Russian national character than if he reads many works treating this subject,” wrote Turgenev. During his lifetime, Ivan Krylov created and published several hundred fables, collected in nine collections. The author also has more than a dozen stories, comedies and tragedies.
By the end of his life, Ivan Krylov had gained an excellent reputation in the literary community, and also acquired connections in high circles. In particular, the fabulist was highly revered in royal family, and at Krylov’s funeral Count Orlov himself - the second person in the state - volunteered to carry the coffin. Before his death, Ivan Krylov bequeathed all his property and rights to his works to the husband of his adopted daughter Sasha, in whose company the writer spent the last days of his life. The great fabulist died at the age of seventy-five. The cause of Krylov's death was bilateral pneumonia. Krylov's funeral took place at the Tikhvin cemetery in St. Petersburg in the presence of high-ranking officials. In memory of the legendary talent, majestic monuments have been erected in many Russian cities.
Life line
February 13, 1769 Date of birth of Ivan Andreevich Krylov.
1774 The Krylov family moves to Tver.
1777 Little Krylov gets a job as a sub-clerk at the Kalyazin Lower Zemstvo Court.
1783 Ivan Andreevich writes the first comic opera, “The Coffee House.”
1789 Krylov publishes the magazine “Mail of Spirits”.
1809 The first book of Krylov's fables has been published.
1812 The writer was hired by the St. Petersburg Public Library.
1823 Krylov experiences two strokes.
1841 The writer retires and settles with the family of his adopted goddaughter Sasha.
November 21, 1844 Date of death of Krylov.
November 25, 1844 Date of funeral of Ivan Krylov.
Memorable places
1. The city of Moscow, where Ivan Andreevich Krylov was born and spent his childhood.
2. The city of Tver, where the Krylov family moved due to a change in their father’s place of work.
3. The city of St. Petersburg, where the Krylov family moved after the death of their father.
4. The city of Riga, where Ivan Krylov moved, accompanying Prince Golitsyn.
5. The city of Serpukhovo, where for a long time Ivan Andreevich was visiting his younger brother Lev.
6. Tikhvin Cemetery in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, where Krylov is buried.
7. Monument to Krylov in Summer Garden, Saint Petersburg.
8. Monument to Krylov on the Patriarchal Lakes, Moscow.
9. Monument to Krylov in Tver.
Episodes of life
Ivan Andreevich Krylov was a distinguished eater. Whenever a new dish was served at the table, he put as much food on his plate as could fit on it. After the meal, Ivan Andreevich stood up, prayed to the image and said: “How much does a person need?” Eyewitnesses always laughed at this phrase, knowing how much Krylov needed.
One day, while re-reading La Fontaine, Ivan Andreevich suddenly felt an uncontrollable desire to reproduce some of his fables in Russian for his people. The writer eagerly set to work and soon came with the results to the famous fabulist Ivan Ivanovich Dmitriev. He, although he noticed a competitor in Krylov, still highly appreciated his talent: “This is your true family, you have finally found it.”
Covenant
“Highness is good in breed and rank,
But what profit is there in it when the soul is low?
“As they often say in business: I still have time.
But we must admit that
What do they say when they ask not wisely,
And with your laziness."
Documentary film “Ivan Krylov: The Merry Cunning of the Mind”
Condolences
“...Krylov left so little information about himself that his every word acquires interest for posterity.”
Vladislav Kenevich, writer
“... He was able to overcome difficulties. It is in vain to imagine that his light poems flowed from the pen themselves.”
Pyotr Pletnev, poet
“Our regret is that these last, solemn, touching days of the transition from life to death took place unknown to us...”
Pyotr Vyazemsky, poet
“He surpassed all the fabulists we know.”
Alexander Pushkin, poet
Playwright, publicist, fabulist Ivan Andreevich Krylov was born in Moscow on February 13, 1769. His father rose from the rank and file to become an officer in a dragoon regiment, and the future writer spent his entire childhood traveling. He received his education mainly at home.
The father died in 1782, after which the family moved to St. Petersburg. There his mother got him a place in the St. Petersburg treasury chamber, where he served from 1783 to 1787. He compensated for the lack of a structured education by self-learning French and Italian, the study of literature and mathematics.
When he was 14 years old, the young man wrote his first libretto for the opera “The Coffee House.” The work was published only in 1868, but for it Krylov was paid a fee of 60 rubles. Over time, during 1786-1788, the young playwright began to gain fame in literary and theatrical circles, thanks to the writing of new works: “Cleopatra”, “Philomela”, “The Pranksters”, “The Mad Family”.
In 1788, the writer’s mother died and he was left in his care with his younger brother, whom he took care of for the rest of his life.
In 1789, Krylov began publishing a satirical magazine, Spirit Mail, which was published only from January to August. In 1792, he founded the magazine "Spectator", but it also came under police surveillance and had to be closed soon.
After this, Krylov moved away from journalism and traveled a lot around the country. In 1797, he got a job with Prince S.F. Golitsyn. secretary and teacher of his children.
He returned to St. Petersburg in 1806, where he began writing new plays. And in 1809 the first edition of the book of fables was published.
In 1812, Krylov took up the post of librarian of the Public Library. He served there almost until his death, about 30 years.
The famous fabulist died on November 21, 1844, leaving a great literary legacy. His fables are especially famous, many of which have become catchphrases.
Brief biography of Krylov for grades 5, 6
I.A. Krylov great man, who had excellent poetic talent, was a true master of dramatic work, was a great publicist and publisher, but entered modern literature as the great and most famous fabulist of all times. His great creative heritage has collected a huge number of tragedies and comedies, there are about 236 fables, which are collected in 9 collections of his books.
Childhood and adolescence
Krylov was born on February 2, 1769 in Moscow. His father was a military man and, of course, they did not have high incomes.
When the boy turns six, his father Andrei is transferred to Tver, as ordered by his service and duty to his homeland. It is here that the family continues its miserable existence, and as a result, completely loses its only breadwinner. Ivan's father dies.
Considering not only their move, but also quite low level income, Ivan does not have the slightest opportunity to finish what he previously started Moscow education. But even this could not prevent the great man from gaining considerable knowledge, and on top of everything, becoming one of the enlightened people of his time. This happened only due to the fact that the young man himself strove for something new and lofty; he loved to read and grasped foreign languages, was interested in science. The future poet and fabulist mastered all these crafts on his own. He was engaged in self-development, which helped him in the future.
Dramaturgy
The common people also became an equally significant school of life for the great fabulist. The future writer attended all sorts of folk festivals with great pleasure, constantly had fun and repeatedly took an active part in numerous street battles. It was here that he drew various pearls of wisdom from the people. The sparkling humor of a simple Russian peasant, rather colloquial expressions, all this will later become the basis of his fables, which were loved in his time and are extremely popular today.
In 1782, the entire family of the writer moved to St. Petersburg, where Ivan himself entered the service. But this type of activity did not satisfy the guy’s enormous ambitions at all. At that time, very fashionable theatrical trends appeared, which the poet could not help but get carried away by. Right now he is beginning to actively show himself in writing certain dramatic works, which include writing numerous comedies, tragedies and even opera librettos.
His work attracted the attention of contemporary critics of his time. They, of course, did not give a high rating, but they gave a huge impetus to future creativity.
Edition
The writer suffered some failures in the dramatic field, but this did not stop such an ambitious young man, who always strived for the best, something higher and eternal. The author begins a monthly satirical publishing house called Spirit Mail. 8 months have passed, and to great regret, the publishing of the magazine has ceased.
In 1797, Ivan entered the service of one of the princes, taking the position of teacher and personal secretary. Of course, he does not deviate from his desires and continues to work on writing poetic and dramatic works. In 1805, he decided to send his first collection of fables for consideration to one of the most famous critics of that time, I.I. himself. Dmitriev, who appreciated Krylov’s works and affirmed that this was his true purpose. Thanks to this man, a great fabulist entered the history of literature, still beloved today.
Interesting facts and dates from life
Krylov Ivan Andreevich (1769 - 1844) - Russian fabulist, poet, writer, playwright, translator.
Born on February 2 (February 14, n.s.) 1769 (according to other sources in 1766 or 1768) in Moscow in the family of a poor army captain, who received the rank of officer only after thirteen years of military service. My childhood years were spent in the Urals. In 1775, the father retired and the family settled in Tver.
Young Krylov studied little and unsystematically. The future fabulist received a meager education, but, possessing exceptional abilities, reading a lot from childhood, persistently and persistently engaged in self-education, he became one of the most enlightened people of his time. He was ten years old when his father, Andrei Prokhorovich, who was at that moment a minor official in Tver, died. Andrei Krylov “didn’t study science,” but he loved to read and instilled his love in his son. He himself taught the boy to read and write and left him a chest of books as an inheritance.
Krylov received further education thanks to the patronage of the writer Nikolai Aleksandrovich Lvov, who read the poems of the young poet. In his youth, he lived a lot in Lvov’s house, studied with his children, and simply listened to the conversations of writers and artists who came to visit. The shortcomings of a fragmentary education affected later - for example, Krylov was always weak in spelling, but it is known that over the years he acquired quite solid knowledge and a broad outlook, learned to play the violin and speak Italian.
After the death of his father, the family was left without any means of subsistence, and from the age of ten Krylov had to work as a scribe in the Tverskoy court. He was registered for service in the lower zemstvo court, although, obviously, this was a simple formality - he did not go to Krylov’s presence, or almost did not go, and did not receive any money.
At the age of fourteen he ended up in St. Petersburg, where his mother went to ask for a pension. Then he transferred to serve in the St. Petersburg Treasury Chamber.
At the age of 14 (1784) he wrote the opera “The Coffee House”, took it to the bookseller Breitkopf, who gave the author 60 rubles worth of books (Racine, Molière and Boileau) for it, but never published the opera. “The Coffee House” was published only in 1868.
However, he was not too interested in official matters. In the first place among Krylov’s hobbies were literary studies and visiting the theater. These passions did not change even after he lost his mother at the age of seventeen, and his younger brother, Lev, remained in his arms, whom he cared for all his life, like a father about his son (he usually called him “daddy” in his letters). In the 80s he wrote a lot for the theater. In addition, Petersburg opened up the opportunity for him to engage in literary work.
Since the late 80s, the main activity has been in the field of journalism. The name of the young playwright soon becomes famous in theatrical and literary circles. In 1789, Krylov began publishing the satirical magazine “Mail of Spirits,” which continued the traditions of Russian satirical journalism. Because of his radical direction the magazine could only survive for eight months, but Krylov did not abandon his intention to renew it. The publication was discontinued because the magazine had only eighty subscribers.
In 1790 he retired, deciding to devote himself entirely to literary activity. He became the owner of a printing house and in January 1792, together with his friend, the writer Klushin, began publishing the magazine “Spectator,” which was already enjoying greater popularity. The greatest success of “The Spectator” was brought by the works of Krylov himself. The number of subscribers grew. In 1793, the magazine was renamed “St. Petersburg Mercury”.
At the end of 1793, the publication of the St. Petersburg Mercury ceased, and Krylov left St. Petersburg for several years. Some fragmentary information suggests that he lived for some time in Moscow, where he played cards a lot and recklessly. Obviously, he wandered around the province, living on the estates of his friends.
It is known that in 1805, Krylov in Moscow showed the famous poet and fabulist I. I. Dmitriev his translation of two fables by La Fontaine: “The Oak and the Cane” and “The Picky Bride.” Dmitriev highly appreciated the translation and was the first to note that the author had found his true calling. The poet himself did not immediately understand this. In 1806, he published only three fables, after which he returned to dramaturgy.
In 1807 he released three plays at once, which gained great popularity and were performed successfully on stage. These are “Fashion Shop”, “Lesson for Daughters” and “Ilya Bogatyr”. The plays were repeatedly staged, and “The Fashion Shop” was even performed at court.
Despite the long-awaited theatrical success, Krylov decided to take a different path. He stopped writing for the theater and every year he devoted more and more attention to working on fables.
In 1808, he published 17 fables, including the famous “Elephant and Pug.”
In 1809, the first collection was published, which immediately made its author truly famous. In total, before the end of his life, he wrote more than 200 fables, which were combined into nine books. He worked until last days- the last lifetime edition of the fables was received by the writer’s friends and acquaintances in 1844, along with notice of the death of their author.
Working in a new genre dramatically changed Krylov's literary reputation. If the first half of his life passed practically in obscurity, was full of material problems and deprivations, then in maturity he was surrounded by honors and universal respect. Editions of his books sold in huge circulations for that time.
In 1810 (according to other sources - in 1812) he was appointed as an assistant librarian at the Imperial Public Library (now the State Public Library named after M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin), he was assigned a pension of 1,500 rubles a year, which in 1820, “in honor of the excellent talents in Russian Literature", doubles, and in 1834 quadruples, he rises in rank and position, becoming a librarian in 1816. In one of the library buildings (Sadovaya Street, 20) in 1816 - 1841 Krylov rented an apartment. Upon his retirement in 1841, “unlike others,” he was awarded his full library allowance (11,700 rubles in banknotes). From 1811 a member of the “Conversations of Lovers of the Russian Word”, from 1816 - the Free Society of Lovers of Russian Literature, from 1817 - the Free Society of Lovers of Literature, Sciences and Arts.
Krylov became a classic during his lifetime. Already in 1835, V. G. Belinsky, in his article “Literary Dreams,” found only four classics in Russian literature and put Krylov on a par with Derzhavin, Pushkin and Griboedov.
In parallel with popular recognition, there was also official recognition. From 1810, Krylov was first an assistant librarian and then a librarian at the Imperial Public Library in St. Petersburg. At the same time, he received a repeatedly increased pension. On December 16, 1811, Krylov was elected a member Russian Academy, and on January 14, 1823 received from her the Great gold medal for literary merits (he received a gold medal in 1818). Since 1829, honorary member of St. Petersburg University. In 1841, during the transformation of the Russian Academy into the Department of Russian Language and Literature of the Academy of Sciences, he was the first to be approved as an ordinary academician (according to legend, Emperor Nicholas agreed to the transformation on the condition “that Krylov be the first academician”). February 2, 1838 was solemnly celebrated in St. Petersburg 50th anniversary of his literary activity.
Already celebrating the fiftieth anniversary creative activity fabulist in 1838 turned into a truly national celebration. Over the past almost two centuries, there has not been a single generation in Russia that was not brought up on Krylov’s fables.
Krylov died on November 21 (old style - November 9), 1844. He was buried in the Necropolis of Art Masters (the monument was erected in 1855, sculptor P.K. Klodt). On May 12, 1855, a monument to Krylov (sculptor P.K. Klodt; characters from Krylov’s fables - based on a drawing by A.A. Agin) was unveiled in the Summer Garden. Many anecdotes have been preserved about his amazing appetite, sloppiness, laziness, love of fires, amazing willpower and wit.
The main works of Ivan Andreevich Krylov:
Satirical “letters” that made up the magazine. "Spirit Mail" (1789).
Satirical stories:
"Nights" (unfinished) (1792)
"Kaib" (1792).
Satirical and journalistic essays and pamphlets (“A speech spoken by a rake in a meeting of fools”, “Discourse on friendship”, “A eulogy in memory of my grandfather”, all - 1792, “A eulogy for the science of killing time”, 1793).
Comic operas:
"Coffee Pot" (1783, published 1869)
"The Mad Family" (1793)
“Ilya the Bogatyr” (1807)
“The Writer in the Hallway” (1786, published 1794, in prose)
“The Pranksters” (1788, published 1793; in prose)
“Podschipa” (“Trumph”, 1798, published 1859; in verse)
"Pie" (1799-1801, published 1869; in prose)
"Fashionable Shop" (1807, in prose)
“A Lesson for Daughters” (1807; in prose
The tragedy “Philomela” (1786, published 1793; in verse).
“The Oak and the Reed” (1806, new edition 1825)
"The Picky Bride" (1806)
“Crow and Fox”, “Casket”, “Frog and Ox”, “Hermit and Bear”, “Wolf and Lamb”, “Dragonfly and Ant”, “Elephant in Voivodeship”, “Elephant and Pug”, “Fly and Road ", "The Fox and the Grapes" (all - 1808)
"The Cock and the Grain of Pearl" (1809)
“Donkey and Nightingale”, “Peasant in Trouble”, “Geese”, “Quartet”, “Leaves and Roots” (all – 1811) “Liar”, “Crow and Hen”, “Wolf in the Kennel”, “Wagon Train” ( all – 1812)
“Cat and Cook”, “Pike and Cat”, “Demyanov’s Ear” (all – 1813)
“Pedestrians and Dogs”, “Monkey and Glasses”, “Dog Friendship”, “Peasant and Worker”, “Trishkin Kaftan” (all – 1815)
“Peasants and the River”, “Swan, Pike and Crayfish”, “Mirror and Monkey” (all – 1816)
"The Peasant and the Sheep" (1823)
“Cat and Nightingale”, “Fish Dance” (both 1824)
"The Pig under the Oak" (1825)
"The Motley Sheep" (1823, publ. 1867)
"The Wolf and the Cat" (1830)
"The Cuckoo and the Rooster" (1834, published 1841)
Odes, messages, transcriptions of psalms, epigrams. Theater reviews.
From 1809 to 1843 he created about 200 fables. The entire work of Krylov the fabulist is organically connected with the artistic world of Russian proverbs, fairy tales, and sayings; it itself has contributed a lot to the treasury of the national language catchphrases. The language of Krylov's fables became an example for A. S. Pushkin, A. S. Griboedov, N. V. Gogol and other writers. His fables have been translated into more than 50 languages.
The famous Russian fabulist Ivan Andreevich Krylov was born on February 2, 1768 (according to other sources - 1769) in Moscow. Krylov's father, a poor army officer, in 1772 with rare courage defended the Yaitsky town from the attack of the Pugachevites, and after the pacification of the Pugachev rebellion, bypassed by awards, he transferred to the civil service, moved to Tver, where he died in 1778, leaving a widow with two young sons without any means of support. The future fabulist early had to become acquainted with the difficult side of life. Immediately after the death of his father, Ivan Krylov was assigned as a sub-clerk to the Tver provincial magistrate, and in 1783 he went to serve in St. Petersburg, in the treasury chamber as a “mandated servant.” Krylov did not receive any systematic education and owed his development mainly to his extraordinary talent. By the way, he was a good musician. At the age of 15 he wrote a comic opera, that is, a comedy with verses for singing - “The Coffee House”, published after his death. In this work, which, according to Professor Kirpichnikov, was an extraordinary phenomenon for that time, the language, replete with folk expressions and sayings, is especially remarkable. According to legend, from childhood Krylov loved to mingle among the common people and got to know their life and character well.
Portrait of Ivan Andreevich Krylov. Artist K. Bryullov, 1839
Krylov's arrival in St. Petersburg coincides with the opening of a public theater there. Krylov met Dmitrevsky and other actors and for several years lived primarily in the interests of the theater. As an 18-year-old boy, at an age when others are just beginning their careers, Ivan Andreevich Krylov retires and devotes himself to literary activity, which at first was not very successful. His pseudo-classical tragedy “Philomela” is interesting only for some glimpses of the author’s free-thinking, but in literary terms it is extremely weak. His comedies (“Mad Family,” “The Writer in the Hallway,” “The Pranksters,” “The Americans”) have also not yet revealed his talents. Krylov's first fables were published (some without a signature) in Rachmaninov's magazine "Morning Hours" in 1788 and went unnoticed ("The Shy Player", "The Fate of the Players", "The Newly Granted Donkey", etc.); they are significantly inferior to the later ones. Perhaps we find more causticity, strength and sarcasm in Krylov’s letters and pamphlets, directed against important people who hurt his pride: famous writer Knyazhnin and Soimonov, who headed the management of the theater. These are supposedly exculpatory letters, from a formal point of view it is almost impossible to find fault with them, but they breathe irony, which borders on mockery; the very placement of words is intended to offend. For example, in a letter to Soimonov, Krylov writes: “And the last scoundrel that can be, Your Excellency, would be upset,” etc.
In 1789, Krylov, together with Rachmaninov, took on the publication of “Mail of Spirits,” a magazine that tried to revive the serious satire of Novikov’s journals. Krylov was more successful in the narrative form than the dramatic one; There is a lot of enthusiasm and sarcasm in Krylov’s magazine articles, but the magazine was still not successful and ceased to exist in August of the same year. In 1792, Krylov and a group of people published another magazine, “The Spectator,” and in 1793 (together with Klushin) “St. Petersburg Mercury.” “The Spectator” contained the strongest and most profound in social meaning of Ivan Andreevich Krylov’s prose articles: the story “Kaib” and “Eulogy to my grandfather,” an unusually bold for that time (the article appeared two years after the Radishchev case) denunciation of landowner tyranny .
Fabulist Ivan Andreevich Krylov
Whether Krylov was discouraged by the failure of his magazines in the public or whether oppression from the government began, as some suggest, it was only around mid-1793 that Krylov stopped all literary activity for several years and disappeared from the capital until 1806. Little accurate information has reached us about how and where he spent this time. He lived with various nobles, most of all with Golitsyn, on his estates (in the Saratov and Kyiv provinces) and in Riga. At one time, Krylov traveled to fairs, indulging in card games. His joke-tragedy “Trumph” dates back to 1800, staged at Prince Golitsyn’s home performance. The comedy of the same period “Lazy Man”, where the prototype is given, has not reached us in its entirety. Oblomov, judging by the surviving excerpts, perhaps the best of all his comedies.
In 1806, the fables “The Oak and the Cane”, “The Picky Bride”, “The Old Man and the Three Young”, translated by Krylov from Lafontaine, appeared in Shalikov’s magazine “Moscow Spectator” with the recommendation of I. I. Dmitriev. In the same year, Krylov returned to St. Petersburg, staged here the comedies “Fashionable Shop” (1806) and “Lesson for Daughters” (1807), directed against Frenchmania and had great success, as they fell in tune with the mood of the society captured by the with the Napoleonic wars, national feeling. In 1809, Ivan Andreevich Krylov published the first edition of his fables (23 in number), immediately became a celebrity, and since then, apart from fables, he has not written anything else. The service he interrupted for many years is also resumed and goes very successfully, first in the Coinage Department (1808 - 1810), then (1812 - 1841) in the Imperial Public Library. During this period, Krylov gives the impression of a man who has calmed down: not a trace remains of youthful incontinence, restless ambition and enterprise; What characterizes him now is a reluctance to quarrel with people, complacent irony, imperturbable calm and laziness that has increased over the years. Since 1836 he no longer wrote fables. In 1838, the 50th anniversary of his literary activity was solemnly celebrated. Krylov died on November 9, 1844.
Monument to Ivan Andreevich Krylov. Sculptor P. Klodt. St. Petersburg, Summer Garden
In total, Krylov wrote more than 200 fables. The most famous of them are “Quartet”, “Crow and Fox”, “Dragonfly and Ant”, “Casket”, “Wolf in the kennel”, “Wolf and Crane”, “Cat and Cook”, “Swan, Pike and Cancer” , “Pig under the Oak”, “Elephant and Moska”, “The Picky Bride”, etc. Most of Krylov’s fables expose universal human shortcomings, others have in mind Russian life (fables about upbringing, about bad administration, historical ones); some (“The Tripartite”, “The Knight”) have neither allegory nor moral teaching and are, in essence, just anecdotes.
The main advantages of Krylov’s fables are their nationality and artistry. Krylov is an excellent depictor of animals; in his depiction of Russian men, he happily avoided caricature. He seems to be an unattainable master in conveying all kinds of movements; to this must be added the mastery of dialogue, comedy, unusually rich in shades, and finally, moral teachings, often aptly reminiscent of proverbs. A lot of Krylov’s expressions have entered our colloquial language.
Sometimes the opinion was expressed that Krylov’s fables, preaching supposedly dry egoism (“you sang everything - that’s the point: so come and dance!”), a distrustful, suspicious attitude towards people (“The Grove and the Fire”), pointing out the dangers often associated with freedom of thought and opinion (“Divers”, “The Writer and the Robber”) and political freedom (“Horse and Rider”), are base in their morality. This opinion is based on a misunderstanding. Ivan Andreevich Krylov also has fables, which in their ideas are quite bold for that time (“Worldly Gathering”, “Leaves and Roots”); some of them caused censorship difficulties (“Fish Dances” - in the first edition; “Nobleman”). A man of enormous natural intelligence, Krylov could never become a preacher of mental laziness and stagnation (“Pond and River”). He seems to have no great enemies in the world, like stupidity, ignorance and self-righteous insignificance (“Musicians”, “Razors”, “Elephant in the Voivodeship”, etc.); He pursues both excessive philosophizing (“Larchik”) and fruitless theorizing (“Gardener and Philosopher”), because he sees disguised stupidity here too. Sometimes the morality of Krylov’s fables is compared with the morality of proverbs, but we should not forget that Krylov is completely alien to the cynicism and rudeness that are often found in Russian proverbs (“If you don’t deceive, you won’t sell,” “Beat a woman with a hammer,” etc.). Krylov also has fables with sublime morals (“The Fallow Deer and the Dervish,” “The Eagle and the Bee”), and it is no coincidence that these fables are among the weakest. To demand necessarily sublime morality from fables means to completely misunderstand the very essence of this literary type. Brought up by the 18th century, which since the time of Cantemir fell in love with the ideal of the “golden mean,” Krylov is in fables an opponent of all kinds of extremes, and his morality, while not satisfying the highest demands of a developed and sensitive conscience, for all its simplicity, is always valuable.
It is hardly possible to point out another writer in Russian literature who would be as universally understandable and publicly accessible as Ivan Andreevich Krylov. His fables sold almost 80 thousand copies during the author’s lifetime—a phenomenon completely unprecedented in the literature of that time. Krylov was undoubtedly more popular than all his contemporaries, not even excluding
