Category: 18th century Russian literature

Perfume mail, or The learned, moral and critical correspondence of the Arab philosopher Malikulmulk with water, air and underground spirits

The secretary of the Arab wizard Malikulmulk, who printed his correspondence with the spirits, assures us that this is a very interesting book. For the most part, spirits are very kind creatures, they just don’t like hookers, money-lenders and hypocrites, and they don’t favor dandy, red tape, and revelry, and therefore ...

Miller - sorcerer, trickster and matchmaker

At the edge of the forest, in front of the mill, the miller Thaddeus mills a windmill repair board. He discusses the superstitions of people who are convinced that no mill can stand without a sorcerer. But he himself was born and raised in a mill and did not see a single brownie in his eyes. If anything follows ...

Sensitive and cold

Some argued that upbringing not only develops, but also creates the character of a person, together with a special mind and talents; that Alexander the Great would in other circumstances become a peace-loving Brahmin, Euclid - the author of sensitive novels, Attila - a gentle shepherd, and Peter the Great - an ordinary ...

St. Petersburg guest house

The rich merchant of the courtyard, Ferapont Pafnutevich Skvalygin, demands the return of debts from the merchants Razzhivin and Protorguev. Both, recognizing the debt, ask to wait a bit with payment. However, Skvalygin does not want to wait and threatens to "send a detective." Merchants again humiliatedly ask not to divulge "bad rumor" and wait ...

The Cook's Good, or Adventure of a depraved woman

The novel is preceded by a letter to the anonymous benefactor "chamberlain and various orders of the cavalier", in order to draw the reader's attention to the fact that praise or indignation turn into dust, like a person who praises or defames this book. The author turns to the reader in verse, urging him to be ...

Natalia, the boyar daughter

: The boyar daughter secretly marries the son of a disgraced boyar and goes with him to war. Having completed the feat, the newlyweds return to the capital, where they receive forgiveness and well-deserved honors. The narrator yearns for the times when “Russians were Russians,” and Moscow beauties wore sundresses rather than flaunted ...

Tilemahide, or Wandering Tilemach son of Odyssey

The poetic arrangement of “The Adventures of Telemachus” by Fenelon in 24 books. An ancient size Verse I sing to the Otkladny Son, Coy, swimming from natural shores, and wandering for a long time, We were seen everywhere by the Pallas Mentor in the form: How much did he suffer from the angry Aphrodite, For the voluptuous sow, comfort the contempt ...

Martha the Posadnitsa, or The conquest of Novgorod

Here is one of the most important cases of Russian history: the wise John III had to attach the Novgorod region to his power for the glory and strength of the fatherland: praise be to him! However, the Novgorodians fought for their ancient charters and rights, given to them in part by the very great princes, for example, Yaroslav, ...

Drone

In the preface, the publisher of the magazine admits his weakness to readers: he is lazy and therefore does not read anything, does not correspond with anyone and does not serve anywhere. But he certainly wants to bring benefit to the fatherland, for he agrees with the words of the famous Russian poet (Sumarokov) that “without benefit ...

The story of Alexander, a Russian nobleman

In the capital city of Moscow there lived a certain noble nobleman named Dimitri, he was kind and brave, helped the poor, for which the almighty God gave him a son, a handsome young man, who was named Alexander by his beauty. The boy had a sharp mind and a penchant for science, but preferred to spend time ...

The story of the Russian merchant John and the pretty girl Eleanor

In the Novgorod district of the Russian state in the city of Old Rus lived a certain merchant named John Evdokimov. He often went to St. Petersburg for bargaining, and then, having collected money, he moved from Staraya Rusa to the capital and began to trade, sending ships to all coastal cities. The merchant had a son, too ...

Letters from Ernest and Doravra

A young man named Ernest writes a letter to Doravra, his beloved, in which he talks about his past, about how, when he first saw her, he was struck by her beauty, which wounded him in the heart. The girl replies with a joke: since her eyes cause him pain, then you do not need to look at each other....

Odes

The first ode of Lomonosov - “On the capture of Khotin” (1739) - is dedicated to the victory over the Turks. The Turkish army is obsessed with hellish malice: "Isn’t hell breaking the bonds and wants to open the jaw?" But the Russians are burning with love for the motherland and the empress, and therefore, "to prevent the eagles from holding flight, there are no such obstacles in the world." The shameful ...

Foreman

The foreman Ignatius Andreevich and his wife Akulina Timofeevna are going to marry their son Ivanushka to Sofya, the daughter of adviser Artamon Vlasyich. The family of the foreman is visiting the adviser in his village. Future relatives are talking about the upcoming wedding. Ivanushka already managed to visit Paris, he’s all ...

Satire

The first satire (“On blasphemy doctrine. To his own mind”) opens with famous verses: “Mind is immature, the fruit of a short science! / Rest, do not force my hands to the pen ... ”The satirist lists the arguments of those who consider science unnecessary. Hanja Criton sees in them the cause of atheism: “The schisms and heresies of science are ...

Horev

The action takes place at the end of the 6th - beginning of the 7th centuries, at a time when Kiy ruled in Russia, and his power was strong and undeniable. Sixteen years ago, Kiy ousted from the throne Zavlokh, Prince of Kiev, to reign in his place. In that battle, the sons of Zavlokh were killed, and the defeated prince himself was forced ...

Letters from a Russian traveler

In the preface to the second edition of letters in 1793, the author draws the attention of readers that he did not dare to make changes in the style of narration - the lively, sincere impressions of an inexperienced young heart, deprived of the caution and legibility of a sophisticated court or experienced professor. He started ...

Yabed

In the house of Krivosudov, the chairman of the Civil Chamber, lieutenant colonel Pryamikov and the interrogator Dobrov meet. Pryamikov says that his neighbor, Pravolov, started a process against him. Dobrov pities Pryamikov: after all, Pravolov is a “cunning fool,” “an evil yabednik.” He’s gotten a handle on such things, ...

Island of borngolm

From England - to Russia Hero, a young man, talks about his travels through foreign lands. We do not know either his name or age. We only know that England was the extreme limit of his journey, there he said to himself that it was time to return to the fatherland, and boarded a ship going to Russia in London....