Grigory Petrovich Danilevsky - a famous domestic writer. He came to popularity thanks to novels dedicated to Russian history of the 18th-19th centuries. Since 1881, in the position of editor-in-chief, he headed the journal Government Gazette, and had the rank of Privy Councilor.
Writer's family
Grigory Petrovich Danilevsky was born in 1829. He was born in the small village of Danilovka, located in the Izyumsky district of the Sloboda-Ukrainian province. Today it is the territory of the Kharkov region.
The father of the hero of our article was a wealthy and wealthy landowner. His name was Pyotr Ivanovich, he rose to the rank of lieutenant in the army, and then retired. He died in 1839, when his son was ten years old.
In the Danilevsky family there was a family tradition, which, however, was confirmed by quite official documents. It stated that the founder of their clan, Danila Danilov, had the honor in 1709 to receive Emperor Peter I in his house. The ruler was just returning to Poltava from Azov. They said that the emperor liked Danilov, he quickly went up the career ladder.
It is noteworthy that in the family of Grigory Petrovich Danilevsky was another famous writer. His cousin Efrosinya Osipovna in the future became the grandmother of Vladimir Mayakovsky.
Education
Grigory Petrovich Danilevsky first studied at the noble institute in Moscow (until 1846), and then entered the university in St. Petersburg in the legal department. My father always wanted him to get a solid profession, which would bring a steady income.
The biography of Grigory Petrovich Danilevsky has a lot of interesting facts and curiosities. True, one of them almost ended in tragedy. In 1849 he was mistakenly arrested instead of Nikolai Yakovlevich Danilevsky and brought to justice in the case of Petrashevsky, who was a supporter of the revolutionary struggle, was going to prepare the masses for her. Petrashevsky and another 20 people, among whom was Fedor Dostoevsky, were sentenced to death, which at the last moment was replaced by indefinite penal servitude.
The hero of our article was kept in solitary confinement for several months in the Peter and Paul Fortress. Only then, in an annoying mistake, they sorted out and released the student. Actually connected with Petrashevsky Nikolai Yakovlevich Danilevsky spent 100 days in prison, after which he was expelled from St. Petersburg.
Grigory Petrovich in 1850 received a silver medal for the essay "On Pushkin and Krylov", he graduated from a university course with a degree of candidate of law.
In the service of the ministry
The biography of Grigory Petrovich Danilevsky is described in detail in this article. Immediately after university, he joined the Ministry of Education. He worked as an official on special assignments, often went on business trips to remote southern monasteries to work in archives.
In 1856, the Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich sent him among other writers (the literary talent of Danilevsky had already begun to be appreciated by that time) to study the outskirts of Russia. The hero of our article was tasked to describe the mouth of the Don and the coast of the Sea of Azov.
Resign
Danilevsky resigned quite early in 1857. He decided to devote himself completely to creativity, the literature he loved so much. He settles in his own estate on the territory of Little Russia.
At the same time, he is actively involved in social activities. In particular, he holds the post of deputy of the Kharkov Committee for the improvement of the life of the landlord peasants. Later he became a member of the school council, the provincial vowel, and eventually - a member of the Kharkov provincial zemstvo council. He was also an honorary justice of the peace; the legal education received and his respect, which he enjoyed among others, played a role. Together with zemstvo deputies, he repeatedly traveled to St. Petersburg to represent the interests of their province. In 1962, a monument was erected to him in his native village of Danilovka, in gratitude for all that he had done for his countrymen.
Work in the "Government Gazette"
In 1868, Danilevsky entered the jury attorneys from the Kharkov district, but soon left this occupation in order to fully concentrate on work in the “Government Gazette”. First, he is an assistant to the chief editor, and since 1881 he officially heads the publication. At the same time, it is on the board of the press headquarters.
The Government Gazette is a daily newspaper that appeared in St. Petersburg from 1869 to 1917. It was an official government publication at the General Directorate of Press. The idea of its foundation belongs to the Minister of the Interior Alexander Timashev.
Danilevsky comes to the “Government Gazette” to help the editor-in-chief Vasily Grigoryev, who for six years was the chief censor of Russia. Behind him, the publication was headed by Peter Kapnist, and then Sergey Sushkov.
Danilevsky worked as editor in chief until his death (until 1890), in this post he was replaced by Sergey Tatishchev.
Danilevsky died in Petersburg on December 6, 1890. For the past 26 years he has lived in the capital of the Russian Empire in a tenement house on Nevsky Prospekt. He was buried in his small homeland. Now his grave is located in the village of Prishib in the Kharkov region.
Creative biography
The biography of Grigory Petrovich Danilevsky is closely connected with books. He began his literary work by writing poetry when he was 17 years old. In 1849, in the Library for Reading, the young author managed to publish a poem called Guaya-Llir, which spoke about Mexican life. She was warmly received by critics, after which Danilevsky became a full-time employee of the Senkovsky magazine, in which he made his debut.
In 1851, Danilevsky met his idol Nikolai Gogol. The 42-year-old writer had already managed to publish Dead Souls and many of his other famous works. Danilevsky at first imitated him in many ways. In his youth, he wrote romantic works:
- Ukrainian Tales, which have survived eight reprints,
- cycle of poems "Crimean poems".
He was engaged in translations of Shakespeare, Miscavige and Byron.
Grigory Petrovich Danilevsky is the author of ethnographic stories that tell about the life of the inhabitants of Little Russia. By 1854, he collected them in a book, which he released under the name "Slobozhane".
"Runaways in New Russia"
The hero of our article managed to attract attention in 1862. It was then that Grigory Petrovich Danilevsky’s novel “Runaways in New Russia” came out. The book appeared in print under the pseudonym A. Skavronsky.
The novel is distinguished by a fascinating story about the former serfs who found new life on the outskirts of Russia, in the uninhabited areas of the Sea of Azov. Then they were able to get rid of slave labor.
The author describes entire villages that are inhabited by aliens, secret desert lands, the search for runaway old landowners, their owners. The novelist expands readers' perceptions of the era of serfdom. The book was written under the influence of the author’s trip to the south of the country, organized by the Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich.
After the first successful novel, the list of books by Grigory Petrovich Danilevsky was replenished with new ones: "Runaways Returned" and "New Places". After a break of 7 years associated with employment in the Government Gazette, the hero of our article writes the novel The Ninth Wave. In it, he criticizes the mores of Russian monasteries, based mainly on his own numerous trips. This book concludes Danilevsky’s so-called social everyday realism.
Historical fiction
At the next stage, Danilevsky turns to historical fiction. In 1878, the novel “Potemkin on the Danube” was published, followed by the novels “Mirovich” and “In India under Peter”.
In 1883, "Princess Tarakanova" by Grigory Petrovich Danilevsky was published. This is a historical and at the same time love affair, which is dedicated to the fate of the imaginary daughter of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna.
The hero of our article vividly and vividly describes the relationship between Princess Tarakanova and the hetman Oginsky, who swore to her in love and fidelity. The whole life of the main character consisted of romantic relationships and cruel disappointments. In the novel, she comes into contact with the German ruler Prince Limburg and the most dangerous don Juan of the XVIII century in Russia, Alexei Orlov. All around actually sacrifice her, but her love and passion cannot perish. This conclusion leads the reader Danilevsky.
"Burned Moscow"
In 1886, he wrote the novel "Burned Moscow" by Grigory Petrovich Danilevsky. The book is dedicated to the events of the Patriotic War of 1812. At the same time, one of the main storylines becomes the love relationship of Basil Perovsky and Aurora, their dreams of a happy family life are destroyed by the invasion of Napoleon.
On the pages of the novel you can find detailed descriptions of representatives of the noble families and people from the people who are fighting the enemy to death. When Basil is captured, Aurora goes to the partisans to prepare an assassination attempt on Napoleon.
In 1888, the novel Black Year, dedicated to the rebellion of Emelyan Pugachev, was published.
"Russian Dumas"
The books of Grigory Petrovich Danilevsky are highly appreciated. He even vies for the unofficial title of “Russian Dumas” with Mordovtsev, Count Salias and Soloviev. In 1866, his book of biographical and historical essays "Ukrainian Antiquity" was published. For her, the author receives the Uvarov Prize.
Since 1876, the complete works of Danilevsky stand seven editions. True, we must admit that they printed it each time in small print runs.
Creativity ratings
In reviews of the author, Grigory Petrovich Danilevsky, critics and modern scholars have always noted that his high position did not weaken his passion for literature, often it had a pronounced liberal connotation. For example, in the 1870-80s Danilevsky was published exclusively in Russian Thought and the Herald of Europe. And in the bibliographic department, headed by him, “The Government Gazette,” one often found positive reviews of works that were criticized in the conservative camp.
The most popular of his works was a novel about Mirovich, which had the working title “Royal Prisoner”. It was the first time for the general public to discover the circumstances of the death of the great-grandson of Ivan V - Emperor John Antonovich, who ruled from October 1740 to November 1741. He reigned purely formally under the regency of Biron, and then his mother Anna Leopoldovna. When he officially ascended the throne, he was not even one year old.
Then the infant emperor was overthrown by the daughter of Peter Elizabeth, he spent almost his entire life in solitary confinement, and at the age of 23 he was killed with another attempt to release him, by then Catherine II ruled the country. Prior to Danilevsky, this information was classified, he was the first to make it public. Censorship forbade the book for 4 years, but when it did come out, it became a real sensation.
Contemporaries of Danilevsky claim that his books, first of all, were popular among the undemanding public. There are also fantastic works in the work of the hero of our article. Imitating Jules Verne, he writes the story "Life in a Hundred Years", in which he describes the world of 1968 with centralized water supply, electricity and heating. They broadcast performances by telephone, an artificial sea appeared on the site of the Sahara, and an underground railway was launched between France and England.
Personal life
Danilevsky was married to Julia Zamyatina, the daughter of the owner of the estate located in the neighborhood. They were married in 1857.
They had a daughter, Alexander, who in 1904 went to treat lungs in Spain and married officer Rodriguez there. During the Civil War, she met closely with the Soviet poet Mikhail Koltsov. The granddaughters of Danilevsky Elena and Julia worked in the trade mission of the Soviet Union.