Barkov Ivan Semenovich - poet and translator of the 18th century, author of pornographic poems, founder of the “illegal” literary genre - “Barkovism”.
Barkovshchina - obscene literary style
It is considered to be one of the prominent Russian poets; his works - shameful verses, surprisingly combining rudeness, sarcasm and profanity, are read not at schools and institutes, but most often in secret. At all times, there were people who wanted to get acquainted with the works of the infamous author.
By the beginning of 1992, the works of Ivan Barkov began to be published in such well-known publications as "Stars", "Literary Review", "Library" and others.
Ivan Barkov: biography
He was supposedly born in 1732 in the family of a clergyman. Initial training took place in the seminary at the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, in 1748, with the help of MV Lomonosov, he became a student at the University of the Academy of Sciences. In the educational institution, he showed a special inclination towards the humanities, was engaged in translations a lot and studied the work of ancient writers. However, Barkov's uncontrolled behavior, constant drinking, fighting, and insulting the rector became the reason for his expulsion in 1751. The demoted student was identified as a student at the Academic Printing House and, given his exceptional abilities, was given permission to attend French and German classes at the gymnasium, as well as to study the “Russian style” under S. P. Krasheninnikov.
As a copyist
Later, Ivan was transferred from the printing house of Barkov to the Academic Chancellery by a copyist.
New duties allowed the young man to communicate closely with MV Lomonosov, to whom he often took copies of documents and copied his works, in particular, “Ancient Russian History” and “Russian Grammar”. The monotonous, monotonous work of the scribe became a fascinating task for Barkov, because it was accompanied by interesting consultations and explanations of Lomonosov. And this actually became a continuation of university studies for a failed student.
The first literary work of Barkov
The first independent work of Ivan Barkov was "Brief Russian History", published in 1762. According to G.F. Miller, in a historical study from the time of Rurik to Peter the Great, information is reported more accurately and completely than, for example, in Voltaire's work on the history of Russia under Peter the Great. For the ode written in honor of the birthday of Peter III in 1762, Ivan Barkov was identified as a translator at the Academy, which led to the appearance of high-quality and full artistic dignity translations.
Having easily mastered the nuances of odic poetry, the writer did not improve himself in this genre, which in the future could bring the poet official fame and guaranteed career advancement. Further, Ivan Barkov prepared for printing (corrected incomprehensible places, added spaces to the text, changed the old spelling, adapting it for a more understandable reading) Radzivil's chronicle, which he fully acquainted with when rewriting it for Lomonosov. This work, which provided the general public with the opportunity to get acquainted with reliable historical facts, was published in 1767.
A poet who is inconvenient to quote
Most of all, the poet Ivan Barkov became famous for obscene poems of pornographic content, which led to the emergence of a new genre of "Barkovism." Obviously, Russian folklore and frivolous French poetry became an example for the emergence of such free lines, the first partial publication of which in Russia took place in 1991. Opinions about Barkov are different and diametrically opposed. So, Chekhov believed that this was a poet whom it was inconvenient to quote. Leo Tolstoy called Ivan a fair jester, and Pushkin believed that all the salt is in the fact that all things are called by their proper names. Barkov's poems were present at the students' merry feasts, and Denis Davydov, Griboedov, Pushkin, and Delvig made up for his pauses in table discussions. Barkov’s poems were quoted by Nikolai Nekrasov.
In contrast to the works of the Marquis de Sade, enjoying various unnatural sensations and twofold situations, Ivan Barkov expresses himself in a normal vicious way, without overstepping some forbidden line.
This is just a tavern assessor, endowed with his poetic poetic talent and intelligence. The pornography he describes is a reflection of Russian life and bad manners, which today remains one of the most striking features of public life. There is no foul language in any literature that could swear in poetry so gracefully “in Russian” as Ivan Barkov did.
And he died funny ...
Contemporaries considered Ivan Barkov an extremely dissolute person. There was a legend among the people that Barkov, although he drank excessively, was an excellent lover, and often brought promiscuous girlfriends and drinking companions to his estate.
Barkov Ivan Semenovich, whose biography is of interest to the modern generation, led a beggarly life, drank to the end of his days and died at 36. The circumstances of his death and the place of burial remained unknown. But there are many versions of the end of his short life. According to one of them, the poet died in a brothel from beating, the other claims that he drowned in need, being in a state of binge. They say that some people found Barkov’s corpse in his office with his head stuck in the furnace for the purpose of carbon monoxide poisoning, and the lower half of his body sticking out without pants with a note stuck in it: “He lived - is sinful, but died - it's ridiculous.” Although, according to another version, the poet said these words before his death.