The nineteenth century is called the golden age of Russian poetry. In this period, romanticism and sentimentalism replaced the beloved writers of classicism. A little later, realism was born, gradually displacing the idealization of the world. It was in the nineteenth century that literature reached its peak, and the contribution that Russian poets of the 19th century made to this was invaluable. The list of them is really long, in it among such famous names as Alexander Pushkin, Mikhail Lermontov, Athanasius Fet, there are also little-known but talented Vladimir Raevsky, Alexei Khomyakov, Sergey Durov and many, many others.
Nineteenth century in literature
The nineteenth century was far from a simple period for Russia: a series of wars broke out over the trade routes, Napoleon's military campaign began, followed by the uprising of the Decembrists, then again the war, the abolition of serfdom. All this became a huge upheaval for the country. Against the background of such events, literature developed. The great Russian poets of the 19th century in their work wrote about love for the motherland, the beauty of Russia, the difficult fate of a simple person and the idleness of noble life, they talked a lot about the place of a person in this world, about the opposition of the individual to society. Classicism created the image of an ideal man, romanticism exalted him above the grayness of life, sentimentalism surrounded the lyrical hero with stunning landscapes - poetry of the early nineteenth century sought to idealize the world. They used a huge number of paths, played with foreign words, perfected the rhyme - everything to reflect the ideal. Later, realism began to appear, within the framework of which classical poets no longer abhor the colloquial expressions, experiments with the form of the poem: the main task was to demonstrate reality with all its shortcomings. The nineteenth century is a century of contradictions; it ideally combines the ideality and imperfection of the world in which the poets lived.
Ivan Andreevich Krylov (1769-1844)
Krylov laid the foundation for fables in Russian literature. His name is so strongly associated with this genre that it has become a kind of stable expression, like "Aesop's fables." Ivan Andreyevich chose this form of lyrics, unusual for that time, to demonstrate the vices of society, showing them through the images of various animals. Fables are so simple and interesting that some of their lines became winged expressions, and a variety of topics allows you to find a lesson for any occasion. Krylov was considered a role model by many Russian poets of the 19th century, the list of which would be far from complete without the great fabulist.
Ivan Zakharovich Surikov (1841-1880)
Nekrasov is most often associated with realism and the peasantry, and few people know that many other Russian poets sang their people and their lives. Surikov's poems are melodic and simple. This is what allowed to put some of his works to music. In some places, the poet deliberately uses words not characteristic of the lyrics, but of the peasants. The themes of his poems are close to every person, they are far from so elevated as Pushkin's idealized poetry, but at the same time they are not inferior to it. An amazing ability to demonstrate the life of ordinary people, to show their feelings, to talk about some everyday situations so that the reader is immersed in the atmosphere of peasant life - these are the components of the lyrics of Ivan Surikov.
Alexey Konstantinovich Tolstoy (1817-1875)
And in the famous Tolstoy family were Russian poets of the 19th century. The list of famous relatives was supplemented by Alexey Tolstoy, famous for his historical plays, ballads and satirical poems. His works sound like love for his native land, the chanting of his beauty. A distinctive feature of the verses is their simplicity, which gives the lyrics sincerity. The poet was inspired by the people, which is why there are so many references to historical subjects and folklore in his work. But at the same time, Tolstoy shows the world in bright colors, admires every moment of life, trying to capture all the best feelings and emotions.
Peter Isaevich Weinberg (1831-1908)
Many poets in the nineteenth century were engaged in translating verses from other languages, Weinberg was no exception. They say that if in prose the translator is a co-author, then in poetry he is a rival. Weinberg translated a huge number of poems from German. For a translation from the German drama "Mary Stuart" by Schiller, he was even awarded the prestigious prize of the Academy of Sciences. In addition, this amazing poet worked on the works of Shakespeare, Goethe, Heine, Byron and many other famous writers. Of course, calling Weinberg an independent poet is difficult. But in his transposition of poems, he retained all the features of the lyrics of the author of the original, which allows us to talk about him as a truly poetically gifted person. The invaluable contribution made by the Russian poets of the 19th century to the development of world literature and translations. Their list would not be complete without Weinberg.
Conclusion
Russian poets have always been an integral part of literature. But it was the nineteenth century that was especially rich in talented people whose names forever entered the history of not only Russian, but also world poetry.