Nikolev, Nikolai Petrovich

Nikolev, Nikolai Petrovich 

Born Nov. 10 (21), 1758; died Jan. 24 (Feb. 5), 1815, in Moscow. Russian poet and playwright.

Nikolev received his education in the home of E. R. Dashkova. He became blind at the age of 20 and thereafter lived in Moscow and on a nearby estate where he had his own theater. He joined the Russian Academy in 1792. In his “Lyric-didactic Epistle” to E. R. Dashkova, written in 1791, Nikolev defended classicism. His own works, however, show the influence of various literary schools and range from the classical tragedy Sorena and Zamir (1784, performed 1785, published 1787) to the comic opera Rozana and Liubim (1776, presented 1778, published 1781), written in the sentimental style. Nikolev also wrote odes, humorous verse, and songs in the style of folk poetry.

WORKS

[Stikhi]. In Poety XVIII v., vol. 2. Leningrad, 1972.

REFERENCES

Al’tshuller, M. G. “Liro-didakticheskoe poslanie” N. P. Nikoleva. In Russkaya literatura. Leningrad, 1968. (Uch. zap. LGU, no. 339.)
Istoriia russkoi literatury XVIII v.: Bibliograficheskii ukazatel’. Leningrad, 1968.

M. G. AL’TSHULLER