Sumarokov, Aleksandr Petrovich

Sumarokov, Aleksandr Petrovich (əlyĭksän`dər pētrô`vĭch smərô`kəf), 1718–77, Russian dramatist and poet. Sumarokov wrote fables, satires, lyrics, and comic odes in the classical style. His Khorev (1747) and Tresotinius (1750) were respectively the first classical tragedy and comedy in Russian. Enormously prolific, he is considered the first professional man of letters in Russian literature.