A.S. Griboyedov. Key dates of life and work

The famous Russian poet, playwright, composer and diplomat Alexander Sergeevich Griboedov was born in Moscow on January 15 (4), 1795 into a wealthy noble family of Sergei Ivanovich and Anastasia Fedorovna Griboedov.

There were two more children in the family. Brother Pavel died in infancy, and sister Maria became a famous pianist.

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Childhood and youth

White spots. There were many of them in Griboedov’s biography, a brief summary of which includes a number of events that still require additional research.

Despite his fame and belonging to a noble noble family, some facts from the life and work of Griboyedov do not have strict documentary confirmation. Not only are the details of the poet’s death unknown, but even the year of his birth itself is not precisely determined. According to some versions, A. S. Griboyedov was not born in 1795. In various documents, the dates of birth do not coincide and range between 1790 and 1795.

From early childhood, Alexander showed extraordinary talent and versatile abilities. Thanks to his mother, he first received an excellent education at home, and then spent several years at the Noble boarding school of Moscow University. In 1806, Griboyedov entered the literature department of Moscow University, from which he graduated in 1808.

Classes at the university were completed in the summer of 1812. By this time he was already one of the most educated people in the country. According to some reports, Alexander also graduated from moral and political studies, and also studied for some time at the physics and mathematics department of the university. In addition, he spoke several foreign languages ​​and played the piano beautifully. By the age of 33, he will speak ten foreign languages:

Cavalry service

After the outbreak of the Patriotic War of 1812, Griboyedov volunteered for the cavalry and served for several years as a cornet in a hussar regiment. He did not have to participate in hostilities, and his service took place in a pleasant company consisting of young hussar officers of noble origin. The regiment was in reserve, the youth were bored and looking for entertainment, including a very dubious one.

Beginning of literary activity

Over time, this began to weigh on Griboyedov. The war ended, the military career lost its attractiveness. In 1816, he retired and moved to St. Petersburg, where he began serving in the Collegium of Foreign Affairs. Around the same time, Griboedov's first works were published. Mostly these were critical And. A little later, several comedies were written in collaboration with other writers.

At the same time, acquaintances with Pushkin and Kuchelbecker took place. Soon Alexander is already a full member of two Masonic lodges, but his active social life in the capital ends for him after participating in the well-known “quadruple duel”. The reason was a quarrel over the famous ballerina Avdotya Istomina. One of the duelists died, the rest, including Griboedov, who was a second, received new assignments outside St. Petersburg as punishment.

In the diplomatic service

In 1818, Griboedov received the position of secretary at the Russian mission in Persia and left for Tehran in the fall. On the way to Persia, he makes a stop in Tiflis, where he meets with another participant in the “quadruple duel” - officer, writer and future Decembrist A. I. Yakubovich. The postponed duel took place, Alexander received a wound to his left hand. It was on this basis that he was identified after the murder.

In Persia, Griboyedov works in Tabriz and Tehran, fulfilling his official diplomatic duties. He keeps detailed travel diaries throughout his journey from St. Petersburg to Tiflis, Tabriz, Tehran. At the end of 1821, Alexander Sergeevich sought a transfer to Tiflis and for a year served as diplomatic secretary under General A.P. Ermolov, commander of the Russian troops in the Caucasus.

Carrying out numerous duties as a diplomat, Griboyedov continues his literary activities. It was at this time that he began work on the comedy “Woe from Wit.” For now these are just rough drafts of the first edition. Years will pass. and this main work of his life will be included in the curriculum for study in the 9th grade.

Life in Russia

At the beginning of 1823, Griboedov temporarily left the Caucasus and returned to his native place. Lives in Moscow, St. Petersburg, the estate of S. N. Begichev in the Tula province. Here he not only continues to work on the text of “Woe from Wit,” but also writes articles, poems, epigrams, and vaudeville. His interests are multifaceted. This is not only literature, but also music. His waltzes, which later became famous.

In 1824, Griboedov completed Woe from Wit. All attempts to obtain permission to publish end in failure; no contacts or petitions helped. The censorship was adamant. Readers, however, accepted the comedy with delight. The text of the play quickly spread in lists, it was a complete success. The work has become a real phenomenon of Russian culture.

The author never managed to see his work published. The first complete publication of the play in Russia took place only in 1862. By this time, as A.S. Pushkin predicted, the comedy “divided into quotations,” which had long since become proverbs.

Here are just a few of them.

In May 1825, Alexander Sergeevich returned to the Caucasus, but did not stay there long. In January 1826, he was arrested on suspicion of belonging to the Decembrists and brought to the capital. Griboedov really knew many of the participants in the uprising; handwritten texts of the comedy were found on many of the arrested Decembrists, but the investigation failed to find any evidence of his participation in the conspiracy.

Return to the Caucasus

As a result, he was completely acquitted, in June he returned to the diplomatic service, and in September of the same year he returned to the Caucasus, to Tiflis.

In February 1828, the Turkmanchay Peace Treaty was concluded between Russia and Persia, which ended the Russian-Persian war that lasted almost two years. A. S. Griboyedov participated in the work on the agreement and achieved extremely favorable conditions for Russia.

In Russia, Griboedov's diplomatic activities were highly appreciated. He was appointed ambassador to Persia, but the high position did not please Alexander Sergeevich. The brilliant diplomat perceived this appointment as an exile; he had completely different creative plans.

In June 1828, his last journey to the Caucasus began. On the way to Persia, Griboyedov, as always, made a stop in Tiflis. A few years earlier, he had already met this young girl, Nina Chavchavadze, the daughter of his friend, the poet Alexander Chavchavadze. Then she was still a girl, but now her beauty shocked Alexander Sergeevich. He proposed to Nina and received consent. They got married.

Tragic death

The happiness did not last long. Soon the Russian diplomatic mission left for Tehran. On January 30 (February 11), 1829, a large angry crowd of religious fanatics killed almost the entire mission, and only one person was accidentally saved. Griboedov's body was mutilated beyond recognition; he was identified only by his hand, which was damaged during the duel.

There are several versions this sad event, but the true cause of the tragedy is not reliably known. There were no witnesses to how Griboyedov died, and the Persian authorities did not conduct a serious investigation.

The brilliant playwright and diplomat is buried in Tbilisi, in the Pantheon on Mount Mtatsminda. His creations are brilliant, his memory is immortal.

The Renaissance man is a title of human greatness and at the same time a curse of oblivion. Leonardo da Vinci himself indicated the profession of “musician,” but his ancestors did not preserve his melodies for us. Something similar happens to all great people: while admiring one talent, descendants, as a rule, miss other, no lesser talents of the poor genius. The same story happened to one of our compatriots. He spoke flawless French, German, Italian, English, Greek, Latin, Arabic, Persian and Turkish, actively helped the Decembrists, was a member of the St. Petersburg Masonic Lodge, played the piano, organ and flute, and was the ambassador of the Russian Empire to Persia. And they know him exclusively as the author of the play “Woe from Wit.” Yes, we are talking about Alexander Sergeevich Griboyedov - a Russian man of the Renaissance.

Born on January 15, 1795, the son of a nobleman received a good education at home, which became a strong base for the further development of a playwright, composer and diplomat. The most important thing - the credo of life - was passed on to him by his well-behaved father.

At the age of 8, Griboedov was sent to a Moscow boarding school, and three years later he went to Moscow University. He managed to complete his studies at the Faculty of Literature and Law, but he was not destined to complete the program of the third Faculty of Physics and Mathematics: the war with Napoleon began.

Brought up in the noble tradition, Griboyedov immediately entered the hussar regiment with the rank of cornet. However, for better or for worse, by the time the regiment was sent to the front, the war with the French was already over, and young Alexander and his fellow soldiers were transferred to the outback of Belarus. The nobleman quickly became bored with his good fun and morals, and Griboyedov will remember these years rather with regret, although the characters of many of his hussar friends will be clearly depicted in the famous “Woe from Wit.”

History of success

In 1815, the playwright returned to St. Petersburg, acquired useful contacts, broke into the intellectual elite of the northern capital, and entered the service of the College of Foreign Affairs. The dramatic outcome of a duel typical of noble circles, where Griboedov was present as a second, served as the reason for sending the young diplomat to Persia - a kind of political exile.

The brilliant mind, talents of Alexander Sergeevich, numerous acquaintances and the heroic rescue of Russian prisoners made Griboyedov a real hero of our time. Appreciating his merits, General Ermolov petitioned for the diplomat to be transferred to Tiflis.

Creative path

The year 1824 is marked by a return to St. Petersburg: the playwright at that time finished the comedy of his life and hoped to present it. The publication was largely facilitated by the Decembrists, who considered the play a kind of manifesto of the movement: the combination of literary innovations with classical canons, the comedy of new characters truly became a breakthrough word of the time.

A year later, on the way to the Caucasus, this help almost played a cruel joke on Griboyedov. Alexander Sergeevich was arrested on suspicion of preparing the Decembrist uprising, which the writer, naturally, denied, and therefore escaped punishment. Griboyedov is allowed to continue his journey to his destination.

Here his service was as brilliant as his completed diplomatic mission in Persia.

Tragic death

Griboedov actually received a promotion and the status of ambassador, but he was still returned to Tehran: only such a talented diplomat could cope with the most complex political agreements.

Griboedov's new appointment became a fatal epilogue in his life: on the way from Tabriz to Tehran, where he was preparing for the upcoming wedding with Nina Chavchavadze, the Russian diplomatic mission was attacked by angry Muslim fanatics. There are many versions of the reasons for what happened, be it Griboyedov’s own disrespectful attitude towards the traditions of Persia and the ceremony of marrying an Armenian woman, or a conspiracy of the British carried out by the hands of the Persians, the result remains the same: the most talented Russian playwright and dedicated diplomat died on a foreign land, not having time to reunite with the woman he loved. , but leaving the immortal “Woe from Wit” as a souvenir for posterity.

Alexander Sergeevich Griboyedov was born on January 4 (15), 1795 (according to other historical sources - 1790) in Moscow, into a family of well-born nobles. His father traced his ancestry back to the Polish gentry.

The mother supervised the children's education. She was a proud and swaggering representative of her class, but not without intelligence and practicality. Nastasya Fedorovna understood that in modern times, promotion and taking a high position in society can be achieved not only by origin and connections, but also by a person’s education. Therefore, much attention in the family was paid not only to the upbringing, but also to the education of children. Alexander's teachers were truly enlightened French governors. Later, professors from the university were invited to give lessons. Already in his childhood, Griboyedov read a huge number of books.

Since 1803, the boy was assigned to the Moscow Noble University boarding school. In 1806 he entered Moscow University. Before the War of 1812, Griboyedov completed his studies at the faculties of literature and law; his education in physics and mathematics did not allow him to finish his studies.

Already at the university, Alexander Sergeevich is unanimously recognized by those around him as one of the most educated people of his time. He knows all the world classics very well, reads and speaks several foreign languages ​​fluently, composes music, and plays the piano beautifully.

Military service and social life in St. Petersburg

With the outbreak of the War of 1812, Griboedov considered it his duty to enlist in the hussar regiment to defend the fatherland. But while the regiment is being formed, Napoleon is already being thrown far from Moscow, and soon the army leaves for European territory.

Despite the end of hostilities, Griboyedov decides to remain in the army, and their regiment is transferred to remote places in Belarus. These years will practically “fall out” of the writer’s life. Later he will remember them with regret, although he will feature some of his acquaintances from this time as heroes in his comedy “Woe from Wit.” Together with his comrades, he participated in the most reckless undertakings, spending time in revelry and games. All the best instilled in him by his university education seemed to be lost. But after a while, the stormy pastime begins to weigh on Griboyedov. At first he joins a circle of officers who, in their free time from duty, write simple poetry, then he begins to write articles. At this time, he sent notes to St. Petersburg “On cavalry reserves” and “Description of the holiday in honor of Kologrivov.” Increasingly interested in literature, Griboyedov realized that he could no longer exist in the hussar environment and in 1815, having visited St. Petersburg, he made the necessary connections and acquaintances there, preparing his transition to the College of Foreign Affairs.

In 1816, Alexander Sergeevich retired and moved to St. Petersburg. Here he becomes close to the leading people of his time and immediately accepts their ideas. Among his friends are many future organizers of secret societies. In secular salons, Griboedov shines with cold wit and even cynicism. He is also drawn to the theatrical stage. During this period, he wrote and translated for the theater the comedies “The Young Spouses” (1815) and “His Family or the Married Bride” (1817).

Griboyedov is reputed to be in good standing at the College of Foreign Affairs.

The calm and regularity of life is disrupted by the writer’s participation in a duel, which ends in the death of one of the duelists. Largely thanks to his mother’s connections, Griboedov was sent away from the capital - as a secretary to the Russian diplomatic mission in Persia.

Service in Persia and the Caucasus

In March 1819, after a deliberately slow journey, Griboedov finally arrived at his place of service - Tehran, and then Tabriz. He gets a lot of new impressions, meets courtiers and local princes, ordinary people and wandering poets. The service turns out to be uncomplicated, and Griboyedov has enough time to engage in literary creativity and self-education. He reads a lot, hones his knowledge of Persian and Arabic, and with surprise and joy realizes that his comedy “Woe from Wit” is being written here more fruitfully than ever. Soon the first two acts of the final edition of the comedy were ready. During this period, Griboedov managed to commit one truly heroic act. At his own peril and risk, he was able to take several Russian prisoners out of Persia. General Ermolov noticed Griboyedov’s desperate courage and decided that such a person deserved a better fate than vegetating in Persia. Thanks to the efforts of Ermolov, Alexander Sergeevich was transferred to the Caucasus to Tiflis. Here the first and second acts of “Woe from Wit” were completely finished.

Return to St. Petersburg and arrest

In 1823, the writer goes on vacation. In Moscow and the estate of his friends near Tula, he completely completed the main work of his life.

In the fall of 1824, Griboedov went to St. Petersburg with the hope of publishing and theatrical production of “Woe from Wit.” But it meets with categorical opposition. With great difficulty, excerpts from the comedy were published in the anthology “Russian Waist”. As for handwritten versions, their number was close to book circulation. The spread of the book was also facilitated by the Decembrists, who considered it their “printed manifesto.” The work intertwines innovation and classicism, strict adherence to the rules of comedy construction and free development of characters. A significant decoration of “Woe from Wit” is the use of iambic heterometers and precise and aphoristic language. Many lines of comedy were “snatched for quotes” already in the days of handwritten lists.

In the fall of 1825, Griboyedov was going back to the Caucasus, but he was returned from the road on suspicion of participating in the preparation of the Decembrist uprising. Thanks to Ermolov's warning, Griboyedov managed to destroy incriminating materials from his archive. At the time of his arrest there is no evidence against him. During the investigation, the writer categorically denies his participation in the conspiracy. In June 1826, Griboyedov was released from arrest as completely innocent.

Tragic luck

With great reluctance, he is going to the Caucasus again. And perhaps the writer would have achieved his resignation and remained in St. Petersburg, engaged in literary work, but his mother takes an oath from her son to continue his diplomatic career.

With the beginning of the Russian-Persian War, Alexander Sergeevich takes part in several battles, but acts with great success in the field of diplomacy. He “bargains” for Russia the extremely profitable Turkmanchay Peace Treaty and brings the documents to St. Petersburg, hoping to stay in the capital. He dreams of continuing to write poetry, to finish the tragedies “Rodamist and Zenobia” and “Georgian Night”, and the drama “1812” he began.

But it was precisely thanks to Alexander Sergeevich’s personal contribution to the drafting of the articles of such a beneficial peace treaty that the Tsar decided that Griboedov was most suitable for the post of ambassador to Persia. It is impossible to refuse the highest appointment and the writer is forced to go to Persia again.

Tragic ending

With great reluctance, in June 1828, Griboedov left St. Petersburg. With all his might he delays his arrival at his destination, as if anticipating his fate.

The last “ray of happiness” in his life was his ardent love for the daughter of his friend A.G. Chavchavadze, Nina, whom he married while passing through Tiflis. Leaving his wife in Tabriz, he goes to Tehran to prepare everything for the arrival of his beloved woman.

What happened next is difficult to assess unambiguously. According to most sources, for attempting to remove Armenian women from the harem of a noble nobleman and the caretaker of the Shah's harem, Griboyedov was killed by Muslim fanatics, and the entire Russian mission was destroyed.

According to other sources, Griboyedov and the mission staff behaved disrespectfully towards the Shah and the laws of the country, and the rumor about the removal of women from the harem simply became the last straw that overflowed the patience of the Persians and forced them to deal with the insolent strangers.

There is a version that religious fanatics were skillfully incited to attack the Russian mission by English diplomats.

Whichever of these versions turns out to be true, the result was sad - the wonderful Russian diplomat, poet and playwright Alexander Sergeevich Griboedov suffered a terrible death at the hands of Muslim fanatics in Persia on January 30 (February 11), 1829.

His body was transported to his homeland and buried in Tiflis (now Tbilisi) in the monastery of St. David.

Interesting facts about Griboyedov:

The writer knew French, English, German, Italian, Greek, Latin, Arabic, Persian and Turkish perfectly well.

Living in the Caucasus, Griboyedov used his position and all his connections to make life easier for the Decembrists exiled here in any way and was able to “pull” some of them out of Siberia.

The writer was a member of the largest Masonic lodge in St. Petersburg.

Griboyedov Alexander Sergeevich (1795 - 1829), playwright, poet.

Born on January 4 (15 NS) in Moscow in the family of an officer of the Russian Guard, a nobleman. Received a comprehensive home education. At the age of seven he was sent to the Moscow University boarding school. Eleven years old Griboyedov is a student at Moscow University. After graduating from the verbal department of the Faculty of Philosophy, he entered the law department and received. second diploma - candidate of rights. In 1810 he studied at the Faculty of Science and Mathematics, which was an unusual thing for noble youth. Since childhood, knowing French, English, German and Italian, during his studies at the university he studied Greek and Latin, and later Persian, Arabic and Turkish. He was also musically gifted: he played the piano, flute, and composed music himself.

During my student years, I communicated with future Decembrists: the Muravyov brothers, Yakushkin. Subsequently he was close to P. Chaadaev. Griboyedov’s poetic abilities also manifest themselves at the university.

The outbreak of the war with Napoleon changes Griboedov's plans: he volunteers to serve in the army as a cornet (a junior officer rank in the Russian cavalry) in a hussar regiment. He did not have to participate in hostilities. After the end of the war, he resigns, settles in St. Petersburg, enters the service of the Collegium of Foreign Affairs, where Pushkin, Kuchelbecker and many Decembrists served at that time, and gets to know them. In addition, he is part of a circle of people involved in the theater, collaborates in magazines, and writes plays.

In 1818 he was sent as secretary of the Russian mission to Persia, where he spent over two years, traveling extensively around the country and keeping travel notes and a diary. Upon returning from Persia in November 1821, he served as a diplomatic secretary under the commander of Russian troops in the Caucasus, General A. Ermolov, who was surrounded by many members of Decembrist societies. Lives in Tiflis, working on the first two acts of Woe from Wit. However, this work requires more privacy, more freedom from service, so he asks Yermolov for a long leave. Having received leave, he spends it first in the Tula province, then in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

On the estate of his friend Begichev he writes the last two acts of the comedy, in Moscow he continues to finish “Woe from Wit”, in St. Petersburg in 1824 the work was completed.

All attempts to publish the comedy were unsuccessful, and staging it in the theater was also impossible. The reactionary camp received the comedy with hostility. The language of "Woe from Wit" was called harsh and incorrect. The Decembrists greeted the comedy enthusiastically, seeing in it an artistic generalization of their ideas and feelings.

At the end of September 1825, Griboedov again arrived in the Caucasus, and at the end of January 1826 he was arrested in the Decembrist case by a courier specially sent from St. Petersburg. Ermolov warned him about the impending arrest, and the writer managed to destroy the papers that were dangerous to him. During the investigation, Griboedov maintained a complete denial of his participation in the conspiracy. The royal investigative commission failed to prove anything, and he was released.

After returning to the Caucasus in 1826, Griboyedov acted as a diplomat. In 1827 he was ordered to manage diplomatic relations with Turkey and Persia. In 1828 he took part in the preparation of the Turkmanchay Peace Treaty concluded with Persia. He then receives an appointment as minister plenipotentiary to Persia, considering this appointment as a “political exile.”

In August 1828, in Tiflis, Griboyedov married Nina Chavchavadze, the daughter of his friend, the famous poet A. Chavchavadze. Leaving his wife in Tabriz, he went with the embassy to Tehran. Here he became the victim of a conspiracy and was killed by a crowd of Persian fanatics. Griboedov's body was transported to Tiflis and buried on Mount St. David.

Griboyedov was born on January 4, 1795 (according to other sources, 1794) in Moscow. His father was a guards officer who dreamed of his son receiving a decent education and career. Sasha first studied at home, then entered in 1802 (according to other sources 1803) the Noble boarding school at Moscow University.

Studying at the University

The young man stands out among his comrades for his versatile talents and desire to acquire knowledge from certain branches of the humanities and exact sciences. He is fluent in foreign languages, not only the required knowledge of French and German, but also Italian and English. In addition, he has extraordinary musical abilities.

Griboedov's first steps in literature

He appeared as a playwright in 1815, presenting to the public the comedy “The Young Spouses,” a revised play by a French writer. Griboyedov's creation receives its stage embodiment and, at the same time, deserved criticism from the famous writer M.N. Zagoskin. But the young writer does not accept caustic remarks about the play; on the contrary, he responds to the critic with a bright pamphlet entitled “Lubochny Theater.”

Circle of friends

The circle of acquaintances is expanding, close cooperation with A. Shakhovsky, N. Khmelnitsky, P. Katenin begins. In 1817, co-authored with the latter, he wrote the comedy “Student”, which ridiculed the poets who followed the enthusiastic N. Karamzin and the sentimental V. Zhukovsky. In terms of literary views, Krylov and Kuchelbecker, Derzhavin and Katenin, Shishkov and his company, the so-called “archaists,” were closer to Griboedov.

Career and creativity

Tabriz meets the diplomat and writer in the chilly February of 1819; probably, the first meeting with the place of future service contributed to the writing of the poem “The Traveler” (another name is “The Wanderer”), especially the part that talks about the sale of a captive Georgian boy at the Tabriz market.

Since 1822, Griboyedov has been in Tiflis in the diplomatic service at the headquarters of General Ermolov, who is the commander-in-chief of Georgia. In 1823 - 25 Alexander Sergeevich is on a long vacation, part of which he spends on the estate of his friend Begichev near Tula. It was here that in the summer of 1823 the third and fourth parts of the comedy “Woe from Wit” were born (the first two, according to creativity researchers, were written in Tiflis). And in the fall of the same year, in collaboration with P. Vyazemsky, Griboyedov wrote “Vaudeville”, A. Verstovsky composed music for it.
At the end of 1825, the vacation ends, and Griboedov has to return to Tiflis. But literary activity comes to the fore; unfortunately, most of his works have not been identified to date or are known in fragments.

The great plans of the writer are evidenced by the plan of the drama called “1812”, the surviving fragment of the tragedy “Georgian Night”, based on local ancient legends, another tragic work telling about historical events that took place in Armenia and Georgia.
In the first half of 1826, Griboedov was under investigation related to the Decembrists' performance on Senate Square. No incriminating information about him has been revealed; in September of this year he returns to the Caucasus.

The tragic ending of Griboedov's biography

The diplomat takes an active part in the political, economic, and social life of the Caucasus region, contributes to the opening of the Tiflis Gazette, a “working house” for women serving sentences. With his participation, the Turkmanchin peace treaty with Persia was signed, and soon he was appointed minister plenipotentiary to this country.

But he views this position as just another exile, and not at all a royal favor. Together with the embassy, ​​he travels to Tehran, where the tragic events took place. Embassy employees, including Alexander Griboyedov, were brutally killed by Persian fanatics, who were backed by Shah Fet-Ali and his subordinates, who did not want to allow Russian influence to increase in the East.

On January 4, 1795, the life of Alexander Griboedov, a great diplomat, writer and playwright, tragically ended. But his works have retained their relevance, they are more modern than ever, and any reader today can be convinced of this.