Odoevsky V.F. (1804-1869), writer and philosopher

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ODOEVSKY Vladimir Fedorovich (1804-1869), prince, prose writer, philosopher, critic, and musician promoted to Actual Civil Counsellor in 1845, Chamberlain in 1858, and Presiding Senator in 1865. He left the Noble Boarding School attached to Moscow University in 1822. He was the head of the Philosophy Society in 1823-25. Living in St. Petersburg in 1826-62, he served in various organisations between 1826 and 1845 and wrote the censorship statute in 1828. He was an assistant director of the Imperial Public Library and the director of the Rumyantsev Museum in 1846-61, which was transferred to Moscow on his initiative. He had his own literary salon (see Odoevsky Salon). Odoevsky was the first remarkable musicologist in Russia. With his works of 1830s he founded new Russian genres - the philosophical tale and secular tale. This is when Odoevsky was close to Pushkin’s circle. He wrote for Severnie Tsvety (The North Flowers) Almanac, Literaturnaya Gazeta newspaper, and Sovremennik journal. The Sun of Our Poetry Went Down was the famous obituary he wrote for Pushkin. In his prose, Odoevsky combined fiction and ironic presentation of the capital life and customs as in Motley Tales written in 1833, Black Glove and St. Petersburg Letters both written in 1835, etc. Another aspect of his works was their belonging to St. Petersburg's literature, the author's striving to understand the role St. Petersburg played in the Russian culture and history as in Salamander of 1841, Year 4338, etc. Summing up his literary work was Odoevsky's philosophical Russian Nights written in 1844 where he represented artistic language as the language of truth opposed to the imperfect common language including the language of science and allusively characterised Russia as the world striving for integrity in contrast to the pragmatism of Europe. The chairman of the Society for Visiting the Poor in 1846-55, Odoevsky established the first orphanages in Russia and participated in the work and management of Mariinsky Institute, Maximilianovskaya Hospital, and Elizavetinskaya Hospital. He was also involved in establishing country schools and developing manuals. Odoevsky's Diary contains information on his life in St. Petersburg. He lived at 1 Moshkovy Lane in 1826-39, in the area near house 37 Fontanka River Embankment in 1840-41, 2/36 Liteiny Avenue in 1842-46, and in the Rumyatsev Museum at 44 Angliiskaya Embankment in 1846-62.

References: Турьян М. А. Странная моя судьба: О жизни В. Ф. Одоевского. М., 1991; Литературный Петербург пушкинской эпохи: Адрес. указ. / Сост. В. Ф. Шубин // Дома у Пушкина: [Сб. ст.]. СПб., 1994. С. 100-111. (Арс; № 1); Голубева О. Д. В. Ф. Одоевский. СПб., 1995.

I. E. Vasilyeva. Odoevsky Vladimir Fedorovich
Pushkin Alexander Sergeevich
Angliiskaya Embankment/Saint Petersburg, city, house 44
Fontanka River Embankment/Saint Petersburg, city, house 37
Liteiny Ave/Saint Petersburg, city, house 36/2
Moshkov Lane/Saint Petersburg, city, house 1
Литературный Петербург пушкинской эпохи: Адрес. указ. / Сост. В. Ф. Шубин // Дома у Пушкина: [Сб. ст.]. СПб., 1994
Турьян М. А. Странная моя судьба: О жизни В. Ф. Одоевского. М., 1991
Голубева О. Д. В. Ф. Одоевский. СПб., 1995 Russian National Library
Rumyantsev Museum
Odoevsky's Salon
Severnye Tsvety (Northern Flowers), almanac
Literaturnaya gazeta (Literary Newspaper), 1830-1831, 1840-1849
Sovremennik (Contemporary), journal