Sumarokov A.P. (1717-1777), writer

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SUMAROKOV Alexander Petrovich (1717-1777), a poet, playwright, dramatist, full civil counsellor (1762). From early childhood he lived in St. Petersburg. In 1740 he graduated from the Gentry Army Cadet Corps, where he began his literary activities. In the 1740s he was attached to the mobile military office of Count H.A. Munnich, performing the functions of the aide-de-camp of Count M.G. Golovkin and Count A.G. Razumovsky. In 1750-51 he ran the Court Cadet Theatre. He was the founder and the initial director of the first Russian permanent state public professional theatre (1756-61; see Russian Theatre of Tragedies and Comedies), he was also the person who initiated transferring professional public theatre to the authority of Courts Office (1759), thus preventing it from financial collapse. The repertoire of the theatre was based on Sumarokov's own works, creating the standards for national tragedy (Sinav and Truvor, 1750, etc. and comedy (Tresotinius, 1750 etc.) mostly based on invented subjects from Russian history. He edited the first Russian private journal Trudolyubivaya pchela (1759). Sumarokov took an active part in the literary polemics of the mid-18th century, focused on the choice of an exemplary model of Russian poetical speech and literary language. In the course of the dispute he was an opponent to V.K. Trediakovsky and M.V. Lomonosov. The literary heritage of Sumarokov represents virtually all genres of classicism along with their stylistical differentiation, the feature reflecting the theoretical views of the poet (Two Epistles..., 1748). For many years he was in the private correspondence with Empress Catherine II. To all appearances, in the 1740-50s he lived at Tsaritsyn Meadow in Razumovsky's Palace (not preserved; the area of the house No. 1 of Field of Mars) and in Golovkin's Palace (not preserved, the area of the house No. 17 Universitetskaya Embankment), in 1765-69 he occupied his own house (not preserved; the area of the house No. 14 Ninth Line of Vasilievsky Island, memorial plaque). Sumarokov lived in Moscow from 1769; while visiting St. Petersburg in 1771 and 1777, he lived in Anichkov Palace.

References: Берков П. Н. Жизненный и литературный путь А. П. Сумарокова // Сумароков А. П. Избранные произведения. Л., 1957. С. 5-46; Живов В. М. Язык и культура в России XVIII века. М., 1996; Гринберг М. С., Успенский Б. А. Литературная война Тредиаковского и Сумарокова в 1740-х - начале 1750-х годов. М., 2001.

V. A. Kuznetsov, D.N. Cherdakov, A.A. Kirillov. Catherine II, Empress
Golovkin Mikhail Gavrilovich
Lomonosov Mikhail Vasilievich
Minich Christoph Antonovich (Burghard Christoph), Count
Razumovsky Alexey Grigorievich, Count
Sumarokov Alexander Petrovich
Trediakovsky Vasily Kirillovich
9th Line of Vasilievsky Island/Saint Petersburg, city, house 14
The Field of Mars/Saint Petersburg, city, house 1
Universitetskaya Embankment/Saint Petersburg, city, house 17
Берков П. Н. Жизненный и литературный А. П. Сумарокова // Сумароков А. П. Избранные произведения. Л., 1957
Живов В. М. Язык и культура в России XVIII века. М., 1996
Гринберг М. С., Успенский Б. А. Литературная война Тредиаковского и Сумарокова в 1740-х - начале 1750-х годов. М., 2001 Russian Theatre for Tragedy and Comedy
Trudolyubivaya Pchela (Industrious Bee), journal
1755
1759