Maikov Apollon Nikolaevich short biography. Maikov, Apollon Nikolaevich - short biography

Born on May 23 (June 4), 1821, in Moscow, to the family of academician of painting N. A. Maikov, who came from an old noble family. His father was a famous artist. His childhood years were spent in a Moscow house and an estate near Moscow, not far from the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, which was often visited by artists and writers. Apollo Maykov began writing poetry at the age of fifteen, but in choosing his vocation he hesitated for a long time between painting and poetry.
Since 1834, the family moved to St. Petersburg, and Maykov’s further fate was connected with the capital.
In 1837 - 41 he studied at the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University, without leaving his literary studies. After graduating from university, he served in the Ministry of Finance, but soon, having received an allowance from Nicholas I to travel abroad, he left for Italy, where he studied painting and poetry, then to Paris, where he attended lectures on art and literature. He visited both Dresden and Prague.
In 1844 Apollon Maikov returned to Russia. First he works as an assistant librarian at the Rumyantsev Museum, then moves to the St. Petersburg Committee for Foreign Censorship.
His first collection of poetry was published in 1842 and was highly praised by V. Belinsky, who noted his “genuine and remarkable talent.” The collection was a great success.
Impressions from a trip to Italy are expressed in Maykov’s second collection of poetry, “Essays on Rome” (1847).
During these years, he became close to Belinsky and his entourage - Turgenev and Nekrasov, attended M. Petrashevsky’s “Fridays,” and maintained a close acquaintance with F. Dostoevsky and A. Pleshcheev. Although Maikov did not fully share their ideas, they had a certain influence on his work. His works such as the poems “Two Fates” (1845), “Mashenka” and “The Young Lady” (1846) contain civic motives.
Since the 1850s, Apollo Maikov has increasingly consistently moved to conservative positions, as evidenced by the poem “Clermont Cathedral” published in 1853 and the cycles “Neopolitan Album” and “Modern Greek Songs” published in 1858 (after a trip to Greece). The peasant reform of 1861 was greeted with enthusiastic poems “Fields” and “Niva”. Having finally contrasted his understanding of art with the ideas of revolutionary democrats, he became a supporter of “art for art’s sake,” which caused sharp criticism from M. Saltykov-Shchedrin and satirical parodies by N. Dobrolyubov.
In the 1860s, he turned to history and created a number of works on historical topics (“In Gorodets in 1263”, “At the Tomb of Grozny”, “Emshai”, “Who is he?”, etc.). Based on the history of Ancient Rome, he wrote the poem “Two Worlds,” which was awarded the Pushkin Prize in 1882. If earlier the poet was attracted to antiquity, now his interest has shifted to Christianity as a new moral teaching opposed to the aestheticism of paganism. Fascinated by the era of Ancient Rus' and Slavic folklore, Apollon Maikov in 1889 completed one of the best translations of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign,” which has not lost its scientific and artistic value to this day.
Maykov's poetry is contemplative, idyllic and distinguished by a touch of rationality, but at the same time it reflects Pushkin's poetic principles: accuracy and specificity of descriptions, logical clarity in the development of the theme, simplicity of images and comparisons. Maikov's artistic method is characterized by the allegorical application of landscapes, anthological paintings, and subjects to the poet's thoughts and feelings. This feature makes him similar to the classic poets.
The themes of Maykov's poetry are correlated with the world of culture. The poet’s horizons include art (the cycle of poems “In an Anthological Kind”), European and Russian history (the cycles of poems “Centuries and Nations”, “Reviews of History”), the work of poets of the West and East, whose works Maikov translates and stylizes (the cycle “Imitations” ancient"). Maykov’s poems contain many mythological symbols, historical and cultural names, but often the flavor of other centuries and peoples is decorative in nature. Ancient culture was especially close to Maykov, in which he saw a treasury of ideal forms of beauty.
From the vast heritage of Apollo Maykov, the poems about Russian nature “Spring! The first frame”, “In the rain”, “Haymaking”, “Fishing”, “Swallows” and others, distinguished by their sincerity and melodiousness, are exhibited. Many of his poems inspired composers to write romances. Maikov owns translations from G. Heine, Goethe, Longfellow, Mickiewicz. Many of Maykov's poems were set to music (Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and others).
Apollo Maikov died on March 8 (20), 1897 in St. Petersburg.

Private bussiness

Apollon Nikolaevich Maikov (1821-1897) born in Moscow into a noble family. Father Nikolai Apollonovich Maikov was an artist, mother Evgenia Petrovna was a writer. Artists, writers, and musicians were frequent guests in the Maykovs' house. The family had five children, all boys. In the summer, Apollo was sent to his grandmother’s estate in the Moscow region - to the village of Chepchikha (near present-day Solnechnogorsk).

In 1834, the family moved to St. Petersburg, where the older brothers, Apollo and Valerian, were taught Latin and Russian literature at home by the writer Ivan Goncharov. Apollo began writing poetry very early - the debut of the 13-year-old poet was the poem “Eagle”, published in the “Library for Reading” in 1835.

In 1837, Maikov entered the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University, willingly and extensively studied the history of Ancient Greece and Rome, studied the Latin language and Roman poets. At first, he was very interested in painting and dreamed of a career as a painter, but the flattering reviews of Pletnev and Nikitenko about his first poetic experiments and poor eyesight prompted him to devote his life to poetry.

Two more poems - “Dream” and “Picture of the Evening” - appeared in the “Odessa Almanac for 1840”. And already in 1842 the first book “Poems of Apollon Maikov” was published in St. Petersburg.

Having received a thousand rubles for this book “by the highest command” of Nicholas I for a trip to Italy, the young man went abroad in the same year of 1842. Having visited Italy, France, Saxony and the Austrian Empire, he returned to St. Petersburg in 1844. The result of this trip was the “Essays on Rome” published in 1847 and a doctoral dissertation on ancient Slavic law. Upon returning to Russia, Maikov served in the Ministry of Finance, then as an assistant librarian of the Rumyantsev Museum before moving it to Moscow.

Poems, ballads, lyrical dramas and other poems by Apollo Maykov brought him considerable popularity. He began to constantly move in the “highest” literary society - his friends were Belinsky, Nekrasov, Turgenev and many other writers and poets. Maikov published mainly in Otechestvennye zapiski, even after Nekrasov took away many talented authors to the Sovremennik magazine he headed.

Maykov’s liberal sentiments of the 40s (poems “Two Fates”, 1845, “Mashenka”, 1846) eventually gave way to conservative views (poem “The Stroller”, 1854), Slavophile and Pan-Slavist ideas (poem “Clermont Cathedral”, 1853); in the 60s, Maikov’s work was sharply criticized by revolutionary democrats. Maikov’s aesthetic position also underwent changes: a short-term rapprochement with the natural school gave way to an active defense of “pure art.”

In the last years of his life he was an active state councilor. After 1880, Maikov practically did not write poetry, concentrating on the civil service, where he achieved significant success - he rose to the rank of full state councilor, which corresponded to major general according to the table of ranks. Since 1882 - Chairman of the Foreign Censorship Committee. In creative terms, he was only engaged in editing his works to prepare his collected works.

On February 27, 1897, the poet went out into the street dressed too lightly and caught a cold. On March 20, 1897, Apollon Maikov died. He was buried in the cemetery of the Resurrection Novodevichy Convent in St. Petersburg.

What is he famous for?

Apollo Maykov

The name of Apollo Maykov does not look too bright against the background of the galaxy of brilliant poets of the 19th century, although Vladimir Solovyov called him “one of the main poets of the post-Pushkin period.”

Maikov was not the most outstanding among his contemporaries, and his creative legacy is not so extensive. However, Maikov’s poems about Russian nature, created in 1854-1858, became textbook: “Spring! The first frame”, “Summer Rain”, “Haymaking”, “Swallow”, “Niva” and others are exhibited. Many of Maykov's poems were set to music, including by such major composers as N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov and P. I. Tchaikovsky.

In Maykov's lyrics, images of the Russian village, nature, and Russian history are often found. But a considerable part of his work was devoted to the ancient world, which he studied most of his life. In addition to the poem “Two Worlds,” among Maikov’s major works, “The Wanderer” (excellently reproducing the concepts and language of some Russian sectarian movements), “Princess” and “Bringilda” are also worthy of interest.

It is interesting that Maikov acquired his literary name among his contemporaries precisely with poems “in the anthological kind”, and his poems about nature were then considered as “minor”, ​​but it was they who ultimately entered the history of literature.

What you need to know

Maikov also did a lot of translations. For four years he translated “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” into poetic form (finished in 1870). This poetic adaptation of “The Lay...” remains one of its best literary translations to this day.

He translated works of such poets as Heine, Mickiewicz, Goethe. Translated chapters IV-X of “Apocalypse” (1868). He also translated folk poetry from Belarus, Greece, Serbia, Spain and other countries.

Direct speech

Can't be! can't be!

She's alive!.. she'll wake up now...

Look: he wants to talk,

He will open his eyes and smile.

He will see me and hug me

And, suddenly realizing that my crying meant,

Caressing, he gently whispers to me:

"How funny! What is he crying about!.."

But no!.. lies... quiet, mute,

Motionless...

“This poem, without the signature of a famous, or at least familiar name, struck us so much that we transferred it to the pages of our magazine with loud praise and then, with undiminished enthusiasm, recalled it fourteen months later;

When the shadow falls in transparent clouds

On the yellow fields, covered with stacks,

To the blue forests, to the wet grass of the meadows;

When a column of steam whitens over the lake,

And in the sparse reeds, slowly swaying,

The swan sleeps in a sensitive sleep, reflected in the moisture, -

I’m going under my native thatched roof,

Spread in the shade of acacias and oaks,

And there, with a smile on the lips of your greetings,

In a crown of bright stars and dark-colored poppies,

And with a white chest under black muslin,

The peaceful goddess appears before me,

It bathes my head in a fawn glow

And closes his eyes with a quiet hand,

And, picking up his curls, bending his head towards me,

Kisses my lips and eyes in silence (p. 9).

This is precisely one of those works of art whose meek, chaste, self-contained beauty is completely mute and unnoticed by the crowd and is all the more eloquent and brilliantly brilliant for those initiated into the mysteries of graceful creativity. What a soft, delicate brush, what a virtuoso chisel, revealing a hand that is firm and experienced in art! What poetic content and what plastic, fragrant, graceful images!”

V. G. Belinsky about the work of Apollo Maykov (1841)

“According to its main content, Maykov’s poetry is determined, on the one hand, by the ancient Hellenic aesthetic worldview, with a clearly predominant Epicurean character, and on the other, by the traditions of Russian-Byzantine politics. Themes of both kinds, although internally unrelated to each other, are equally dear to the poet. As a secondary motive, more noticeable in the first half of Maikov’s literary activity, one can point to the peaceful impressions of Russian rural nature, to which the poet had particular convenience to indulge due to his passion for fishing. As a secondary motive, more noticeable in the first half of Apollon Maikov’s literary activity, one can point to the peaceful impressions of Russian rural nature, to which the poet had particular convenience to indulge, due to his passion for fishing. Apollon Nikolaevich immediately acquired a literary name for himself with poems “in an anthological kind”, of which, in terms of clarity and completeness of images, stand out: “Dream”, “Memory”, “Echo and Silence”, “My child, there are no more blessed days”, “Poetry” ; “Bas-relief” is beyond praise in its kind.”

Vl. Soloviev about Maykov’s poetry

“Together with Polonsky and Fet, Maikov formed that famous triad of poets who spoke with the slogan “art for art’s sake.” This group was on the right flank of the literature of that time and constituted something like the headquarters of a poetic detachment of feudal owners who did not want to surrender their positions to developing capitalism without a fight, and were especially concerned about the growth of the revolutionary democratic movement.”

Literary encyclopedia. 1929-1939.

6 facts about Apollo Maykov

• The surname "Mikov" is pronounced with emphasis on the first syllable
• Maikov was married to Anna Ivanovna, née Stemmer. The wedding took place in 1852. They had four children: three sons - Nikolai, Vladimir and Apollo and a daughter, Vera, who died at the age of 10.
• In 1953, Maikov was elected corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.
• Maykov's favorite pastime was fishing.
• Maikov was in love with history, especially ancient history. He has been abroad more than once - mainly to Italy and Greece. According to the critic V.G. Belinsky, Maikov “looks at life through the eyes of a Greek.”
• Apollo Maykov's brothers - Leonid, Valerian and Vladimir - also became widely known people in the literary world, although in different directions (criticism, bibliography, translations and prose).

Materials about Apollo Maykov

Maikov Apollon Nikolaevich (1821-1897), poet.

Graduated from the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University. Maykov’s first book of poems was published in 1842. Then the poems “Two Fates” (1844) and “Mashenka” (1846), a collection of lyrics “Essays on Rome” (1847), were published, reflecting the impressions of a trip to Italy .

In 1848-1852. The poet's activity decreased noticeably.

The Crimean War, which began in 1853, again awakened him to intense creative activity (the result was the book “1854. Poems”).

In poems of the late 50-60s. Maikov tried to critically assess the surrounding reality (“Whirlwind”, 1856; “He and She”, 1857; poem “Dreams”, 1856-1858; collection “Neapolitan Album”, 1858-1860; poems “ Fields", 1861, "To my friend Ilya Ilyich", 1863, "On the white sandbank of the Caspian Sea...", 1863, etc.). During these same years, he translated a lot from modern Greek folk poetry, imbued with the spirit of the struggle for independence.

A number of translations from Serbian youth songs were also dictated by a sympathetic attitude towards the national liberation movement (for example, “The Saber of King Vukashin”, “Serbian Church”, “Radojca”, “Horse”). Hence the poet’s attention to the period of the Tatar invasion of Russia and fight against nomads (“In Gorodets in 1263”, “Clermont Cathedral”).

In 1870, Maykov’s translation of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” was published - the result of an intense four-year work.

In 1875, Maikov wrote the poem “Emshan” - an adaptation of one of the legends of the Ipatiev Chronicle. The poet had an enduring interest in the era of the clash between paganism and Christianity (“Olynthos and Esther”, “Three Deaths”, the tragedy “Two Worlds”, etc.).

Despite the genre and thematic richness, Maykov’s poetic heritage is uniform in style. Maykov's poetry captivates with its harmonic fusion
thoughts and feelings, impeccable artistic taste, melodiousness and musicality. It is no coincidence that in terms of the number of poems set to music, Apollon Nikolaevich holds one of the first places among Russian poets of the 19th century.

A. N. Maikov is one of the noble poets of conservative romanticism with an ethical and philosophical orientation.

Family education

Apollo Maykov was born in Moscow on May 23, 1821. This was an old noble family that preserved rich cultural traditions. There were talented people in the Maykov family who did a lot in the development of Russian culture, in particular, his parents and brothers. His father, for example, was at one time a famous self-taught artist, who over the years was awarded the title of academician of painting. Mother gravitated toward literature and wrote very high-quality poetry and prose.

The brothers also left their noticeable mark on the development of national culture. His younger brother Valerian, for example, being a prominent representative of the progressive intelligentsia, together with Belinsky, was an opponent of “pure art” and a supporter of socio-historical principles in criticism. He wrote many works in which he opposed the Slavophiles, calling them adherents of national stagnation, and in general played a large role in the development of critical thought in Russia.

The Moscow house and the Maykovs' estate near Moscow were always full of people. Writers, artists, and musicians often visited here. The visits of I. A. Goncharov, I. I. Panaev, V. G. Benediktov, V. A. Solonitsyn, and F. M. Dostoevsky were a real holiday in the Maykovs’ house. The cult of art reigning in the family, the artistic atmosphere of the parental home - everything contributed to the formation of the spiritual interests of the future poet. Therefore, it is not surprising that Apollo was drawn to art from early childhood, read a lot, drew well and wrote lyrical poetry.

The house published the handwritten magazine “Snowdrop” and the almanac “Moonlit Nights”, where the whole family, and sometimes guests, published their works. Apollo's children's poems first appeared in these family publications.

Education. First collection

In 1834, the family left Moscow and settled in St. Petersburg. From then on, the further fate of the poet Apollo Maykov was connected with the northern capital, except for those years, of course, when he traveled. From 1837 to 1841 he studied at St. Petersburg University at the Faculty of Law. But he did not give up literary studies. After graduating from the university, Maikov entered the service of the State Treasury Department, and a year later he published his first collection of poems, which was praised by the famous literary critic V. G. Belinsky. He wrote that Maykov's poetry is always a picture that shines with the true features and colors of nature. The collection was also a success among readers.

Travel abroad

Emperor Nicholas the First gave Maikov an allowance, which allowed the poet to make a long trip abroad. First he went to Italy, where he visited many cities, visited museums and exhibitions, studied painting and, as before, poetry. Then there was Paris, where Maikov listened to a series of lectures on art and world literature. Traveling around Europe, the poet visited Dresden, Prague and other cities with the same goal - to become better acquainted with world culture.

Back home

In 1844 Apollo Maikov returned to Russia. He got a job at the Rumyantsev Museum as an assistant librarian. He wrote a lot and prepared for publication his second collection of poetry, “Essays on Rome,” dedicated to his impressions of a trip to Italy (1847). During these same years, Maikov became close to many famous writers: Belinsky, Turgenev, Nekrasov, Dostoevsky, Pleshcheev, and regularly attended “Fridays” in M. Petrashevsky’s circle. He did not fully share many of their ideas, but they still had a certain influence on his poetic work. This is evidenced by the appearance of the poems “Two Fates”, “Mashenka”, “The Young Lady” (1845 - 1846), which, unlike his previous poems, contained civic motives.

Ideological orientation

In 1852, Maikov became a censor on the staff of the Committee of Foreign Censorship and remained in this department position for more than forty years. During these years, the ideas of the Slavophiles became close to him. Disillusioned with liberals and radicals, he reconsidered his positions and, as a result, came to defend strong monarchical power and the Orthodox faith. The fact that Maikov consistently occupied conservative positions is evidenced by his poem “Clermont Cathedral” (1853), as well as the cycles of poems “Neapolitan Album” and “Modern Greek Songs” (1858), written under the influence of a trip to Greece.

Maikov greeted the peasant reform to abolish serfdom (1861) with enthusiastic, optimistic poems “Fields” and “Niva”. Gradually, the poet finally contrasted his position regarding art with the positions of revolutionary democrats and became an adherent of “pure art.” This transformation was sharply criticized by Saltykov-Shchedrin and Dobrolyubov in their satirical parodies.

Slavic theme

For a long time, Maikov was fascinated by antiquity, its harmonic art, and sought to express in his lyrics some imaginary world of beauty, far from the contradictions of the surrounding life. But over time, Slavophile views were added to this. Based on ancient motifs, the philosophical and lyrical drama “Two Worlds” was written, for which the Academy of Sciences awarded Maykov the Pushkin Prize (1882). The emerging interest in Christianity and Slavic folklore prompted the poet to work on a translation of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.” His treatment of the great work of the era of Ancient Rus' is one of the best.

Landscape lyrics

But Maikov’s talent in landscape themes was especially evident. The nature of his native land always worried the poet. For him, each landscape painting is full of beauty, natural harmony, a feeling of kinship and special warmth. He saw incredible creative powers in nature. He was worried about very ordinary phenomena, familiar to everyone: the onset of spring, the withering of autumn, the flight of a swallow, summer rain. His poems about Russian nature have sincerity, watercolor subtlety of colors, melodiousness, and keen observation.

Among the best poems of Maykov’s landscape lyricism are “Haymaking”, “Swallows”, “Spring”, “Autumn”, “Summer Rain”. Many of Maykov's poems once inspired some great composers to create romances (Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and others). But unlike the landscape lyrics of A. Fet, Maykov’s poems are not distinguished by that sophisticated “psychologism” for which the outstanding lyricist Fet became famous.

In 1893, the sixth collected works of Maykov was published in three volumes, the last lifetime edition for sixty years of his literary activity. Apollo Maikov died on March 8, 1897 in St. Petersburg.

Maikov Apollon Nikolaevich is a famous Russian poet. He lived in the 19th century (1821-1897). The creative heritage of this poet is of interest in our time, which speaks of his undoubted talent.

Origin of A. N. Maykov

It should be said that Apollo Maykov was not the only talented representative of his family. The ancient family of the poet was rich in talented people. In the 15th century, the famous Russian theologian Nil Sorsky lived, and during the time of Catherine, the poet Vasily Maikov worked.

The father of our hero was an academician of painting. The rest of his family also belonged to the creative intelligentsia. His mother is a translator and poet, his brother Valerian is a publicist and literary critic, and Leonidas, Apollo's other brother, is a publisher and literary historian.

Childhood and youth, first book of poems

Apollon Nikolaevich spent his childhood on an estate that belonged to his father. It was located near the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. The Maykov family moved to St. Petersburg in 1834. As a child, Apollo was interested in both literature and painting. However, myopia prevented him from following in his father's footsteps. In Maikov's first prose experiments, the influence of Gogol is visible. Then Apollon Maikov became interested in poetry. His biography of this period is also marked by his studies at St. Petersburg University, Faculty of Law. After graduating from university, Apollon Nikolaevich published the first book of his poems. This important event occurred in 1842.

Trip abroad, new poems

In the same year, Apollo Maykov went abroad. Here he stayed for about two years. Maikov listened to lectures by famous scientists in Paris. While in Rome, he took part in the revelry of Russian artists, wrote poetry, made sketches, and went on horseback rides through the Roman valley. The result of the impressions received was Maykov’s poetic cycle “Essays on Rome” (published in 1847). It was during his life in Italy that the first breakdown occurred in the poet’s work. Apollo Maykov broke with anthological poetry and began to strive for the so-called poetry of thought and feeling. Maykov was no longer interested in the old man. He decided to turn to modern times. As a result, portraits of the inhabitants of Rome appeared (Lorenzo, "Capucin", "Beggar").

Homecoming

Returning to his homeland, the poet began working at the Rumyantsev Museum as an assistant librarian. In the second half of the 1840s, his circle of friends included Nekrasov, Grigorovich, Turgenev, Belinsky. Apollo Maikov was at that time influenced by the natural school. The poet published a lot in Otechestvennye zapiski. In Nekrasov's "Petersburg Collection" in 1846 his poem "Mashenka" appeared. A little earlier, another poem was created, “Two Fates,” which tells the story of an “extra” person.

Communication with the Petrashevites and the editorial office of Moskvityanin

Apollon Nikolaevich in those years was ideologically close to Westernism. He became involved in the Petrashevtsy movement through his brother Valerian. However, he soon began to become depressed by their constant criticism of the government. Maikov saw utopianism in the Petrashevite movement, “a lot of egoism,” “a lot of nonsense” and “little love.”

Apollon Nikolaevich, who was going through a crisis, ended up in the editorial office of Moskvityanin. Here he unexpectedly found not only participation, but also support for his views. Maikov denied the principles of Western European civilization. This idea ran through his entire collection “1854,” which accurately reflected Maikov’s worldview at that time. Another cross-cutting theme of the book was the historical mission of the Russian state, which blocked the path to the West for Batu’s hordes and thereby prevented the death of the civilization of Europe (“Clermont Council”, etc.). At the same time, Maikov became a convinced monarchist. He believed in the greatness of Nicholas I.

Creativity of the 1850s

As happens with every real poet, Maykov’s work of the 1850s is much broader than his ideological principles. He created works on social themes (the idyll “Fool”, the cycle “Everyday Thoughts”), and poems of an ideological and political nature. At the same time, Maykov wrote poems that continued the anthological and aesthetic principles of his poetry of the early period. We are talking about such cycles as “Cameos” and “Fantasies”. At the end of 1850 The cycles “At Home”, “In the Wild”, “In the Rain”, “Spring”, “Haymaking” appeared. In these works one can still feel Maikov's former harmonic view of nature. However, now he manifests himself in sketches of rural landscapes of Russia.

"Autumn"

In 1856, Apollo Maikov created one of the most famous poems. "Autumn" - that's what he called it. From a young age, the poet was fond of hunting, but often caught himself thinking that an ordinary walk in the forest without a gun gave him much more pleasure. He really loved to rake the leaves with his foot, to hear the cracking of the branches... However, the forest in the fall loses its mystery and enigma, since “the last flower has been tied,” “the last nut has been picked.” And this world gives birth to hitherto unknown feelings in the poet...

Marine expedition

The Italian theme reappeared in the works of Apollon Nikolaevich in 1859. This was due to the fact that he, together with other researchers, made a sea expedition, visiting the islands of the Greek archipelago. The ship on which the voyage was carried out did not reach Greece. He had to stay in Naples. Therefore, instead of one cycle, as Apollon Nikolaevich Maikov intended, it turned out to be two. The "Neapolitan Album" was created based on Italian impressions. This is a kind of story in verse, the theme of which is the life of the people in Naples. As a result of the study of the culture and history of Greece, “Modern Greek Songs” appeared (“The Swallow Has Rushed”, “Lullaby”, etc.).

One of his most famous poems is “Lullaby...”. Apollo Maikov created this work in 1860. More than 20 composers wrote music for it at one time. Among them are A. Chesnokov, A. Arensky, V. Rebikov, P. Tchaikovsky.

last years of life

In the last 25 years of his life, Maykov was interested in eternal questions of existence. He thought about the development of civilizations. An important place in Maykov’s thoughts at this time was occupied by the fate of our country, its past and present, its role in history. In the 1880s, Apollon Nikolaevich also created a number of poems, distinguished by deep religiosity and the idea that religious humility is a distinctive feature of the Russian person (“The eternal night is approaching...”, “Leave, leave!..”, etc.).

Finally

Merezhkovsky in his book “Eternal Companions” wrote that Maykov Apollo is a poet whose life path was bright and smooth. There was no persecution, no enemies, no passions, no struggle in him. There were poems, books, travel, family joys, fame. Indeed, his biography was not very poetic: he did not die on the scaffold or in a duel, was not persecuted, and was not tormented by passions. For Apollo Maykov, everything external went inside. His real biography, his true destiny was his path from the Romans and Greeks to Russian reality, the history of peoples, the poetry of the Bible and the eternal questions of existence.