Derzhavin, Gavril Romanovich

Derzhavin, Gavril Romanovich (guvrēl' rumä'nuvich dyirzhä'vin) [key], 1743–1816, Russian classical poet. His satirical ode to Catherine II, Felitsa (1782), won her favor, and he became poet laureate and later Minister of Justice. The Ode to God (1784, tr. in B. G. Guerney, A Treasury of Russian Literature, 1943) is the most famous of his many lyrics. His poetry and memoirs present a rich and complex portrait of his time.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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