The poet K. N. Batyushkov was recalled at the video lecture in the Presidential Library

May 22, 2017 the Presidential Library hosted a video lecture from the cycle "Knowledge of Russia" on the topic "In the premonition of Pushkin: K. N. Batyushkov in Russian literature of the early XIX century". The event was dedicated to the 230th anniversary of the birth of the poet, as well as the 200th anniversary of the publication of his collected works "Experiments in verse and prose".  

Doctor of Philology, professor, leading specialist of the N. I. Lobachevsky Arzamas Branch of the Nizhny Novgorod State University Vyacheslav Anatolyevich Koshelev told the audience about the life of K. N. Batyushkov, as well as the significance of his activities for the Russian literature of the first third of the XIX century: "In 1824 Pushkin stated: "…Batyushkov, Lomonosov's lucky companion, made for the Russian language the same as that of Petrarch for the Italian…". This capacious characterization, precisely indicating the figures of the largest national poets comparable with Batiushkov, defines its place in the history of Russian literature". 

Literary critic, member of the Union of Writers of St. Petersburg Aleksey Gennadievich Mashevsky also spoke about the influence of the lyrics of K. N. Batyushkov on the formation of the "school of harmonic accuracy", which, among others, Alexander Pushkin belonged to: "Batiushkov was a recognized idol of the young Pushkin. Pushkin imitated him in his earlier poems more than any of his contemporaries. This was indicated by Belinsky: "…Batyushkov's influence on Pushkin is more visible than the influence of Zhukovsky. This influence is especially noticeable in the poem, so artistic: not having Batiushkov as his predecessor, Pushkin could hardly have developed such a verse".

"Experiments in verse and prose" was released in 1817. The two-volume edition was quickly spread among the reading public and brought the author great popularity. Today, readers have a unique opportunity to "leaf through" a book published two hundred years ago - its electronic copy is on the official portal of the Presidential Library in the public domain. The title of the book, which goes back to the "Experiences" of the French thinker M. Montaigne indicated that the author always tried to create something new for his time by an "experienced" one. "…Batiushkov scooped up such a large bucket of knowledge in antiquities, in the Russian and Slavic languages; - the contemporary admires, - he takes, inserts a strange, low, dilapidated word or incomprehensible expression - and this word is new, noble and sonorous, and the expression is clear and strong!".

The video lecture was attended by students of the Pushkin Leningrad State University, pedagogical colleges of St. Petersburg; in the mode of video conferencing - staff and guests of the scientific libraries of Barnaul, Novgorod, Pskov, as well as students of the North Caucasus Federal University.