The career of Nikolai Karamzin falls into two distinct phases: his literary career, which ended in 1803, and his career as a major historian, which occupied the rest of his life. As a literary figure, he is chiefly associated with Russian Sentimentalism. This was not a term he used himself, preferring instead to use the almost untranslatable “

chuvstvitel’nost’

” [“sensitivity”, “sensibility”, or “sentimentality”] and the associated adjective “

chuvstvitel’nyi

”. The genre had its origins in France, and was brought to Russia by Karamzin and his friend the poet Ivan Dmitriev.

Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamazin was born on 1st (12th , New Style) December 1766 near Simbirsk. The precise place of his birth is disputed but it is certain that he was brought up at Znamenskoe

2016 words

Citation: Pursglove, Michael. "Nikolai Karamzin". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 07 November 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5750, accessed 25 April 2024.]

5750 Nikolai Karamzin 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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