AKSAKOV, Sergey Timofeyevich

AKSAKOV, Sergey Timofeyevich (20.9. 1791, Ufa — 30.4.1859, Moscow, buried in Novodevichye Cemetery), Russian Writer. He spent his childhood in Ufa and at the family estate of Novo-Aksakovo of Buguruslansky Uyezd of Orenb. Gub. (now Selo Aksakovo of Buguruslansky Raion of Orenb. Obl.). Between 1805—07,studied at Kazan University. In 1808, he moved to St. Petersburg, where he served in the Commission for Drafting Laws and Expedition on State Income. Since 1811, he lived in Moscow, between 1816—20 – in Novo-Aksakovo, between 1821—26 – in Selo Nadezhdino of Belebeyevsky Uyezd (now Belebeyevsky Raion). Since 1827 – Censor at Moscow Censorship Office; since 1833 – Inspector at Konstantinov Geodesic School in Moscow. In 1835, after the school was reorganized and called Mezhevoy Institute, A. became its first Director (until 1839). The works of A. are characterized by the memoir style, which gives them a sense of authenticity, as well as the critical depiction of daily life and simplicity of presentation. He wrote: The Buran (1834), The Notes about Fishing (1847), The Notes of the Orenburg Province gun hunter (1852), The Stories and Memoirs by the Hunter on Different Types of Hunting (1855), The Memoirs (1856), The Scarlet Flower (1858) and others. The Family Chronicle (1856) and The Bagrov, Grandson Childhood Years (1858) autobiographical novels play a central role in A.’s creative work. In these, based on the three generation history of the Bagrovs family, A. recreated an extensive panorama of the landlord’s daily life of the end of the 18th century and showed the viciousness of serfdom.