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Nikolaj GerbelPoet-translator
Country:
 Russia |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Literary Pursuits
- Original Works and Translations
- Major Translation Projects
- Additional Publications
- Slavic Sentiments and Historical Works
- Collaborations and Legacy
Early Life and Education
Nikolay Vasilyevich Gerbel was born in 1827. After completing his studies at the Nizhyn Lyceum, he served in the Izum Hussar and subsequently in the Leib-Guard Uhlan Regiment.
Literary Pursuits
Gerbel's literary interests were ignited while in Nizhyn, where the memory of Gogol, Kukolnik, and Grebenka still lingered. Upon settling in St. Petersburg, he collaborated in "Sovremennik," "Biblioteka dlya Chteniya," and "Otechestvennye Zapiski."
Original Works and Translations
Gerbel's original works, published in the collection "Otgoloski" in 1858 and included in his "Polnoye Sobraniye Stikhotvoreniy" (1882), are not considered significant. However, his reputation as a translator and publisher is well-deserved.
Major Translation Projects
Gerbel published a poetic translation of "The Lay of Igor's Campaign" in 1854, which saw two subsequent editions. He then embarked on a project of publishing complete works of European classics. With the assistance of eminent poets such as Benediktov, Kurochkin, Maykov, and Tyutchev, he published comprehensive collections of Byron, Goethe, Hoffmann, Shakespeare, and Schiller in the 1860s and 1870s.
Additional Publications
Gerbel also compiled several anthologies, including "English Poets," "German Poets," and "Slavic Poets," featuring both biographies and samples of their work. He made valuable contributions to the biographical sections.
Slavic Sentiments and Historical Works
Gerbel displayed his Slavic sympathies by publishing "Bratskaya Pomoshch," a collection to aid suffering Slavs in the Balkans. He also authored historical monographs on Nizhyn and the Izum Cossack Regiment.
Collaborations and Legacy
Gerbel's wife, Olga Ivanovna, provided significant assistance in his translation efforts. He wrote biographical and bibliographic essays on his Nizhyn classmates, including Gogol. His contributions to the literary and cultural landscape of his time are commemorated in the works of K. Trostin and P. Polevoy.
