author
Alexander Chodzko
1804–1891
A poet, diplomat, and pioneering scholar of Persian and Slavic traditions, he spent years in Iran gathering folklore and language materials that introduced many readers in Europe to worlds they had never seen. Later, in Paris, he became an important voice in Slavic studies and literary culture.
1 Audiobook
Fairy Tales of the Slav Peasants and Herdsmen
by Alexander Chodzko
About the author
Born in 1804 in Krzywicze, in what is now Belarus, Aleksander Chodźko was a Polish poet, orientalist, and scholar whose life moved between literature, diplomacy, and research. He studied at Vilnius University and went on to serve in the Russian diplomatic service in Persia, where he developed a deep interest in Persian language, oral tradition, and folklore.
That work made him one of the early European figures to collect and study Persian popular literature in a serious way. Alongside his research, he wrote poetry and produced translations and studies connected with both Eastern and Slavic cultures, helping bring those traditions to new audiences.
After settling in Paris, he continued his scholarly career and later succeeded Adam Mickiewicz in teaching Slavic literature at the Collège de France. He died in 1891 in France, leaving behind a body of work remembered for its curiosity, range, and gift for building bridges between cultures.