author
D. I. (Denis Ivanovich) Fonvizin
1745–1792
Best known for sharp, funny plays that mocked the vanity and ignorance of the Russian gentry, this 18th-century writer helped shape Russian comedy. His work still stands out for its lively satire and clear-eyed social criticism.
2 Audiobooks
Alaikäinen: Huvinäytelmä 5:ssä näytöksessä
by D. I. (Denis Ivanovich) Fonvizin
Der Landjunker: Lustspiel in fünf Aufzügen
by D. I. (Denis Ivanovich) Fonvizin
About the author
Born in Moscow in 1745, Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin became one of the most important Russian dramatists of the 18th century. He studied at the University of Moscow and also worked as a translator and civil servant, experiences that fed his sharp sense of language and public life.
Fonvizin is especially remembered for his satirical comedies The Brigadier and The Minor. In these plays, he turned a skeptical, often very funny eye on the manners, pretensions, and moral failings of the nobility, making him a central voice of the Russian Enlightenment.
He died in St. Petersburg in 1792, but his reputation lasted well beyond his lifetime. Readers and theatergoers still return to his work for its wit, memorable characters, and its fearless way of laughing at foolishness and abuse of privilege.