Nakhimov Akim Nikolayevich

Nakhimov Akim Nikolaevich - poet-satirist, was born in 1782 in the landowner's family of modest means in Kharkov province. First he was educated in noble boarding school attached to Moscow University; his first literary attempts are concerned with this period. The prosaic versions of him were published in journals, mostly anonymous.

Then he served in hussar regiment, after that for a short time was engaged in the civil service in St-Petersburg. In 1804 Nakhimov had returned to home, where had become a student of Kharkov University, immediately after its opening. He had graduated in 1808 from literary department and had got a kandidat degree. Living in his private small village, he came Kharkov weekly to give literary lectures for civil officials at Kharkov University.

Nakhimov had become popular thanks to his satire "Elegy", which had been written in 1809 on case of the famous edict about the examinations for officials and represented the trouble of ignorant pretendents. Akim Nikolayevich wrote rather sharp satires and epigrams; fables, which belongs to the best samples of such kind of literature in the time before Krylov's epoch; complimentary odes. Author always unmasked the officials' bribery and denouncing - the main woe of his time, and consider the enlightment as the best way to annihilate it. The second object of Nakhimov's hatred were Frenches in general, French tutors in particular, and those Russians who were taught by them; the first ones were represented in the article "Verbal apes", the second ones were ridiculed in comic poem "Pursoniada", the third ones - in work "Merzilkin". Nakhimov's verse is often lack finishing, but the thought in it is expressed always as distinct and sharp one. Some his verses were published in periodic editions.

A.N.Nakhimov died in 1814 by consumption. His works had been publised posthumously in Kharkov (1815) and still six editions with supplements appeared, the last one had been carried out in St-Petersburg (1852) by famous publisher Smirdin (in "Full Collection of Works of Russian Authors"). Some verses of Nakhimov, including the fragments of unfinished comedy "Tender Pedants", first time were published in "Russkaya Starina (Russian Olden Times" (1880, № 11 и 12), where his biography was included also. See also V. Maslovich "In memory of Kharkovian poet A.N.Nakhimov" (St-Petersburg, 1818).

	This page is developed with the use of materials from G.Voropayeva's site "Poetry of Moscow University" and from kolibry.astroguru.com

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