Aleksander Ivanovich Pisarev (russian: Александр Иванович Писарев, 14 July 1803, village Znamenskoye, Oryol Governorate,

Imperial Russia The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...

, - 15 March 1828, Moscow) was a Russian playwright, translator and theatre critic. In the course of just five years (1824–28) he authored 23 popular vaudevilles and comedies, most of which enjoyed great success on stage Moscow's

Maly Theatre The Maly Theatre, or Mali Theatre, may refer to one of several different theatres: * The Maly Theatre (Moscow), also known as The State Academic Maly Theatre of Russia, in Moscow (founded in 1756 and given its own building in 1824) * The Maly Theat ...

and St. Petersburg's

Alexandrinka The Alexandrinsky Theatre (russian: Александринский театр) or National Drama Theatre of Russia is a theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The Alexandrinsky Theatre was built for the Imperial troupe of Petersburg (Imperial trou ...

. His best known plays were ''Student and Teacher'' (Учитель и ученик, или В чужом пиру похмелье, 1824), ''The Magic Nose'' (Волшебный нос, или Талисман и финики, 1825), ''Caliph's Recreations'' (Забавы калифа, 1825, set to music by Alexander Alyabyev and

Alexey Verstovsky Alexey Nikolayevich Verstovsky (russian: Алексéй Никола́евич Верстóвский) () was a Russian composer, musical bureaucrat and rival of Mikhail Glinka. Biography Alexey Verstovsky was born at Seliverstovo Estate, Kozlo ...

), ''The Buzzing Man'' (Хлопотун, или Дело мастера боится, 1825, music by Alyabyev and Verstovsky), ''How To Marry Your Daughter'' (Средство выдавать дочерей замуж, 1828). In 1826 with Alexey Verstovsky he published the popular ''Drama Album for the Lovers of Music and Theatre'' (Драматический альбом для любителей театра и музыки). Pisarev was a controversial figure who, on the one hand used to pan 'serious' drama (stating that theatre's mission was to entertain, not moralize) and lambast Pyotr Vyazemsky and

Alexander Griboyedov Alexander Sergeyevich Griboyedov (russian: Александр Сергеевич Грибоедов, ''Aleksandr Sergeevich Griboedov'' or ''Sergeevich Griboyedov''; 15 January 179511 February 1829), formerly romanized as Alexander Sergueevich Gri ...

, on the other, was himself a shrewd satirist who ridiculed in his plays and epigrams the life and manners of Russian high society as well as some of his literary contemporaries, notably

Nikolai Polevoy Nikolai Alekseevich Polevoy ( rus, Никола́й Алексе́евич Полево́й, r=Nikoláy Alekséevich Polevóy, ― ) was a controversial Russia, Russian editor, writer, translator, and historian; his brother was the critic and jou ...

. Pisarev died of tuberculosis aged only 24, much to the distress of his friends, one of whom,

Sergey Aksakov Sergey Timofeyevich Aksakov (russian: Серге́й Тимофе́евич Акса́ков) (—) was a 19th-century Russian literary figure remembered for his semi-autobiographical tales of family life, as well as his books on hunting and fi ...

was convinced that in 1828 Russian literature lost one of its greatest talents who had every potential to become the 'Russian Aristophanes'. "All of our vaudevillians of today count less than this one man, Pisarev," wrote Vissarion Belinsky years later.Александр Иванович Писарев
The Soviet Theatre Encyclopedia

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pisarev, Alexander 19th-century dramatists and playwrights from the Russian Empire People from Oryol Governorate 1803 births 1828 deaths