Konstantin Sergeyevich Aksakov (russian: Константи́н Серге́евич Акса́ков) (10 April 1817 – 19 December 1860) was a Russian critic and writer, one of the earliest and most notable
Slavophiles. He wrote plays, social criticism, and histories of the ancient Russian social order.
[Russia and Western Civilization: Cultural and Historical Encounters By Russell Bova] His father
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 ...
and his sister
Vera Aksakova
Vera Sergueïevna Aksakova or Vera Axakova (19 February 1819 – 9 March 1864) was a Russian writer known for her diaries at the time of the Crimean War in a Slavophile family.
Life
Aksakova was born in Moscow in 1819. She was the eldest daughte ...
were writers,
and his younger brother,
Ivan Aksakov, was a journalist.
Konstantin was the first to publish an analysis of
Gogol
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; uk, link=no, Мико́ла Васи́льович Го́голь, translit=Mykola Vasyliovych Hohol; (russian: Яновский; uk, Яновський, translit=Yanovskyi) ( – ) was a Russian novelist, ...
's ''
Dead Souls
''Dead Souls'' (russian: «Мёртвые души», ''Mjórtvyje dúshi'') is a novel by Nikolai Gogol, first published in 1842, and widely regarded as an exemplar of 19th-century Russian literature. The novel chronicles the travels and adv ...
'', comparing the Russian author with
Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
(1842). After Tsar
Alexander II's accession to the throne, he sent him a letter advising to restore the
zemsky sobor
The Zemsky Sobor ( rus, зе́мский собо́р, p=ˈzʲemskʲɪj sɐˈbor, t=assembly of the land) was a parliament of the Tsardom of Russia's estates of the realm active during the 16th and 17th centuries.
The assembly represented Russi ...
(1855). Aksakov also penned a number of articles on Slavonic
linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...
.
Personal life
Aksakov was born into a family of prominent Russian writer
Sergey Timofeevich Aksakov (1791—1859) and his wife Olga Semyonovna Zaplatina (1793—1878). His paternal grandfather Timofey Stepanovich Aksakov belonged to an old
noble
A noble is a member of the nobility.
Noble may also refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Noble Glacier, King George Island
* Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land
* Noble Peak, Wiencke Island
* Noble Rocks, Graham Land
Australia
* Noble Island, Great B ...
Aksakov family whose members claimed to be the decedents of
Šimon Šimon (Old Norse: ''Sigmundr'') was a Varangian (Viking) whose story is related in the Kievan '' Patericon'' and his story concerns the creation of the Kievan cave monastery, where he is reported to have been its most important donor.
Story
Šimo ...
. Their first documented ancestor was Ivan Feodorivich Velyaminov nicknamed Oksak who lived during the 15th century. His family crest was based on the Polish
Przyjaciel coat of arms
Przyjaciel ( Polish for "Friend") also known as "de Pryjatel" and "Amicus" is a Polish coat of arms. It was used by several ''szlachta'' (noble) families under the Kingdom of Poland and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
History
The coat of ...
(also known as Aksak) which is considered to be of
Tatar
The Tatars ()[Tatar]
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different origin in Poland (the word «oksak» means «lame» in
Turkic languages
The Turkic languages are a language family of over 35 documented languages, spoken by the Turkic peoples of Eurasia from Eastern Europe and Southern Europe to Central Asia, East Asia, North Asia (Siberia), and Western Asia. The Turkic languag ...
). All this led some researches to believe that the Aksakov family also originated from Tatars, despite they had no relation to the Polish noble house. Aksakov's maternal grandfather was a Russian General Semyon Grigorievich Zaplatin who fought under the command of
Alexander Suvorov
Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov (russian: Алекса́ндр Васи́льевич Суво́ров, Aleksándr Vasíl'yevich Suvórov; or 1730) was a Russian general in service of the Russian Empire. He was Count of Rymnik, Count of the Holy ...
and who married a
Turkish captive Igel-Syum.
Aksakov was raised on a country estate before he moved to Moscow with his family. He remained with his parents his entire life, without ever marrying or moving out of the house.
He studied at
Moscow State University
M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU; russian: Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова) is a public research university in Moscow, Russia and the most prestigious ...
, and he became a member of the Stankevitch Circle, a group of Russian
Hegelians and early believers of Russian democracy.
Aksakov eventually made the acquaintance of
Ivan Kireyevsky and
Aleksey Khomyakov
Aleksey Stepanovich Khomyakov (russian: Алексе́й Степа́нович Хомяко́в; May 13 ( O.S. May 1) 1804, Moscow – October 5 (O.S. September 23), 1860, Moscow) was a Russian theologian, philosopher, poet and amateur artist. H ...
, adopted their philosophy of
Slavophilism
Slavophilia (russian: Славянофильство) was an intellectual movement originating from the 19th century that wanted the Russian Empire to be developed on the basis of values and institutions derived from Russia's early history. Slavoph ...
and broke off all contact with the Stankevitch Circle.
Philosophy
Aksakov's thesis on
Mikhail Lomonosov
Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov (; russian: Михаил (Михайло) Васильевич Ломоносов, p=mʲɪxɐˈil vɐˈsʲilʲjɪvʲɪtɕ , a=Ru-Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov.ogg; – ) was a Russian Empire, Russian polymath, s ...
(1846) attempted to synthesize his view of the Russian peasant's religious and historical mission with Hegel's philosophy. Aksakov had influenced
Alexander III, giving him his radical understanding that the "mission of autocracy in Russia is to give a certain well-being to the peasants." Later in his career, Aksakov abandoned Hegelian philosophy and became radically anti-European.
Everything2.com
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See also
* List of 19th-century Russian Slavophiles
This is a list of 19th-century Russian Slavophiles:
Slavophilia is an intellectual movement originating from the 19th century that wanted the Russian Empire to be developed upon values and institutions derived from its early history. Slavophiles ...
References
Bibliography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aksakov, Konstantin Sergeyevich
1817 births
1860 deaths
People from Buguruslansky District
People from Buguruslansky Uyezd
Russian people of Turkish descent
Slavophiles
19th-century philosophers from the Russian Empire
Russian nationalists
19th-century writers from the Russian Empire
Imperial Moscow University alumni
19th-century deaths from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis deaths in Greece