Vladimir Rafailovich Zotov (russian: Владимир Рафаилович Зотов, July 4, 1821,
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
,
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the 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 the Great Northern War. ...
, — February 18, 1896, Saint Petersburg) was a Russian writer,
playwright
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
,
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
and
editor
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...
. The writer and critic
Rafail Zotov
Rafail Mikhaylovich Zotov (russian: Рафаил Михайлович Зотов, 1795, — September 29, 1871) was a Russian playwright, novelist, journalist, translator and theatre critic. The playwright Vladimir Zotov was his son.
Born in Psk ...
was his father.
Of the 41 plays he authored the best known were ''Novgorodsy'' (Новгородцы, People of Novgorod, 1844), ''Zhizn Molyera'' (Жизнь Мольера, The Life of Moliere, 1843) and ''Syn stepei'' (Сын степей, The Son of the Steppes, 1844). Zotov wrote several novels, including ''Voltigeur'' (Вольтижёрка, 1849) and ''Stary dom'' (Старый дом, Old House, 1851). With
Vladimir Sollogub
Count Vladimir Alexandrovich Sollogub (russian: link=no, Влади́мир Алекса́ндрович Соллогу́б; german: link=no, Woldemar Graf Sollogub (Sollohub); 20 August 1813 in St. Petersburg – 17 June 1882 in Bad Homburg) was ...
he co-wrote a
libretto
A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...
for
Anton Rubinstein
Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein ( rus, Антон Григорьевич Рубинштейн, r=Anton Grigor'evič Rubinštejn; ) was a Russian pianist, composer and conductor who became a pivotal figure in Russian culture when he founded the Sai ...
's ''
Dmitry Donskoy
Saint Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy ( rus, Дми́трий Ива́нович Донско́й, Dmítriy Ivanovich Donskóy, also known as Dimitrii or Demetrius), or Dmitry of the Don, sometimes referred to simply as Dmitry (12 October 1350 – 1 ...
''.
Zotov edited the newspapers ''Teatralnaya Letopis'' (1843) and ''Literaturnaya Gazeta'' (1847) as well as ''Illyustratsiya'' (1858—1862) and ''Illyustrirovanny Listok'' (1862), the two publications he was instrumental in merging into ''Illyustrirovannaya Gazeta'' in 1863. Zotov was an encyclopedist who compiled and edited a ''History of World Literature'' (1876—1882). His ''Memoirs'' came out in 1890, published by ''
Istorichesky Vestnik
''Istorichesky Vestnik'' (russian: Историческій Вѣстникъ, Исторический вестник, History Herald) was a Russian monthly historical and literary magazine published in Saint Petersburg in 1880-1917.Moskovskiye Vedomosti, 1896, No.40. The Obituary