Nikolay Karamzin

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Nikolay Mikhailovich Karamzin (1766–1826) was a Russian writer, poet, critic, and historian. He is best known for History of the Russian State, a 12‑volume history that helped shape how Russians understood their past.

He was born into a noble family near Simbirsk. His father was a retired army captain, and his mother came from another noble family. He studied in Moscow and then in Saint Petersburg, where he began translating and writing.

Around 1789–1790 he traveled in Europe and published Letters of a Russian Traveller, which made him famous. He also wrote popular stories for the Moscow Journal, including Poor Liza (1792) and Natalia the Boyar’s Daughter. These works helped popularize sentimentalism in Russian literature and earned him the nickname “a Russian Sterne” for his elegant, easy style.

Karamzin published many other works, such as Aglaia (1794), which contained Gothic and romantic tales, and The Pantheon, a collection of foreign writings translated into Russian. He also edited Vestnik Evropy (The Messenger of Europe), a major literary journal.

In 1802–1803 he began his long project, the History of the Russian State. He spent years researching and writing, and he read parts of it to Emperor Alexander I. The history is admired for its clear prose and strong moral judgments, but it is also seen as promoting a conservative, sometimes nostalgic view of Russia and autocracy.

Karamzin died in 1826 in Saint Petersburg. His legacy includes helping to shape modern Russian prose, influencing later writers like Pushkin and Nabokov, and guiding Russian ideas about history. He is also remembered for introducing the letter Ё into the Russian alphabet. Russia has honored him with monuments, coins, and stamps.