NIKOLAI MIKHAILOVICH KARAMZIN IN THE 1802—1807 UNPUBLISHED LETTERS BY EKATERINA AFANASIEVNA PROTASOVA TO VASILII ANDREEVICH ZHUKOVSKII

This article examines the history of Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin’s rapprochement with Vasilii Andreevich Zhukovskii, which began in October 1802, when Zhukovskii came to Moscow. New biographical facts concerning both Karamzin and Zhukovskii are established based on the unpublished letters that were written by Ekaterina Afanasievna Protasova to Zhukovskii in 1802-1807. The young poet’s almost uninterrupted stay in Moscow until June 1803 was associated with his editing of the translation of the libretto of Joseph Haydn’s oratorio The Seasons, which was first performed in Moscow at the end of February 1803. The contract of the Moscow Petrovskii Theater raised hopes for further translation works in Zhukovskii, but these hopes were not realized. Protasova’s letters show that Karamzin retained strong ties with the circle of his relatives on his first wife’s side after her death in 1802. The letters also reflected their disapproval of Karamzin’s second marriage in 1804, because they thought it had been concluded too hastily. In her letters, Protasova expressed her highest appreciation of Zhukovskii as a person very close to her as well as her confidence in his great future.