Ivan Kondratyev
Ivan Kuzmich Kondratyev (Russian: Иван Кузьмич Кондратьев, Belarusian: Іван Кузьміч Кандрацьеў) (21 June [O.S. 9 June] 1849 in Belarus – 1 June [O.S. 11 May] 1904 in Moscow) was a Russian Empire writer. There are few data about his biography. Ivan Belousov states that Kondratyev was a member of Vasily Surikov’s circle. Both Belousov and Korney Chukovsky were highly critical of Kondratyev’s work.
Kondratyev wrote a novel Saltychikha (Russian: Салтычиха), stories, plays, poetry (The Death of Attilla, Pushkin and the gypsy, Stenka Razin’s feast), historical essays (The grey olden times of Moscow, Russian: Седая старина Москвы) and translations. During his life, the following works were published:
- Думы и были (Thoughts), Мoscow, 1884;
- Под шум дубрав. Песни. Думы. Былины. Народные сказания (Under the Noise of Oak Groves. Songs, Thoughts, Epic Poems, Popular Stories), Мoscow, 1898.
Kondratyev is also known as an expert on songs, publishing several studies on popular Russian songs, the most important of these studies being: Song, you are Russian (Russian: Песня ты русская), Those Songs of My Motherland (Russian: То песни родины моей...), The Strength of Songs (Russian: Сила песни) and others.). Many of his poems are written in the tradition of Russian songs and have been used as lyrics for songs by Vasily Andreyevich Zolotaryov and other less known composers. He also wrote the lyrics for various popular romances, the best known of these being Charming Eyes (Russian: Очаровательные глазки). He is also credited with the lyrics of the song On the wild steppes of Transbaikalya ((Russian: По диким степям Забайкалья...) [1]
