Sumarokov (English spelling) Александр Петрович Сумароков/Aleksandr Petrovich Sumarokov

A Russian playwright. Born into a noble family, after graduating from military academy he served in the army for a time, serving as an adjutant to Count Razumovsky, a favorite of Empress Elizabeth. While serving in the army, he was influenced by French writers such as Racine and Molière and wrote nine tragedies with historical figures as protagonists, including Khorekh (1747), Sinakh and Torwol (1750), and Dmitry the Pretender (1771), becoming a representative of Russian classical literature in the field of drama. These were the first Russian works to follow the strict rules of classicism, namely the unity of time, place, and plot, and the common theme in all of his tragedies is the conflict between personal feelings and duty to one's country, with the latter always winning out. Due to his career as a playwright, he was appointed director of the newly established National Theatre in St. Petersburg, where he was responsible for everything from selecting the repertoire and directing the actors' performances to financial and advertising matters (1756-61). In 1759, he also founded the first literary magazine in Russia, The Industrious Bee. In addition to tragedies, he wrote 12 comedies based on real Russian daily life, such as A Mother is Her Daughter's Adviser (1772), A Quarrelsome Woman (1772), and The Man Who Fell for His Wife (1772), as well as numerous allegorical poems, odes, and lyric poems. In his later years, he was unable to get along with Catherine the Great's close associates, and died in poverty.

[Nakamura Yoshikazu]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ロシアの劇作家。名門貴族の出身で、幼年学校卒業後しばらく軍隊に勤務し、エリザベータ女帝の寵臣(ちょうしん)ラズモフスキー伯爵の副官などを務める。軍務のかたわら、ラシーヌ、モリエールなどフランスの作家の影響を受けて『ホレーフ』（1747）、『シナフとトルウォル』（1750）、『僭称(せんしょう)者ドミトリー』（1771）など、歴史上の人物を主人公とする九編の悲劇を書いて、劇作の分野におけるロシア古典主義文学の代表者となった。これらは時、場所、筋の三一致という古典主義の厳密な規則に従ったロシア最初の作品で、どの悲劇にも共通してみられるテーマは、個人的感情と国家への義務の相克であり、つねに後者が勝ちを収める。劇作家としての経歴を買われ、ペテルブルグに創設されたばかりの国立劇場の支配人に任命され、レパートリーの選定や俳優の演技指導から財政や広告面の仕事まで一手に引き受けて活躍（1756～61）。また1759年にはロシアで初めての文芸雑誌『働き好きな蜜蜂(みつばち)』を創刊した。悲劇のほかに、現実のロシアの日常生活に題材をとった『母は娘の相談相手』（1772）、『けんか好きな女』（1772）、『妻を寝とられたと想像した男』（1772）など12編の喜劇や、数多くの寓話(ぐうわ)詩、頌詩(しょうし)、叙情詩などがある。晩年はエカチェリーナ2世の側近と折り合わず、窮死した。

［中村喜和］

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