Ivan Khemnitser
Ivan Ivanovitch Chemnitzer or
Khemnitzer (1745-84) was a Russian
fabulist, born at Yenotayevsk,
Astrakhan, the son of a German physician
of Chemnitz, who had served in the
Russian army under Peter the Great. He
participated in the campaigns of the
Seven Years' War and afterward devoted
himself to mining engineering and
subsequently visited Germany, Holland,
and France. Upon his return he accepted
a position as Consul to Smyrna, where an
attack of melancholia hastened his
death.
In contradistinction to Sumarokov and
others among the earlier fabulists of
Russia, whose works are essentially
satires, Chemnitzer was the first to
introduce the genuine fable into Russian
literature. He was thus one of the
predecessors of Krylov, having brought
the Russian fable to its greatest
perfection. Although to some extent
translations or imitations of La
Fontaine and Gellert, his works show
considerable originality. Their good
humor, vivacity of dialogue, simplicity,
and distinctively national character
have greatly endeared him to the Russian
people. Among his best original fables
are The Metaphysician, The Tree, The
Peasant and his Load, and The Rich Man
and the Poor Man. Grot produced the best
edition of his works (St. Petersburg,
1873).
