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Alexander Fomich Veltman, Russian author and archaeologist, was born
“… the nature of his talent, quaint, self-willed, which is now sad, now joyful, whose sadness resembles laugh and laugh resembles sadness, which has a remarkable ability to combine the most different ideas, bring together the most diverse images…”
On July 8 (20), 1800 in St. Petersburg, in a family of a Russified Swedish noble, was born Alexander Fomich Veltman, future Russian writer, archeologist, historian, corresponding member of St. Petersburg Academy of Science, director of the Armory of many years.
In 1811 Alexander Veltman entered the Noble boarding school under Moscow University where he started to write poems imitating poets M. V. Lomonosov, V. K. Tredyakovsky, G. R. Derzhavin, fables of I. I. Dmitriyev and A. Ye. Ismailov.
In 1816 Veltman entered the school of military columns’ guides which prepared officers-topographers and staff officers. He was one of the best students. Having completed his education, in the end of 1817 Alexander Fomich was enlisted in the army. At the time he collected and rewrote all his literary works having formed “Collection of the initial works by Alexander Veldman” (up to mid 1820s he had been writing his surname).
In the spring of 1818 Veltman was sent to Bessarabia to conduct military- topographic observations. In Kishinev Alexander Fomich made good friends with poets V. F. Raevsky and A. S. Pushkin (who highly appreciated humoristic poems by A. Veltman). Under the influence of Pushkin’s poem “Ruslan and Ludmila” Veltman wrote a romantic poem “Etheon and Laida”.
During the years spent in Bessarabia Alexander Fomich had made a successful career, was awarded with an order for courage demonstrated in the course of Russo-Turkish war of 1828-1829 and in 1831 retired in the rank of lieutenant colonel. From that time on Veltman devoted his life completely to literature and science. Among his first literary works were such tales as “Beglets” (“Runaway”), “Strannik” (“Wanderer”), “Muromskiye lesa” (“Murom woods”). Then there was a series of historical and fantasy novels: “The year of MMMCDXLVIII, a manuscript by Martyn Zadeka”, “Koshchei the Deathless”, “Svyatoslavich, enemy forster child”, “Sleepwalker”, “Alexander Filippovich Makedonsky”, “Virginia”, “Captain Chernoknizhnikov or Moscow in 1812”, “Heart and mind”, “General Kalomeros”, “New Emelya or Transformations”, as well as many other stories in verse and prose. Works of Veltman were notable for combination of fantasy and reality, adventures and everyday life elements, use of grotesque and stylized language.
In 1842 Alexander Fomich became an assistant to Armory director. After the death of the writer M. N.Zagoskin he was appointed its director and occupied this post until his last days. Alexander Veltman was a member of “The Russian history and antiquities” society and society of “Lovers of the Russian literature”. He had written many historical and archaeological works: “About Novgorod the Great”, “Outline of Bessarabia ancient history”, “Memorable sites of Moscow Kremlin”, “Moscow Armory”, “On Suevi, Huns and Mongols”, “Attila and Russia of 4-5th centuries”, etc.
The acknowledgement of the services rendered by Alexander Veltman was his election for a corresponding member of the Academy of Science in 1854.
Alexander Fomich Veltman died on January 11 (23), 1860. He was buried at the cemetery of St. Alexis convent in Sokolniki District, Moscow.
Lit.: Акутин Ю. М. Страницы жизни А. Ф. Вельтмана // Встречи с книгой : По архивным и печатным материалам. М., 1979; Белинский А. Г. Повести А. Вельтмана // Полн. собр. соч. М., 1955; Бухштаб Б. Я. Первые романы Вельтмана // Русская проза. Л., 1926; Вельтман Александр Фомич [Электронный ресурс] // ФЭБ Русская литература и фольклор. 2002. URL: http://feb-web.ru/feb/pushkin/chr-abc/chr/chr-0633.htm; Гранин Ю. А. Ф. Вельтман // Очерки по истории русской литературы первой половины XIX века. Вып. 50. Баку, 1941; Ефимова З. С. Начальный период литературной деятельности Л. Ф. Вельтмана // Русский романтизм. Л., 1927; Ильин-Томич А. А. Вельтман Александр Фомич // Русские писатели, 1800-1917. Т. 1. М., 1989; Кобрин К. Поставщик её величества русской литературы // Русский журнал. 1998. № 6 (окт.); То же [Электронный ресурс]. URL:http://magazines.russ.ru/october/1998/6/kobrin.html; Переверзев В. Ф. Предтеча Достоевского А. Ф. Вельтман // У истоков реалистического романа. М., 1965; Романов Н. М. А. Ф. Вельтман [Электронный ресурс] // Русская фантастика. 1996-2002.URL:http://www.rusf.ru/rsf-XIX/veltman.htm; Скачкова О. А. Художественное своеобразие фольклорно-исторических романов А. Ф. Вельтмана: «Кощей бессмертный» и «Светославич, вражий питомец» : дис. … к. филол. н. Самара, 2004; Харитонов Е. «Сказка, спрыснутая мыслию...» : [А.Ф. Вельтман как основоположник историко-фэнтезийного романа в русской литературе] // Если. 2001. № 3.
Works: Аттила и Русь IV и V века. Свод исторических и народных преданий. М., 1858; Воспоминания о Бессарабии // Пушкин в воспоминаниях современников. Т. 1. СПб., 1998. С. 272—284; То же [Электронный ресурс]. URL: http://feb-web.ru/feb/pushkin/critics/vs1/vs1-272-.htm; Днепровские пороги по Константину Багрянородному. М., 1868; Достопамятности Московского Кремля. М., 1843; Избранное. М., 1989; Индо-Германы или Сайване. М., 1836; Маги и мидийские каганы XIII столетия. М., 1860; Московская Оружейная палата. М., 1844; Обновление храма Знамения пресвятые богородицы в селе Дубровицах, основанного в 1690 и освященного в 1704 году, в присутствии храмоздателя государя царя и великого князя Петра Алексеевича. М., 1850; Приключения, почерпнутые из моря житейского / Вступ. ст. В. Ф. Переверзева. М., 1957; Романы / Вступ. ст. В. И. Калугина. М., 1985; Святославич вражий питомец: диво времени Красного Солнца Владимира. Ч. 1 (М., 1835), Ч. 2 (М., 1835); Сердце и думка / Вступ. ст. В. А. Кошелева и А. В. Чернова. М., 1986; Странник / Послесл. Ю. М. Акутина. М., 1978.
Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:
Вельтман А. Ф. Достопамятности Московского Кремля. М., 1843;