Dmitry Minayev

Dmitry Dmitriyevich Minayev
Born	Дмитрий Дмитриевич Минаев (1835-11-02)November 2, 1835 Simbirsk, Russian Empire
Died	July 22, 1889(1889-07-22) (aged 53) Simbirsk, Russian Empire
Occupation(s)	satirical poet, translator

Dmitry Dmitriyevich Minayev (Дмитрий Дмитриевич Минаев, November 2, 1835, Simbirsk, Russian Empire, — July 22, 1889, Simbirsk, Russian Empire) was a Russian poet, parodist, journalist, translator and literary critic.

Biography

Dmitry Dmitriyevich Minayev was born in Simbirsk to the family of the poet Dmitry Ivanovich Minayev, best known for his translation of The Tale of Igor's Campaign. After studying (1847-1951) at the Konstantin's Artillery military college and three years of working as a clerk at the Simbirsk treasury he moved to Saint Petersburg and joined the Russian Foreign Ministry. After retirement in 1857 Minayev became the professional literary man, writing for numerous magazines, including Sovremennik and Russkoye Slovo. It was in Iskra that he became a successful parodist and satirist, mocking and jeering liberal authors like Afanasy Fet, Apollon Maykov, Nikolai Shcherbina and Vsevolod Krestovsky. Among the works of the foreign authors he translated were those by Lord Byron and Dante Alighieri.

After Dmitry Karakozov's attempt at the Tsar Alexander II's life Minayev was arrested, accused of working for "magazines known for their detrimental Socialist trend, notably Sovremennik and Russkoye Slovo" and spent four months in the Petropavlovskaya Fortress. In 1887 Minayev returned to his native Simbirsk. Two years later, on July 22, he died after prolonged illness.