KRYLOV, IVAN ANDREJEVITCH, a celebrated Russian fabulist, b. Feb. 13, 1768, at Moscow, was the son of a poor officer in the army, received the elements of his educa tion at Tver from his mother, and learned French from i Frencit tutor who was resident in the house of the governor of Tver. Krylov read indiscriminately all books which fell into his hands. Dramatical works made the greatest impression on him, and in his 15th year he wrote an opera called the Kafeinitza (The Coffee Fortune-Teller),which was never represented, but attracted considerable notice in Tver, and procured patrons for him,who got him an appointment, in 1785, in a public office in St. Petersburg. A bookseller gave him 60 roubles for the manuscript of his opera, which he spent in buying the works of Racine, Moliere, and Boileau. In 1786 he wrote another tragedy, Philomela, which, although never represented, was printed in the collection called The Russian Theater. After the death of his mother, 1788, to whom he was much attached, Krylov received a post in the imperial cabinet, which he resigned two years afterwards, in order to devote himself to literary work. For two or three years, beginning in 17E9, he occupied him self partly with journalism, but soon gave it up. He now produced a succession of prose comedies, among which were The Crazed Family (1793); The and The Poet in the Anteroom (1794), which brought him under the empress Catharine's notice. In 1801 he was appointed secretary to Galitzin, the governor of Riga, who, after a time, invited him to his country-house at Saratov, where he spent some years in entire leisure. 'He then returned to St. Petersburg in 1806, where he brought several very successful plays on the stage, The 1filliner's Shop; The Lesson to Ladies, etc. It was at this time, when about 40 years of age, that he burned his attention to that kind of writing which was to immortalize him. Krylov having translated some of Lafontaine's fables, the poet
Dmitriev was so struck with their felicity that, he encouraced him to persevere in that line. In 1808 the first collection of his fables 03 in number) appeared, which met with great success. Others followed in 1811 and in 1816. In 1811 he was made member of the Petersburg academy; in 1812, an official in the imperial library; in 1830, councilor of state: and in course of time he was so overwhelmed with honors mid pensions that, in 1841, when lie resigned his public office. he drew from time state and the imperial treasury the stun of 11,700 roubles. On the occasion of his 70th birthday, homage flowed in on him from all quarters. Krylov died Nov. 21, 1844. Soon afterwards, a national subscription, to which children eagerly contributed their share, was set on foot to raise a monument to his memory; and towards the end of the reign of the emperor Nicholas, his statue in bronze, by Moth, was placed in the slimmer at St. Peters burg. Many stories are current of his eccentricities. Owing to the genuine rational spirit, the joyousness, simplicity, wit, and good-humor that pervade them, his fables are the most popular of Russian books, and many single sentences of tb m have become proverbs. They are generally the first reading-book put in the hands of children, and thus many thousand copies, both in dear and cheap editions, are in circulation among all classes. lie produced in all nearly 200 fables, of which more than three-fourths are original, and time rest are imitations. Translations have been made by Ralston (English, 1871); Einerling (French. 1845); Torney and Lowe (German, 1842 and 1874), etc. There are Italian and French imitations.