Ivan Kondratyev

Who is Ivan Kondratyev?

Ivan Kuzmich Kondratyev was a Russian writer. There are few data about his biography. Ivan Belousov states that Kondratyev was a member of Vasily Surikov’s circle. Both Belousov and Korney Chukovsky were highly critical of Kondratyev’s work.

Kondratyev wrote a novel Saltychikha, stories, plays, poetry, historical essays and translations. During his life, the following works were published:

Думы и были, Мoscow, 1884;

Под шум дубрав. Песни. Думы. Былины. Народные сказания, Мoscow, 1898.

Kondratyev is also known as an expert on songs, publishing several studies on popular Russian songs, the most important of these studies being: Song, you are Russian, Those Songs of My Motherland, The Strength of Songs and others.. Many of his poems are written in the tradition of Russian songs and have been used as lyrics for songs by Vasily Andreyevich Zolotaryov and other less known composers. He also wrote the lyrics for various popular romances, the best known of these being Charming Eyes. He is also credited with the lyrics of the song On the wild steppes of Transbaikalya