Epigram is a lyric poem-miniature

Epigram is a separate genre of lyricalminiatures - a poem in which a person or a social phenomenon is ridiculed. The term originated from the Greek word epigramma, which in literal translation means "inscription".

Inscription of arbitrary content

The epigram originated in Ancient Greece andOriginally it was an inscription with any content on the cup, vessel, portico of the temple or the raised pedestal of the statue. In ancient Rome, the meaning of the verse inscription changed, for the Romans the epigram is a satirical poem. In ancient Greek poetry the epigram arose in the 7th-6th century BC.

The first classic of this genre is SimonidesThe Keossian. This author of antiquity is credited with many epigrams about the warriors of Greece and Persia. In the first century BC an anthology of Greek epigrams was first created, which included about 4000 works sorted by subject. In the Middle Ages in the Latin literature epigrams with ancient traditions continued their development - inscriptions on tombs, church objects and various buildings. Also poetic epigrams were popular with Renaissance poets.

In the European literature

The epigram in the European literature representsa small form of satire, from the distinctive features of which you can clearly identify the specificity of the cause. The first to start writing epigrams in Europe were French writers - Racine, Voltaire, Lafontaine, Rousseau. Later this form spread to other genres of European literature.

In Russian literature

In the Russian fiction epigrambrightly manifested in the works of poets of the 18th century: Bogdanovich, Lomonosov, Kheraskov, Cantemir, etc. But it reaches the highest degree of development in the works of Dmitriev, Pushkin, Vyazemsky. During this period the epigram is a response to individual political events, literary masterpieces, famous personalities, public figures. For the most part they were not published, but remained in the manuscripts of the authors. Among the most outstanding authors-epigrammatists of the early 19th century - P. A. Vyazemsky, A. S. Pushkin, E. A. Baratynsky, S. A. Sobolevsky. The epigrams of Pushkin were distinguished by a subtle satire, for example, written by FV Bulgarin, AA Arakcheev, and by AN Golitsyn. Although some of his creations in this genre carefully continued the ancient Greek tradition ("Curious", "Movement").

In the middle of the 19th century epigram (versestraditional type) recedes into the background, and the rise is experiencing topical satirical poetry. Especially vivid examples of it succeeded in creating VS Kurochkin, DD Minaev, ML Mikhailov, NA Nekrasov. Later many other outstanding writers wrote epigrams: AA Fet, FI Tyutchev, AN Apukhtin, so-called secondary poets tried to prove themselves in this genre, there are isolated examples of epigrams written by prose writers - N.S. Leskov, FM Dostoevsky. In Soviet literature, S. Ya. Marshak, V. V. Mayakovsky, A. G. Arkhangelsky, Demyan Bedny and many others often addressed the epigram.

From antiquity to the present

Modern writers and poets also give duetribute to the epigram, which continues to spread among the masses not only in printed form, but also orally. One of the most famous epigrammatists of our time is the outstanding actor Valentin Gaft. He is the author of an endless array of poetic cartoons aimed at his fellow actors. Epigrams Gaft are a kind of poetic attacks against domestic actors, films and even politicians. Artist very many "swept", as the author himself says, "ate alive". The objects of his attacks were: Liya Akhedzhakova, Galina Volchek, Oleg Dal, Armen Jigarkhanyan, Vasily Lanovoy, Oleg Tabakov. After the release of the film "Three in a boat, not counting the dog" Gaft composed an epigram on Alexander Shirvindt, Andrei Mironov and Mikhail Derzhavin. Many are frankly offended by Gaft's epigrams, including Sergei Mikhalkov's family. The painting "Three Musketeers" and Vladimir Zhirinovsky became the object of the Hapto satire.

Epigram is one of the rarest, uniquegenres, which, originated in deep antiquity, has not been lost for several centuries, has survived to the present day and is still popular, especially among satirists and parodists.