Orest Somov

Orest Mikhailovich Somov (Ukrainian: Орест Сомов, Russian: О́рест Миха́йлович Со́мов) (21 December [O.S. 10 December] 1793 – 8 June [O.S. 27 May] 1833) was a Ukrainian romantic writer who wrote in the Russian language.

He studied at Kharkiv University, where he became an admirer of Romantic literature and Gothic fiction.

In 1817 he moved to Saint Petersburg where he continued his literary career. In addition to being a writer and translator, he established himself as a critic, editor and publisher, thus becoming one of the first professional men of letters in the Russian Empire. Somov was drawn to the folklore of his native Ukraine and much of his writing refers to Ukrainian history and folklore.

Though Somov was popular during his life, his name and works were consigned to oblivion.

In 1989 Yuriy Vynnychuk put Somov back on the Ukrainian literary radar^[1] collection of Somov’s folktales, Sova Books adds to the revival

Much of his writing deals with Ukrainian history and folklore. He was very popular during his life, but after his death his works stopped being widely read.

He is distantly related to the American actor René Auberjonois; Auberjonois' maternal grandfather's mother was a Russian noblewoman, Eudoxia Michailovna Somova (1850–1924), a collateral cousin of Somov's.

Famous works

1825-1830 – Haidamaka

1827 — God’s Fool (‘Yurodivyi’)

1827 — Order from the other World (‘Prikaz s toho sveta’)

1829 — Kikimora

1829 — Rusalka

1829 — The Werewolf (‘Oboroten’)

1830 — Tales of Buried Treasures (‘Skazki o kladakh’)

1830 — Strange Duel (‘Strannyi poedinok’)

1830 — Self-murderer (‘Samoubiytsa’)

1831 — Kupalo Eve (‘Kupalov vecher’)

1832 — Wandering Light (‘Brodiashchiy ohon’)

1833 — The Witches of Kyiv (‘Kievskie vedmy’)

1833 — The Evil Eye (‘Nedobryi glaz’)

1833 — Mommy and Sonny (‘Matushka i synok’)

English Translations

• Mommy and Sonny (Story), from Russian Romantic Prose: An Anthology, Translation Press, 1979.
• Tales of Buried Treasures, The Werewolf and The Witches of Kyiv were included in Russian 19th Century Gothic Tales: Anthology, Raduga Publishers, 1984.

References

• John Mersereau, "Orest Somov: An Introduction," The Slavonic and East European Review, 43 (1965): 354-370.
• Charles Moser, The Cambridge History of Russian Literature. Cambridge University Press: 1992.
• N. Petrunyna, Орест Сомов и его проза (Orest Somov and His Prose)