Tyutchev was born into an old noble family in Ovstug near
Bryansk. His childhood years were spent in
Moscow, where he joined the classicist academy of Professor Merzlyakov at the age of 15. His first printed work was a translation of
Horace's epistle to
Maecenas. From that time on, his poetic language was distinguished from that of Pushkin and other contemporaries by its liberal use of majestic, solemn Slavonic archaisms.
His family teacher was
Semyon Raich, one of the first Russian experts in German philosophy; it was him who imparted to Tyutchev a taste for metaphysical speculations. In
1819-1821, Tyutchev attended
Moscow University, where he specialized in
philology. In
1822 he joined the Foreign Office and accompanied his relative, Count
Ostermann-Tolstoy, to
Munich. He fell in love with the city and remained abroad for 22 years.
In Munich he fell in love with Bavarian Countess
Amalie Lerchenfeld. Tyutchev's poem
Tears or
Slyozy (
Люблю, друзья, ласкать очами...) coincides with one of their dates, and most likely dedicated to Amalie. Among other poems inspired by Amalie are
K N., and
Ia pomniu vremia zolotoe… The published letters and diaries of Count
Maximilian Joseph von Lerchenfeld illuminate the first years of Tyutchev as a diplomat in Munich (1822–26), giving details of his frustrated love affair for Amalie, nearly involving a duel with his colleague, Baron
Alexander von Krüdener(on January 19, 1825). After they both got married, they continued to be friends and frequented the same diplomatic society in Munich. In
1870, Tyutchev met Amalie again and her new husband,
Governor-General of Finland Nikolay Adlerberg in
Karlsbad resort. This resulted in the poem
Ia vstretil vas - i vsio biloe titled
K.B.. The poet later explained to
Yakov Polonsky that the characters stand for Krüdener Baroness. Their last meeting took place on
March 31, 1873 when
Amalie Adlerberg visited Tyutchev on his deathbed. Next day, Tyutchev wrote to his daughter Daria:
Yesterday I felt a moment of burning emotion due to my meeting with Countess Adlerberg, my dear Amalie Krüdener who wished to see me for the last time in this world and came to tell me good-bye. In her person my past and the best years of my life came to give me a farewell kiss.
It was also in Munich that Tyutchev met his first wife,
Bavarian countess and widow of a Russian diplomat
Emilia-Eleonora Peterson, who maintained a fashionable
salon frequented by the likes of
Heine and
Schelling. Upon her death, Tyutchev married
Ernestina Dörnberg, née Countess von Pfeffel, who had been his mistress for 6 years and had a child by him. Both of his wives didn't understand a single word in Russian. This is hardly surprising, given the fact that Tyutchev spoke French better than Russian, and all his private correspondence was Francophone.
In
1836, the "Jesuit" Prince Gagarin obtained from Tyutchev a permission to publish his selected poems in
Sovremennik, a literary journal edited by
Pushkin. Although appreciated by the great Russian poet, these superb lyrics failed to spark off any public interest. For the following 14 years, Tyutchev didn't publish a single line of poetry. He wrote several political articles, though, which were published in
Revue des Deux Mondes. These articles brought him in touch with the diplomat
Prince Gorchakov, who would remain Tyutchev's intimate friend for the rest of his life.
In
1837, Tyutchev was transferred from Munich to the Russian embassy in
Turin. He found his new place of residence uncongenial to his disposition and retired from service to settle in Munich. Upon leaving Turin it was discovered that Tyutchev had not received permission to leave his post, and was officially dismissed from his diplomatic position as a result. He continued to live in Germany for five more years without position before returning to Russia. Upon his eventual return to
St Petersburg in
1844, the poet was much lionized in the highest society. His daughter Kitty caused a sensation, and the novelist
Leo Tolstoy wooed her, "almost prepared to marry her impassively, without love, but she received me with studied coldness", as he remarked in a diary. Kitty would later become influential at
Pobedonostsev's circle at the Russian court.
As a poet, Tyutchev was little known during his lifetime. His 300 short poems are the only pieces he ever wrote in Russian, with every fifth of them being a translation. Tyutchev regarded his poems as
bagatelles, not worthy of study, revision or publication. He generally didn't care to write them down and, if he did, he would often lose papers they were scribbled upon.
Nikolay Nekrasov, when listing Russian poets in
1850, praised Tyutchev as one of the most talented among "minor poets". It was only in
1854 that his first collection of verse was printed, and that was prepared by
Turgenev, without any help from the author.
In
1846 Tyutchev met
Elena Denisyeva, over twenty years his junior, and began an illicit affair with her. Having born three children to the poet, she succumbed to
tuberculosis, but a small body of lyrics dedicated to Denisyeva are rightfully considered among the finest love poems in the language. Written in the form of dramatic dialogues and deftly employing odd rhythms and rhymes, they are permeated with a sublime feeling of subdued despair. One of these poems,
The Last Love, is often cited as Tyutchev's masterpiece.
In the early 1870s, the deaths of his brother, son, and daughter left Tyutchev partly paralysed. He died in
Tsarskoe Selo in
1873 and was interred at
Novodevichy Monastery in St Petersburg.
