Denis Fonvizin
Known For: Writing
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: April 14, 1745
Day of Death: December 12, 1792 (48 years old)
Place of Birth: Moscow, Russian Empire [now Russia]
Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin (1745 - 1792) was an author and playwright of the Russian Enlightenment, best known as one of the founders of literary comedy in Russia. His reputation rests almost entirely on his two comedies, "The Brigadier-General" and "The Minor", considered the most popular Russian plays before Aleksander Griboyedov's "Woe from Wit". They are both written in prose and adhere to the conventions of classical comedy. Fonvizin's principal model was not Molière, but Dano-Norwegian playwright Ludvig Holberg, some of whose plays he has translated.
