Literary Relations of Ya. B. Knyazhnin and N. P. Nikolev: On the Motives of Literary Polemics

Aim. To consider the literary relations of Ya. B. Knyazhnin and N. P. Nikolev who are the significant playwrights of the second half of the 18 th century, analyzing the possible causes and consequences of the ideological and interpersonal conflict that existed between the writers, expressed in their artistic works. Methodology of the work is based on the use of cultural, historical and biographical approaches. The main content of the article is devoted to a comparative examination of the texts by Knyazhnin and Nikolev, that makes the study the chronology of the development of literary relations between the authors possible. Results. The article outlines the reasons for the literary rivalry that has arisen between the authors. Among the most significant reasons is the desire of Knyazhnin to stand up for Sumarokov, who was satirized by Nikolev. For Knyazhnin, Sumarokov’s son-in-law, this could have had not only ideological, but also personal reasons. On the other hand, it is concluded that the literary polemics of the authors were peculiar to the literary process of the second half of the 18 th century and could not have been based on interpersonal conflict at all. Research implications of the study consist in the fact that the topic of literary relations between Knyazhnin and Nikolev was never considered in a separate study before and can become the basis for further study of the peculiarities of the relationship between the authors.