In 1794, Karamzin abandoned his literary journal and published a miscellany in two volumes entitled
Aglaia, in which appeared, among other stories, "
The Island of Bornholm" and
Ilya Muromets, the former being one of the first Russian
Gothic stories and the latter, a story based on the adventures of the well-known
hero of many a Russian legend. From 1797 to 1799, he issued another miscellany or poetical almanac,
The Aonides, in conjunction with
Derzhavin and
Dmitriev. In 1798 he compiled
The Pantheon, a collection of pieces from the works of the most celebrated authors ancient and modern, translated into Russian. Many of his lighter productions were subsequently printed by him in a volume entitled
My Trifles. Admired by
Alexander Pushkin and
Vladimir Nabokov, the style of his writings is elegant and flowing, modelled on the easy sentences of the French prose writers rather than the long periodical paragraphs of the old Slavonic school. Karamzin also promoted a more "feminine" style of writing. His example proved beneficial for the creation of a Russian literary language, a major contribution for the history of Russian literature. In 1802 and 1803, Karamzin edited the journal the
Envoy of Europe (
Vestnik Evropy). It was not until after the publication of this work that he realized where his strength lay, and commenced his 12 volume
History of the Russian State. In order to accomplish the task, he secluded himself for two years at
Simbirsk. When Emperor
Alexander learned the cause of his retirement, Karamzin was invited to
Tver, where he read to the emperor the first eight volumes of his history. He was a strong supporter of the anti-Polish policies of the Russian Empire, and expressed hope that "there would be no Poland under any shape or name". In 1816, he removed to St Petersburg, where he spent the happiest days of his life, enjoying the favour of Alexander I and submitting to him the sheets of his great work, which the emperor read over with him in the gardens of the palace of
Tsarskoye Selo. He did not, however, live to carry his work further than the eleventh volume, terminating it at the accession of
Michael Romanov in 1613. He died on 22 May (old style) 1826, in the
Tauride Palace. A monument was erected to his memory at
Simbirsk in 1845. ==As a linguist and philologist==