Two centuries of the Russian classics Two centuries of the Russian classics 2686-7494 IWL RAS https://doi.org/10.22455/2686-7494-2026-8-2-72-93 Research Article Articles “Shishkov is, After All, a Historical Figure for Us” Kotelnikov Vladimir A. red@rusklassika.ru 25 06 2026 8 2 72 93 A. S. Shishkov Russian literature translations linguistics lexicology lexicography Copyright © 2026, IWL RAS 2026 The article examines the activities of Alexander Semyonovich Shishkov in the spheres of naval and government service, as well as in literature and philology. From 1780 to 1810, he had a successful career, reaching the rank of admiral, and in 1812 he became the Secretary of State under Emperor Alexander I. During the war with Napoleon, Shishkov drafted the emperor’s famous Manifestos, rescripts, and orders. In these documents, Shishkov acted not as an official but as a publicist who mastered the high style of 18th-century literature. At the same time, he proved himself to be a talented writer. He translated specialized works on navigation and books for children, as well as works by Tasso, Petrarch, and Gessner. Shishkov’s main achievements as a philologist were in the fields of linguistics, particularly lexicology and lexicography. He expanded the linguistic base of national culture by including Old Church Slavonic, which he believed was necessary for literature as a source of spiritual traditions. 1. Vinogradov, V. V. Iazyk Pushkina [The Language of Pushkin]. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 2000. 512 p. (In Russ.) 2. Gasparov, B. M. Poeticheskii iazyk Pushkina kak fakt istorii russkogo literaturnogo iazyka [Pushkin’s Poetic Language as a Fact of the History of the Russian Literary Language]. St. Petersburg, Akademicheskii proekt Publ., 1999. 396 p. (In Russ.) 3. Zhivov, V. M. Iazyk i kul’tura v Rossii XVIII veka [Language and Culture in Russia of the 18th Century]. Moscow, Shkola “Iazyki russkoi kul’tury” Publ., 1996. 592 p. (In Russ.) 4. Kamchatnov, A. M. “A. S. Shishkov kak predtecha russkoi filosofii iazyka” [“A. S. Shishkov as a Forerunner of Russian Philosophy of Language”]. Biulleten’ biblioteki “Dom A. F. Loseva”, issue 9, 2009, pp. 73–89. (In Russ.) 5. Tynianov, Iu. N. Pushkin i ego sovremenniki [Pushkin and his Contemporaries]. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 1969. 424 p. (In Russ.)