Griboyedov, Aleksandr Sergeyevich

Griboyedov, Aleksandr Sergeyevich (ulyiksän'dur sirgā'uvich grēbuye'duf) [key], 1795–1829, Russian playwright and diplomat. His fame rests upon his finest play, Wit Works Woe (1825; tr. in Masterpieces of Russian Drama, Vol. I, ed. by N. R. Noyes, 1933). A verse satire of Moscow society, the play is reminiscent of Molière's Misanthrope, but is typically Russian in scene and character. While serving as Russian minister to Persia, Griboyedov was killed defending the Tehran embassy against a Persian attack.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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