Igor

Igor (Igor Sviatoslavich) (ē'gur svyä"tuslä'vich) [key], 1151–1202, Russian prince. In 1185 he was defeated by the Cumans in an expedition that was immortalized in the epic Slovo o polku Igoreve (tr. by Vladimir Nabokov, The Song of Igor's Campaign, 1960). The author is unknown, but the date of composition has been established as c.1187. The manuscript was discovered in 1795 in a 16th-century transcript containing many errors in copying. Although its authenticity has been questioned, it is considered the first notable work of Russian literature. It is remarkable for thematic unity and for imagery, particularly descriptions of nature and invocations of pagan magic. The work was used by Borodin for his opera Prince Igor.

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

• • Cite
  • Print