Griboyedov, Aleksandr Sergeyevich

Griboyedov, Aleksandr Sergeyevich əlyĭksän´dər sĭrgā´əvĭch grēbəyĕ´dəf [key], 1795–1829, Russian playwright and diplomat. His fame rests upon his finest play,Wit Works Woe(1825; tr. inMasterpieces of Russian Drama,Vol. I, ed. by N. R. Noyes, 1933). A verse satire of Moscow society, the play is reminiscent of Molière'sMisanthrope,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.

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