Iakov Borisovich Kniazhnin was a leading representative of Russian classicism and one of the most significant Russian dramatists of the second half of the eighteenth century. His tragedies, comedies, and comic operas were highly regarded by his contemporaries and noticeably influenced both Russian literature and the social opinions of his time. Kniazhnin's comedies and comic operas addressed burning issues of the day and furthered the development of these genres as well as Russian literature as a whole. While his works were successful with the public, they earned Kniazhnin the reputation of being derivative. During his life Kniazhnin tasted both glory and grievous hardship, and the circumstances surrounding his death remain a mystery.

Iakov Borisovich Kniazhnin was born in the ancient Russian city of Pskov on 3 October 1740 to a family of the old Russian nobility. He lived at home until the age of ten and received his initial education...