Woe from Wit
Alexander Sergeyevich Griboedov (1795–1829) was a talented poet, playwright, and outstanding Russian diplomat. He served as ambassador to Persia and died there, heroically defending the diplomatic mission building during an attack by religious fanatics. Literary fame came to him through the comedy "Woe from Wit," conceived as a satire on the aristocratic society of the early 19th century. At the center of the plot is the conflict between the progressive young Alexander Chatsky and the ossified metropolitan high society. Although the play's path to the theater stage was difficult, it immediately spread in quotations that have firmly entered our lexicon.