[Yakov Borisovich]. Russian playwright, born in Pskov, Russia, on the 3rd of October 1742. He spent most of his life as a petty official, giving a great portion of his time to general literature. Although not particularly remarkable, and clearly influenced by if not adapted from the tragedies of Voltaire and Racine, his plays met with great success in Russia, especially his patriotic tragedies Roslav (1784) and Vadim Novgorodskii (1789). The latter was published after his death, but on account of its liberal utterances brought its publishers much trouble. His comedies are superficial, but bright and easy in plot and style; the best of them are The Boaster and The Queer One. His opera libretto, Ill Luck from a Carriage, is quite pleasing. He died on the 14th of January 1791.
