Vladimir Dal (1801-1872)

Death: 22nd September 1872
Location: Vagan'kovskoye Cemetery, Moscow, Russia
Photo taken by:  Master Dio
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Russian language lexicographer. Dal was interested in language and folklore from his early years and he started traveling by foot through the countryside, collecting sayings and fairy tales in various Slavic languages. He published his first collection of fairy-tales in 1832 and some others were turned into verse by his friend Alexander Pushkin. After Pushkin's fatal duel, Dal was summoned to his deathbed and looked after the poet during the last hours of his life. 
Dal's magnum opus, Толко́вый слова́рь живо́го великору́сского языка́ / Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language, commonly known as Толко́вый слова́рь Да́ля / Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary ,was published in four huge volumes in 1863–1866. The Sayings and Bywords of the Russian People, featuring more than 30,000 entries, followed several years later. Both books have been reprinted many times.

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