«И несем в чужие страны / чувство русское тоски»: образ России в мемуарах Александра Вертинского

Abstract

A well-known Russian bard, Alexander Vertinsky, like many other representatives of the first wave of Russian emigration, left behind his unfinished memoirs in which he writes of over two decades of homeless wandering around the world (1920-1943). During that time he stayed, among others, in many European countries, the USA and China. And it was in Shanghai in the early 1940s that the singer began to write down his reminiscences. After returning to his homeland, Vertinsky continued his literary work, which undoubtedly left its mark on the content of memoirs. Nevertheless, the leitmotif of Vertinsky’s memoirs is both the image of old Russia scented with nostalgic feelings, and of Russian emigrants embodying his homeland.