D. N. Mamin-Sibiryak’s Creative Realisation in His Epistolary Heritage and Library

Abstract

The books from D. N. Mamin-Sibiryak’s family library and the marginalia left on their pages are a comprehensive source for the examination of the Ural writer’s creative realisation. This article examines the role of reading and books in shaping the writer’s personality and creative work. Also, the authors reconstruct the history and composition of the Ural writer’s family library. The article presents the results of the project, consisting in a scholarly description of books, their digitising, and providing free access to them. The writer’s letters are important material for studying his biography and works; they unveil the cultural-historical context behind the literary works and can be essential to define the author’s intention, conception, and strategy. The study offers a classification and general characteristic of Mamin-Sibiryak’s epistolary heritage. The authors of the article reveal the writer’s epistolary circle and its main groups including his family members, friends, literary magazine editors, etc. Additionally, they identify the publishing background of Mamin-Sibiryak’s letters and outline the approximate number of letters that have not been published before.