IMAGE OF VERKHNEUDINSK CITY IN EKATERINA SERGEYEVA’S (TANSKAYA) LETTERS OF THE EARLY 20th CENTURY

Abstract

The article presents the thematic analysis of the letters by the famous resident of Verkhneudinsk — Ulan-Ude Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Sergeyeva (married name Tan-skaya) at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries. The letters are a unique historical source shining a spotlight on everyday life of the city. We have chosen the letters in which Ekaterina told her family and friends about Verkhneudinsk. Being a native of Chita, Ekaterina perceived Verkhneudinsk as her native and beloved place due to the the fact that her family and friends lived there. Obviously, the young girl placed her atten-tion on the most vivid and significant events from the social life of the city, such as mobi-lization and the passage of the first train. Considering the city provincial and gray, she during her long stay in St. Petersburg was sincerely interested in its life. Summing up the study, we have emphasized that despite the scarcity of subject descriptions of the city E. A. Sergeyeva’s (Tanskaya) letters show us the love and warmth of the residents to the city regardless the monotony of its cultural and social life, and unsuitable living conditions.