Epistolary Legacy Research Articles

The Epistolary Legacy of Historian, Bibliographer and Bibliophile N.P. Likhachev in the Department of Manuscripts of the Russian State Library

The Epistolary Legacy of Historian, Bibliographer and Bibliophile N.P. Likhachev in the Department of Manuscripts of the Russian State Library

Theological and Historical Aspects of the Epistolary Legacy of Schema-hegumen Ioann (Alekseev), St. Ioann of Valaam, the Valaam Elder

The article introduces the personality and epistolary legacy of Schema-hegumen Ioann (Alekseev), who pursued asceticism at the Valaam Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Saviour from 1901 to 1958. After the revolution, the territory on which the monastery stood became part of independent Finland. Consequently, the Elder spent most of his life detached from his homeland. During the Winter War of 1939–1940 between the Soviet Union and Finland, the brotherhood was evacuated deep into Finland, where they founded the New Valaam Monastery. From 1945 to 1957, the monastery was under dual jurisdiction: administratively, it was under the Finnish Church Administration, while canonically, it belonged to the Moscow Patriarchate. Since 1938, Schema- hegumen Ioann had been fulfilling the duties of the spiritual father of the monastery, giving guidance to Russian-speaking pilgrims. At the New Valaam Monastery, the ascetic became widely known as an experienced spiritual mentor. His spiritual disciples included priests, laypeople, former members of the Imperial Court, representatives of the artistic community, and ordinary individuals. Many of them received spiritual guidance from him through correspondence, which was eventually published In 1956, a collection of his letters in Russian was released at New Valaam. From 1961 to 1963, the letters were published in the émigré journal L’Eternel (The Eternal) in France. In the USSR, the Elder’s letters became known in 1958 in samizdat (underground press) format, reproduced using typewriters. In 1985, a portion of the letters was presented in the “Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate”. The collection has been reprinted multiple times and translated into other languages. In Russia, starting from 2000, the Valaam Elder’s letters have been published almost every year, becoming a kind of “handbook for the modern Christian”. Schema-hegumen Ioann did not aim to construct a logically refined theological system; his service was focused on caring for those in spiritual need. When expounding on fundamental doctrines, he relied on the Gospel and the teaching of the Fathers of the Church. His theology was not an intellectual discipline or a theory of the world’s order but an experiential communion with God, rooted in personal transformation experience. In his letters, he sometimes touched upon the issues of the contemporary church life and politics. The article highlights and analyzes the principal theological and historical aspects of the epistolary legacy of the Valaam ascetic.

ARCHBISHOP ADAM (PHILIPOVSKY): NEW DOCUMENTS ABOUT HIS VISIT TO SUBCARPATHIAN RUS

In the article, for the first time, documents about the visit of Bishop Adam (Philipovsky) to Subcarpathian Rus in June 1926 are introduced into scientific circulation. The author was involved in the analysis of sources from several archives of different countries. Among them are the documents of the State Archives of the Transcarpathian Region, the National Archives of the Czech Republic, and the Archives of the Office of the President of the Republic in Prague. The epistolary legacy of the Czech bishop Gorazd (Pavlik), which is kept in the Archives of the Olomouc-Brno Diocese in Olomouc, is also of some interest. Periodicals also supplement documentary sources. The article uses a publication from the Uzhhorod newspaper «Novoje vremja», which was published in Latin. The text provides a brief description of the life path of Bishop Adam, and his connections with individual residents of Subcarpathian Rus are reflected. The author emphasizes that the activities of the aforementioned bishop played an essential role in the life of American Orthodoxy in the first half of the 20th century. The study of Philipovsky's biography gives grounds for asserting that his work is not sufficiently studied historiographically, and historians do not even mention the visit to Subcarpathian Rus. The author traces the development of Adam Philipovsky, his educational level, and his professional activity. It is emphasized that he was a graduate of Lviv University, engaged in journalism, and later went through all levels of the priestly career. The initiator of his ordination in 1922 was Bishop Stefan (Dzubay) of Pittsburgh, who wanted to strengthen his position in Canada in a confrontation with Metropolitan Platon (Rozhdestvenskyi). Bishop Adam led the communities of Carpathians who lived in several Canadian cities and then extended his jurisdiction to American parishes of the «old land» as well. Having lost to the metropolitan and received a ban from the ROCOR, the bishop left behind a significant influence and achieved recognition of his diocese by the Karlovy Vary Synod. Several documents from the SATR funds are attached to the article, which characterizes the policy of the Czechoslovak authorities towards the Orthodox Church and describes the course of the bishop's visit to Subcarpathian Rus.

Серапионы на страницах дневников К. А. Федина 1946–1968 гг.

K. A. Fedin’s diaries related to the time of the intense activity of the literary community “Serapion brothers” (1921–1924) have not been preserved. Therefore, the material for the studies of the life of the group as well as of its separate members is obtained by the researchers in the epistolary legacy of the writer. The researchers hardly ever refer to the diaries of the later period, apparently believing that Serapion brothers entirely disappeared from the literary life after 1929. However, the Serapion theme still figures on the pages of Fedin’s diaries of the 1948–1968. It is of interest how the already renowned master contemplates the artistic problems which concerned all the “brothers” at the dawn of their writing youth, “general” mentions of the Serapion brothers in the context of the current dwellings on literature and art. Nevertheless, in the diaries of the period in question, certain writers connected by their general past of the “brothers” come to the foreground. Among them, first of all, are Vs. Ivanov, N. Tikhonov, M. Zoshchenko, V. Kaverin, M. Slonimsky, N. Nikitin. Each of them is an object of Fedin’s scrutiny, who responded to all the personal and creative events in the life of the “brothers”. The article presents, among other sources, previously unpublished materials, which provide a means of identifying the role of Serapion brothers on the pages of Fedin’s diaries of 1946–1968. They make it possible to include these references in the context of how the relationships of the writers – the former members of the group – developed, and to determine the degree to which this literary phenomenon influenced Fedin’s life.

Contribution of doctor Stepan Rudansky to the organization of medical aid to the population of Crimea: to the 190th anniversary of the birthday of S.V. Rudansky (1834-1873)

The purpose of the research is scientific coverage of his professional and charitable activities in Yalta in the second half of the 19th century on the basis of a representative set of historical documents and the epistolary legacy of the Ukrainian doctor and poet Stepan Rudanskyi. Materials and methods. The article uses a complex of published, but little known to the medical community, scientific historical and medical publications. Historical-comparative, bibliographic and systematic analysis were chosen as research methods. The results. It is proven that Stepan Rudanskyi was the first licensed doctor on the Crimean Peninsula in 1861-1873, who provided qualified medical assistance to the local population. During the cholera pandemic that swept the European continent in the 1860s and 1870s, doctor Rudansky performed the duties of the only quarantine doctor in this region and led the fight against this disease. Conclusions. The intellectual and poetic heritage of the doctor and poet Stepan Rudanskyi continues to attract the attention of art critics, writers, historians of medicine and other scientists. In addition to wonderful poetry, folklore collections and translated works, the figure of Rudansky attracts people with his high spiritual imperative, which was the core of his professional medical activity, which took place on the Crimean peninsula. The memory of the conscientious doctor-poet will undoubtedly be immortalized in this Ukrainian land.

Magda Janpoladyan. ‘In the whole world, there’s only one Armenia…’

The review is concerned with the book ‘In the Whole World, There’s Only One Armenia…’ [‘Na svete lish odna Armeniya…’] — a collection of scholarly and critical articles by the renowned scholar of Russian-Armenian literary connections Magda Janpoladyan. In focus of the book are works by those Russian poets who visited Armenia and, having fallen in love with the country, decided to spend the rest of their lives in close contact with this region and its culture and literature. With the help of the poets’ epistolary legacy, reminiscences, and literary output, as well as other sources, the author creates a unique overview of Russian-Armenian cultural ties. The book names V. Bryusov, O. Mandelstam, S. Gorodetsky, S. Marshak, V. Zvyagintsev, M. Petrovykh, E. Nikolayevskaya, M. Matusovsky, M. Dudin, A. Gitovich, S. Lipkin, A. Tarkovsky, B. Chichibabin and others as poets whose life and work reveal a profound impact from an unforgettable encounter with Armenia.

The Learning of Ivan Drasov in Pisek and Prague

The purpose of this article is to clarify the prerequisites, character and duration of Ivan Drasov`s teaching in the Czech cities of Pisek and Prague. As a main source material were used Ivan Drasov`s school notebooks from the period of his studies in Bohemia, Drasov`s epistolary legacy and some memoirs. Through analysis and comparison of the mentioned sources, the following circumstances were established. The most likely reason for directing Ivan Drasov to Bohemia was his desire to study chemistry and engineering, and the choice of Pisek was predetermined by the presence of his compatriots in this city. Although Drasov had the opportunity to gain good knowledge in various fields during his studies in Pisek, in the end he remained unsatisfied. In 1874, Ivan Drasov made an attempt to study in the Austrian city of Linz. After this attempt failed, Drasov returned to Bohemia and in 1875 completed his education in Prague.

Christian Morgenstern and Henrik Ibsen (an episode in the history of literary translation)

This article discusses the history of creative contacts between the great Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen and the German poet Christian Morgenstern (1871–1914). Christian Morgenstern’s life was short and marred by physical suffering, but fantastically full and diverse in creative terms. A significant part of Christian Morgenstern’s lyrical and epistolary legacy was published only after his death thanks to the efforts of his wife and friends. Christian Morgenstern’s translations of Henrik Ibsen’s works date from the late 19th century, when the new Solomon Fischer’s publishing house (S. Fischer Verlag) in Berlin decided to publish the complete works of Ibsen in a translation into a German language that would be worthy of the original language. The publishing house turned to a young and at the time still little known poet who, being in love with Scandinavian literature and with Henrik Ibsen, set to work with great enthusiasm, settled in a family boarding house near Christiania, in a short time learned Norwegian, consulted and corresponded with Ibsen several times and as a result created translations for his plays, the German of which was delighted and earned the high praise of the playwright. An authorized edition of the translations was printed in Germany between 1898 and 1904 and is now a bibliographic rarity. However, many of Ibsen’s works are still published in Germany in the translation of Christian Morgenstern, known primarily as an unsurpassed master of poetic miniatures in a unique style of lyrical humor.

The Latin сorrespondence between F. E. Korsch and G. E. Saenger

This paper is a publication of the Latin correspondence between two prominent classical philologists of the late 19th — early 20th centuries, Fyodor E. Korsch and Grigory E. Saenger. Being only a part of their epistolary legacy, it is of undisputable interest both for the history of classical education in Russia and for the history of philological scholarship. The publication includes personal letters and letters discussing textual problems of various works of ancient literature. The Latin correspondence, which is not a voluminous part of the entire academic correspondence of these two authors, is mostly located in the Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow), while separate letters have also been preserved in the Russian State Library (Moscow) and the National Library of Russia (Saint Petersburg). In the correspondence, the two scholars discuss general issues of philological studies and ancient culture, as well as some practical issues related to their professional activities. A prominent place is occupied by the letters in which they discuss possible conjectures to the poetic response of Emperor Hadrian to the poet Florus, as well as to Virgil’s Aeneid and the works of Horace. A significant feature of this correspondence is that some of the letters are in verse, and both Korsch and Saenger were certainly among the best masters of Latin versification of their time in the Russian Empire. For letters in Latin, paper of a smaller format was chosen (generally postcards). All materials are published for the first time. Brief footnotes are offered for each letter allowing a reader to have a more comprehensive understanding of both the specific features of the correspondence and the personalities and issues that are mentioned in them.

Коррупция в системе социально-политических ориентаций Аврелия Августина

Peter Kaufman, the professor of the University of Richmond, took interest in Augustine’s interpretation of corruption and, in his article with the characteristic title “Augustine and Corruption”, published in 2009, enters into controversy with several prominent researchers of late antiquity, including, for example, Ramsey McMullen, who are inclined to see in the views of the bishop of Hippo signs of indulgence and justification of the corruption. In our article, we again turn to the problems of perception in connection with the socio-political views of the great father of the church. The epistolary legacy of Augustine has become the basis of our analysis. In his letters, among the addressees who are in high-ranking areas of general authority, judges, and fellow bishops, there is an ambivalent attitude towards the choice of personal contacts, the power in protecting the property rights of individuals and the whole church organisation, allowing to do ambiguous conclusions regarding support or denial of corruption ties as a solution to issues having socio-political values. Augustine has a completely rational attitude towards the property. He understands the significance of material goods for existence in the conditions of the Earthly City. Being a person realising managerial functions, he cannot but defend the property rights of his organisation as its determination is based on them. At the same time, the analysis of Augustine’s correspondence data allows us to discover a brand new approach to the perception of corruption in comparison with the well-known one. For him, venal practice does not consist in form, but in essence. He considers bribery and venality to be a complete evil, but he is ready to use connections with influential people for beneficial purposes, even if outwardly they may bear signs of abuse of influence and connections in the interest of third parties.

К истории публикации брошюры Н. И. Кареева «Южные славяне и Италия на Адриатике». 1916 г.

The article publishes correspondence concerning publication of a pamphlet by the famous Russian historian, Nikolai Ivanovich Kareev (1850–1931) “Southern Slavs and Italy on the Adriatic.” It was to be published in the series “World War and Slavic Questions.” The compilers intended the series to increase the knowledge in the Russian society about the “Slavic question” and its prospects after the war. In particular, they supported the idea of uniting the Czechs and Slovaks into a Czechoslovak state and expanding the borders of Serbia, both at the expense of Austro-Hungarian territories. Kareev held to a similar point of view in his brochure, based primarily on historical facts. Written in the summer of 1916, this work reflected his views on the course of the war and the future post-war world order. In the question of the fate of Austrian Istria and Dalmatia, Kareev actually supported the Serbian side, seeing no reason for Italy to acquire these lands after the victory over the Central Powers. At the stage of censoring, the essay encountered some obstacles. According to the existing procedure, the Petrograd Committee for Press Affairs (which also dealt with military censorship) sent essays on foreign policy topics to the Press and Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for review. In August 1916, Kareev’s manuscript was received there. After reviewing it, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Anatoly Neratov advised to postpone the publication of the brochure, as it raised difficult questions and might have caused discontent of Italian allies of Russia. The manuscript was “stuck” in the censorship committee for two months, and Kareev tried to solve the problem by contacting the head of the Second Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, baron Boris Nolde, who, in his turn, advised him to write a personal letter to Neratov. In his letter, Kareev assured Neratov that there was nothing “offensive” in the brochure; it was written in “objectively scientific” language; the facts had been published and discussed not only in England and France, but also in Italy. Kareev also asked Neratov for a personal meeting to convey his arguments. It is possible that the meeting actually took place, because a week later the director of the Press and Information Department, Alexander Lysakovsky, informed the chairman of the Petrograd Press Committee, Nikolai Levitsky, that the Foreign Ministry no longer had any complaints against Kareev’s brochure and it could be published. The published documents show the mechanism of censoring essays on foreign policy topics in Russia during the First World War. In addition, N.I. Kareev’s letter is now introduced into scientific use, supplementing his extensive epistolary legacy.

Letters of O. S. Sklyarenko to the Zolotonosha Local Lore Specialist M. F. Ponomarenko (1963 – 1976)

The article first published the correspondence of Oksana Semenivna Sklyarenko, the daughter of the famous Ukrainian (Soviet) fiction writer Semyon Dmytrovych Sklyarenko, to local historian Mykhailo Fedorovych Ponomarenko, the founder of local history in Cherkasy region. Also, the scientific novelty of this study is due to the fact that no fundamental study of the epistolary legacy of S. D. Sklyarenko has been carried out in modern Ukrainian historiography. Thus, this correspondence will allow solving the problem of expanding the source base of the study of the writer's biography. At the same time, the correspondence reflects the relationship of the local historian with the writer's family and his environment. The contribution of M. F. was characterized Ponomarenka in preserving the memory of S. D. Sklyarenko and popularizing his work in Zolotonyshchyna. Based on a brief overview of the fund of S. D. Sklyarenko (No. 467) from the Central State Archive-Museum of Literature and Art of Ukraine and archival materials collected by local historian M. F. Ponomarenko from the fund (5428) of the State Archive of the Cherkasy Region, this publication highlights the documents, which will complement the scientist's biography. In the process of analyzing this correspondence, it was found that M. F. Ponomarenko was engaged in collecting materials for the writer's personal exhibition in the Zolotony Museum of Local History and actively published local history articles about S. D. Sklyarenko in the regional periodical press. At the same time, the letters contain information about the professional activities of O.S. Sklyarenko and her family. In the process of developing the topic, biographical and chronological methods of historical research and the general scientific method of system analysis were used. The archeographic method of source research was also applied.

K.D. Balmont and the Culture of Islam

The purpose of our research is the work of the great symbolist poet of the Silver Age K.D. Balmont through the prism of the culture of Islam. The topic of the culture of Islam in the poet's work has been little studied, which is the relevance of this study. Islam is a traditional religion and the cultural and spiritual life of a Muslim is inextricably linked with Islam. All literature, architecture, science, philosophy of Muslims is based on the teachings of Islam and its holy book the Koran. K.D. Balmont became interested in Arabic and translations of the Koran, melodic Arabic script. Subsequently, his essays, poems and travel notes will be filled with religious and cultural images. The methodology of the work is based on synchronic, structural and functional, biographical, historical and cultural methods. The novelty of the article lies in a new look at the work of K.D. Balmont within the framework of the culture of Islam. In the course of our work, we examined Balmont's religious poems of 12 suras: "I swear", "Merciful", "Great News", "Blow", "Oh, Prophet", "Rich People", "Trumpet sound", "Then", "Smoke", "Al-Hotama", "Event", "Don't forget." There were also many translations from Arabic, travel notes, essays, and the epistolary legacy of Balmont. The poet traveled a lot and visited Muslim countries, made translations from Arabic, wrote essays and travel notes about the culture of Islam. As a result, the main conclusions of the study were formulated, the culture of Islam was shown, the religious poems of K.D. Balmont were studied, and further prospects for studying this problem were outlined.

Borys Liatoshynskyi and the artists of Lviv: epistolary notes to the biography of the artist

The article looks into the cultural and artistic relations of the artists of Kyiv and Lviv based on the letters of Borys Lyatoshynskyi. The role of Borys Liatoshinsky in preserving the cultural significance of these artists despite Soviet cultural narratives is studied. The situation in arts was especially tragic after the 1948 decree “On the opera “Great Friendship” by Vano Muradeli”. The characters of Ukrainian artists of the Galytska school of composers — Vasyl Barvinskyi, Adam Soltys, Roman Simovych, Jozef Koffler, and Tadeusz Siegfried Kassern — have been reconstructed based on the correspondence. The epistolary legacy of B. Liatoshynsky testifies that Lviv runs through his creative path as a red thread, bringing into the orbit of our attention both personal relationships with the city (his visits, social life of artistic elite), and some collisions (often dramatic), which relate to the works of the artist. No city in Ukraine attracted the artist as much as Lviv: there he presented his works to a thoughtful listener and communicated with kindred spirits. The tragic pages of rejection and persecution of B. Liatoshynskyi’s largest works — the Second and Third symphonies — have been described and introduced into scientific circulation. The fate of the former appears to be the most tragic one in the history of Ukrainian musical culture during the Soviet times. Having considered the correspondence of the B. Liatoshinsky, we conclude that Lviv musicians always supported the artist in difficult years, appreciating his extraordinary talent. The feeling was mutual — B. Liatoshinsky felt sincere, tender love for Lviv, its profound intellectual atmosphere, its people, and the ability to maintain the true friendship of spiritually kindred hearts.

‘For lack of a better word…’ M. Isakovsky’s two letters on A. Prasolov’s poetry

Letters of the poet Mikhail Isakovsky to the literary historian Anatoly Abramov (1917–2005) published in this article constitute a portion of the poet’s extensive epistolary legacy. The two selected letters dated 1968 are mainly concerned with the poet Aleksey Prasolov (1930–1972), whose literary career Abramov actively supported. Having approached Isakovsky for an opinion about the Voronezh-based poet’s verses, Abramov received very harsh feedback. There can be a number of reasons why the poems, some later recognised as Prasolov’s best, were dismissed by Isakovsky: the fact that the two poets belonged to very different poetic generations and traditions and adhered to disparate aesthetic principles may have played a key role here. A poet of a traditional folk-poetic formation, Isakovsky rejected Prasolov’s verses, whose poetics is directly influenced by Blok’s modernist experimentations. Isakovsky expected Prasolov, an author of challenging complexity, to write about subjects easily recognisable and clear to the reader. Thus, incompatible ideas about a poet’s purpose and dissimilarity of poetic languages precluded the two remarkable poets from ever meeting in person.

Epistolary legacy of Mustafa Shokay

M.Shokay is a figure who dedicated his life to the freedom of the nation and the independence of the country. His political views and views are fully reflected not only in his journalistic articles and speeches, but also in his epistolary heritage.
 The letters of M.Shokay provide detailed information about the historical events of Kazakhstan and Central Asia in the early twentieth century and political figures of that period. The formation and fall of the Alash and Kokand autonomies, the coming to power of the Bolsheviks, the position of the Soviet government on national minorities are reflected in the letters of M. Shokay. He wrote very sharply about his political and ideological opponents Kerensky, Validov, Jangildin and others in his letters.
 The epistolary legacy of Mustafa Shokay has been accumulated. Scholars who researched Mustafa Shokay have repeatedly published his letters in books. One of the objectives of Kazakh science is to study the epistolary heritage of M.Shokay. It is necessary to determine its thematic and stylistic features, to study its historical significance.
 Shokay left behind journalistic articles and memoirs, speeches at meetings and forums of various levels. Among such legacies, a special place is occupied by M. Shokay's letters to politicians, scientists, heads of state, relatives and artists.
 The article deals with the epistolary heritage of M. Shokay and its historical significance.

ЕПІСТОЛЯРНИЙ ДИСКУРС ЯНА КОЛЛАРА

The article analyzes the epistolary discourse of Ján Kollár using the categories and concepts of modern linguistic pragmatics. The subject of the study was 16 letters addressed to V. Ganka, V. Kopitar, K. Ya. Erben, S. Grobon, V. A. Maciejowski in the period from 1824 to 1851. The study of the material is based on the method of subjectobject interpretation of the addressee’s communication. The analysis of Ján Kollár’s texts showed that his epistolary discourse is a speechlanguage work that was created with regard to the chronologically determined national epistolary tradition. Contacts and the content of Ján Kollár’s communication concerned primarily the socio-political and cultural sphere related to his professional activities. The socio-cultural dimension, within which the communication took place, determined the addressee’s socio-pragmatic role, and their civil position, influenced the topics of the correspondence, its personal and subject components, and assumed dialogue. The components of the studied epistolary discourse are characterized by the following features: formality — informality, distance — non-distance of communication, the hierarchy of relations, and observance of etiquette norms with their mainly emotional verbal design. Markers of politeness in Ján Kollár’s letters are etiquette lexical means, as well as tropes metaphors, and phraseology, which are methods of expressing the author’s empathic moods. Individual features include numerous author innovations. Thus, the social and socio-psychological characteristics of the author affected the language, structure, and content of his epistolary discourse. Kollár’s epistolary legacy is also important in the extralingual aspect. It serves as an additional source for studying the role of the author in social, literary, and scientific circles of his time.

«Черный хлеб науки…»

The review of the encyclopedic dictionary M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin and his contemporaries focuses on the relevance, the essential uniqueness and practical applicability of the publication. The dictionary, dedicated to the contemporaries of Saltykov-Shchedrin, is a philological event of great consequence. Any research of the writer’s oeuvre in the social, historical, political, and, by all means, literary contexts makes it possible to consider the author’s biography, his creative intentions and the particulars of their actualization in a consistent manner. This is particularly relevant for Saltykov, whose life and works are permeated with the pathos of acute actuality. Each encyclopedia entry in the dictionary serves both as a piece of information about a new character and the integration of the biographical and literary particulars shedding light on various stages of Saltykov’s creative work, on the ways and means facilitating the formation of his political stance, his literary views and his creative mind in general. Historical, literary, cultural, social, political contexts of Saltykov-Shchedrin’s biography and oeuvre are expanded by means of the names, one way of another mentioned in the satirical confessions of the writer or in his epistolary legacy. The projection on the writer-satirist helps to shape a new image of those who seemed to be just the backdrop, against which significant events took place. It is emphasized that the book is addressed to both a professional literary scientist, and to an average reader. The authors of the articles introduce new information concerning Saltykov’s biography, his literary ties, his view of the public life, culture and art of Russia and foreign countries into scientific circulation. A number of articles start featuring historic, literary and textual elaborations. Dictionary entries are based on under-published and archived materials. For the first time the corpus The chronicles of the life and oeuvre of M. E. Saltykov is given. A significant part of the dictionary work has been done by the scientists of Saratov National Research State University I. V. Kabanova and I. A. Knigin.

Linguistic Characteristics of Platon Ioseliani's and Dimitri Bakradze's Private letters

The paper studies the main linguistic characteristics of the epistolary legacy of the representatives of the first generation of 19th century Georgian scientist-historians - Platon Ioseliani and Dimitri Bakradze. The actuality of the research is determined by the invaluable importance of private letters as documentary genre texts for the history of language, taking into account their specificity - the informal style of writing, the abundance of forms characteristic of spoken language, which provides the best opportunity for comparison with the forms of literary language for future research.48 letters of Platon Iosselin and 36 letters of Dimitri Bakradze have been chosen for analysis.The study of the letters revealed that the language of Plato Ioselian's epistles is heavy and "snarky", often artificial, and the style is official. The linguistic influence of Anton Catholicos is clearly visible. Obviously, the identity of the addressees of the letters, on the one hand, and their purpose, on the other hand, play a certain role in this: Most of the letters are addressed to academician Marie Brose. They are of a scientific nature and serve to provide information to the Imperial Academy of St. Petersburg regarding this or that critical issue, although this style of writing was generally characteristic of Platon Ioselian. Thus, Platon Ioseliani linguistically belongs to the older generation, while Dimitri Bakradze belongs to the new one, although there have been revealed the new linguistic models with the first author and the old ones – with the second one.

Semantics of Monochromity Reproductions of Arnold Böcklin’s Painting "Isle of the Dead" and its Influence on the Creation of Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Poem

The author considered the semantics of monochrome reproduction of A. Becklin's painting "Isle of the Dead" and its influence on the creation of the symphonic poem of the same name by S. Rachmaninoff. It was found that the black-and-white reproduction of the painting by Arnold Böcklin's attracted the attention of S. Rachmaninoff and inspired the composer to create a symphonic poem "Islе of the Dead". A remarkable phenomenon in world art is described - the phenomenon of monochrome images. For the first time in musical culturology the semantics of monochrome reproduction of Arnold Böcklin's famous painting "Isle of the Dead" and its both conceptual and artistic embodiment in the symphonic poem by S. Rachmaninoff were studied. The specifics of S. Rachmaninoff's perception and commitment to black-and-white visualization, which is produced, first of all, by the cultural-historical background, are proved. Understanding of the relationship between fine arts and music with the historical period, which is able to explain certain phenomena in culture, is revealed. The content of the concepts "semantics of monochrome" and "decoded semantic loads", which are endowed with black, white and gray colors, is substantiated. The composer's epistolary legacy is analyzed and deep intentions that were the impetus for the creation of the musical poem "Islе of the Dead" are revealed. The intellectual reflection of the composer is described based on the analysis, which substantiated the following conclusions: in the mind of S. Rachmaninoff there was an objectification of the plot of Arnold Böcklin's painting, a certain message was found, encoded in the painting. The semantics of monochrome reproduction of Arnold Böcklin's painting "Islе of the Dead" and, in fact, the musical interpretation of this plot are characterized. A certain, well-defined technique is used, which the composer uses in many of his works - the opposition of "infernal" and bright life-affirming principles. It is proved that black, which represents death, is overcome by S. Rachmaninoff more often by light and multicolor life.