Russkaia literatura
The quarterly peer-review academic journal published since 1958.
Founders
- Russian Academy of Sciences
Publisher
- Russian Academy of Sciences
The journal is published under the supervision of the RAS Department of Historical and Philological Sciences (OIFN RAS).
About the journal
“Russkaia literatura” (Russian Literature) is the country's first and only periodical devoted to the history of Russian literature at all stages of its development. One of the most urgent tasks of "Russian Literature" is to present the current state of academic literary criticism and the most striking achievements in its individual fields. The same aim is pursued by the chronicles of current conferences and reviews of recently published scholarly monographs and anthologies. The volume is intended for specialists in the history of Russian literature and is aimed at a professional audience.
Key areas
- Folklore;
- Old Russian and 18th century literature;
- Classical heritage;
- Modern (20th century) literature;
- Theoretical and historical-literary studies;
- Biographical and textual research;
- Thematic sections on the anniversaries of classic writers, polemics and attribution;
- Critical reviews and critiques;
- Comprehensive information about current scientific life, including chronicles of international symposia and conferences.
Indexation
Current Issue
No 1 (2023)
Articles
SEARCHING FOR HAPPINESS AND FORTUNE: ANCIENT AND FRENCH SOURCES OF K. N. BATIUSHKOV’S FAIRY-TALE THE WANDERER AND THE HOME-LOVER
Abstract
The article discusses the intertextual links of Batiushkov’s verse-tale The Wanderer and the Home-Lover. As formulated in Batiushkov’s letters, the tale’s central idea is closely connected with French maxims, and especially poetic punchlines. The philosophical quest of the protagonist, which forms the basis of the plot, culminates in him acquiring of Pyrrhon’s skeptical wisdom. The study reveals multiple borrowings from French poetry and treatises on classical Antiquity.
Russkaia literatura. 2023;(1):5-19
5-19
20-20
«WHOEVER IS DOOMED, IS DOOMED»: SEA RESCUE STORIES
Abstract
The article deals with stories about rescue at sea, recorded during the field work of Pushkinskij Dom on the White Sea coasts in recent years. Some of them are connected with the traditional ritual practices of the Pomors, and contain a plethora of folklore motifs. The others opt for a rationalistic explanation of the events.
Russkaia literatura. 2023;(1):21-28
21-28
SPELLS, CHARMS AND PRAYERS FROM VERKHNYAYA ZOLOTITSA
Abstract
The article is a publication of spells. The texts were discovered in Verkhnyaya Zolotitsa, Primorsky District, Arkhangelsk Region, in 2018 by the Pushkinskij Dom expedition. The spells were written on separate sheets of notebook paper in the middle of the 20th century. The records contain 30 healing spells, love spells and spells for livestock.
Russkaia literatura. 2023;(1):29-40
29-40
40-55
HOW THEY WANTED TO PUBLISH FIRDOUSI’S SHAHNAMEH AT VSEMIRNAYA LITERATURA PUBLISHING HOUSE
Abstract
The article analyzes the discussions concerning the prospects of publishing the Persian epic Shahnameh at the meetings of the Eastern Department of Vsemirnaya Literatura Publishing House in 1919. Based on the data from A. M. Gorky Archives, Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the chronology of the consideration of proposals for the translation of Firdousi’s epos, as well as of the discussions between the two reviewers, two employees of the Vsemirnaya Literatura Publishing House, N. S. Gumilyov and F. A. Rosenberg, have been reconstructed. As the result of this debate, N. S. Gumilyov came up with a suggestion to re-translate Shahnameh.
Russkaia literatura. 2023;(1):56-64
56-64
M. L. LOZINSKY AND E. I. ZAMYATIN ON THE PRINCIPLES OF LITERARY TRANSLATION AT THE TURN OF THE 1910s-1920s
Abstract
The authors of the article consider a range of sources that have not so far been introduced into academic circulation, outlining the discussion of theoretical problems of literary translation by the staff members of Vsemirnaya Literatura Publishing House, M. L. Lozinsky and E. I. Zamyatin. They believed that literary translation was an integral part of literature, as well as an act of intercultural communication. They also claimed that the translator’s task was to achieve the utmost degree of aesthetic equivalence to the original.
Russkaia literatura. 2023;(1):65-78
65-78
UNKNOWN LETTER FROM A. I. BRAUDO TO M. GORKY CONCERNING THE ARREST OF M. L. LOZINSKY IN 1921
Abstract
Publication of a previously unknown letter to Gorky, informing him about the arrest of M. L. Lozinsky, translator and editor of Vsemirnaya Literatura Publishing House, is a reconstruction of the events of August 1921, that are relevant to the fate of N. S. Gumilyov. The article traces the fate of the persons involved, as well as elucidates certain details.
Russkaia literatura. 2023;(1):78-82
78-82
P. N. BERKOV’S REPORT DELIVERED AT THE SESSION OF THE COMMISSION ON THE HISTORY OF PHILOLOGICAL SCIENCES ON OCTOBER 31, 1966
Abstract
The Commission on the History of Philological Sciences at the Department of Literature and Language of the USSR Academy of Sciences, established in the mid-1950s, dealt primarily with the history of Russian literary criticism. P. N. Berkov was one of the most active members of the Bureau of the Commission and repeatedly delivered reports at its plenary sessions. The autographic text of P. N. Berkov’s report is polemically sharpened and very bold for the time, raising questions concerning the public authority of literary criticism and the scholarly merits of the philologists associated with Formalism. The report reveals the author’s goal to outline a variety of research approaches and to identify the most important and fruitful academic trends, many of which still retain their relevance.
Russkaia literatura. 2023;(1):83-97
83-97
LETTERS OF JOSEPH DE MAISTRE TO ROXANA STURDZA: TOWARDS THE ISSUE OF COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES OF A SARDINIAN DIPLOMAT AT THE RUSSIAN COURT
Abstract
Joseph de Maistre, who found himself in the diplomatic service in Russia after the events of the French Revolution, used the high-society salons of St. Petersburg to established connections at court, and corresponded with the key figures of the time. The Savoy envoy earned a reputation of an advocate of Catholicism, and numerous conversions in the highest circles of the Russian society are attributed to his influence. His correspondence with Roxana Sturdza differs, however, from the messages addressed to other members of the Russian aristocracy of that time, and deserves separate consideration due to the variety of communication strategies of the Savoyard diplomat. Letters to Roxana cover almost the entire period of Joseph de Maistre’s stay in Russia, with the first one dating back to 1805 and the last one referring to 1817; apart from the personal relations of the correspondents, the letters let us trace the impact that the historical events of Alexander I’s reign made on the patterns of communication between the diplomat and the Emperor’s lady-in-waiting.
Russkaia literatura. 2023;(1):98-112
98-112
TWELVE SLEEPING MAIDENS BY V. A. ZHUKOVSKY IN CONTEMPORARY PARODY RESPONSES (I. V. PROTASHINSKY, A. A. VOEIKOVA, S. P. SHEVYREV)
Abstract
The article deals with parody responses to the Twelve Sleeping Maidens (1811-1817) by V. A. Zhukovsky, using the texts by I. V. Protashinsky, A. A. Voeikova, S. P. Shevyrev as case studies. Protashinsky’s parody Twelve Sleeping Butoshniks (1832) was very popular, and an approving reference to it in Voeikova’s letter to Zhukovsky allows us to date it back to 1819. The article describes the history of Shevyrev’s writing of the libretto for A. N. Verstovsky’s opera Vadim, or the Twelve Sleeping Maidens Awakening (1832). The discussion of the libretto in the letters to M. P. Pogodin highlights parodic elements in Shevyrev’s rendition of Zhukovsky’s plot.
Russkaia literatura. 2023;(1):112-119
112-119
I. V. KIREEVSKY’S CORRESPONDENCE WITH FRIENDS, 1820s-1830s, IN A LITERARY CONTEXT
Abstract
The article studies the correspondence within the circle of friends of the young I. V. Kireevsky in the literary context of the 1820s-1830s. The data are primarily considered against the background of the correspondence between A. S. Pushkin and the members of the Arzamas circle. It is suggested that, on the one hand, the epistolary communication of the Kireevsky circle features the general trends of the development of the genre of friendly writing (literary game, «buffoonery», the principle of chatter, etc.), and on the other hand, it is somewhat original. «Buffoonery» tends to combine with intimacy. Since the epistolary communication was centered around the inner worlds and relationships of the correspondents, rather than around literary issues, it became more personal and multidirectional, opening up new prospects for the development of the epistolary genre.
Russkaia literatura. 2023;(1):119-134
119-134
LITERARY SOURCES OF PUSHKIN’S SKETCH «VESUVIUS OPENED ITS MOUTH...»
Abstract
The article outlines the literary sources that A. S. Pushkin might have used in his work on the poem «Vesuvius Opened its Mouth.». Biblioteka dlja Chtenija magazine published an article The Last Day of Pompeii, a Painting by Karl Bryullov, containing the descriptions of the canvas translated from Italian. The Society for the Encouragement of Artists published translations of the foreign reviews of the painting as a separate book. It is likely that Pushkin began working on the poem before the canvas arrived to St. Petersburg. The poet’s drawing in the draft manuscript could have been made from the image of the painting reproduced in Biblioteka dlja Chtenija. In Pushkin’s sketch, there are reminiscences from Count Khvostov’s epistle to Bryullov, that contained a description of the canvas.
Russkaia literatura. 2023;(1):134-140
134-140
«AND MY BIRTH FATHER IS AN ENEMY OF MINE»: ON THE NATURE OF THE INTERGENERATIONAL CONFLICT IN N. V. GOGOL'S «LITTLE RUSSIAN» COLLECTIONS OF TALES
Abstract
The article examines the organization of the conflict in Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka and in Mirgorod, which is based on the historically determined «self-sufficiency» of the middle generation of the Cossacks. Prolonging their «zenith», the «fathers» hinder dynastic evolution as they neglect the heroic past, deny women the joys of motherhood and disenfranchise their sons. In order to break his father’s resistance and to marry, Gogol’s protagonist appeals to his forebears and passes a test, in which the distinction between filial affection and sensuality plays a crucial role.
Russkaia literatura. 2023;(1):141-152
141-152
THE REPUTATION OF A PLAYWRIGHT BETWEEN THE STATE AND THE SOCIETY: THE THEATRICAL AND LITERARY COMMITTEE AND THE MARRIAGE OF BALZAMINOV BY A. N. OSTROVSKY
Abstract
The article discusses an episode from the history of the Theatrical and Literary Committee, an organization that was supposed to control the aesthetic level of the repertoire of the Imperial theaters. In 1861, the committee forbade, and a year later allowed the staging of the scenes by Ostrovsky Whatever You Look For, You’ll Find (The Marriage of Balzaminov). The discussions of this decision are used to analyze the dynamics of the institution of a playwright’s reputation, which was increasingly defined by the periodical press, rather than the state.
Russkaia literatura. 2023;(1):153-164
153-164
L. N. TOLSTOY AND THE PAINTER V. V. VERESHCHAGIN: PUBLICISM IN WORDS AND COLOR
Abstract
The focal point of the article is the recording of the artists’ experiences in their socially- and politically-charged works, that have certain traits of publicism and are supposed to make a direct impact on the reader and the viewer (and, eventually, on the public opinion as well). The article demonstrates the stark difference in conveying the social and political issues between Tolstoy’s wartime prose and Vereshchagin’s battle paintings and wartime essays, and shows that Vereshchagin, a newtype artist, a man of the new age of science, business and politics, does not as much follow Tolstoy’s traditions, but breaks them.
Russkaia literatura. 2023;(1):165-177
165-177
THE FINAL SCENES FROM F. SCHILLER’S DRAMA DON CARLOS IN AN UNPUBLISHED TRANSLATION BY A. I. KUPRIN
Abstract
The publication presents the final scenes from F. Schiller’s dramatic poem Don Carlos, in an unpublished translation made by A. I. Kuprin in 1919. A typewritten copy has been preserved in the Department of Manuscripts (Institute of Russian Literature, Russian Academy of Sciences). Versions of the handwritten source, stored there as well, have also been taken into account. Kuprin’s text is compared with M. M. Dostoevsky’s translation of the 1840s. The Russian writer’s approach to reading and interpreting the German original of the tragedy is briefly outlined.
Russkaia literatura. 2023;(1):177-190
177-190
MANDELSTAM, ILF, AND MOTORCYCLE
Abstract
The article analyzes a poem by O. Mandelstam Today We Can Remove Dekalkomani... (1931) in connection with I. Ilf’s story The Prodigal Son is Returning Home (1930). The image of a motorcycle serves as a symbol of the new era both in the poem and in the story. Ilf’s short story provides a prolific background for the in-depth understanding of Mandelstam’s poem, it makes «religious» motif in the poem more prominent.
Russkaia literatura. 2023;(1):191-199
191-199
THE STYLE OF NABOKOV, A SELF-PROCLAIMED SEEKER OF WORD ADVENTURES
Abstract
Nabokov’s phrase is mostly clear and not necessarily unusual but full of unusual images. Unlike Andrei Bely, J. Joyce, A. P. Platonov and even N. V. Gogol, he does not create his own other-lingua; what makes him unique is other-vision, i. e. the gift of discerning what is invisible for the rest. A special feature thereof is transformation of one kind of phenomena into another (human, animal’s, things’s, natural). Nabokov plays with words, syllables, letters, signs in a language game of his own.
Russkaia literatura. 2023;(1):199-227
199-227
CULTURAL PARADIGMS IN THE POETICS OF V.T. SHALAMOV’S CAMP LITERATURE (CASE OF THE KOLYMA STORIES)
Abstract
The article, which has as its subject the collection Kolyma Stories by V. T. Shalamov, analyzes the physical space motifs of Kolyma. Using the concepts of Culture 1 and Culture 2, introduced by V. Paperny, the author shows how the concentration camp, which belongs to Culture 2, distorts the nature of the prisoner belonging to Culture 1.
Russkaia literatura. 2023;(1):228-236
228-236
CORRESPONDENCE OF Yu. P. KAZAKOV WITH ARKHANGELSK PUBLISHING HOUSE
Abstract
The publication presents the correspondence of Yu. P. Kazakov with Arkhangelsk Publishing House, highlighting the background of the emergence of the writer’s first books, Teddy (1957) and Manka (1958), that were published in Arkhangelsk. The data have been retrieved from the State Archives of the Arkhangelsk Region.
Russkaia literatura. 2023;(1):236-245
236-245
INDUSTRIAL NOVEL AND CONTEMPORARY RUSSIAN LITERATURE (TOWARDS THE ISSUE OF THE RECYCLING OF THE GENRE)
Abstract
The article deals with the history of the industrial novel in Russia, from the emergence of the genre in the beginning of the 20th century to the decay of the Soviet age, and focuses on the rise of a new interest in the topic of labor in the contemporary Russian literature. The author of the article comments both on the novels about nowadays and novels about the history of the industrial works. The author believes that what we are witnessing is not the Cultural recycling of the Soviet experience as such but a form of Cultural recycling that routinely occurrs at the next stage of development of any genre.
Russkaia literatura. 2023;(1):245-256
245-256
TRANSLATORS FROM THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTRY: SCHOOL OF LITERATURE AND LITERARY SCHOOL
Abstract
The author examines the significance of the latest archival finds concerning the staff members of the Foreign Affairs Ministry (prikaz) of the 17th century for the history of the Old Russian literature, especially its translated part. The Foreign Affairs Ministry was an important center of literary activity. The article shows that the main achievement of the prosopographic studies is their systematic approach to the material. They thus offer insights not only into the literary contribution of the individuals who worked at the Ministry, but also into the significance of the institution per se as a school of literature and a literary school.
Russkaia literatura. 2023;(1):257-260
257-260
THE SOURCE OF I. I. CHEMNITZER’S FABLE THE LETTERS
Abstract
The paper shows that the plot of Ivan Chemnitzer’s fable The Letters is based on an anecdote that went into wide circulation in 1779-1781, after its first publication in Annales Politiques, Civiles et Littéraires... Chemnitzer probably read it in the German translation, published in the Chronologen magazine. New facts suggests that the fable dates back to 1780 — the first half of 1782. Chemnitzer’s fable is rather different from its source in terms of plot as well as idea. While the anecdote is about a simple inscription that highbrow scholars find too difficult to interpret, the fable features a king who deliberately propounds a riddle to the scholars, so as to deride their pointless sophistication.
Russkaia literatura. 2023;(1):260-263
260-263
THE WINDOW MOTIF IN VENEDIKT EROFEEV’S POEM MOSCOW — PETUSHKI
Abstract
The article examines the motif of the window in Venedikt Erofeev’s poem Moscow — Petushki. All the cases of the use of the word «window» in the poem are identified, and it is shown that, unlike most travelogue writers, the narrator of the poem doesn’t study the outside world through the window, but rather tries to look out of the window as rarely as possible.
Russkaia literatura. 2023;(1):263-266
263-266
267-268
268-271
271-273
273-274
275-276
276-279
280-283
283-286
286-290
290-290