Diplomat: who is he, an official or a poet? Massacre at the Russian Embassy Russian diplomat known as a poet
Relevance This topic is due to the fact that today there is a problem: a diplomat, who is he: a civil servant or a romantic?
Therefore, we decided to study this topic, because no one had asked such a question before us. This is novelty our research.
Goal of the work- prove that a real diplomat is not only an official, but also creative person, a patriot of his homeland, capable of expressing his civic position and feelings in poetry.
Tasks:
- Find out the meaning of the terms “official”, “diplomat”, “poet-diplomat”, “patriot”.
- Study the poetic anthology of employees and veterans of the Russian Foreign Ministry “Our Smolenka”.
- Study the work of poet-diplomats about Russia.
- Find out what professional and personal qualities a diplomat should have.
- Conduct a survey of school students and teachers on the topic “What do you know about poet-diplomats?”
- Draw a conclusion about the need to familiarize a wide school audience with the work of Russian poets and diplomats.
Object of study- professional and personal qualities of a diplomat.
Subject of study- the influence of diplomats’ hobbies and poetic creativity on their professional activities and personal development.
Research methods- searching for information about the work of diplomats and their hobbies, analyzing poems about Russia written by diplomats, questioning students and teachers about their knowledge of the work of diplomats, interviewing diplomats about their vision of the professional and personal qualities of diplomats.
We study at an embassy school, and I am growing up in a diplomatic family, and somehow a logical question arose in me: who is he, a diplomat? The first thing that comes to mind is an official. We find in Ushakov’s dictionary the meaning of the term “official”. “An official is a civil servant,” and “a diplomat is a person authorized by the government to communicate with a foreign state.” .
Representing the interests of your country in a foreign country is a very responsible matter. Working abroad, a diplomat conducts negotiations and defends the interests of Russia. Such a person must, undoubtedly, be a patriot of his homeland.
A patriot is “a person devoted to his people, who loves his fatherland, who is ready to make sacrifices and perform feats in the name of the interests of his homeland.” .
Many Russian diplomats have hobbies outside of their own professional activity. For example, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Viktorovich Lavrov is an active football fan and plays football himself. He chops wood, goes rafting, and heads the Russian Mountain Slalom Federation. Sergei Viktorovich also writes poetry... Moreover, there are quite a lot of poet-diplomats in the Foreign Ministry.
Once at home, I saw a collection of poems by poet-diplomatists at my parents’ house, I started reading it, and I became very interested. It turns out that there is a newspaper in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called “Our Smolenka”, there are collections of poems by poet-diplomats! Having picked up the collections of the poetry anthology “Our Smolenka”, I plunged into the world of poetry of Russian diplomats. What do diplomats write about in their poems? It turns out that it’s about everything that worries any person: about love, about life, about their homeland, about their parents, about childhood and school.
Why do they need this? After all, poetry is something very far from real diplomacy. And then I learned that passion for poetry and poetry is a long-standing tradition among representatives of the Russian diplomatic corps.
None diplomatic service countries in the world do not have as many names included in the history of their native literature and especially poetry as Russian, starting from the 18th century. How not to remember Antioch Cantemir, Ivan Khemnitser, Denis Fonvizin, Dmitry Venevitinov, Wilhelm Kuchelbecker, Konstantin Batyushkov, Alexei K. Tolstoy, Apollo Maykov, Yakov Polonsky. And this is in addition to the “greats” - Alexander Griboyedov, Alexander Pushkin and Fyodor Tyutchev!
The classics of Russian poetry, poets-diplomats, wanted to see Russia happy. They found their purpose in honest service to her. The theme of love for their people, for the Motherland, for its spiritual sources runs through their poetic creativity. national history. In their poems they burned with one desire - to make the Fatherland even more beautiful. Russian diplomats have always been with their people, experiencing joys, troubles, defeats and victories with them. Russian poet-diplomats are firmly convinced that there is a secret thread connecting the language of diplomacy and poetic creativity (meaning the search for expression political thought through a short, succinct literary word).
The poetic traditions of the great predecessors are continued by modern poets - diplomats.
We return again to the question of the topic under study. So who is he - a real diplomat? Official, romantic poet, a common person, with its inherent advantages and disadvantages? I received answers to my questions by reading the poems of modern poets and diplomats of Russia.
First, let’s see what he writes in his famous poem “ Ambassadorial order» Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov:
There is only one warrior in the field - this happens, and this is not new.
The diplomat himself must give the only correct answer.
He, like a poet, must find only the right word,
Firmly remembering that there are no prophets in our fatherland
It turns out that, according to the author, diplomat and poet are creative professions. My parents told me that diplomats are worthy heirs of the traditions that raised previous generations of Russian patriots - officials in the service, poets and romantics at their core. The great Russian poet Fyodor Ivanovich Tyutchev, for example, was also a poet, and not just a poet, but a very famous and revered one.
Tyutchev is held in high esteem in our Foreign Ministry,
As the oldest veteran,
Guardian of dear traditions,
Patriotic beginnings.
He accomplished his spiritual feat,
But he was not blinded by fame.
Soul, word and love
Strengthened the connection of times in Russia, -
This is what diplomat Leonard Usychenko writes in his poem “The Connection of Times.” Indeed, the connection between times is not interrupted; it continues in the work and creativity of modern diplomats.
A diplomat is a true patriot of his Fatherland, a person who sincerely loving homeland:
Oh, my Rus', I love your fields,
I love meadows, swamps, copses.
Where the hubbub of birds and the free wind are sharp,
Where the sinful land smells of honey.
These lines were written by Vladimir Masalov. The poem is called “Oh, Rus'!” The poet describes his feelings for the Motherland, for its nature. Everything that surrounds him evokes unique emotions. The poet cries and rejoices along with his country:
My country, how sweet it is for me to be with you!
Sometimes I cry because it hurts you so much
Sometimes a tear wets your chest involuntarily,
In my soul - you are my island of happiness! .
Viktor Posuvalyuk writes reverently and tenderly about his homeland. Reading these lines, it is difficult to imagine that their author is an official who methodically and clearly fulfills his official duty:
Sing a song to me, a Russian song,
About my native land, my brown braid,
About that birch tree, the prickly spruce,
That in a dream they call me, torment me.
Poet-diplomat Mikhail Romanov writes laconically and simply about his love for his homeland in the poem “2000”:
These lakes are blue,
The shade of these forests,
Take a look beyond the meadows -
A new day is rising.
Blue skies heights,
Yellow fields of sadness,
This is my life,
This is my Rus'.
Poets-diplomats constantly turn to the image of the homeland as an image native nature, just like Pushkin, Yesenin, Tyutchev...
For example, Mikhail Kamynin writes:
Oh, birches, oh, aspens and acacias!
This is not a dummy at all, not decoration.
These are feelings and a rowan dawn,
Motherland Russia, you are no more beautiful! .
Well, what could be better than such enthusiasm for everything Russian and native! This is seen as a real Russian person, a citizen, a patriot. He cares deeply about her interests; for him, Russia is everything!
We can talk for a long time and interestingly about the topic: who is he, a diplomat? “The sovereign’s man,” a politician or romantic with a keen sense of nature native land, lyrics of the Russian soul? this is written very figuratively in the poem “The Diplomat”. Its author, Igor Mikheev, expressed his thoughts as follows:
When the machine guns go silent
And silence falls
Diplomats join the fight
To ensure peace in full.
Their feather is sharper than a bayonet.
Language serves them to
To express myself more cunningly,
Without promising anything.
They tell us it's too expensive
Work for the people of diplomats,
But they are not only gunpowder -
Human lives will be saved! .
The main thing for a diplomat, as an official, as a romantic and a poet is the man himself! His life, which has no price, because it is priceless! And the goal of any diplomat’s work is to protect the interests of his homeland and its citizens!
Basing our opinion on the above, we assume that a real diplomat must have such personality qualities that would allow him to creatively approach solving the most complex and confusing issues foreign policy states.
To confirm my hypothesis, I decided to interview my parents and asked them next questions: “What professional qualities, in your opinion, should a diplomat have?” In their opinion, a diplomat must have a broad outlook, be fluent in the language of the host country, and be able to have a good understanding of the current international situation.
Another question was asked about the diplomat's personal qualities. A real diplomat must be sociable, charming, stress-resistant, have good health, and a sense of humor. He must have decency and tact! We cannot but agree with this! After all, all this helps the diplomat negotiate in the interests of his state.
The personality of a diplomat combines service to the state, love for the homeland, and spiritual and moral qualities of the individual.
In order to identify the level of knowledge of students and teachers of secondary schools at the Russian Embassy in Argentina, I developed and administered a questionnaire “What do you know about poet-diplomats?”
27 students in grades 5–11 and 14 teachers took part in the survey.
As a result, it was found out that none of the students knew the names of poet-diplomats; 2 people suggested that poet-diplomats could write their poems about politics, or different countries and cities. The overwhelming majority of students surveyed (23 people) would like to listen to poems by poet-diplomats.
As for the teachers, most of them (9 people) were able to name such names of poet-diplomats as Tyutchev, Gorchakov, Lavrov. Teachers suggested that poet-diplomats write their poems on the theme of their homeland, host countries, and love. If they had such an opportunity, they would agree to listen to poems written by poet-diplomats.
Based on the results of the survey, we can conclude that the work of poet-diplomats is not known to school students, is not well known to teachers, there is a need to hold a poetry evening to get acquainted with the poetic work of poet-diplomats and talk about diplomats who write poetry. To do this, it is necessary to develop an event scenario.
Summing up the results of your research on the topic “Diplomat, who is he: an official or a poet?”, you can do conclusion:
a diplomat is not only a civil servant conducting negotiations in the interests of Russia, he is also a creative person with inherent spiritual and moral qualities, which are most clearly represented in the works of poet-diplomats.
The hypothesis was confirmed, the research objectives were completed, the goal was achieved.
Further prospects for my work will be related to the preparation of an event for students in grades 5–11 and teachers on the topic “Creativity of Russian poets and diplomats.”
Literature:
- Our Smolenka: Poetic anthology. - M.: Foundation named after M. Y. Lermontov, 2008. - 536 p.
- Our Smolenka: A poetic anthology of employees and veterans of the Russian Foreign Ministry. Poems - M.: West Consulting, 2012. - 544 p.
- Our Smolenka: newspaper public organizations Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, 2017.
- https://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/ushakov/1088530
- https://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/ruwiki/87826
- https://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/ushakov/922250
Nicholas I began to think about the need to counteract hostile propaganda against Russia that was being conducted abroad immediately after he ascended the throne after the Decembrist rebellion. It was clear that the rebels received ideological support from abroad.
In 1832, on the basis of the Third Department of His Own Imperial Majesty The office created a political intelligence service. Until this time, its own intelligence service existed in the Ministry of War and the Collegium of Foreign Affairs of Russia. However, their activities were based mainly on obtaining individual information. Therefore, Nicholas I decided to create Russian foreign policy intelligence, which would become more professional and systematically collect the necessary intelligence information.
From that time on, officials of the Third Section began to be frequently sent to Europe to study the political situation, recruit foreign agents and organize a system of monitoring the Russian opposition in the capitals of leading European powers. The official for special assignments of the First Expedition headed the foreign intelligence of the Third Department.
A.A. Sagtynsky. His main merit was that he created an agent network in Europe of the so-called literary agents: Ya.A. Tolstoy, K.F. Schweitzer, M. Duran, Ya.N. Ozeretskovsky and others. In addition to intelligence activities, they were engaged in counter-propaganda. Effective counter-propaganda abroad and in Russia was a completely new task for Russian intelligence. Literary agents had to refute in the foreign press unfavorable reviews of Russia and Nicholas I, which regularly appeared in newspapers, magazines and books European countries.
Essential counter-propaganda is often underestimated. But sometimes it is more effective than the actions of many divisions. No wonder Napoleon said that “two hostile newspapers are more dangerous than a hundred thousand troops.”
Therefore, Russian political intelligence created its offices in many countries. In addition to England and France, there were strongholds of the Third Section in Switzerland, Belgium, and Austria. All the work of Russian agents abroad was coordinated by court adviser Baron K.F. Schweitzer, writer and journalist. This is how the Third Section reported on this: “I sent one of my officials (meaning Baron Schweitzer) to Germany with the aim of refute, through sensible and intelligent newspaper articles, the gross absurdities printed abroad about Russia and its monarch, and in general try to counteract the revolutionary the spirit that possessed journalism."
Fyodor Tyutchev, who served as a diplomat abroad for many years, worked especially effectively in this area, constantly speaking out with sharp journalistic articles. Amazingly, the themes of his speeches most paradoxically resonate with today.
Speaking then on the topic of the day and indignant at the behavior of Germany, he seemed to anticipate everything that would happen in Europe many years later, when liberated from fascism Soviet Union countries will begin to rewrite history, they will begin to demolish monuments to Russian soldiers who saved them from Hitler.
“Interesting things are written and published in Germany,” Tyutchev exclaimed indignantly, about Russian soldiers who “thirty years ago shed blood on the battlefields of their homeland in order to achieve the liberation of Germany.”
Their blood, wrote Tyutchev, “merged with the blood of your fathers and your brothers, washed away the shame of Germany and won its independence and honor... After centuries of fragmentation and long years of political death, the Germans were able to gain their national independence only thanks to the generous assistance of Russia.”
Tyutchev creates a kind of hymn to the Russian soldier: “Walk through the departments of France, where the enemy invasion of 1814 left its mark, and ask the inhabitants of these provinces, which soldier from the enemy troops constantly showed the greatest humanity, the strictest discipline, the least hostility towards civilians, unarmed citizens “You can bet a hundred against one that they will name you a Russian soldier.”
Tyutchev published a brochure in Munich on the relationship between Russia and Germany, indignant that Russia, which liberated Europe from Napoleonic rule thirty years ago, is now subjected to constant hostile attacks in the European press.
As a result, Tyutchev writes, that power, which “the generation of 1813 greeted with noble delight... managed, with the help of a refrain constantly repeated to the current generation at its birth, almost succeeded, I say, in transforming this same power into a monster for the majority of people of our time , and many already mature minds did not hesitate to return to the simple-minded childishness of the first age in order to give themselves the pleasure of looking at Russia as some kind of cannibal of the 19th century.”
Isn’t that what they do in the West today? For a century and a half, Europe has learned nothing?
In September 1843, the all-powerful head of the Third Department, Count Benckendorff, unexpectedly invited diplomat Fyodor Tyutchev, who was heading to Germany on business, to his estate on the Fall manor near Revel (present-day Tallinn). Immediately after this meeting, Tyutchev wrote to his wife with delight: “I spent five days with the count in the most pleasant way. I can’t be happier that I acquired the acquaintance of such a nice person as the owner of this place. This is, of course, one of the best human natures I have ever met...”
So the diplomat, who is better known to us today as great poet, wrote about Benckendorff, whom Soviet historiography later began to portray as a ferocious royal ruler. However, Benckedorf invited Tyutchev to his place, of course, for a reason, but fulfilling a personal order from Emperor Nicholas I. The fact is that the tsar read one of Tyutchev’s journalistic articles, and the emperor liked the thoughts expressed in it. And since the article was published without a signature, he instructed the chief of gendarmes to immediately find the author and talk to him. About what?
The Emperor was outraged by the book “Russia in 1839” by the French Marquis de Custine that appeared at that time. The insidious marquis, who was kindly received in St. Petersburg, then returned to Paris and wrote an evil libel that literally shocked Russian society. It portrayed Russia as a gloomy and gloomy despotism, a country of barbarians and slaves. The Tsar decided that it was necessary to give an answer to this vile attack, to make sure that the West knew the truth about Russia. And then Tyutchev’s article caught his eye, and he instructed Benckendorff to talk about this topic with its author.
Tyutchev’s conversation with Benckendorf ultimately led to the fact that he was appointed an official on special assignments under the state chancellor and became a close friend of Alexander Gorchakov, and then the chairman of the foreign censorship committee. He was entrusted with creating a positive image of Russia in the West, as well as making independent appearances in the press on political issues of relations between Europe and Russia. In other words, Tyutchev turned out to be one of the most effective counter-propagandists, responding with his pen to the streams of lies and slander that were even then rolling like an avalanche from the West to our country.
And this was not surprising, since the one whom we know today, first of all, as a brilliant poet, was not a professional writer, but served as a diplomat and did not give of great importance his poems, many of which were published only after his death. If not for N.A. Nekrasov, who drew attention to Tyutchev in the article “Russian Minor Poets,” would probably not have noticed him at all during his lifetime in this capacity.
Who was a diplomat in those days? And the same as today - a political intelligence officer. Tyutchev regularly sent reports to St. Petersburg, talked with informants, analyzed the political situation in the host countries, drew conclusions and made his proposals.
And the conclusions were sad.
A wave of Russophobia in those years literally overwhelmed the press of Western Europe; European writers and poets vied with each other to portray Russia as a gloomy country of barbarians and tyrants. It was not only de Custine who distinguished himself. Famous Victor Hugo wrote:
Russia! You are silent, sullen servant
St. Petersburg darkness, dumb convict
Siberian mines, covered with snowstorm,
Polar casemate, vampire empire.
Russia and Siberia are two faces of the idol:
One face is oppression, despair is another.
Russia, which liberated Europe from Napoleonic rule, Tyutchev wrote on this occasion, is now subject to constant hostile attacks from the European press.
He did not answer de Custine directly, but wrote to Gustave Kolb, editor of the influential German General Newspaper: “They talk a lot about Russia; these days it has become the subject of burning, restless curiosity. It is obvious that it has become one of the biggest concerns of the present century..., a child of the West, sees in Russia, if not hostile, then a completely alien element that does not depend on it... What is Russia? What is the meaning of her being in the world, what is her historical law? Where did she come from? Where is it going? What does it represent? If only it were possible to discover, in the outpouring of hostile cries against Russia, a reasonable and plausible reason to justify such hatred!”
“The true defender of Russia is history; for three centuries, it has tirelessly resolved in favor of Russia all the trials to which it subjects its mysterious destiny,” says Tyutchev.
Tyutchev lived abroad for a long time and understood better than many how they really treated Western Europe to Russia. His level of awareness could be the envy of any modern diplomat. He was “on friendly terms” not only with kings and local nobility, but also with Heine, Schelling, Goethe, and other luminaries of European culture. And, therefore, he knew very, very much, was aware of all European intrigues, secret conspiracies and the deepest strategic plans.
The places for collecting intelligence information in those days were royal palaces, salons of princes and barons, social events and receptions at embassies. On them, Tyutchev, who had an excellent knowledge of languages, was distinguished by brilliant eloquence and rare wit, felt like a fish in water. In addition, he seemed to belong in Germany and generally belonged to him, having married a girl from a noble German family, Eleanor Peterson.
“The only natural policy of Russia in relation to the Western powers,” he concluded on the basis of the information that he had mastered, “is not an alliance with one or another of these powers, but their disunity, their division. For only when they are separated from each other do they cease to be hostile to us - out of powerlessness. This harsh truth may offend sensitive souls, but, in the end, this is the law of our existence.”
At the same time, he believed that Russia is not at all opposed to the West, but is its “legal sister”, living only “its own, organic and original life.”
Tyutchev foresaw (more than half a century before!) the threat of revolution for Russia. It is curious that while holding the post of censor, he did not allow the “Manifesto of the Communist Party” to be distributed in Russian in Russian. Moreover, Tyutchev predicted the possibility of the emergence of fascism in Germany, noting the emergence in it of something that “could lead Europe to a state of barbarism that has no parallel in the history of the world.”
Tyutchev foresaw that under the slogans of freedom and democracy a powerful attack would be launched on Russia, predicting that difficult trials awaited it, but that it would be able to overcome them. He prophetically warned the German editor that the policy of discord and hostility towards Russia would bring bitter fruits. “And then, dear sir,” he wrote, “you will pay too dearly for having once been unfair to us.”
Well, Tyutchev’s main answer to the slanderers was his famous:
You can't understand Russia with your mind,
A common arshin cannot be measured...
Moreover, it is not difficult to guess that he had in mind the Western European mind and the same “arshin”. Tyutchev, wrote Nikolai Pogodin, was the first representative of the people's consciousness about the Russian mission in Europe, in history.
His statement in the article “Russia and the West” about the pro-Western intelligentsia is striking, as if copied from the portrait of today’s Bolotnaya Square activists. “This nameless people,” he notes, calling them “the worst enemy,” “is the same in all countries. This is a tribe of individualism, denial.” At the same time, Tyutchev noted the falsity of the norms and standards imposed on Russia from the West:
For a long time on European soil,
Where lies have grown so magnificently,
Long ago the science of the Pharisees
A double truth has been created.
In relation to the Slavs, of which he was an ardent supporter, Tyutchev describes this threat as follows: “The Slavs have a worst enemy, and even more internal than the Germans, Poles, Magyars and Turks. These are their so-called intelligentsia. This is what can finally destroy the Slavic cause... These stupid, stupid, confused intellectuals still could not understand that for the Slavic tribes there is no possibility of an independent historical life outside of their legal and organic dependence on Russia.” Tyutchev seemed to have foreseen the fact that the Serbs, for example, after the NATO bombings themselves began to ask for Russian citizenship. But other states already understand that without our country modern world can't get by. This was clearly shown by the latest events around Syria, when only Russia was able to stop the new impending massacre.
Tyutchev dreamed of creating an Orthodox-Slavic state under the auspices of Russia and believed that “ Russian kingdom should extend from the Nile to the Neva, from the Elbe to China."
Moreover, he not only dreamed, but also actively contributed to this, stubbornly fought against anti-Russian forces, was convinced of the universal destiny of Russia, and believed in its special path of development. He tirelessly exposed the insidious machinations of the Jesuits and the papacy, and criticized the policies of the rising United States.
When Tyutchev began publishing his own political articles, so subtle and thoughtful, even Ivan Aksakov, who was far from sympathizing with official politics, noticed that this was the defense of Russia. “It is impossible not to admit that... for the first time the firm and courageous voice of Russian public opinion was heard in Europe. No private person in Russia has ever dared to speak directly to Europe in such a tone, with such dignity and freedom.”
According to Tyutchev, Russia “by the very fact of its existence denies the future of the West.” That’s why he was a staunch opponent of blind borrowing foreign experience, the transfer of European institutions and institutions to Russian soil. Tyutchev believed that “it is necessary to remain where fate has placed us. But such is the fatal confluence of circumstances that have been weighing down our minds for several generations now, that instead of preserving the fulcrum naturally given to our thought regarding Europe, we have, willy-nilly, tied it, so to speak, to the tail of the West.”
November 24, 1817 in St. Petersburg cavalry guard Sheremetev shot with Count Zavadovsky. This confrontation marked the beginning of the most famous quadruple duel in Russian history: after the duel of the rivals, their seconds took up the pistols - the guards cornet, future Decembrist Yakubovich And poet, writer and diplomat Alexander Griboyedov, which greatly contributed to the start of the conflict. Griboedov escaped with only an injured little finger, but the slight wound made itself felt for the rest of his life and even after the writer’s death. the site tells how the quadruple duel influenced the fate of the Russian diplomat.
They didn't share the ballerina
The quadruple duel with the participation of the future Decembrist Yakubovich and the author of the comedy “Woe from Wit” became the most famous fight of this kind in Russia. As usual, the cause of the dispute was a woman - ballerina Avdotya Istomina, which drove many contemporaries crazy. Pushkin also could not resist her: the poet dedicated several lines of the poem “Eugene Onegin” to the charming woman:
I obey the magic bow,
Surrounded by a crowd of nymphs,
Worth Istomin; she,
One foot touching the floor,
The other slowly circles,
And suddenly he jumps, and suddenly he flies,
Flies like feathers from the lips of Aeolus;
Now the camp will sow, then it will develop,
And he hits the leg with a quick foot.”
In 1817, the chamber cadet Count Alexander Zavadovsky fell in love with the beauty, but Istomina gave her heart to the cavalry guard headquarters captain Vasily Sheremetev. One day the couple quarreled. Sheremetev did not go to Avdotya’s performance, and the Russian diplomat and writer Alexander Griboyedov took advantage of this. After the performance ended, he approached Istomina backstage and invited her to “tea” with his friend, with whom he was living at the time. Of course, this friend was Zavadovsky. The ballerina accepted Griboedov's offer. Avdotya spent two days visiting the chamber cadet.
Istomina was considered a beauty and enjoyed great success among men. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
Soon Sheremetev decided to make peace with his beloved, but then he learned about the possible betrayal of the flighty ballerina, and his mood changed. The offended headquarters captain turned for advice to his friend, guards cornet and future Decembrist Alexander Yakubovich. He stated that there was only one way out of the current situation - a duel. When Sheremetev suggested that Zavadovsky shoot himself, a friend of the chamber cadet Griboyedov said that he, in turn, was ready to accept a challenge from Yakubovich: they had known each other since university times and already then experienced mutual hostility.
Two pairs of duelists
The fourth duel was scheduled for November 24: they decided to fight on Volkovo Field. The first to approach the barrier were Sheremetev and Zavadovsky, who did not share the ballerina Istomin, and Yakubovich and Griboedov acted as seconds. Historians write that Zavadovsky did not want to kill his rival, but when Sheremetev said that sooner or later he would deal with him anyway, he changed his mind. The Count hit his opponent in the stomach, mortally wounding him. The continuation of the duel had to be postponed: Sheremetev needed help, and he was taken from Volkov Field to the hospital. Doctors were unable to help the victim - he died a day later.
Due to the uproar, Griboyedov and Yakubovich postponed their fight indefinitely. Immediately after the duel, Zavadovsky went abroad and no longer claimed the ballerina’s hand, and the angry Alexander I sent his second to serve in a dragoon regiment in the Caucasus. Griboedov was not punished. Moreover, he was soon offered a position as an official of the Russian mission in the United States, but he refused and instead received the position of secretary to the Tsar's charge d'affaires in Persia.
During his work, Griboyedov often visited Tiflis. On one of these visits, he met his old enemy, Yakubovich, who served in that area. They decided to resume the duel that had broken down a year ago. It was scheduled for October 23, 2018, near a ravine near the village of Kuki. Griboyedov's second was his colleague named Amburger, and Yakubovich's second was diplomat Nikolai Muravyov. The author of "Woe from Wit" missed the mark. It is still unclear whether he did this by accident or on purpose, not wanting to shed blood. His opponent took aim and hit Griboyedov in the little finger of his left hand. At this point the opponents parted ways.
Alexander Yakubovich shot Griboyedov in the little finger. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
The injury is not was fatal, but seriously changed Griboyedov’s life. Historians believe that the duel and injury largely influenced the diplomat’s further writing. By the way, he finished the comedy “Woe from Wit” in Tiflis, six years later. Griboedov had a good ear: he even wrote music and became the author of two waltzes, one of which was named after the writer’s surname - “Griboyedovsky”. After being wounded, in order to play the piano, the diplomat had to put a special leather cover on his left little finger, without which playing music brought great discomfort to Griboedov.
Identified by little finger
The quadruple duel that went down in history reminded of itself even after the death of the writer - or rather, his death. On January 30, 1829, in Tehran, 34-year-old Griboyedov was torn to pieces by a crowd of religious fanatics right in the building Russian embassy. Another 37 diplomats died along with him. The writer’s body was so disfigured that Griboyedov could only be identified by his little finger, which was shot in a duel.
Decembrist Yakubovich outlived his rival by 16 years. For attempting regicide, he was sent to hard labor, and in September 1845 he died of water sickness.Ballerina Avdotya Istomina, who changed the fates of at least four men, continued to shine on stage and enjoy success with fans. When Nicholas I ascended the throne in 1825, she stopped receiving big roles. The Tsar knew that the ballerina was the culprit of the quadruple duel, and did not like Istomina. Gradually, Avdotya’s popularity waned. The ballerina was able to arrange her personal life only after 40 years, having found happiness with her second husband, an actor. The family idyll did not last long: in 1848, Avdotya Istomina died of cholera at the age of 49.
Her name has survived to this day thanks to the immortal lines of Pushkin and the famous quadruple duel.
Alexander Sergeevich Griboyedov - famous Russian writer, poet, playwright, brilliant diplomat, state councilor, author of the legendary play in verse "Woe from Wit", was a descendant of the ancient noble family. Born in Moscow on January 15 (January 4, O.S.), 1795, with early years proved himself to be an extremely developed, and versatile, child. Wealthy parents tried to give him an excellent home education, and in 1803 Alexander became a pupil of the Moscow University Noble Boarding School. At the age of eleven he was already a student at Moscow University (literature department). Having become a candidate of literary sciences in 1808, Griboyedov graduated from two more departments - moral-political and physical-mathematical. Alexander Sergeevich became one of the most educated people among his contemporaries, he knew about a dozen foreign languages, was very gifted musically.
With the beginning Patriotic War 1812 Griboyedov joined the ranks of volunteers, but he did not have to participate directly in hostilities. In 1815, with the rank of cornet, Griboyedov served in a cavalry regiment that was in reserve. The first literary experiments date back to this time - the comedy "The Young Spouses", which was a translation of a French play, the article "On Cavalry Reserves", "Letter from Brest-Litovsk to the Publisher".
At the beginning of 1816, A. Griboedov retired and came to live in St. Petersburg. While working at the College of Foreign Affairs, he continues his studies in a new field of writing, makes translations, and joins theatrical and literary circles. It was in this city that fate gave him the acquaintance of A. Pushkin. In 1817, A. Griboyedov tried his hand at drama, writing the comedies “My Family” and “Student”.
In 1818, Griboyedov was appointed to the position of secretary of the tsar's attorney, who headed the Russian mission in Tehran, and this radically changed his further biography. The deportation of Alexander Sergeevich to a foreign land was regarded as punishment for the fact that he acted as a second in a scandalous duel with a fatal outcome.
The stay in Iranian Tabriz (Tavriz) was indeed painful for the aspiring writer.
In the winter of 1822, Tiflis became Griboyedov’s new place of service, and General A.P. became the new chief. Ermolov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in Tehran, commander of Russian troops in the Caucasus, under whom Griboyedov was secretary for diplomatic affairs. It was in Georgia that he wrote the first and second acts of the comedy "Woe from Wit". The third and fourth acts were already composed in Russia: in the spring of 1823, Griboyedov left the Caucasus on vacation to his homeland. In 1824, in St. Petersburg, the last point was put in the work, the path to fame of which turned out to be thorny. The comedy could not be published due to censorship and was sold in handwritten copies. Only small fragments “slipped” into print: in 1825 they were included in the issue of the almanac “Russian Waist”. Griboyedov’s brainchild was highly appreciated by A.S. Pushkin.
Griboyedov planned to take a trip to Europe, but in May 1825 he had to urgently return to service in Tiflis. In January 1826, in connection with the Decembrist case, he was arrested, kept in a fortress, and then taken to St. Petersburg: the writer’s name came up several times during interrogations, and handwritten copies of his comedy were found during searches. Nevertheless, due to lack of evidence, the investigation had to release Griboedov, and in September 1826 he returned to his official duties.
In 1828, the Turkmanchay Peace Treaty was signed, which corresponded to the interests of Russia. He played a certain role in the biography of the writer: Griboyedov took part in its conclusion and delivered the text of the agreement to St. Petersburg. For his services, the talented diplomat was awarded a new position - the plenipotentiary minister (ambassador) of Russia in Persia. Alexander Sergeevich saw his appointment as a “political exile”; plans for the implementation of numerous creative ideas collapsed. With a heavy heart, in June 1828, Griboedov left St. Petersburg. verbal literary tragedy of mushroom eaters
Getting to his place of duty, he lived for several months in Tiflis, where in August his wedding took place with 16-year-old Nina Chavchavadze. He left for Persia with his young wife.
There were forces in the country and beyond its borders that were not satisfied with the growing influence of Russia, which cultivated hostility towards its representatives in the minds of the local population. On January 30, 1829, the Russian embassy in Tehran was brutally attacked by a brutal crowd, and A.S. became one of its victims. Griboyedov, who was disfigured to such an extent that he was later identified only by a characteristic scar on his hand. The body was taken to Tiflis, where its last resting place was the grotto at the Church of St. David.
According to his literary position, Griboedov belongs to the so-called “younger archaists”: his closest literary allies are P.A. Katerin and V.K. Kuchelbecker; however, the people of Arzamas also valued him, for example, Pushkin and Vyazemsky, and among his friends there were such different people, like P. Ya. Chaadaev and F. V. Bulgarin.
Even during his years of study at Moscow University (1805), Griboedov wrote poems (only mentions have reached us), created a parody of V. A. Ozerov’s work “Dmitry Donskoy” - “Dmitry Dryanskoy”. In 1814, two of his correspondences were published in the Vestnik Evropy: “On Cavalry Reserves” and “Letter to the Editor.” In 1825, he published the comedy "Young Spouses" - a parody of the French comedies that made up the Russian comedy repertoire at that time. The author uses the very popular genre of “secular comedy” - works with a small number of characters and an emphasis on wit. In line with his polemics with Zhukovsky and Gnedich about the Russian ballad, Griboyedov wrote the article “On the analysis of the free translation of “Lenora”” (1816).
In 1817, Griboyedov's comedy "Student" was published. According to contemporaries, Katenin took a small part in it, but rather his role in creating the comedy was limited to editing. The work is polemical in nature, directed against the “younger Karamzinists,” parodying their works, a type of artist of sentimentalism. The main point of criticism is the lack of realism.
Techniques of parody: introducing texts into everyday context, exaggerated use of periphrasticism (all concepts in comedy are given descriptively, nothing is directly named). At the center of the work is a bearer of classicist consciousness (Benevolsky). All knowledge about life is gleaned from books, all events are perceived through the experience of reading. Saying “I saw it, I know it” means “I read it.” The hero seeks to play book stories, life seems uninteresting to him.
Griboyedov will later repeat the lack of a real sense of reality in “Woe from Wit” - this is a trait of Chatsky.
In 1817, Griboedov took part in writing “Feigned Infidelity” together with A. A. Gendre. The comedy is an adaptation of the French comedy by Nicolas Barthes. The character Roslavlev, Chatsky's predecessor, appears in it. This is a strange young man, in conflict with society, uttering critical monologues. The same year the comedy “One’s Own Family, or a Married Bride” was released. Co-authors: A. A. Shakhovskoy, Griboyedov, N. I. Khmelnitsky.
What was written before “Woe from Wit” was still very immature or was created in collaboration with more experienced writers at that time (Katenin, Shakhovskoy, Zhandre, Vyazemsky); conceived after "Woe from Wit" - either was not written at all (the tragedy about Prince Vladimir the Great), or was not completed beyond rough drafts (the tragedy about Princes Vladimir Monomakh and Fyodor Ryazansky), or was written, but due to a number of circumstances is not known modern science. Of Griboyedov's later experiments, the most notable are the dramatic scenes "1812", "Georgian Night", "Rodamist and Zenobia". The author’s artistic and documentary works (essays, diaries, epistolary) also deserve special attention.
Although world fame came to Griboyedov thanks to only one book, he should not be considered a “literary one-liner” who exhausted his creative powers while working on “Woe from Wit.” A reconstructive analysis of the playwright’s artistic intentions allows us to see in him the talent of the creator of a truly high tragedy worthy of William Shakespeare, and the writer’s prose testifies to the productive development of Griboedov as an original author of literary “travels.”
Order of the Lion and Sun, 1st class (Persia, 1829)
Order of the Lion and Sun, 2nd class (Persia, 1819)
In 1810 he received the title of Candidate of Literary Sciences
Illustrations for "Woe from Wit"
