Pushkin Hills

Notes

p. 7, Gordin, Shchegolev, Tsyavlovskaya… Kern’s memoirs: Arkady Gordin (1913–97) was a Pushkin expert who wrote a number of books on Pushkin in Mikhailovskoye, where the Pushkin Preserve is now located. Pavel Shchegolev (1877–1931) and Tatyana Tsyavlovskaya (1897–1978) were also noted Pushkin specialists. Anna Kern (1800–79) was briefly Pushkin’s lover. The two met in nearby Trigorskoye in 1825.

p. 8, Alexei Vulf’s Diaries: Alexei Nikolayevich Vulf (1805–81) was a bon vivant and close friend of Pushkin.

p. 8, Ryleyev’s mother: Kondraty Ryleyev (1795–1826) was a leader in the Decembrist Revolt of 1825, which sought to overthrow the Tsar, and a publisher of Pushkin’s work.

p. 13, Hannibal… Zakomelsky: Ibrahim Hannibal (1696–1781) was Pushkin’s great-grandfather, an African (probably from modern-day Eritrea) who was kidnapped as a child and given as a gift to the Russian tsar, later becoming a high-ranking favourite of Peter the Great. Pushkin wrote an unfinished novel, The Negro of Peter the Great, on the subject of Hannibal. There is a famous painting that was traditionally thought to depict Hannibal, though some scholars have argued that the medal depicted in the painting was an order not created until after Hannibal’s death. Baron Ivan Mellor–Zakomelsky (1725–90), the putative subject of the painting, was a high-ranking general who served in the Second Russo-Turkish War.

p. 15, The Bronze Horseman: Pushkin’s 1833 narrative poem which takes its title from a statue of Peter the Great in St Petersburg.

p. 17, Likhonosov: Viktor Likhonosov (1936–) was closely associated with the “Village Prose” literary movement of the Sixties that focused on rural life in the Soviet Union and often presented a nostalgic or idealized view of Russia.

p. 18, Mandelstam: Osip Mandelstam (1891–1938), Russian poet and essayist.

p. 19, the writer Volin’s work: Probably Vladimir Volin (1924–98), writer and journalist who worked for a variety of Soviet magazines and journals.

p. 20, Gleb Romanov… in Bucharest: Gleb Romanov (1920–67) was a popular actor and performer. Ruzhena Sikora (1918–2006) was a well-known Soviet singer of Czech origin. “This song for two soldi” is a line from the song ‘Una canzone da due soldi’ by the Italian singer Achille Togliani (1924–95). ‘I Daydreamt of You in Bucharest’ was a Russian song from the Fifties performed by Sidi Tal (1912–83), a Jewish singer popular in the Soviet Union.

p. 23, The sacred path will not be overgrown: A deliberate distortion of Pushkin’s famous poem ‘Exegi monumentum’: “the people’s path will not be overgrown”. Dovlatov famously attempted never to have two words in one sentence begin with the same letter – Pushkin’s text “ne zarastyot narodnaya tropa” has two Ns.

p. 27, Agdam: An Azeri fortified white wine.

p. 30, the Order of the Red Star: A decoration given for exceptional military bravery, or for long service in the armed forces.

p. 31, Gagarin: Yuri Gagarin (1934–68), Soviet cosmonaut and the first human to travel into outer space.

p. 34, The Decembrist uprising: The failed attempt to overthrow the Tsar in 1825, directly supported by many of Pushkin’s close friends.

p. 34, Benois: Alexandre Benois (1870–1960) was a Russian artist who worked extensively with the Ballets Russes and Sergei Diaghilev.

p. 36, Yesenin… Pasternak: Sergei Yesenin (1895–1925), a Russian lyrical poet who committed suicide at the age of thirty. His works were widely celebrated, but many were banned by the authorities. The poet and novelist Boris Pasternak (1890–1960) suffered enormously at the hands of the authorities, especially after being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1958 for the novel Doctor Zhivago, which was banned in the Soviet Union.

p. 36, Solzhenitsyn’s: Alexander Solzhenitsyn (1914–2008), dissident writer and activist.

p. 38, the famous drawing by Bruni: In 1837, Fyodor Bruni (1799–1875) sketched Pushkin on his deathbed.

p. 38, the secret removal and funeral… Alexander Turgenev: Alexander Turgenev (1784–1846), a close friend of Pushkin’s, transported the poet’s body to the family vault in Svyatogorsky Monastery, near Mikhailovskoye.

p. 39, Kramskoy’s Portrait of a Woman on the wall: Ivan Kramskoy (1837–87), Russian painter and critic.

p. 40, Intercession: The Intercession of the Theotokos, a holy day in the Russian Orthodox Church, celebrated on 1st October.

p. 42, 1917… Makhno: Nestor (or Bat’ko, a diminutive of the word “father”) Makhno (1888–1934) was a Ukrainian anarchist who fought against both the Whites and Reds in the Russian Civil War. Although Makhno escaped the Cheka (the Soviet secret police) after the Bolsheviks consolidated their power, many of his followers were shot.

p. 42, What was the duel between Pushkin and Lermontov about?: Pushkin and Lermontov, the best-known poets of nineteenth-century Russia, both died famously in duels, but not with one another. It is believed they never even met.

p. 42, Pikul, Rozhdestvensky, Meylakh… Novikov: Valentin Savvich Pikul (1928–90) was a writer of popular historical novels. Robert Ivanovich Rozhdestvensky (1932–94) was a lyrical poet. Boris Solomonovich Meylakh (1909–87) was a literary critic who specialized in Pushkin. Ivan Alexeyevich Novikov (1877–1959) was a prolific author who wrote several works on Pushkin.

p. 43, Benckendorff: Alexander von Benckendorff (c.1782–1844) was a Russian commander and later directly monitored and censored Pushkin’s correspondence and literary work.

p. 44, Arina Rodionovna… Seryakov: Arina Rodionovna Yakovleva (1758–1828) was Pushkin’s nanny. Yakov Seryakov (1818–69) was a sculptor.

p. 44, a Finnish knife flashed ominously: Another reference from Yesenin’s ‘Letter to Mother’ (1924).

p. 45, Mnemosyne… Delvig: Mnemosyne was a short-lived literary journal founded by Wilhelm Karlovich Küchelbecker (1797–1846) and Vladimir Fyodorovich Odoevsky (1803–69). Anton Antonovich Delvig (1798–1831), poet and close friend of Pushkin.

p. 45, Sergei Lvovich… Sergei Alexandrovich: The narrator has confused the patronymics of Pushkin’s father and Yesenin.

p. 46, Suprematism: A Russian art movement of the mid-1910s which focused on geometric patterns.

p. 47, Talleyrand… Lomonosov’s wife: Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (1754–1838), famed diplomat and statesman. Mikhail Lomonosov (1711–65), pioneering Russian grammarian, poet, scientist and founder of Moscow State University.

p. 52, d’Anthès: Georges-Charles d’Anthès (1812–95) killed Pushkin in a duel in 1837, in a dispute over Pushkin’s wife.

p. 55, Kiprensky… in a looking glass: Orest Kiprensky (1782–1836) was a leading figure in Russian portraiture, and painted one of the most famous portraits of Pushkin. The verse quoted is from an 1827 poem Pushkin dedicated to Kiprensky on seeing the portrait.

p. 55, Godunov… Gypsies… if you love my shadow: All from Pushkin’s oeuvre. Boris Godunov, a drama, was published in 1831. The Gypsies was a long narrative poem published in 1827. The quotation comes from Pushkin’s 1825 elegy to the French poet André Chénier.

p. 56, Gukovsky and Shchegolev: Grigory Alexandrovich Gukovsky (1902–50) was a Formalist literary historian. For Shchegolev see first note to p. 7.

p. 58, Likhonosov: See note to p. 17.

p. 59, the Remizov school of writing: Alexei Remizov (1877–1957), a Russian symbolist writer with an unusual style and a fixation on the whimsical and grotesque.

p. 71, Nefertiti: Nefertiti (c.1370–c.1330 BC), wife of the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten.

p. 75, Thou, nature, art my goddess: Spoken by Edmund in King Lear, Act 1, Sc. 2.

p. 78, Comrade Grishin: Presumably Viktor Grishin (1914–92), First Secretary of the Moscow Central Committee from 1967 to 1985.

p. 79, an appealing ethnic minority… Granin and Rytkheu: Presumably Dovlatov is referring here to his Armenian background. Yuri Rytkheu (1930–2008) was a Russian and Chukchi writer. Daniil Granin (1919–) is a Russian writer and public figure.

p. 82, Bulgarin: Faddey Bulgarin (1789–1859), a reactionary journalist and writer whom Pushkin disliked.

p. 86, Heifetz: The dissident writer Mikhail Heifetz (1934–).

p. 86, Grani. Or Continent: Émigré dissident journals dealing with art and politics.

p. 86, Bukovsky… Kuznetsov: Vladimir Bukovsky (1942–) and Anatoly Kuznetsov (1929–79), dissident writers.

p. 88, Santa María: One of the ships that Christopher Columbus used on his voyage to the New World in 1492.

p. 92, Anatoly Korolyov: Anatoly Korolyov (1942–91), a popular singer in the Soviet Union.

p. 93, do widzenia: “Goodbye” (Polish).

p. 105, Kobzon… Tsvetaeva: Iosif Kobzon (1937–), Russian crooner; Marina Tsvetaeva (1892–1941), one of the best-known lyrical poets of twentieth-century Russia.

p. 108, Baba Yaga: A famous character in Russian fairy tales, an evil witch who lives in a hut on chicken legs.

p. 110, Viscount de Bragelonne: The Viscount of Bragelonne (1847–50) is a novel by Alexandre Dumas père (1802–70).

p. 111, I accede, like Shepilov: In the plot to oust Khrushchev in 1957, Dmitri Shepilov (1905–95), a secretary of the Central Committee, sided with the anti-Khrushchev faction led by Molotov, Malenkov, Kaganovich, Pervukhin and Saburov, who were swiftly defeated and lost all political influence and posts.

p. 112, Kursk Magnetic Anomaly: A region in central Russia rich in iron ore.

p. 113, Karatsupa: Nikita Karatsupa (1910–94) was a renowned border guard in the Soviet Union, who was said to have captured countless spies and smugglers, worked extreme hours and was decorated with the Order of Lenin, the highest decoration in the USSR.

p. 116, Article 92, without an instrument: Presumably a reference to the non-violent theft of state property.

p. 116, Finita la commedia: “The comedy is over” (Italian).

p. 117, Ogonyok magazine: A popular illustrated political and social magazine.

p. 117, Julius Fučík: Julius Fučík (1872–1916) was a Czech composer of predominantly military and patriotic marches.

p. 118, the academic Sakharov: Andrei Sakharov (1921–89), nuclear physicist who contributed significantly to the development of the Soviet hydrogen bomb, who later became an outspoken dissident and human-rights activist.

p. 119, Baratynsky: Yevgeny Baratynsky (1800–44) was a Russian poet and contemporary of Pushkin.

p. 124, the Tales of Ivan Belkin: A collection of five short stories by Pushkin, published in 1831.

p. 126, Dzerzhinsky: Felix Dzerzhinsky (1877–1926), or “Iron Felix”, established the notorious Soviet secret police, the Cheka, shortly after the October Revolution of 1917.

p. 127, Anton Makarenko: Makarenko (1888–1939) was a Soviet educator and the founder of orphanages for children displaced by the Russian Civil War.

p. 128, samizdat… Znamya magazine: The term samizdat, derived from the Russian for “self-publishing”, refers to the clandestine publication of literature not permitted by the authorities. Znamya is a literary periodical.

p. 132, HIAS: The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, a charity established in 1881 to assist Jews who were forced to emigrate from Russia.

p. 133, Carl Proffer: Professor of Russian at the University of Michigan, Carl Proffer (1938–84) co-founded the publishing house Ardis, which specialized in Russian literature not tolerated by the Soviet authorities, both in translation and in the original.

p. 134, Gladilin: Anatoly Gladilin (1935–), Russian writer who defected in the 1970s from Russia to live in Paris.

p. 135, Alberto Moravia: Alberto Moravia (1907–90), Italian writer and journalist.