The Presidential Library’s materials present "The Russian Academy of Sciences is inconceivable without Dal"

November 22, 2020 marks the 219th anniversary of the birth of the Russian writer, lexicographer, ethnographer, compiler of the Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language Vladimir Ivanovich Dal (1801-1872). The Presidential Library’s portal features digitized publications of the scientist, as well as the memories of his contemporaries about this amazing man who is able to compose fairy tales, go on sea voyages, own surgery, be a field doctor, and at the same time do not stop working on the dictionary.

The first edition of the Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language - the work of the whole life of Vladimir Ivanovich Dal, was published in 1863-1866. The second, with additions and notes by philologist Yakov Grot, ethnographer Pavel Shein, was published in 1882, after the death of the author. In the XX century, in 1903-1911, under the editorship of the linguist Ivan Baudouin de Courtenay, the most complete edition of the Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language by Vladimir Dal was published: 53 years of work, 200,000 words!

This is all the more striking since the author of the dictionary was not Russian by birth. “Dal's father was Danish, his mother was also not of Russian origin”, - we read in the historical essay of Nikolai Modestov “Proceedings of the Orenburg Scientific Archive Commission. Issue 27. Vladimir Ivanovich Dahl in Orenburg". But, as it turned out, it is not necessary to be Russian by birth in order to embody the best national qualities. - <...> "My father, by the power of his will, knew how to instill in us forever the fear of God and holy moral rules", - Nikolai Modestov quotes Dal. "Seeing a person of such intelligence, learning and willpower, like him, you involuntarily submit to his beliefs forever. On every occasion he reminded us that we are Russians, knew the language as his own, regretted in 1812 that we were still young and unfit, and gave his horses the nickname: Smolenskaya, Borodinskaya, Mozhaiskaya…""

The respect for the Russian language, which has entered the flesh and blood, was polished by life itself. Thirteen years old, Dal entered the St. Petersburg Naval Cadet Corps, where the dialect of cadets from different counties and provinces was mixed with a peculiar naval student jargon. The young cadet did not always understand the meaning of the words used. “In order not to get into an awkward position, resourceful Dahl began to resort to the simplest means - to write down the current cadet words and their meanings. In the service, Dahl enriched his vocabulary and acquired the habit of writing down and collecting words”, - says Nikolai Modestov in his historical essay.

Dahl served in the Black Sea, then in Kronstadt. However, a real military sailor did not come out of him for a very annoying reason. In the book by Yakov Groth "Reminiscence of V. I. Dahl: (with extracts from his letters)" (1873) Vladimir Ivanovich admits: "I was rocked at sea so that I could not serve, but as a punishment for state education I had to serve , unsuccessfully trying to transfer to engineers, artillery, army".

In 1826 he entered the University of Dorpat at the Faculty of Medicine. In his biographical sketch about Dal, Modestov writes: "After leaving the service, he attended a course in medical sciences together with Pirogov and Inozemtsev." The former sailor became interested in surgery and passed the exam with flying colors. His studies were interrupted by the Russian-Turkish war of 1828-1829.

In 1831, during the Polish uprising, Dal again took part in hostilities as a divisional doctor. Fyodor Ridiger's book "Description of the bridge built on the Vistula river for the passage of Lieutenant General Ridiger's detachment" (1833), which is available on the Presidential Library’s portal, tells how "Doctor Dal" applied engineering skills when building a bridge across the Vistula, defended it was destroyed during the crossing and then, after the passage of the Russian division across the river. On the report to the authorities about Dal's decisive actions, the corps commander Fyodor Ridiger imposed a resolution: “To submit to the order for the feat. To issue a reprimand for non-fulfillment and evasion of their direct duties". Emperor Nicholas I awarded Dal with the order of the Vladimir Cross.

Dal's military awards Nikolai Modestov records in the collection “Proceedings of the Orenburg Scientific Archive Commission. Issue 27. Vladimir Ivanovich Dal in Orenburg": "Doctor of Medicine Vladimir Ivanov, son of Dahl, 30 years old; Knight of the Orders: St. Vladimir 4th degree, St. Anna 3rd degree; has a silver medal for the Turkish war of 1829 and a military dignity cross of the 3rd degree for the Polish war of 1831”.

Crowned with awards, on his return to St. Petersburg, Dal served in a military hospital and soon became known as a brilliant surgeon. During this period, the writer created several articles, sketches for future works. In 1832, under the pseudonym "Cossack Vladimir Lugansky" (Dal was born in the village of Lugansk plant, now the city of Lugansk), the military doctor released "Russian fairy tales from the folk oral tradition into civil literacy <...>. First five". Opinions were divided. “Grech and Pushkin warmly supported this trend of mine, also Gogol, Khomyakov, Pogodin; Zhukovsky was, as it were, more indifferent to this and was afraid of peasantry, - Groth quotes Dahl in the publication "Memories of Vladimir Dal: (with extracts from his letters)" And he reports further that academicians rebelled against the language of Fairy Tales. And people close to the court "found in Lugansky's tales some kind of terrible intent against the supreme power."

Meanwhile, the work on the Explanatory Dictionary continued, where Dal used previous works, and above all the Dictionary of the Russian Academy, published at the end of the 18th century, an electronic copy of which is available on the Presidential Library’s portal.

The institution’s portal also features the rare edition of "Proverbs of the Russian people" by Vladimir Dal, some of which the author has placed in the Explanatory Dictionary. In addition to proverbs, the collection includes sayings, sayings, pure phrases, jokes, riddles that clearly and accurately reflect the customs and mores of the Russian people. Enjoying the richness of the Russian dialect, its flexibility and exceptional expressiveness, Dal at the same time spoke and wrote about the separation of the written language from the popular basis, about the clogging of book speech with "foreign words", that is, borrowed words.

It is known that Vladimir Ivanovich Dal witnessed the last days and minutes of the life of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. “He, Pushkin”, - Dal wrote, “I found a crowd in the hall and in the hallway - fear of waiting ran in a whisper over pale faces ... I went up to the sick man - he gave me his hand, smiled and said:“ Bad, brother! ” I sat down on the deathbed ¬ and did not leave, until the end of the passionate day. For the first time, Pushkin told me "you". I answered him the same way and fraternized with him a day before his death, no longer for the local world!"

Years passed, and now Yakov Grot, in the publication "Memories of Vladimir Dal: (with extracts from his letters)" writes: "The last time I saw Dal was June 1872: he was just recovering from a recent apoplexy and sat on the bed, but retained complete freshness of mental strength; spoke clearly, and with imperturbable calmness started talking about the upcoming separation from life".

Vladimir Ivanovich Dal died on October 4, 1872 in Moscow and was buried at the Vagankovsky cemetery.