Presidential Library marking the anniversary of Afanasy Fet

Afanasy Fet - a famous Russian poet, a follower of "pure art", a corresponding member of the Saint-Petersburg Academy of Sciences, was born exactly 200 years ago. It happened on December 5 (November 23, old style), 1820, in the Novosyolki estate in Mtsensk District of Orel Province.

Marking the poet's anniversary, the Presidential Library collection provides an opportunity to look at the portrait of Fet by the artist Ilya Repin and read the lifetime publications of his poems in the Russky Vestnik magazine (1863-1892). It is possible to explore the world of Afanasy Fet's poems by reading the XIX century editions - the collection of Historical and Literary Essays (1895) by the historian of literature Leonid Maikov; the book The Essays on Pushkin and Other Poets (1897) by philosopher Nikolai Strakhov. There are also available modern studies of his oeuvre: the abstracts of thesis Philosophical Lyrics by Afanasy Fet (2010) by Maria Glushkova, Spatial Characteristics of the World of A. Fet's Language of Poetry (2012) by Victoria Goncharova and other works.

Nikolai Srakhov wrote: "The most striking about Fet is how easy he turns to poetry. <…>… Our poet modifies all features of our life into pure poetry".

The poet's life, ideas and views are reflected by Fet in the unique edition My Memoirs. 1848-1889 (1890), which is available in the electronic collection of the Presidential Library.

In the foreword to the memoirs, Fet noted: "I am sure that everyone will find something close to his heart in my memories". These memories give a comprehensive idea of the main events in the poet's life, his activities, hobbies, home and literary environment. The story begins with a description of his family's life and morals - his judgments about relatives, written by a regiment adjutant during vacations at home: "Old father, following the principles, did not express his approval to anyone, but the former squadron commander was apparently pleased that I occupy a leading place in the regiment. In the house, I met my younger sister Nadia, who had recently finished her studies - she was a graduate of the Smolny Institute of Noble Maidens, an entirely innocent, rather cute, passionate and curious seventeen-year-old girl. Despite the short stay at home, I tried to support her inquisitive and aesthetic ambitions; of course, secretly from our father, who considered Derzhavin a great poet, and Pushkin an indecent writer..."

Afanasy Fet told in this book about the various aspects of his busy life in Russia and abroad. It contains descriptions of hunting for birds - woodcocks, hazel grouses, partridges, black grouses, and "ice fishing", sumptuous dinners at the aristocrats, when "silver dishes were served by livery servants", friendly meetings, visits to doctors and travel impressions. It also includes numerous letters by the essayist and translator Vasily Botkin, writers Alexander Druzhinin, Ivan Turgenev and Leo Tolstoy, which are not only friendly messages, but also examples of the epistolary genre, and interesting biographical evidence.

The artist's keen eye and talent allowed Fet to convey the atmosphere of his circle: "... one evening, I opened the door to Nekrasov's study and suddenly saw the entire literary circle here. - Oh! Ah! Eh! was plain to be heard from all sides. By the way, Druzhinin stretched out his both hands to me, smiled and shouted: "Upon the bough sinuous and wonderful!" - repeating my poem saved by his explanations. <...> Turgenev conveyed confusions and disputes in my friends circle about different verses in a very funny way".

The poet confessed: "... I am not interested in the pictures I have met, but in the personalities sent into my life by fate. Without them the whole life is impossible and even unbelievable ...".

The publication My Memoirs... presents all strata of society of the mid-XIX. Fet is critical of some of the characters. For example, he wrote the following about Countess Kusheleva: "... there was a raving beauty or something of this kind. As I heard, the count bought her from some K. for forty thousand rubles. As you can see, the indiscriminate beauty, who got millions after a poor life and turned to squander. They said that the modistes came to the Countess with new dresses four times a day. She often demanded one or another dress and shot it with a revolver". The other story about Fet's coachman and servant Ivan deserves a kind smile: "... looking at his pocky high cheekbones and slightly squinted, laughing gray eyes, I immediately saw that something funny had happened to him. <…> He made his usual gesture, which expressed extreme embarrassment and shyness: spreading his fingers apart and making a kind of a vizard, he closed his eyes, although he continued to look between fingers".

A poetic vision of the world is in many stories and descriptions of the memoirs: "The high poplar peaks slumbered in the warm rays of the September sun. Windfall fruits gleamed under the thick trunks of apple trees that formed the old alley of the country road which leads from the castle to the highway. A fluffy green clover began to rise under the aftermath residues... on the hillock two ploughs, harnessed by pairs of stout and well-fed horses, slowly moved one after another, leaving fresh, dark-brown stripes behind".

My Memoirs is a picture of an entire epoch, seen and told by a not indifferent observer, an active and empathic participant in the events. The book promotes a rich and insightful portrait of its creator - lyric poet and writer Afanasy Fet.