Onegin et al. (correction & reply)

[Irene Zohrab]

Dear Vera Beljakova,

I feel obliged to comment on your statement that the current postings relating to homosexuality are “quasi-political” and have nothing to do with the culture of Russia in the nineteenth century. Not wishing to “overwork” these “notions” I feel it is only fair to remember that there is evidence to show that homosexuality was not unknown in many sections of Russian society in the nineteenth century. Already in 1830-40s according to the Memoirs of “Peterburgskii starozhil”, the pseudonym of V P Burnashev (1810-1888) (a writer mainly of childrens’ literature) “pederasticheskii razvrat”  as he refers to it, was prevalent in St. Petersburg. Amongst other things he notes that along the Nevsky, in addition to the usual street women, there were also young men: ”Vse eto byli prekhoroshen’kie soboiu foreitory. . .kantonistiki, pevchie razlichnykh khorov, remeslennye ucheniki opriatnykh masterstv, preimushchenstvenno parikhmakherskogo, oboinogo, portnogo, a takzhe lavochnye mal’chiki bez mest, moloden’kie pisar’ki voennogo i morskogo ministerstv, nakonets dazhe vitsmundirnye kantseliarskie chinovniki raznykh departamentov. . . .  mezhdu molodymi izvozchikami, osobenno likhachami, bylo ves’ma mnogo paren’kov, promyshliavshikh etim gnusnym promyslom”. (Quoted in: K.K. Rotikov, Drugoi Peterburg, Sankt-Peterburg, 1998, pages 357-8) 
In relation to the elite “salons of St Petersburg” there is an interesting publication printed in Geneva in 1879 (due to censorship in Russia) entitled “Erot Russe: Ne dlia Dam” that consists of homoerotic material.  The collection opens with an ironic address to the reader pointing out that the contents is a reflection of the mores of a number of well-known educational institutions that had produced many of Russia’s leading personages and statesmen in the past. It contains amongst other things the well-known long poem by A F Shenin “The adventures of a Page” and some early poems of Lermontov’s. 
There is more evidence regarding the latter part of the nineteenth century. Often cited is the report by the Minister of State Property. M.N. Ostrovsky (the brother of the playwright) that supplies some graphic details about homosexuality in St. Petersburg of the 1880s: “porok muzhelozhestva sushchestvuet uzhe neskol’ko let, no nikogda ne prinimal takogo razmera, kak v nastoiashchee vremia, kogda, mozhno skazat’, net ni odnogo klassa v peterburgskom naselenii, sredi kotorogo ne okazyvalos’ by mnogo ego posledovatelei. . . . ”. (Quoted in Rotikov, p.358-360)

Various other sources could be cited. 

I.Z.





-----Original Message-----
From: Slavic & East European Languages and Literature list on behalf of atacama at global.co.za
Sent: Sun 4/16/2006 9:53 PM
To: SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Onegin et al. (correction & reply)
 
Dear Dr. Daniel Rancour-Laferriere,

I understand Edward Dumanis to you very well.
You are giving the image of promoting the
Gay-Culture, which has taken on quasi-political status 
in the Western World, and is a 21st c. (late 20th
c.) phenomenon, trying to use poor Onegin as a vehicle,
but this has very little to do with 19th century reality
of Tatyana's provincial Russia or the elite salons of 
St. Petersburg.

Toying with such notions is one thing, and can be quite
amusing for this Listserv, but I am alarmed when such 
notions are taken seriously or overworked.

Therein lies the crux of the matter.

With respects,

Vera Beljakova
Johannesburg



-----Original Message-----
From: Slavic & East European Languages and Literature list on behalf of Daniel Rancour-Laferriere
Sent: Sun 4/16/2006 6:06 PM
To: SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Onegin et al. (correction & reply)
 
Dear Edward Dumanis,
I have read your message several times, and I cannot understand it, 
especially your usage of the word "political."  Please try to distill 
your message into a single straightforward paragraph so that I can give 
a simple and direct response.

Thank you,

Sincerely,
Daniel Rancour-Laferriere

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------