FEATS AND STRUGGLES OF ARCHPRIEST AVVAKUM. 400TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GREAT AUTHOR OF «ZHITIYE» («LIFE»), THE FIRST RUSSIAN AUTOBIOGRAPHY
https://doi.org/10.24833/2410-2423-2020-1-21-121-129
Abstract
We will soon celebrate the 400th anniversary of archpriest Avvakum, the pioneer of Russian literature, and the legendary header of old believers rock-solid in his principles. He came into the world in early 1620 and lived a glorious life of a saint martyr who never abjured his faith despite all persecutions and sufferings.
The leader of old believers, he never accepted the church reform. However, the archpriest Avvakum marked the history of our country not only as an extraordinary clergyman but as an outstanding publisher, who made an enormous contribution to the formation of Russian literature. «Zhitiye (Life) of Avvakum», the main work of his life, is written in the language coherent for contemporary readers. He imbues his sorrowful narration of his life with colorful epithets and figurative comparisons. The archpriest was among the groundbreakers of our literature who used dialogues to give more drama to his timeless prose. Avvakum was the first to tell the story about himself not as a great martyr. He wrote about himself offering his readers, his fellow believers in the first place, his own biography starting from his birth and to his expulsion to Pustozersk, an inaccessible northern town which ceased to exist nowadays. He had spent 15 years of his life in the earthen prison together with his fellows. All of them were burnt at the stake in Pustozersk on April 14, 1682.
Still, the book of Avvakum is not only the story of his life and the struggles he had against his religious enemies. The archpriest proves to be an outstanding expert in geography, flora, fauna, and nature. He brilliantly describes all of those using various literary techniques. He knew the everyday life of his time really well and therefore he skillfully shared his attitude to the world around him.
The article focuses on this particular part of Avvakum’s work, which has not been often highlighted in the previous researches.
The leader of old believers, he never accepted the church reform. However, the archpriest Avvakum marked the history of our country not only as an extraordinary clergyman but as an outstanding publisher, who made an enormous contribution to the formation of Russian literature. «Zhitiye (Life) of Avvakum», the main work of his life, is written in the language coherent for contemporary readers. He imbues his sorrowful narration of his life with colorful epithets and figurative comparisons. The archpriest was among the groundbreakers of our literature who used dialogues to give more drama to his timeless prose. Avvakum was the first to tell the story about himself not as a great martyr. He wrote about himself offering his readers, his fellow believers in the first place, his own biography starting from his birth and to his expulsion to Pustozersk, an inaccessible northern town which ceased to exist nowadays. He had spent 15 years of his life in the earthen prison together with his fellows. All of them were burnt at the stake in Pustozersk on April 14, 1682.
Still, the book of Avvakum is not only the story of his life and the struggles he had against his religious enemies. The archpriest proves to be an outstanding expert in geography, flora, fauna, and nature. He brilliantly describes all of those using various literary techniques. He knew the everyday life of his time really well and therefore he skillfully shared his attitude to the world around him.
The article focuses on this particular part of Avvakum’s work, which has not been often highlighted in the previous researches.
About the Author
N. Shevtsov
Moscow State Institute of International Relations,
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Shevtsov Nikita Vsevolodovich – Candidate of Historical Sciences, Professor, Head of the master’s program “International Journalism”, Head of the Department of International Journalism, MGIMO, Russia, Moscow. The sphere of scientific and professional interests is the history of Russian and international journalism, history of medieval Russia.
76, Prospect Vernadskogo, Moscow, Russia, 119454
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Review
For citations:
Shevtsov N. FEATS AND STRUGGLES OF ARCHPRIEST AVVAKUM. 400TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GREAT AUTHOR OF «ZHITIYE» («LIFE»), THE FIRST RUSSIAN AUTOBIOGRAPHY. Linguistics & Polyglot Studies. 2020;21(1):121-129. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.24833/2410-2423-2020-1-21-121-129
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