«HISTORY WILL GAIN NOTHING NEW FROM THESE LETTERS»: TRANSLATIONS OF «LADY RONDEAU'S LETTERS» (1728–1739) IN 19TH-CENTURY RUSSIA

Abstract

This article discusses the history of translations into Russian of Jane Vigor’s work – «Letters from a lady, who resided some years in Russia, to her friend in England» (1775). The «Letters» were written in an informal style and contain various episodes from 1729 to 1739 associated with the court of the Russian Empress Anna Ioannovna. For the first time in Russia, «Letters» were translated only in 1822, in total there were three translations (1822, 1836, 1874) and only the last one was as close as possible to the original. It is important to note that only the first edition of the «Letters» was included in the translations, while the Russian translators hadn’t been aware of the very rare pamphlet «Eleven additional letters from Russia, in the reign of Peter II», which was published in London in 1784. The «Letters» are a valuable source of information on the life of the Russian court under Peter II and Anna Ioannovna rule, which makes it possible to compare the cultural values of England and Russia, which are shared at the level of diplomatic elites.

Extended abstract:

This article discusses the history of the translation into Russian of Jane Vigor's work - "Letters from a Lady, who resided some years in Russia, to her friend in England" (hereafter referred to as "Letters"), published anonymously in London in 1775. The "Letters" are written in an informal style and contain various episodes from 1729 to 1739 related to the court of the Russian Empress Anna Ioannovna. The publication of the "Letters" aroused great interest not only among the English reading public, and by the end of 1776 they were available in translations into German, French and Dutch. In Russia, translations of the "Letters" did not appear until the 19th century.
The aim of the study is to analyse and identify the characteristics of the first translations of "Letters" into Russian in the 19th century. The key question of the study is: why do translations of Jane Vigor's "Letters" into Russian appear later in Russia than in Europe?
The novelty of the study lies in the fact that, for the first time in Russian historiography, the author undertakes a comprehensive analysis of the characteristics of translations of Jane Vigor's Letters into Russian in the 19th century.
The Letters were first translated into Russian in 1822, and there were three translations in all. The first short translation was made by A.O. Kornilovich in the magazine "Syn Otechestva" in 1822. The second translation was published by M.K. Kastorsky in 1836, but it was also very unsatisfactory. A new scholarly translation of the 'Letters' by E.P. Karnovich appeared in 1874, as close as possible to the original, with a preface by the Russian historian K.N. Bestuzhev-Ryumin, notes and an alphabetical index. It is important to note that only the first edition of the 'Letters' was included in the translations, while the Russian translators were unaware of the very rare pamphlet 'Eleven additional letters from Russia, in the reign of Peter II', published in London in 1784. The "Letters" are a valuable source of information on the life of the Russian court under Peter II and Anne Ioannovna, which makes it possible to compare the cultural values of England and Russia shared at the level of the diplomatic elite.
The author concludes that the Letters came to Russia's attention later than in Europe and were ignored by translators for a long time, as the content of the Letters was underestimated in the Russian Empire and given the label of "secondary historical source". The work of K.N. Bestuzhev-Ryumin and M.I. Semevsky allowed the Letters to take their rightful place among other foreign writings on Russia in the 18th century.