LATGALIAN LITERATURE AND HISTORY OF LATVIAN LITERATURE – TRADITION AND PERSPECTIVES

Via Latgalica ◽  
2017 ◽  
pp. 104
Author(s):  
Sigita Kušnere

Latgalian literature has received relatively little attention in most studies of Latvian literature, regardless of the time or the type of the studies made, be they studies of individual or collaborative nature. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, it was largely caused by prohibition of Latgalian publications printed in the Latin alphabet. In the following periods Latgalian literature was overlooked because of lack of awareness, sometimes, also by deliberate ignorance, which was dictated by the political situation. Exploration of the current situation is the goal of this study, namely, to present a summary of what has already been accomplished and to indicate the directions where new studies are urgently needed, ideally – through joint examination of Latvian and Latgalian literatures. The summary is based on the analysis of the regularities and main issues found in the works on the history of Latgalian literature. Careful analysis of the literary processes, authors and significant literary works of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as their exposure in the studies of the history of Latvian literature reveals that a short insight in publishing of Latgalian books and periodicals was given, for instance, by Teodors Zeiferts in his fundamental study ‘History of Latvian Literature, Part 2 and 3’ (Latviešu rakstniecības vēsture, 1923, 1925), and Jānis Niedre in ‘Latvian Literature. Part 2’ (Latviešu literatūra, 1953); small essays were also included in the volumes of the collaborative study developed under Ludis Bērziņš’ chief editing ‘History of Latvian Literature’ (Latviešu literatūras vēsture, 1935–1937). However, Latgalian literature was hardly mentioned in the textbooks for the secondary schools (Vilis Plūdons ‘History of Latvian literature for secondary schools, Part 1 and 2’ (Latvju literatūras vēsture vidusskolām, 1927, 1928); Roberts Klaustiņš ‘History of Latvian Literature’ (Latviešu rakstniecības vēsture, 1907)). Neither was it paid any attention by Andrejs Upīts in his ‘History of Contemporary Latvian Literature’ (Latviešu jaunākās rakstniecības vēsture, 1885–1910 (1911)). This leads to a conclusion that the attitude towards the literature written in Latgalian was ambiguous in the first half of the 20th century as it was not fully incorporated in the conceptual analysis of the development processes of Latvian literature. The voluminous ‘History of Latvian Literature’ (Latviešu literatūras vēsture, Volume 1–6, 1956–1963), which was developed during the Soviet period, included depiction of several Latgalian writers: such as Andrivs Jūrdžs and Pīters Miglinīks (Volume 2, 1963); nevertheless they did not provide a sufficient overview of the singularity and development of Latgalian literature and its comparability with the history of Latvian literature. In the editions of the history of Latvian literature, which were written after regain of the national independence, Latgalian literature has not received any focused attention either by the authors of the 3-volume ‘History of Latvian Literature’ (Latviešu literatūras vēsture, 1998–2001) or by, for instance, Guntis Berelis in his monograph study ‘History of Latvian Literature, from the First Writings to 1999’. Having gained no wide coverage in the historical studies of Latvian literature, Latgalian literature has been fundamentally researched in several monographic works of Miķelis Bukšs, Francis Kemps, Janīna Kursīte, Valentīns Lukaševičs, Ilona Salceviča, Alberts Sprūdžs, Anna Stafecka, Vitolds Valeinis and other researchers at various time periods. Nonetheless, the question still stands: whether and how to compare and synchronise Latgalian literature with periodisation and trends of Latvian literature in order to include it in the comprehensive overview of the literature history.

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 ◽  
pp. 219-236
Author(s):  
Andrey Yu. Dvornichenko

The abundant Russian historiography of the medieval history of Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Lithuanian-Russian State) has become in the last decades the centre of the discussions and is often subject to groundless criticism. This historiography was not very lucky in the Soviet period of the 20th century either, as it was severely criticized from the Marxist-Leninist position. When discussing Russian historiography the author of this article is consciously committed to the Russian positions. There are no reasons to consider this historiography branch either Byelorussian or Ukrainian one, as that was really Russian historiography, - the phenomenon that formed under the favorable specific conditions of Russian Empire before the beginning of the 20th century. The said phenomenon can be studied in different ways: according to the existing then main trends and schools or according to their affiliation with specific universities of Russian Empire. But according to the author of this article the best way to study the issue is in accordance with the main concepts of history. And then the pre-revolutionary historiography appears as an integral scientific paradigm that turns out to be the most divaricate branch of the Lithuanian studies of the time. It created, in its turn, the most vivid and objective historical picture that can still serve as the basis for the studies of Lithuanian-Russian state.


Author(s):  
Antra Medne

Evaluating and grouping the literature historical relics, including the correspondences by letters between famous people, for a ground (base) we could take categories which demonstrate the qualities which have elements from the material world in an anent with a human. The cultural historian Fridrich Waidacher by researching the interconnection and selective values between material and spiritual world classified the evidences of material world in several chapters which are not strictly caged in permanent schemes (patterns). The division was made by taking F. Waidacher conception as a base and researching the correspondence by letters of Latvian poets and cultural workers: The potential value of the memory, the meaning which we ascribe to a concrete object (epistle). The historical value (a reference to a concrete period of time). The value of variability (a reference to the changes in the world). Rarity (singularity). The valueofarts. The correspondence in the Latvian literature – history is not a rarity. There are published several letters, for an example, between Mirdza Kempe and Eric Adamson; collected and are waiting for publishing – Raina and Aspazijas letters in the time from 1894 to 1929. This correspondence is made from 2499 letters in Latvian, Russian and German: 1154 letters are from Aspazija to Rainis and 1345 – from Rainis to Aspazija. The correspondence by letters for Alexandrs Chaks is more modest. There are just some letters, which were written by the poet. In collections in the Museum of Alexandr Chak and in the Museum of Literature and Music are approximately 40 letters written by other persons, which written to Alexandr Chak. For reasons of clearliness, they can be devided in: Letters of friends and greeting cards, which were sent to the poet in annual increment and also on birthdays. The letters from colleagues in which are analyzed the creative literature works. Official letters and reports which were sent from the State authorities and public organizations. Invitations and encouragements to start a literary work. This part refers to the period of time after the war when poets were „propelled“ to write more and appropriate to the leading instructions. Requests of help and money loans were always an issue, because A. Chak was not closefisted and gave the money to many suppliants. Letters from admirers. The most pleasant part of the correspondence. The correspondence by letters in nowadays is a rarity. It is a unique evidence of the beginning of 20th century which supplemented and enriched the history of Latvian literature and culture, by marking a very personal lines in lives of writers and poets. In this research are included just the main thoughts and waypoints in the diversity in A. Chak’s correspondence. The left written message by the poet – correspondence is deliberate and easy to access for researcher. The aim of the research: the evaluating the cultural heritage of the correspondence of Alexander Chak. The method of the research: the used method includes life stories, historical content and researching of the letters and personal documents from people who are involved in this research. In the history of literature are used not only such nomenclatures like biographical method, but also the method of oral history. The exploratory material – correspondence – is acquired during the biographical research and interviews. The biographical access, in general, is typical accent on a life of a person and also on the most significant stages and expression of it. Also, if the goal of a research is to analyze various life aspects or life stages of a person, these are looked up in a biographical context. The main question in those biographical researches is about interrelations between individual and the World. Material: the exploratory material is the correspondence of Alexander Chak which is collected and summed up from various museum holdings of Latvia, publications in books and private collections. Outcome: Are collected all written letters by Alexander Chak which are extant. Are collected and grouped all letters which Alexander Chak has received from other addressees. These letters are grouped and analyzed, by considering the topical principle. Conclusions: The culture of letter writing disappears. In the 20th century people wrote letters to each other which are extant and usable for the basis of source information in the exploratory work. Nowadays it is an exclusive thing, letters to be written in paper form, which helps to form and strengthen people relationship. The lifespan of an electronically letters are just so long, till they are moved to the recycle bin and completely deleted from the computer. The researchers of the next century will face the lack of documental material. The researchers of literature history in next hundred years will face the lack of documental material which will partly disturb to trace the development of a poets or a story writers character.


2003 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 432-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Perehvalskaya

It would be unjust to say that languages of ethnic minorities of Siberia and the Far East of Russia have not received the attention of linguists and anthropologists, yet until now there has been no book that has gathered, classified, and compared data on the sociolinguistic situation of these minorities over the whole Soviet period. This is the topic of Vakhtin's new book. It deals almost exclusively with the exterior aspect of the history of the languages; it does not analyze structural changes in the languages themselves.


2021 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-13
Author(s):  
Viktor V. Kondrashin ◽  
◽  
Gennady E. Kornilov ◽  

The article is devoted to the analysis of Russian and foreign historiography of the problem of famine and epidemics in Russia’s history. It notes the undoubted success of Russian and foreign scholars in the study of famine in Russia, especially in the Soviet period. Turning to the theme of the 1932–1933 famine in the USSR, the authors conclude that the assessments of its causes, scales and consequences in the works of Russian and the most authoritative foreign researchers coincide. The article points to the achievements of Russian and foreign historians in the study of the famine of 1891–1892, as well as the period of the Great Patriotic War. In the latter case, studying the history of the Leningrad blockade and the Nazi policy of organizing famine in the occupied territories of the USSR is meant. The article also analyzes the results of the study of epidemics in the history of Russia. Knowledge has been accumulated about the largest epidemics, the government’s measures to combat and prevent them. At the same time, epidemics and their threats in the second half of the 20th century have been poorly studied. The problem is not being actively investigated within the framework of an interdisciplinary approach and social history. The authors of the article point to the need to create a generalizing work on Russia’s famine and epidemics history using an interdisciplinary approach and with an emphasis on the regional aspect of the problem.


2018 ◽  
pp. 1081-1091
Author(s):  
Natalya A. Belyaeva ◽  
◽  
Natalya A. Shabelnikova ◽  

The article is devoted to the problems of forming a sources base for studying the history of fighting smuggling in the Russian Far East, a subject which is becoming a line of historical research. In many respects, this is due to activation of scientific activity in the Far Eastern departmental universities. Transfer of the Russian State Historical Archive of the Far East from Tomsk to Vladivostok has played its role in studying smuggling as a historical phenomenon in the Far East. Although they appreciate the work done for introducing into scientific use Soviet period documents from state and departmental archives, the authors can’t help noting fragmentary use of documents of the RGIA DV. This is what prevents reconstruction of a complete and objective picture of fighting smuggling in the periphery. The authors study new possibilities of forming a source base for studying the history of combating smuggling in the first decades of the 20th century. They note that opening all fonds the RGIA DV for researchers in 2013 created favorable conditions for comprehensive study of customs records, this peculiar source on the history of smuggling. A complex of these documents is preserved in the fonds of the customs agencies that operated in the Amur and Trans-Baikal area in the pre-revolutionary period: regional offices of customs administration, custom offices, custom posts. They had to shoulder the bulk of counter-smuggling work in the absence of border guard. Study of some archival cases demonstrates information potential of customs record keeping. The authors contend the need to improve the methods of identification and introduction into scientific use of sources on the history of fighting smuggling. Further prospects for development of this line of historical research are associated with use of the entire complex of customs agencies documents which is supposed to expand the subject-matter and to force researchers to address it not just as a crime, but also as a social and cultural phenomenon.


2020 ◽  
Vol 57 ◽  
pp. 85-100
Author(s):  
Sergii Rudenko ◽  
Iryna Liashenko

This paper presents the results of the authors’ study of the perception of Ancient Chinese philosophy in the Ukrainian philosophy of the Soviet period in the second half of the 20th century. The study is based on a unique source: a monograph by two authoritative and influential Soviet philosophers, Volodymyr Dmytrychenko and Volodymyr Shynkaruk, which was published in Ukrainian in 1958. The authors described the way of perception of Ancient Chinese philosophy, its ideological principles, main problems and key personalities in the Ukrainian philosophy of the Soviet period, and systematically presented them. The paper presents the authors’ conclusions about the leading theoretical positions and methodology of the history of philosophy in the Ukrainian philosophical culture of the Soviet period. The authors concluded that the peculiarity of the development of studies in the history of philosophy in Ukraine in the Soviet era is a departure from Hegel’s theory of the history of philosophy, the main theoretical and methodological shortcoming of which is “Eurocentrism”. This circumstance allows us to assert a critical rethinking of Hegel’s theory of the history of philosophy in the Ukrainian philosophical culture of the Soviet period of the second half of the 20th century. Also, in this paper, the authors prove the point of view that a comparative approach and reception studies are effective methods of studying the history of Ukrainian philosophy of the Soviet period.


2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zornitsa Dimitrova ◽  

In her monograph Rositsa Draganova introduces new data and facts in the unique process of the creation and performance of bulgarian educational system particularly in its sector dealing with musical teaching. In the first three chapters of this survey the author analyzes in details the normative documents, the pedagogic practice, the philosophic and pedagogical concepts, the published during the surveyed period textbooks, guide books and training materials, as well as discussions between the musical pedagogues. The last chapter of this book presents historic information on Bulgarian musical professionals who are of particular importance for the development of musical pedagogy in our country. This book presents great interest not only for the researchers in the musical pedagogy sphere and for the professionals focused on the history of Bulgarian musical culture, but also for the teachers in music at the secondary schools. It could be used as basic reference in the training of future musical pedagogues.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 466-480
Author(s):  
Lyalya R. Murtazina ◽  

The article highlights contribution of Tatar teachers in organizing Jadidist schools and educating children of the local peoples in Turkestan. Opinions of scientists of the early twentieth century, the Soviet period, and also modern researchers on this problem are presented. Based on the materials from newspapers and magazines of the early 20th century in the Tatar and Uzbek languages, the article highlights the history of the opening of certain schools and their activities. The issues of the the local population representatives’ attitide to the work of Tatar teachers are revealed. In addition, the role and influence of Tatar teachers and their textbooks on publishing educational literature written in the Turkestan peoples’ languages is also emphasized.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Anouilh ◽  
Jakub Filonik

The translation of Antigone, a play by Jean Anouilh, inspired by Sophocles’ tragedy, written in 1942 and first staged in occupied Paris in 1944. The book is addressed to general readers: students of secondary schools and universities and everyone interested in French drama, intellectual history of the 20th century and the reception of classical culture.


Author(s):  
Angelina I. Semenova ◽  

The article is devoted to the analysis of the intellectual heritage of the famous Russian philosopher, literary scholar and translator Pavel Sergeevich Popov (1892-1964), whose works have been preserved in his family archive. The article precedes the publication of the chapter on Gustav Gustavovich Shpet from Popov’s unpublished memoirs Images of the Past. Memories from university, gymnasium and childhood years (P.S Popov began to write this book in the 1920s and finished in the 1940s). Popov's manuscript is primarily of historical and philosophical value, opening up new interesting pages for us in the history of domestic Russian thought in the first half of the 20th century. It allows to take a fresh look at both Popov and Shpet, clarifies the nuances of the relationshipbetween philosophers of that time, confirms the ideological and biographical as­sumptions of researchers (for example, about the existence of a typewritten ver­sion of the second volume of Shpet’s A View on the History of Russian philoso­phy»). In addition, thanks to these memories, various details of the intellectual life in the first half of the 20th century are discovered (including the internal ide­ological connections within the Psychological Society, and the intellectual at­mosphere of the “editing” of Shpet's translation of the G.W.F Hegel’s The Phe­nomenology of Spirit. The author defends on P.S. Popov’s archival materials the idea of the existence of a continuity between the philosophy of pre-revolu­tionary Russia and the Soviet period. Their link, according to the author, is the work of university philosophers (precisely, the generation that caught the inter­ruption of the pre-revolutionary and the formation of the Soviet philosophy: G.G. Shpet, P.S. Popov, B.A. Fokht, V.F. Asmus etc.), since the university style of thinking is, in principle, aimed at preserving and transmitting the historical in­tellectual experience of generations.


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