Rīgas humānistu motīvs Roalda Dobrovenska romānā „Magnus, dāņu princis”

2021 ◽  
pp. 172-180
Author(s):  
Ausma Cimdiņa
Keyword(s):  
Life Story ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Historical Narrative ◽  
Human Society ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
Nation States ◽  
Russian State ◽  
History Of ◽  
Historical Role

The novel “Magnus, the Danish Prince” by the Russian diaspora in Latvia writer Roald Dobrovensky is seen as a specific example of a biographical and historical genre, which embodies the historical experience of different eras and nations in the confrontation of globalisation and national self-determination. At the heart of the novel are the Livonian War and the historical role and human destiny of Magnus (1540–1683) – the Danish prince of the Oldenburg dynasty, the first and the only king of Livonia. The motif of Riga’s humanists is seen both as one of the main ideological driving forces of the novel and as a marginal reflection in Magnus’s life story. Acknowledged historical sources have been used in the creation of the novel: Baltazar Rusov’s “Livonian Chronicle”; Nikolai Karamzin’s “History of the Russian State”; Alexander Janov’s “Russia: 1462–1584. The Beginning of the Tragedy. Notes of the Nature and Formation of Russian Statehood” etc. In connection with the concept of Riga humanists, another fictitious document created by the writer Dobrovensky himself is especially important, namely, the diary of Johann Birke – Magnus’s interpreter, a person with a double identity, “half-Latvian”, “half-German”. It is a message of an alternative to the well-known historical documents, which allows to turn the Livonian historical narrative in the direction of “letocentrism” and raises the issue of the ethnic identity of Riga’s humanists. Along with the deconstruction of the historically documented image of Livonian King Magnus, the thematic structure of the novel is dominated by identity aspects related to the Livonian historical narrative. Dobrovensky, with his novel, raises an important question – what does the medieval Livonia, Europe’s common intellectual heritage, mean for contemporary Latvia and the human society at large? Dobrovensky’s work is also a significant challenge in strengthening emotional ties with Livonia (which were weakened in the early stages of national historiography due to conflicts over the founding of nation-states).

V.S. Naipaul, Caribbean Writing, and Caribbean Thought

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Ghosh
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Development ◽  
Public Intellectual ◽  
Historical Narrative ◽  
Derek Walcott ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Kamau Brathwaite ◽  
Political Debates ◽  
History Of ◽  
Principal Subject ◽  
Intellectual Formation

This book presents a new portrait of V.S. Naipaul, one of the twentieth-century’s most controversial writers about colonialism and its aftermath, by looking at his relationship with the Caribbean, the region of his birth. It argues that whilst Naipaul presented himself as a global public intellectual—a citizen of nowhere—his writing and thought was shaped by his Caribbean intellectual formation, and his investment in Caribbean political debates. Focusing on three key forms of Caribbean writing—the novel, the historical narrative, and the travel narrative—it shows how the generic, stylistic, and formal choices of writers had great political significance. Telling the story of his creative and intellectual development at three crucial points in Naipaul’s career, it offers a new intellectual biography of its principal subject. By showing Naipaul’s crucial place in the history of Caribbean ideas, it also provides new perspectives on a number of major writers and thinkers from the region, including C.L.R. James, Eric Williams, Kamau Brathwaite, Sylvia Wynter, George Lamming, Derek Walcott, Maryse Condé, and David Scott.

The Great War, Independence, and Latvian Literature

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (4 (463)) ◽  
pp. 9-21
Author(s):  
Benedikts Kalnačs
Keyword(s):  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
First Century ◽  
Great War ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Direct Experience ◽  
Nation States ◽  
History Of ◽  
To Come ◽  
The Great War ◽  
Written Sources

The article focuses on the representation of the year 1918 in Latvian literature. On November 18, the independent Republic of Latvia was proclaimed, and in the years to come international recognition of the state’s sovereignty followed. In retrospect, this event stimulated a number of salutary descriptions and interpretations and certainly provides a milestone in the history of the Latvian nation. It is, however, also important to discuss the proclamation of independence in the context of the Great War that brought a lot of suffering to the inhabitants of Latvia. Therefore, a critical evaluation of the events preceding the year 1918 is certainly worthy of discussion. The article first sketches the historical and geopolitical contexts of the period immediately before and during the Great War as well as the changed situation in its aftermath. This introduction is followed by a discussion of the novel 18 (2014) by the contemporary Latvian author Pauls Bankovskis (b. 1973) that provides a critical retrospective of the events leading to the proclamation of the nation state from a twenty-first century perspective. Bankovskis employs an intertextual approach, engaging with a number of earlier publications dealing with the same topic. Among the authors included are Anna Brigadere, Aleksandrs Grīns, Sergejs Staprāns, Mariss Vētra, and others. The paper contextualizes the contribution of these writers within the larger historical picture of the Great War and the formation of the nation states and speculates on the contemporary relevance of the representation of direct experience, and the use of written sources related to these events.

THE SPASE OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE CREATIVE HISTORY OF M.A. BULGAKOV’S NOVEL THE MASTER AND MARGARITA

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Kolysheva
Keyword(s):  
Textual Analysis ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Archival Research ◽  
History Of The Novel ◽  
Russian State ◽  
History Of ◽  
State Library ◽  
The Master And Margarita ◽  
Master And Margarita

This article is devoted to the development of the space of light and darkness in M.A. Bulgakov’s novel «The Master and Margarita». The author explores the different stages and artistic devices of Bulgakov’s work on these images in the context of the creative history of the novel. The article, based on an extensive archival research in the Manuscript Collection of Russian State Library, follows the development of the space of light and darkness through a textual analysis of the whole corpus of manuscripts of this novel

scholarly journals On teaching Christian history in the postmodern world

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippe Denis
Keyword(s):  
Geographical Location ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Degree Of Approximation ◽  
Human Condition ◽  
Historical Narrative ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
History Of Christianity ◽  
Transient Nature ◽  
History Of ◽  
Christian History

Is there truth in history? Historians are commonly expected to produce ‘facts’ and to be ‘objective’. If they teach the history of Christianity, their audience sees in them the depositors of the ‘truth’ on the history of church. Showing the contradictions of the church’s discourse in the past and highlighting the essentially transient nature of church doctrine are perceived as a threat. Yet, our knowledge of the Christian past is provisional and limited. It depends on the quality of the historical sources at our disposal. Consciously or not, it is always the result of a process of knowledge construction. The aim of this article is to explore the triple challenge – pedagogical, pastoral and intellectual – that researchers in history of Christianity face in the exercise of their profession. Historians trained in the tradition of historical criticism consider that an historical narrative can claim a certain degree of approximation of the truth if the documents on which it is based pass the test of authenticity, reliability and validity. Without necessarily denying that truth exists somehow and somewhere, postmodern historians – and this also applies to Christian history – insist that any form of historical knowledge is constructed and that all approaches to truth are situated in terms of period, geographical location, social environment, class, gender, age and race. The study of history of Christianity brings discomfort. But in the end, one gains from confronting the critical challenges of the discipline. Faith will come out stronger if it faces the reality of the human condition.

Pen of the Jahriyya: A commentary on The History of the Soul by Zhang Chengzhi

Inner Asia ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Garnaut
Keyword(s):  
Historical Novel ◽  
Historical Narrative ◽  
Chinese History ◽  
The Novel ◽  
May Fourth Movement ◽  
Spiritual Community ◽  
Fourth Movement ◽  
History Of ◽  
Zhang Chengzhi ◽  
Imperial State

AbstractChina’s leading Muslim writer, Zhang Chengzhi, published in 1991 an historical novel about a Sufi Islamic community, entitled The History of the Soul. The novel covers the two hundred years leading up to 1919, the year of the May Fourth Movement that is conventionally considered as the beginning of modern Chinese history. During this period, the Sufi community that is the subject of Zhang’s novels, called the Jahriyya, was involved in a series of violent clashes with the Qing imperial state. The author weaves through his historical narrative of a Chinese spiritual community the story of his own spiritual crisis, which he underwent in the 1980s and finally overcame through his encounter with the Jahriyya.

scholarly journals The Reflection of the Era of the “Roaring Twenties“ in the F.S.Fitzgerald’s Novel «The Great Gatsby»

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 7-14
Author(s):  
A. Diadechko
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Life Story ◽  
Common Interest ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Jazz Age ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Great Gatsby ◽  
The Great Gatsby ◽  
History Of ◽  
American Society

The article deals with the portraying “Roaring Twenties” which marked a legendary and unprecedented period in the history of American society. Though this era goes back to the beginning of the 20th century, it has never stopped arousing deep common interest because of its uniqueness. Having been abundantly reflected in numerous pieces of art and literature, “Roaring Twenties”, synonymously named “The Jazz Age”, go on provoking public discussion and reevaluation. If viewed in literary terms, this epoch is certainly linked with the name of Francis Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) and with his best known novel “The Great Gatsby” filmed five times. The writer is considered to be one of the best chronicler of the American 1920s. Fitzgerald’s masterpiece had embodied many symbols and icons of America which travelled though one hundred years and still feature contemporary society. The articles attempts to outline extra-lingual information and data that shape the temporal and cultural background of the novel. It aims at providing the readers with sufficient additional information that may significantly enlarge on the novel context grasping. It proposes a detailed description and interpretation of symbols and markers of the American 1920s which typically feature “Roaring Twenties” and the ways they are projected onto Fitzgerald’s story. In particular, the focus is made on American Dream doctrine, New York of the 1920s, the conflict between “the old money” and “the new money”, feminism and fashion, alcohol and crime, music, cars. Some parallels between the author’s life story and his characters are also specified.

scholarly journals On the History of Old Believer in Lithuania in 19th Century: Rimkai Old Believer Church Assembly in 1856 and its Resolutions

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-72
Author(s):  
Nadežda Morozova
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
Historical Narrative ◽  
Source Analysis ◽  
Main Task ◽  
Old Believers ◽  
Russian State ◽  
History Of ◽  
Diplomatic Edition ◽  
State Library ◽  
The 19Th Century

The history of Old Believers in Lithuania in the 19th century is insufficiently studied. Well, we know the main centers, events and names of the most important figures, the key moments in the history of the Old Believer society are identified. But there are any generalizing monographs in this field and now the main task is to accumulate empirical material and try to put them in a future common historical narrative. The Old Believer community of Rimkai is one of the oldest in the central part of present-day Lithuania. In 1856 an Old Believers’ church assembly was held in the village of Rimkai. This assembly has so far been unknown in historiography, so this is the first time information about the meeting is being introduced into scientific circulation. The resolutions of the assembly are preserved in the only manuscript, which i s now held at the Russian State Library as part of E. V. Barsov’s collection no. 1025. The resolutions consist of 33 articles discussing the Old Believers’ iconolatry as well as regulation of ritual and everyday norms of behaviour applicable to both church leaders and ordinary parishioners. The documents were signed by 13 Old Believers’ spiritual fathers and monks from Lithuania and East Prussia. This study contains a diplomatic edition of Rimkai resolutions too. The text of the document is supplemented by historical commentary and source analysis.

Materials on the history of military temple construction in the funds of the Russian State Historical Archive

2019 ◽  
pp. 165-171
Author(s):  
Anna Ivitskaya
Keyword(s):  
Technical Condition ◽  
Records Management ◽  
Special Role ◽  
Technical Documentation ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
Relevant Today ◽  
Historical Archive ◽  
Russian State ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Military

The study of materials on the history of military temple construction is particularly relevant today. Archival sources play a special role in the study of the history of military temples of Saint Petersburg of the 18th – early 20th centuries. Official documentary and records management materials on military temple construction were partially covered in the study of the military clergy, the history of urban development, and mostly did not become the subject of special research in Russian literature. The purpose of the study is to identify and study a complex of historical sources on the history of the military temples construction in the funds of the Russian State Historical Archive. The methodological basis of the study is based on the principles of objectivity, historicism, systematic scientific analysis based on the scientific method of cognition, includes general historical research methods, and the method of historical heuristics is applied. The study is devoted to the description of materials on the history of military temples construction stored in the funds of the Russian State Historical Archive (RSHA). We highlight types of documents, collections of funds are described. We note the importance of studying the complex of official and records management documentation on the history of military temple construction. We consider the importance of technical documentation, which allows to obtain information on the technical condition of military temples and to reveal the dynamics of their construction. We carry out the analysis of sacristan inventory list, giving an idea of specific liturgical objects stored in churches and cathedrals.

The Contemporary Contours of Imperialism

2019 ◽  
pp. 58-63
Author(s):  
Chirashree Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Power Relations ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Production Networks ◽  
Global Production Networks ◽  
Global Order ◽  
Material Basis ◽  
Nation States ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
Institutional System

Situated largely within the Marxist debates on imperialism—but addressing the liberal formulations too—The Changing Face of Imperialism: Colonialism to Contemporary Capitalism is an important intervention regarding the material basis of imperialism and its three-hundred-year-old history of unequal power relations. The book broadly addresses five issues: (1) the nature of finance capital and the novel yet familiar processes of value extraction; (2) the world of capital; (3) global production networks and labor regimes; (4) the institutional system of nation-states in the new global order; and (5) the nature of integration from colonial regimes to now.

scholarly journals «In the Shadow of the Central Wic»: the Economic Activities of the Petrograd District War Industry Committee in 1915-1918

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 240-266
Author(s):  
Vladimir Lobanov ◽  
Yasyn Abdullaev
Keyword(s):  
Economic Activities ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
Historical Archive ◽  
Russian State ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Manufactured Products ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Russian Empire ◽  
First Time ◽  
Western Historiography

The purpose of this study is the analysis of the economic activities of the Petrograd District War Industry Committee in 1915-1918. Despite the fact that the history of the war industry committees is widely described in Russian and Western historiography, this topic still retains a serious research potential. In particular, until now no special work dedicated to the Petrograd District War Industry Committee has been published. At the same time, the study of one of the largest regional committees in the Russian Empire, which was located in the capital of the country, certainly is of great value. The article considers the history of the establishment and liquidation of the Petrograd District Committee, its structure and composition, peculiarities of relations with the Central War Industry Committee and the Imperial authorities, and shows the results achieved by the committee in the economic field. The author comes to the conclusion that the Petrograd District War Industry Committee made a great contribution to the mobilization of Russian industry and the supply of the belligerent army, far outstripping the other district and local committees in terms of the volumes of orders and manufactured products. At the same time, for a number of special reasons, the Petrograd District Committee lost hopelessly before two other capitals war industry committees: Central and Moscow District. The research is based on a wide range of historical sources, the basis of which is the documentary materials from the Russian State Historical Archive that were put into scientific circulation for the first time.

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