The Phenomenon of the 18th Century Institutional Printing House of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania: The Case of the Franciscans

Many of the printing houses in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania that operated during the 17th-18th centuries belonged to institutions the biggest part of which consisted of Catholic monk monasteries. Despite belonging to one group, the development path of each printing house and its contribution to book culture has unique features. Of the four institutional prin­ting houses operating in the 18th century in Vilnius, the printing house of the Franciscan Conventuals Monastery was the first to be closed and its operations terminated. The purpose of the article is to identify the following causes behind the issues and eventual closure of this printing house. Based on the expenses and income book of this printing house for the period 1752–1769 (it is preserved at the Department of Manuscripts of Vilnius University Library,) this paper examines various aspects of the Vilnius Franciscan Conventuals monastery printing house: funds, sources of equipment and paper, building location, relations with employees and hired craftsmen, orders, sources of income, profitability. In order to better understand the specificity of the institutional press, an effort was made to establish a link between the research outcome and the wider context by addressing the question of the impact of both the society of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Franciscan Order itself on the destiny of the printing house. In addition, the book of expenses and income reveals new biographical data about Vilnius engraver Franciszek Balcewicz.

ON THE OCCASION OF THE 90TH BIRTHDAY OF PROFESSOR IGOR IVANOVICH VOLKOV (1931–2008)

The article is dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the birth of Igor Ivanovich Volkov, an outstanding chemist and geochemist, professor, Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation. His biographical data, his path in science, the main stages of the research, his main scientific works and the people around him are presented.

Unknown pages from Maria Kantakuzino’s biography

Thе present publication is the first in historiography to highlight the unknown pages from the biography of Maria Andreevna Kantakuzino, wife of Foma (Toma) Kantakuzino, Major General of the Russian Army, an associate of Peter the Great. The research is based on documents discovered by the author in the State archives of the Russian Federation. The hallmark of this article is the fact, that the biographical data of Maria Cantacuzino are disclosed in the context of the political events of the 1st quarter of the 18th century, as well as her personal ties and correspondence with statesmen of the Russian Empire, the author reflects the issue of the financial situation of the countess in Russia. At the same time, the publication sheds light on the previously unknown biographical data of Maria Cantacuzino – the time and conditions of her arrival in Russia, the place of residence, as well as the date of her death. This publication, on the basis of archival documents discovered and introduced into scientific circulation, makes it possible to show the property status and possessions of the Cantacuzino family in Russia in the first half of the 18th century, as well as their fate after the death of the owners.

On the activities of E. A. Muravyova in the Roma section of the Union of Soviet Writers (until June 1941)

The article highlights the activities of the Section of Roma writers under the Bureau of National Commissions of the Union of Soviet Writers from the end of 1939 to June 1941 inclusive. This period is very significant for the restoration of the history of Soviet Romani literature for almost two years. From September 1939 to June 1941, Roma writers sought new productive contacts with the authorities in an attempt to revive Romani book publishing. The article presents new data based on previously unstudied archival documents and two letters from Roma writers. New facts about the book collection (almanac) of Romani stories translated into Russian and planned for publication in 1941 are presented and confirmed by archival documents, in particular, letters from the famous writer and poet Mikhail Timofeevich Bezlyudsky (1901–1970) and from the Crimean Roma Yu. B. Dzhaltyrov to Elizaveta Aleksandrovna Muravyova (1922–2007), whose contribution to the work of the Section is described on the basis of her biographical data. She also translated Roma tales and stories into Russian for future editions; she recorded Roma songs from performers for decades.

Ion Creanga’s personality: between document and fiction

Ion Creangă’s personality challenged the filmmakers on both banks of the Prut to create films in which to bring the famous storyteller back to the big screen. And if the genre of fiction film allows itself an artistic approach, with deviations and directorial inventions, then the non-fiction film is based on the document, drawing the true nature of the writer. In this context, there are a series of films, which aim to follow various aspects of the writer’s life, such as: Creangă (1973, directed by Vlad Druc), Creangă si Junimea (1989, directed by Ioana Holban), Ion Creanga’s God (1996, directed by Grid Modorcea), Ion Creangă (1999, directed by Anatol Codru) and others. But even these films are largely influenced by the writer’s work oscillating between document and fiction. We will refer to the films Ion Creangă’s God and Ion Creangă and analyze them from the perspective of that amalgam of events taken from the masterpiece of the writer Childhood Memories that form a common body with the rich iconographic material (photos, books, documents, archive documents, etc.) and biographical data, which being incorporated into a whole, give a special charm to the life of the writer.

О жизненном пути и научной деятельности Т. С. Теина

The article presents the biographical data and the main research results of Tasyan S. Tein, archaeologist, researcher of the Laboratory of History, Archeology, and Ethnography, NEISRI. He described the main stages in the development of the ancient Eskimo culture of Northern Chukotka, reconstructed the economy and culture, researched the social structure, religious beliefs, and rituals of Eskimos. Excavations on Wrangel Island made a significant contribution to the study of the Paleo-Eskimo period. T. S. Tein obtained representative and valuable materials from the most ancient settlement of sea mammal hunters. He researched the religion and shamanism of the Asiatic Eskimos, and completed detailed descriptions of the Eskimo seasonal festivals.

The study of biographies and the prosopographical method as a promising direction of historical studies

The article addresses the study of historical processes through the biographical data of heads of the Russian prison service between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The prosopographical method allows demonstrating the sociocultural phenomenon of paradoxical perception of reality by the Russian society at the beginning of the 20th century. The slogans of representatives of the revolutionary movement calling for justice turned into brutal terrorist acts. The study comprises archival documents and materials from pre-revolutionary periodicals.

A first glance at the work of Dorothy Blumenstock Jones

Despite having occupied an important position in the United States Office of War Information (OWI) and having actively participated in a decisive period of Communication Research, Dorothy Blumenstock Jones is a name almost forgotten in the history of the field of communication. All we know about her biography is like some puzzle pieces, although she made significant contributions to the study of movies in the 20th century. This paper seeks to portray not only biographical data about Jones but especially to map her work and its proposals related to the development of film analysis and content analysis - and to place her on the list of pioneers of communication studies.

МОИ ВОСПОМИНАНИЯ О МАРИНЕ МИХАЙЛОВНЕ ГРОМЫКО И ЕЕ РАССКАЗ О СВОЕЙ ЖИЗНИ

Аннотация. Текст включает в себя воспоминания о М. М. Громыко как научном руководителе автора статьи, а также запись интервью, где воспроизводятся важные биографические данные из жизни Громыко и академической среды Новосибирска 1960–1970-х годов. Автор отмечает причины, по которым Громыко не писала своей биографии, в том числе – в связи с репрессиями, через которые прошли семья ее отца и ее родственники, и сложностью жизни советского времени для вынесения определенных оценок происходящего. Abstract. The text includes memories of M. M. Gromyko, as the scientific advisor of the author of the article, but includes a recording of an interview, which reproduces important biographical data from the life of Gromyko and the academic environment of 1960–1970s in Novosibirsk. The author notes the reasons why Gromyko did not write her biography, due to the repressions through which the family of her father and their relatives went through, the complexity of life in Soviet times for making certain assessments of what was happening.