3 of July 2015 on the birthday of Derzhavin, in the Museum – Manor of the poet on the Fontanka River, 118, within the joint project of the Russian Museum of Pushkin and Institute of Russian Literature (the Pushkin House) will be opened the exhibition "Write to me about everything … ". The exhibition tells about the almost forgotten today epistolary genre on example of personal and business correspondence of the three great writers: Derzhavin, Pushkin and Nekrasov, whose memorial museums are included in set of All-Russian Pushkin Museum.
In contrast to our contemporaries, people of past generations loved to write letters, this activity was for them a kind of ritual. From childhood according the pismovnik (a collection of samples of letters with different content) studied to correctly compose letters to relatives and friends, referring to officials. The main instrument of the letter until the middle of the XIX century was a quill, which eventually became the symbol of poetry and literary creativity.
Correspondents of Derzhavin were the great men, poets, generals, artists, musicians and close friends and beloveds. A special place in his life, took the letters and poetic epistles addressed to fellow writers N. Lvov and V. Kapnist. Invariably friendly tone is imbued the correspondence of the poet with N. Karamzin. The theme of love for the Fatherland determines the content of his letters to Alexander Suvorov, which Derzhavin did protagonist of his military odes.
Letters of Pushkin – a kind of diary of the soul of the poet. The first of the surviving letters – business – is addressed bу Pushkin Lyceum student to the Director of the Department of Public Education I. Martynov in November 1815. The last – from 27 of January 1837 – came few hours before the fateful duel with Dantes: it was sent to writer A. Ishimova from which Pushkin waited translations of English pieces for his magazine "Contemporary". It preserved about 800 letters of the poet, facing the 192 recipients. These are letters – Dialogues and letters – confessions and letters – monologues and letters – diaries, addressed to friends and enemies, loved women and politicians, writers and representatives of the authorities. The correspondence of the poet with close friends and especially with woman is different by lively style, quite similar to the noble speech etiquette of letters – monologues, which were adopted to write in French. In letters to his wife the poet appears as head of the family, a strict father and loving caring husband.
Nekrasov as the editor and publisher of the respected journal "Contemporary" and "Notes of the Fatherland" carried on an extensive correspondence. It is not known how many letters he wrote; many of them are irretrievably lost. To date, found and published little more than 1,200, and revealed more than 230 his destinations. Among them – Ivan Goncharov, Tolstoy, Turgenev, Ostrovsky. Correspondence with A. Panaeva his long-term lover, companion and collaborator, has not survived: after one of the quarrels with Nekrasov Avdotya Yakovlevna burned letters. But there are and happy finds. In 1990, the museum – apartment of N. Nekrasov received five letters of the poet to the Vice – Inspector of Corps of foresters N. Holshevnikov. Correspondence of good friends devoted mainly to hunting, which was so fascinated by both.
A sheet of paper becomes the center of a big story, expressed museum means. For us it is important not only text, but also images of the author and the addressee, place and circumstances of writing the letter. The exhibition presents the views of Moscow and St. Petersburg, postal stations; portraits of the authors of letters and their recipients, including works by famous portrait painters of the XIX century, P. Sokolov, A. Briullov, I. Vivien de Shatobren, V. Hau, I. Kramskoy.
The exhibition features the pen of Alexander Pushkin, the poet's two seals; inkwell presented to Pushkin by P. Nashchokin; box with accessories for writing of V. Nashchokina; Box for letters of sister of Pushkin O. Pavlishcheva; seal and pen of N. Nekrasov, his road Bureau, envelopes autographed by the poet. Copies of letters with great accuracy reproduce the originals stored in the manuscript department of the Institute of Russian Literature.
The exhibition will run in four halls of the Museum of East housing of Museum – Manor of Derzhavin until 3 of September 2015
