The Jetsam by Lara Biyuts (best novels to read to improve english .txt) 📕

Countess married her to Monsieur Poletika, a man of noble birth, nice and wealthy.” [translation is mine. L.B.]

 According to the other contemporaries, Idalia was “known as a smart woman in society, but she was a spiteful talker, unlike her husband who was nicknamed ‘lamblike creature.’ Her wit made her a perfect charming woman, and not her lovely face alone. Her cheerfulness and liveliness gave her success wherever she went.”

Idalia Poletika with her husband and her parents the Stroganovs were the only men and women of society who visited Georges-Charles d’Anthès-Heeckeren, the lucky duelist and tireur d’élite, who was in disgrace after the fatal duel.

Idalia was a second cousin to Natalie Pushkin (wife of Alexander Pushkin). As a relative and friend, she frequented at the Pushkins’, and many recorded evidence say that Alexander was nice to her, but some time passed and they became enemies. According to contemporaries, the lady “nourished a strange feeling of an en exceptional hatred to the very memory of Alexander Pushkin.” Some biographers say that a reason was a nasty insult from Alexander Pushkin to her; Pushkin alleged to write a love poem in Idalia’s album dating the poem “the 1st of April.” According to Natalie Pushkin, Idalia pimped for Georges d’Anthès-Heeckeren when he wanted Natalie Pushkin (nee Goncharova), at least one time. Ekaterina d’Anthès (nee Goncharova) wrote to her husband Georges-Charles d’Anthès-Heeckeren, who had been exiled, after the duel:

“…Idalia and her husband dropped in. She’s in desperation with the very thought that she never said good bye to you. She said it’s Betancourt’s fault: when she got ready for going to us, he said that it’s too late and you probably had departed. She looked inconsolable, indulging in wild laments.” [translation is mine. L.B.]

Afterwards, the Stroganovs kept one heirloom, a goblet, which was a gift from Baron de Heeckeren to his good friend. And the family archive of d’Anthes has the letter, which says:

“…When your son Georges hears that this goblet is at mine, say him that his uncle Stroganov keeps it in memory of the noble and loyal behavior, which marked the last months of his stay in Russia.”

Apropos, Julia Stroganov, Idalia’s mother, kept vigil over the dying poet, and Idalia’s father assumed the funeral expenses.

 In society, Idalia Poletika was nicknamed “Mme Intrigue.” Intrigante. The alleged fatal intrigue, when she could arrange dating for Mme Pushkin and d’Anthès, giving her accommodation and leaving them alone there, could cause the fatal duel. The other theory claims that Idalia was in love with the poet Pushkin, and I happened to read about the other theory, namely, Idalia Poletika was in love with d’Anthès, not Pushkin, and d’Anthès saved her marriage and reputation. Seeing the famous portraits of Natalie, who of our contemporaries could suppose that d’Anthès could “lose his head” with passion for the other woman? Only few knew the truth, and one of them was Alexandra Smirnova-Rossette, author of memoires, which I happened to read:

“D’Anthès never was in love with Natalie; he found her silly and boring; he was in love with Idalia, and they dated at Natalie’s…” [translation is mine. L.B.]

What a special hatred to Pushkin we can talk about when talking of Idalia’s part in the affair of the fatal duel? No hatred from her, I’d say; she merely could take the side of d’Anthès in the confrontation. Idalia was one of the few who supported d’Anthès, against the numerous fans of the poet Pushkin. In the relationship between him and her, personally I can see nothing but solidarity, excessively emotional here and there. The French man and Frenchwoman, two comrades, two intriguers, two compatriots, no more. In case if he actually lost his head being in love with Idalia, if she actually was “the subject of his musings, his quill, tears and rhymes, et cetera,” then it’s quite verisimilar and comprehensible as well. Only take a look at her portraits.

However, her negative feelings towards the poet Pushkin she seemed to project onto the poet’s widow and children – a reason could be that her lover Pyotr Lanskoi got married to the widow and adopted the children – but Idalia herself refuted this supposition, saying that she loved her husband, that all her lovers were but rumors, that she always regarded Lanskoi as a mere mediocre person, and the fact that Lanskoi “moved from politic to poetry” had nothing to do with her life. As for the secret date between Mme Puskin and d’Anthès, arranged by Idalia, she afterwards said that it was arranged in order to persuade Mme Pushkin to spy on her husband on behalf of the secret service of the Russian Empire whose agent was Idalia’s husband as well as her herself.  [Mikhail Khariton, magazine Secret, velelens.livejournal.com]

 Her last years, Idalia Poletika spent in the city of Odessa, living at her brother’s, Governor-General Stroganov. One of biographers visited her for the purpose of questioning about her role in the intrigue that resulted in the fatal duel, but the lady refused in acute form. In 1880, when the memorial to A. Pushkin was erected in Odessa, Idalia Poletika said that she felt deeply insulted by the event and that she was about to go to the monument in order to spit upon the image of the one who was a “monster of cruelty.”

 

VI

 

Female images in the story. About the next strong supporters of Georges-Charles d’Anthès-Heeckeren in the Russian Empire. Deciphering one message.   

In the message written after the fatal duel to his foster-son Georges-Charles d’Anthès, who was under arrest, Baron de Heeckeren said:

“Madame N and Countess Sofie B will tell you about much. Both of them feel heartily interested in us.” [translation is mine. L.B.]

“Madame N” was Maria Nesselrode (1786-1849), Countess, lady-in-waiting.

The night after the duel, the spouses Nesselrode spent at de Heeckeren’s, leaving his house only an hour after midnight. When everyone in the city of St Petersburg turned back upon de Heeckeren, Countess Nesselrode invited him to her dinner party.

In the course of the intrigue, Countess Nesselrode totally supported d’Anthès, being “his confidante” and a proxy mother at his wedding.

According to Prince Pyotr Vyazemsky, “Pushkin’s hatred to this last representative of the cosmopolitan oligarchic Areopagus was nearly more than his hatred to Bulgarin.” Faddey Bulgarin (1789-1859), the Russian writer and journalist of Polish ancestry, was author of the first Russian bestseller and one of homosexuals of St Petersburg. In her turn, Countess Maria Nesselrode could not forgive Pushkin’s epigram to her father. She invited Baron de Heeckeren to join her circle. Ambassador of Württemberg reported:

“…In St Petersburg, he [ de Heeckeren  ] has lived about 13 years, standing high in the court’s favour, being patronized by Count and Countess Nesselrode.” [translation is mine. L.B.]

She also patronized Georges-Charles d’Anthès who was a far cousin to her husband.

According to Pavel Nashchyokin, it was Countess Nesselrode who brought Natalie Pushkin to the Palace in order to introduce the young woman to the Empress, without Alexander Pushkin’s knowledge. Hearing of that, Natalie’s husband “got wildly enraged, and he was rude to the Countess.” As a result of the introduction at the Palace, Pushkin was given the official title of gentleman of the monarch’s bed-chamber, which he regarded as the next insult to him.

 “Countess Sofie B” was Sophia Bobrinsky (1797-1866), lady-in-waiting, friend of the Empress.

Countess Sophia felt interested in both Pushkin and d’Anthès, caring about their fates and trying to understand as much as possible in the intrigue. During his trial, she used her connection, which helped d’Anthès’ to escape the common lot.

 

VII

 

In France, Georges-Charles d’Anthès-Heeckeren began a successful political career: president of the local assembly at first, then member of the National Constituent Assembly from 1848 to 1852, and, at last, senator from 1852 to 1870.

In 1852, he was assigned a secret mission by Napoleon III: he had to go to St Petersburg and approach the Emperor of Russia to know his feeling in case Napoleon III proclaimed himself emperor. This mission was undoubtedly successful, because he was appointed senator, on his return.

Leon Metman, one of grandsons of d’Anthès, wrote:

“Grandfather was highly satisfied with his fate, and afterwards, he would say that his splendid political career was possible only thanks to his enforced departure from Russia; but for that unfortunate duel, all he could expect was the unenviable fate of a regiment commander in a Russian province with his big family and need for money.”

His wife died on October 15, 1843, giving birth to their fourth child. He had daughter and son, with his daughter being found insane.

While living in Paris, being raised motherless, d’Anthès’ daughter learned Russian language unexpectedly quickly and to perfection. The girl turned her room into a shrine to Alexander Pushkin, with the poet’s large portrait in front of the altar and Pushkin’s other portraits on the walls. Possessed by mystic feelings, he girl said her prayers kneeling at the portraits of her uncle, to whom she felt a supernatural affection. At a family scene, she hysterically called her father “murderer of Pushkin.”

After Ekaterina Goncharova’s death, Heeckeren and d’Anthès reunited and parted never again. Their male union was long-term and surprisingly constant. Both of them lived till venerable age.

 

2007

 

Queer

(essay)

 

Chaadaev (1794-1856). Nobleman, intellectual, dandy. Ladies crowded around him, but “Flighty Venus” Chaadaev, as Pushkin called him, was indifferent to women. His sex life was mystery. I’ll try to unveil the mystery of the purity of “Russian Socrates” in this essay, at least slightly.

In annals of St Petersburg, we can meet the name “Demut’s Inn”. It was a hotel, one of the oldest (built in the 1770s) and most expensive (a room cost 150 gold rubles a month). The hotel’s name came from its first owner Philip-Jacob Demut from Strasburg. When Alexander Pushkin stayed in the hotel, he took Room 10. There was a funny story. Young Gogol, who had come to St Petersburg, plucked up courage to visit Pushkin at Demut’s. Now, Gogol asked the footman whether Pushkin was in. The footman said yes, his master was in, but sleeping. “Your master worked last night long?” Gogol ventured to suppose. “Yes, he did. Played cards last night long,” the answer was. One of the tenants of Demut’s Inn was Pyotr Chaadaev. He occupied Room 54 for six years.

Chaadaev, author of Philosophical Letters was a lonely and proud figure staying separately in the history of Russian ideas. Chaadaev wrote in French, believing that nobody in Europe would read in Russian—in Europe as well as in Russian well-educated society—but the first Letter’s Russian translation was published first, and it evoked such a tempest that it was not fit to talk of this work by Chaadaev till the revolution of 1905. The Letters were eight, and all of them were published in Russia only in 1989. Author began working on the first Letter in 1828, and its Russian translation appeared in 1836 in the Moscow magazine Telescope. As a result, the magazine’s editor was exiled to the Far North of Russia, and Chaadaev was declared a madman. In the Letters author revealed his historic and philosophic views. A main characteristic of historic fate of Russia he reckoned the “drab and gloomy existence, without strength and energy, which is enlivened with nothing but atrocities, softened with nothing but slavery. No captivating reminiscence, no graceful images in the people’s memory; no mighty teachings in the people’s legend […] We live only in the present, in the present’s tightest limits, without the past, without the future, among deadly stagnation […]” He believed that Russia had lagged behind Western countries and had contributed nothing to the world’s progress. He therefore concluded that Russia must start de novo. It must be said that the strikingly uncomplimentary views found its echo in the book Empire of the Czar: A Journey Through Eternal Russia by Marquis de Custine (1790–1857) written later, in 1839.

Resonance in society was enormous. Students of Moscow University came to the president of Censorship Committee Count Stroganoff and said that they were ready for standing up in arms for “Russia, insulted by Chaadaev”. Gendarme General Perfilyev reported to his