“A Gift of True Love…” (N.M. Karamzin’s unpublished album)

Abstract

The album published for the first time was compiled by N.M. Karamzin all by himself in 1821 as a present for the Empress’ birthday. Empress Elizaveta Alekseevna and Karamzin wrote letters to each other and maintained relations of affinity and harmony, sympathetic mutual understanding, good faith and trust. The album includes citations from various European writers and philosophers, and Russian proverbs. The unpublished album is of great importance because it helps to better understand Karamzin’s worldview and attitudes in his last years. The citations has to deal with the ideas that Karamzin viewed as basic and cardinal for Russia and humankind in general: Divine Providence, God, Virtue, Friendship, Love. Texts compiled on the 52 broadsides contain ideas that the author of the album shared. Henri Rousseau goes first followed by Montaigne, Bossuet, Pascal, Montesquieu, Buffon, La Fontaine, La Rochefoucauld, Pompignan, Nicole. Their sayings help understand Karamzin’s anthropological philosophy, trace the evolution of his worldview and compare it to his earlier periods. Love and amity, proverbial wisdom and the eternal truths become his highest values.

Keywords

• n.m. karamzin
• literary album
• moral-philosophical literature
• russian writers and imperial family
• empress elizaveta alekseevna
• archived materials