En
Ru
Birthday anniversary of Barsukov Nikolai Platonovich, Russian historian, archeograph, bibliographer, publisher, state councilor
November 8 (20), 1838 in the town of Lipetsk, Tambov Province, in a noble family was born Nikolai Platonovich Barsukov, state councilor, historian of literature and social thought, archeograph, bibliographer, publisher.
Nikolai Platonovich Barsukov was a descendant of an ancient noble family. His ancestors were Stepan Semenov and Samojlo Stepanov, whom the Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in 1671-1674 for their faithful service to the throne and the fatherland granted estates "in Shatsky Uyezd, Borisoglebsky camp, Tambov Province" including the village of Matyunino, later known as Barsuki. Most members of the Barsukov family were in the military service, including the father of Nikolai Platonovich - Platon Aleksandrovich. Of the four sons of P. A. Barsukov – Nikolai, Alexander, Ivan and Michael - the first three became famous historians and literary men. A. P. Barsukov (1839-1914) is the author of books on genealogy and history of the Russian nobility, as well as a multi-volume edition “Sheremetev Family”. I. P. Barsukov (1841-1906) wrote monographs on N. N. Muraviev-Amursky and Metropolitan Innocent (Veniaminov) of Siberia.
N. P. Barsukov received his early education in Voronezh Cadet Corps, and later was an auditor at St. Petersburg University, where he attended lectures by renowned scholars of historical science, N. I. Kostomarov and K. D. Kavelin. Kostomarov introduced Barsukov to historian and bibliographer A. F. Bychkov, who charged the young colleague with the creation of a directory to the "Complete Collection of Russian Chronicles”, and in 1863 invited him to serve as an employee of the Archeographic Commission. Five years later Nikolai Barsukov was appointed assistant chief of the Synod archives and libraries. In 1878 the scientist was elected a corresponding member of the Society of Lovers of Ancient Literature and a full member of the Society of Old Russian Art under the Moscow public museum, and next year - a member of the Imperial Archeographic Society. From 1883 until the end of his life Barsukov served as chief of the archive of the Ministry of Public Education.
In the 1870's Barsukov began his editorial and publishing activity. He worked on the family archive of princes Vyazemsky, which resulted in the publication of the “A.V. Khrapovitsky Diary" (1874) basing on the manuscript, which belonged to Peter Andreyevich Vyazemsky. By 1896, was completed the edition of 12 volumes of the “Complete Works of Prince P. A. Vyazemsky”. In 1882 the Society of Lovers of Ancient Literature published the "Manuscript of Archeographic Commission" and the "Sources of Russian hagiography" by Barsukov - a collection of information about the manuscripts of hagiographic literature.
In 1880’s the apartment of Nikolai Platonovich housed a sort of "Barsukov circle”, which included prince P. P. Vyazemsky, count S. D. Sheremetev, historian A. F. Bychkov, poet A. N. Maikov, bibliographer D. F. Kobeko.
Barsukov, using extensive materials, which had not been promulgated yet, prepared for publication many ancient manuscripts, as well as letters, diaries and other materials on the history of the Russian statehood and culture. From the second half of 1880’s and until his last days Barsukov had been working on the archive and biography of M. P. Pogodin. Being a unique volume set of factual information relating to 1820-1860, the multivolume study by Barsukov "Life and works of M. P. Pogodin" is the most important source on the history of literature and culture of the 19th century.
Nikolai Platonovich Barsukov died in 1906 and was buried in St. Petersburg.
Lit.: Барсуков Николай Платонович [Электронный ресурс] // ФЭБ «Русская литература и фольклор». 2002. URL: http://feb-web.ru/feb/person/person/feb/barsukov.htm; Дерябина Л. Николай Платонович Барсуков // Московский журнал. 2008. № 3; Князь Вяземский и Пушкин / С предисл. и примеч. Николая Барсукова. М., 1904; Рудаков В. Е. Хронологический список учёно-литературных трудов Н. П. Барсукова. СПб., 1909.
Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:
Барсуков Н. П. Жизнь и труды П. М. Строева СПб., 1878;
Два письма Н. П. Барсукова [к графу С. Д. Шереметеву]. СПб., 1909;
Истомин В. К. Николай Платонович Барсуков: «Последнее прости»: [некролог]. М., 1906;