History through the prism of an individual – the focus of discussion at the Presidential Library

When presenting the history it is necessary to ensure that the material encourages the reader to keep on searching for information and gets him deeply involved in his own investigation. Participants of the traditional presentation of the latest issue of the popular science and history magazine Rodina addressed this problem today in the Presidential Library.

Authors of the periodical, representatives of Rossiyskaya Gazeta, students and teachers of St. Petersburg educational institutions, librarians and guests of libraries of Perm, Chelyabinsk, Voronezh, Tver, Yekaterinburg, Barnaul, Zarinsk, localities of Tyumen Region and Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area took part in the videoconference.

Igor Kots, chief editor of Rodina, deputy editor-in-chief of Rossiyskaya Gazeta, highlighted one of the methods to arouse reader’s interest, that is not just give an account of events, but present the story of a person – the principle, that guides the magazine today.

The main theme of the issue - "Open lesson"  - marks the beginning of the academic year and covers several areas. For example, at "history lesson" readers will find out who erased the stigma of a traitor attached to Viktor Tretyakevich - the first commissar of the "Young Guard", at "literature lesson" they will learn the reason why Andrey Bolkonsky was Pyotr indeed and discover what is common between the writers A. P. Chekhov and Antoine de Saint-Exupery. As part of the "geography lesson", the magazine is presenting unique drawings from the round-the-world voyage on board the Russian brig Rurik, made 200 years ago.

The characters of the September issue include: the great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Vasilyev - the youngest painter, whose works are available at the Tretyakov Gallery, Ivan Davydov - the captain of Dmitry Donskoy cruiser, who died heroically during the Battle of Tsushima, Andrey Zhdanov - the famous politician during Stalin’s rule and many other prominent people. What is more, readers will be able to look through the family album of Nikolay Punin, Anna Akhmatova's husband, visit the legendary “Stray Dog" cafe, the place where Silver Age poets used to gather, while the letters of the Ural provincial teachers will help to recreate the vivid picture of the school life during the late 19th - early 20th century.

Presentations of new issues of Rodina popular science and history magazine have become traditional events in the Presidential Library. They have been held every month since April 2017 as part of a cooperation agreement between the Presidential Library and Rossiyskaya gazeta, that was signed at the end of 2016. Joint events - multimedia exhibitions dedicated to Rodina, video lectures attended by authors of the historical magazine - have been regularly launched in the building in Senate Square. Digitized copies of the popular science and history periodical are available on the portal the Presidential Library.