«Намерение сей книги на каждом листе видно»: Александр Радищев и главный труд его жизни

August 31 marks the 270th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Radishchev (1749–1802), Russian writer and thinker, one of the most remarkable and controversial figures of the Russian Enlightenment. The image of Radishchev as a martyr to the ideals of liberty, which was formed from the early 19th century, was transformed into the idea about ​​the "first Russian revolutionary”. A. Pushkin, P. Vyazemsky, P. Chaadayev and other “lords of thoughts” tried to figure out how much the writer corresponded to this image, which was reflected in the book Pushkin and Radishchev by P. Sakulin (1920).

The new collection of the Presidential Library “Alexander Radishchev (1749–1802)”, dedicated to the anniversary of Alexander Nikolaevich, includes his writings, research on the life and work of the writer, documents dedicated to preserving his memory. Radishchev’s works are diverse and, in addition to the famous Travels from Petersburg to Moscow and the ode to Liberty, include translations, largely innovative poetry, philosophical, legal and other works. Among the latest research on the topic are abstracts of dissertations on such non-trivial topics as The Inner Man in the Russian and French Literary Traditions, Prose by A. N. Radishchev in the Literary Movement of the End of the 18th Century. - beginning of the XIX century and others.

Alexander Radishchev was born in one of the wealthy noble families of Penza Governorate. His father was at that time quite educated and humane. He treated his serfs so well that he enjoyed love and respect among them — an extremely rare phenomenon in Catherine’s times. During the Pugachev revolt, when the rebellious serfs mercilessly cracked down on their oppressors, Radishchev's father happily escaped death thanks to the loyalty of his peasants. They did not betray him, who was hiding with a handful of guards in the forest, nor his children.

Alexander received his education in the Page Corps, graduating from among the best students. Radishchev's youth coincided with the time when Catherine, fascinated by the liberation ideas of French writers, intended to change the barbaric order in Russia for the better. To do this, she needed smart and educated officials. And she, wishing to “get people to the service of political and civil capable” decided in 1766 to send 12 capable young nobles to Leipzig to study at the university - this is described in the book The First Fighter for the Freedom of the Russian People: Alexander Radishchev’s Life and Work.  

Russian students returned to their homeland, thoroughly saturated with the ideals of freedom, equality and fraternity. Radishchev received the post of logger in the Senate, then served in the headquarters of the commander of the troops, then moved to the commercial collegium, and from there to customs, where he rose to the rank of manager. But such a service could not quite satisfy the gifted and enlightened student of yesterday.

It is obvious to the young writer that the supreme power is responsible to the people and that its powers should be limited by the will of free citizens.

In the mid-1780s Radishchev embarked on his major undertaking – A Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow, which comprised some previously written works (A Word on Lomonosov and fragments of the Liberty ode).

This book immortalized the name of Radishchev and at the same time turned into the misfortune of his life. In form, it is written as a travel diary of a nobleman traveling from St. Petersburg to Moscow. The chapters of A Journey named after postal stations on the way from St. Petersburg to Moscow, are different in terms of size and subjects. The book is multifaceted: various aspects of the political and public life of Russia are sharply criticized in it. It features the description of life of different classes. The peasant theme is in the spotlight of the whole book: rightless serfs, their sale, conscript obligation, miserable life. The traveller-narrator plays an important unifying role. The book includes publicistic elements, has some features of oratorical prose, didactic literature and satire.

“The peasant's dwelling is a chicken hut with soot and dirt-covered walls and bubbles-filled windows; a hut in which people sleep at night with animals, in the dead air of which the candle burns, as in a fog

Radishchev also gives a tough assessment of public administration. He himself served at court, in various official positions, and therefore he knew the nature of the administrative area perfectly. In connection with everything he saw and experienced in The Journey, Alexander Nikolayevich was overcome by thousands of “damned questions”, “who can worry a thinking person, who is interested and who wants to understand and explain everything and, if possible, find the reason for the phenomena and reveal the truth.” He says that one cannot recognize “a blessed country where one hundred proud citizens are buried in luxury, and thousands have neither reliable food nor their own heat and frost (frost)” - quotes are taken from the book The First Fighter for the Freedom of the Russian People: Alexander Radishchev’s Life and Work.

The book was printed in Radishchev's home printing house without indicating his name at the end of May 1790 with a circulation of about 650 copies. On May 30–31, the sale of "Travel" began in the Gostiny Dvor in the shop of bookseller G.K. Zotov. I read the book and Catherine II. According to Chancellor A. A. Bezborodko, the empress found the book “filled with various impudent expressions, leading to debauchery, disobedience of power and many disorders in society” and ordered the investigation to be established with the aim of establishing the name of the author, whom she called “a rebel worse than Pugachev”. 

June 30, 1790 Radishchev was arrested and imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress. On July 24, the Criminal Court issued a death sentence to the writer, which was subsequently commuted to ten-year Siberian penal servitude. On the way to the link, Radishchev led "Travel Notes to Siberia" containing geographical, historical, ethnographic information, as well as observations on the life of local residents.

After Catherine’s death in 1796 Paul I allowed Radishchev to settle on his estate in Nemtsovo, although he remained under the police control. 

The writer enjoyed complete freedom only in March 1801 during the reign of Alexander I. Alexander Radishchev was appointed to the Law Drafting Commission, where he took part in drafting legislative reforms. In September 1802 Radishchev passed away. Suicide, accident or illness - there is still no unanimity on causes of his death.

Throughout the XIX century, Radishchev’s works were banned. Sukhomlinov, the author of the work Research and Articles on Russian Literature and Education writes: “Both the content and direction of the book, as well as the fate of the author, befell his misfortunes, push it out of a number of works of our literature of the last century”.