Griboyedov - “your mind and deeds are immortal in the memory of Russian people”

January 15, 2020 marks the 225th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Griboyedov (1795–1829). By this anniversary date, the Presidential Library will present a collection of new documents dedicated to the diplomat, poet, playwright and composer; the collection fully gives an idea of ​​Griboyedov’s activities and personality, “the origins of the bile of one of the most intelligent people in Russia, his cold courage and civic maturity”, according to the 1929 edition of A. Davydov Alexander Griboyedov: his life and death in the memoirs of contemporaries. The collection includes digital copies of books, articles, archival documents and visual materials. The texts of literary works including the comedy “Woe from Wit”, which made the author a classic of Russian literature, literary, critical and biographical materials, images of monuments to Alexander Griboyedov and other materials are presented.  

According to Moscow relatives of the writer, in childhood Griboyedov was very focused and unusually developed. The rapid intellectual development is described in the book by D. Eristov Alexander Griboedov (1879): “At fifteen years Griboyedov entered the university as a volunteer, and a caring mother, fearing that his son would not get carried away by “stupid ideas“, sent him to the university, accompanied by a tutor and she herself chose the “ethical-political” faculty, as the most appropriate for her son’s future career. In those days, the houses of professors were open to students, Professor Boule gave private lessons to Griboyedov at home, studying “various branches of the speculative sciences” with him, Professor Sakharov directed the students' performances during winter vacations... This is where Griboyedov’s love originated to the scene".

The young genius did not neglect satirical “lying ideas” in relation to dramaturgy, starting to write his first and only comedy, which brought him great fame and became an anthology.

For many generations of Russians, Alexander Sergeyevich is known precisely as the author of the comedy "Woe from Wit". In the book Alexander Griboyedov: his life and death in the memoirs of contemporaries, journalist and publisher F. Bulgarin writes: “The cruel sentence of the comedy “Woe from Wit”, pronounced by envy, ignorance, offended by pride and gullible innocence, is the best proof of its high dignity”. And its relevance for all time - the play is still staged by the capital and provincial theaters of Russia. The archetypes deduced by the playwright, and today live next to us.

A whole series of studies in the Presidential Library’s collection is devoted to the attitude of the “internal emigrant” towards the Decembrists and the impending uprising on Senate Square.

Griboyedov entered the history of Russia as a brilliant diplomat, able to find a common language with the ethnically motley population of the East and its leaders.

In the magazine "Russian Antiquity" of 1874, a detailed description of the activities of the largest diplomat of that time is given. N. Muravyov wrote: "... Griboyedov in Persia was completely in his place... he replaced us with his twenty-thousandth army there with one person...maybe there is no person in Russia who is so capable of taking his place".  

Not only life is associated with diplomatic work, but also Griboyedov’s death. One of the first biographers of Griboyedov, orientalist Adolf Berger, tells about his tragic death during the defeat by the religious fanatics of the Russian embassy in Tehran. Another view of the death of the poet is presented in the notes of M. Y. Alaverdyants Death of Alexander Griboyedov according to Armenian sources. These two documents provide researchers with a basis for comparison; they will be of interest to those readers who like to independently compare historical events.

Soon after arriving in Persia, Griboyedov was supposed to briefly go to Tehran, to the court of the Shah. “I will not describe the details of his death”, - we read in the above-mentioned book Alexander Griboedov: biographical news about Griboyedov, - I’ll say one thing: he didn’t“ become a victim of error”, according to D. V. Davydov it in his article. If there was someone else’s mistake, then the government appointed Griboyedov as the authorized minister to Persia... Such an expression is not only not true, but not even completely respectful to a person who died a martyrdom, truly filled with tragic horror, death.

In conclusion, it should be repeated the words written over his grave with the friendly hand of his widow: “Your mind and deeds are immortal in the memory of Russian people””.