The Presidential Library marking the 125th birth anniversary of the poet Sergei Yesenin

On October 1, 2020, the Presidential Library hosts a cycle of three lectures dedicated to the life and career of Sergei Yesenin (1895-1925). Educational events are devoted to the 125th anniversary of the birth of one of the most famous poets of the Silver Age.

The cycle of lectures is held within the framework of the Knowledge of Russia project and is organized jointly with the Ryazan Regional Center of the Presidential Library. The partners are the Gorky Ryazan Regional Universal Scientific Library and the Yesenin Ryazan State University.

Anyone can join the video lectures. The meetings will be held remotely and will be broadcasted live on the Presidential Library's portal in Live broadcasts section in accordance with the program of live events, on the institution's YouTube channel, as well as on the page on the VKontakte social network.

Sergei Yesenin was born on October 3, 1895. He lived only 30 years, but managed to make a huge contribution to the development of Russian poetry and became famous throughout the world for his extraordinary talent. His personal life, filled with vivid events, deserves special attention, one of which was an affair with an American dancer, the founder of free dance, Isadora Duncan.

On October 1, 2020, at 14:00 Moscow time, the Presidential Library will host the first lecture of the cycle on the topic "Sergei Yesenin on a foreign tour with Isadora Duncan in Europe and the USA: routes, impressions, creative results". Olga Voronova, a member of the Commission on Culture of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, Deputy Chairman of the Civic Chamber of Ryazan Region, head of the Yesenin Scientific Center, Doctor of Philology, Professor of the Yesenin Ryazan State University, editor-in-chief of the magazines: "Modern Yeseninovedenie" and "Yeseninsky Vestnik", a member of the Writers' Union of Russia, and Alexander Trushin - Deputy Chairman of the Ryazan Regional Branch of the Russian Military Historical Society, member of the Public Chamber of Ryazan Region, veteran of the Navy, candidate technical sciences. They will present an innovative scientific and educational project highlighting Sergei Yesenin's stay in the United States of America in 1922-1923 during a joint trip with Isadora Duncan to 15 cities and states. 

“We hope that in this case we are opening Yesenin to the world as a traveler who, having seen many countries, remained an ardent patriot of his homeland. Isadora presented him with the best showcase of the Western world, the most fashionable and wealthy hotels, yet he was terribly homesick. Our project is aimed at fostering love for the Fatherland, including among the young part of our audience”, - Olga Voronova said about the project.

In addition, Irina Gribova, a veteran of pedagogical work, honorary worker of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, and Natalya Shvarts, secretary of the Russian Dostoevsky Society, will also join the discussion.

October will present the second lecture on the topic “Sergei Yesenin in the Russian-German Cultural Dialogue”, and the final meeting “Sergei Yesenin and the American Literary Tradition” will conclude the cycle of events.

One of the main areas of work of the Presidential Library is preservation in digital format of the most important documents on the history, theory and practice of Russian statehood. The volume of the institution's electronic collections today is about a million depository items. The video recording of this cycle of lectures will also enter the Presidential Library’s collections.

On the eve of the 125th anniversary of the birth of Sergei Yesenin, the institution’s portal provides access to the new electronic collection dedicated to the poet. It includes digital copies of archival documents, books, periodicals, visual materials, video films. In particular, the letters of the poet's last wife Sophia Yesenina-Tolstaya, which contain information about the Yesenins' honeymoon and family life, a snapshot of November 1918 by “S. Yesenin speaks at the opening of the monument to A. Koltsov”, video materials of the Presidential Library about the life and career of the poet and other materials are of great interest.