Great Russian writers to be presented in the Presidential Library collections

On the eve of the Year of Literature, to be celebrated in 2015, the Presidential Library plans to convert into electronic form about 6,000 postcards dedicated to Russian writers. Material for digitization has been provided by the Children's Museum of postcards.

The sets of cards depict the scenes from the life of the great Russian figures, images of places associated with the work of writers as well as illustrations of their literary works. Totally, the Presidential Library website will feature stories of about 300 authors. Among them: Alexander Pushkin, Mikhail Lermontov, Anton Chekhov, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Mikhail Sholokhov, and others.

The materials provided for digitization strikingly depict Anton Chekhov. These are portraits, photos with family, illustrations of performances of his literary works. A large array of postcards covers Chekhov’s places: Moscow, Moscow region, Yalta, Melikhovo. It is known that in Yalta the writer was working on his latest works: "Three Sisters," "In the Ravine", "The Cherry Orchard." According to the description of that series of postcards: "Everything that Chekhov saw in his native places, he embodied with amazing generosity in the images of his novels, plays and short stories. Contemporaries and biographers of Chekhov recognized in his writings many specific features of the environment, which the author lived in. "The pictures show the house of Chekhov in Lyubimovka, the school, built by Chekhov in Melihovo in 1899, the park in Massandra near Yalta, where the writer loved to walk. There is also a series of cards dedicated to portraits of Anton Chekhov in different years. The earliest photo dates from 1883, the latest picture was taken in 1904.

Another writer, whose story is made available through the postcards, is Mikhail Sholokhov, a famous Soviet writer and public figure. The main place is occupied by the illustrations for his famous work "Quiet Flows the Don." The sets of postcards depict the most vivid scenes of the novel, its characters: Mishka Koshevoy, Gregory and Aksinia, the family of Melekhovys etc. The collection of illustrations associated with another equally famous story by Mikhail Sholokhov "The destiny of man" is also of interest. This small-sized work makes clearly apparent an urgent topic - the nobility of feelings and inexhaustible desire of a man emaciated by war.

The library has also acquainted the pictures of Mikhail Sholokhov himself: his autographed portrait; the writer in his office; on the banks of the Don. A special place in this collection is attributed to a series of postcards of the Don region. It features the nature of Berezovskaya village, landscapes of Golubinskaya village, Ust-Medveditsky monastery, Swan Yar and others. According to Mikhail Sholokhov: "I was born on the Don, grew up there, studied, was formed as a person and a writer. And, being a patriot of my great, powerful motherland I am proud to say that I am a patriot of my native Don region." 

Another collection of postcards covers the famous Russian writer, whose complex and contradictory work was devoted to the search for truth and the protection of a suffering human, Fyodor Dostoevsky. The tragedy of many of Dostoevsky's characters is closely related to their life in the big city: St. Petersburg of 1840-1870's is not just a background for their actions, but also a kind of party in their designs and experiences. Therefore, the image of St. Petersburg is an important element in many of the illustrations to the works of Dostoevsky. The postcards also feature the works of the author: "White Nights", "Crime and Punishment", the story "Polzunkov" and others.

To date, the Presidential Library has collected a large amount of materials on the fate of bright talented figures and important historical events. Cards, related to the life and work of the great Russian writers, will be an important complement to the existing materials.