M. I. Pushchin and His Autobiographical Memoirs

Abstract

The article examines the autobiographical notes of Mikhail Ivanovich Pushchin (1800–1869), the younger brother of the “first” and “priceless” friend of A. S. Pushkin, the Decembrist I. I. Pushchin. M. I. Pushchin was also one of the participants in the Decembrist movement and left a significant memoir legacy. The notes of M. I. Pushchin are in demand in Pushkin and Decembrist studies, but still do not have a complete scientific publication. They are of significant interest as a retrospective document describing the life of the era and a number of events of historical significance in the first half of the 19th century, and as memoirs written by an outstanding author — a guards and then an army engineer, a participant in the events of 1825 and military operations in the Caucasus, friend and acquaintance of many historical figures. The article characterizes the significance of M. I. Pushchin’s notes as a historical source, presents the first results of studying its manuscript that have come down to us, preserved among the Pushchin family papers, dates the available two editions of the notes, based on a comparison of the manuscript with the published text of the notes, and makes attempt was made to reconstruct the history of creation memorial monument.