Russian Memoir Resources
Istoriia dorevoliutsionnoi Rossii v dnevnikakh i vospominaniiakh. Annotirovannyi ukazatel’ knig i publikatsii v zhurnalakh.
P.A. Zaionchkovskii. Glavatskikh, G. A. ; Akimova, E. A. Moskva: Kniga, 1976-1989.
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 016.947 Is7, 5 vols in 12 parts
This set, which is basically an index to published Russian memoirs and diaries, is divided by time periods with volume 1 containing works about the 15th-18th centuries, volume 2 – 1801-1856, volume 3 – 1857-1894, volume 4 – 1895-1917, and volume 5, part 1 about famous literary figures (Pushkin, Saltykov-Shchedrin, Tolstoi, Chekhov, Blok, Gorky, Maiakovskii) and volume 5, part 2 containing a supplement to all the previous volumes. Within each time period (usually covered by several physical volumes) the entries are arranged in different ways. In some it is by historical periods, in others it is organized by broad subject categories. Each volume has a name index which gives access to entries by and about an individual. In the index entries in bold-face lead to items about someone. There is also an index in each volume for geographic names and ethnicities. See the entries below for the publisher Aleksandra Arkad’evna Davydova which come from the section entitled “Deiateli pechati. Zhurnalisty, knigoizdateli” in volume 3, part 2. Note that each entry provides a brief annotation for the content as well as brief biographical data on the individual.
Istoriia sovetskogo obshchestva v vospominaniiakh sovremennikov 1917-1957. Annotirovannyi ukazatel’ memuarnoi literatury.
Moskva: Izd-vo Moskovskogo universiteta, 1958. 406 p.
Istoriia sovetskogo obshchestva v vospominaniiakh sovremennikov. Chast’ 2, vyp.1, Zhurnalnye publikatsii 1917-1927 gg.
Moskva: Gos. biblioteka SSSR im. V.I. Lenina, 1961. 252 p.
Istoriia sovetskogo obshchestva v vospominaniiakh sovremennikov. Chast’ 2, vyp.2, Zhurnalnye publikatsii 1928-1957 gg.
Moskva: Kniga, 1967. 251 p.
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) and Oak Street Facility 016.947084 Is7 v.1, v.2, pt.1-2
Heavily slanted toward Soviet political figures, this reference set nevertheless provides good coverage of the memoir literature on this subject. The books are divided into sections of a political nature. For example the first section in each volume is memoirs of Lenin and other party figures. Other sections include various time periods within the party and World War II. The last section is on science, literature and art. Items annotated in this source were published between 1917-1957 in the Soviet Union in both periodical and non-periodical sources.The periodical sources are covered in volume 2. Many annotations are followed by sources marked with an asterisk which signifies see references to items of a similar nature. An index of names provides further access points to help find pertinent material. See the entry below on Gladkov, the Soviet writer.
Sovetskoe obshchestvo v vospominaniiakh i dnevnikakh. Annotirovannyi bibliograficheskii ukazatel’ knig, publikatsii v sbornikakh i zhurnalakh.
Drobizhev, Vladimir Zinov’evich. ; Butina, K. I. Moskva: Kniga, 1987-1994. 3 vols.
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 016.947 So891 v.1-7; Main Stacks v.1-2
The source is divided into three volumes, the first of which includes materials about the time period 1917-1941, the second about certain topics in from 1921-1941 and about World War II and the third 1942-1945. Then each volume is divided by various time periods in the political history of the Soviet Union and then further subdivided by related subtopics and sometimes by region. Items covered in these three volumes were published in the Soviet Union between 1957 and 1982 in journals, collected works, or as monographs. Entries include very detailed contents information. There is a personal name index to give further access to pertinent entries. See below for the entry on Akim Zakharovich Mikhailov, a partisan commissar. Note the biographical information given about Mikhailov above the actual entry. This is a nice touch that can help you decide if you really want to read item 627 or not.
Ukazatel’ vospominanii, dnevnikov i putevykh zapisok XVIII-XIX vv. (Iz fondov Otdela Rukopisei).
P.A. Zaionchkovskii ; Zhitomirskaia, S. V. Moskva: Biblioteka imeni V.I. Lenina, 1951. 224 p.
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 011.31 G699ufacsim. + International & Area Studies Microform (Slavic) Mfiche 025.172 M851u
This source describes memoir material in manuscript form held by the Manuscript Department of the Russian State Library (former Lenin Library) in Moscow. Entries are arranged alphabetically by author with a name index to give access to people as subjects. There are also indexes for subject and geographic names and a chronological listing of the memoir material. Entries are comprised of brief information about the author and the piece, a description of the manuscript, the manuscript number, and an annotation of the content. See the entry below on Johann Gotthilf Vockerodt.
Vospominaniia i dnevniki XVIII-XX vv.: Ukazatel’ rukopisei.
Zhitomirskaia, S. V. ; Balashova, L. P. Moskva: Kniga, 1976. 619 p.
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 016.920047 M85v
This source describes memoir material in manuscript form held by the Manuscript Department of the Russian State Library (former Lenin Library) in Moscow. It contains some, but not all, material from the earlier volume and most of the content is new. Entries are arranged alphabetically by author with a very good name index to give access to people as subjects of someone else’s memoirs. There are also indexes for subject and geographic names. All entries have fond numbers and many have manuscript numbers as well. See the entry below for a 4-page manuscript autobiography of the famous Russian bibliographer, Nikolai Zdobnov.
Russian Traveler Resources
Russian travelers to the Christian East from the twelfth to the twentieth century.
Stavrou, Theofanis G.; Weisensel, Peter R., eds. Columbus. OH: Slavica, 1985. 925 p.
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 016.910947 St29r
Published Russian travel accounts (in Russian) from the 12th-20th centuries are the focus of this bibliography. Included are diplomatic and military memoirs, travel writing by famous figures such as Pushkin and Gogol, pilgrimages to the Holy Land, etc. Trips to the “Christian East” refers to trips to the Balkans, the Holy Lands, and the Near East. The bibliography is divided into 4 sections based on the century when the journey occurred. Travel literature in the form of books, newspaper articles, journal articles, and pamphlets all are covered. Entries include complete bibliographic citations, the geographical itinerary of the journey, and annotations about the author and the work. The work is augmented by a name/place index. The abbreviation list for the journals cited in the bibliography also provides locations of North American libraries that hold the journals. Please note that the holdings of the University of Illinois are grossly underrepresented. See to the right for an entry on military officer, Ivan Ivanovich Venediktov, and his journey from 1877-1879.
To Russia and return: An annotated bibliography of travelers’ English-language accounts of Russia from the ninth century to the present.
Harry W. Nerhood, ed. Columbus. OH: Ohio State University Press, 1968. 367 p.
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) and History, Philosophy, & Newspaper 016.9147 N35t. cop.3; Undergrad DK19.3 .N4 1968
To Russia and Return is an annotated bibliography of English-language travel literature to Russia. Although biographies of travelers to Russia are not the main focus of this work, if the travel account covers descriptions of Russia at any point in time, a biography may be included. Regardless, this source teems with citations for works that are rich in biographical information. This work does not include translations of Russian-language travel accounts, but rather English-language accounts of foreigners visiting Russia. The entries are arranged chronologically by the date of the journey. A name/title index supplements the body of the bibliography. The entries cover books and articles and include a bibliographic citation and an annotation of the content. See below for the entry for Liam O’Flaherty’s account I Went to Russia.
Foreign descriptions of Muscovy: An analytic bibliography of primary and secondary sources.
Marshall Poe. Columbus. OH: Slavica, 1995. 230 p.
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 016.9147 P752f
This resource opens with a brief bibliography of bibliographies of travel literature, albeit with no annotations. The body of the source lists citations for foreign Moscovitica, or non-native descriptions of Muscovite life, published between 1450-1700, organized into 3 sections: a chronological list of foreign Moscovitica, secondary works on the Western attempt to understand Muscovy, and Muscovite state-descriptions. Several appendices augment access to the contents, including the helpful list by genre and name indices for primary and secondary works. The entries in the chronological list lack annotations, but nevertheless provide interesting data for the researcher. See the entry below for Thomas Smith. Note that Type refers to the type of work cited, here a state-description. Citations are provided for other editions and translations of the work. Under the heading of Originals can be found citations for modern publications in the original language of the work. And the final category is Studies which includes citations for studies about the author and/or his work.
Prikliucheniia i puteshestviia: Rekomendatel’nyi ukazatel’ literatury.
Z.P. Shalashova. Moskva: Kniga, 1979. 128 p.
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 016.9104 Sh1p
Including both Russian and foreign classics and contemporary works, this bibliography covers travel and adventure literature either written in Russian originally or translated into Russian. The book is divided into several sections: historical fiction (such as The Three Musketeers ), sea, desert and jungle stories, science fiction, and mysteries. Each entry provides a complete bibliographic citation, a summary of the plot and sometimes biographical information about the author of the text. There is a short bibliography of items about the genres and authors included. There also are author and titles indexes at the back of the book. See to the left the entry on V. Chivilikhin.
Russkie geografy i puteshestvenniki. Fondy arkhiva Geograficheskogo Obshchestva.
Matveeva, T. P. ; Filonovich, T. S., ; IArukova, L. I. Leningrad: Nauka, 1971. 175 p.
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 910.9 M43r
This guide begins with a short history of the Uchenyi arkhiv of the Geographical Society in Saint Petersburg and a bibliography of works about the Archive. The Archive houses the papers of many of its members including such Russian luminaries as N.N. Miklukho-Maklai and N.I. Vavilov. The body of the work describes more than 60 of the personal fonds in the Archive giving biographical information about the figure, information about the contents of the fond, and a bibliographical references for further reading. There are indexes for surnames, places and subject. The table of contents also serves as an index to the major fonds. See the entry to the left on Vsevolod Roborovskii. His entry is somewhat shorter than the others.