To the Slanderers of Russia

"To the Slanderers of Russia" (Russian: Клеветникам России, romanizedKlevetnikam Rossii) is a patriotic poem[1] by Alexander Pushkin, published in 1831.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]

To the Slanderers of Russia
by Alexander Pushkin
Original titleКлеветникам России
Written1831
First published in1831
CountryRussia
LanguageRussian
Genre(s)Ode
Publication date1831
Full text
ru:Клеветникам России (Пушкин) at Wikisource

Synopsis

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The poem was written during the 1830–1831 Polish uprising. The immediate reason for writing it was that some members of the French parliament had called for French armed intervention on the side of Polish insurgents against the Russian army.[10][11][12] In the poem, Pushkin explains that from the Russian point of view the uprising is just a part of the ages old quarrel between relatives (Slavs).[12][13] He tells the French to leave Slavs alone because the eventual outcome of all quarrels between Slavs must be decided between Slavs themselves. He says that the French parliamentarians don't understand Slavs or Slavic languages, they seek a fight simply because they hate Russia for defeating Napoleon. He dares them to attack Russia in reality, not just in words, saying that in case of a military attack the whole Russian country will rise against the invaders.

The poem had mixed reception in Russian society: it was lauded by government and nationalists, but criticized by liberal intelligentsia.

Adam Mickiewicz published the reply poem Do przyjaciół Moskali ("To Friends Moskals", at the end of part 3 of the cycle Dziady[14]), where he accused Pushkin of betrayal of their formerly common ideals of freedom, as expressed by the Decembrists. Pushkin started writing a reply, He Lived Among Us, published only posthumously.[15]

References

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  1. ^ Clarence A. Manning (November 1944). "Shevchenko and Pushkin's to the Slanderers of Russia". Modern Language Notes. 59 (7). The Johns Hopkins University Press: 495–497. doi:10.2307/2911316. JSTOR 2911316. Pushkin's patriotic poem had aroused hostility among some of the Russian liberals ...
    Mikhail Bakunin (1990). Bakunin: Statism and Anarchy. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521369732.
    Pennsylvania State University (2005). Political History and Culture of Russia, Volume 21. Nova Science Publishers.
    Maurice Baring, Sheba Blake (2021). An Outline of Russian Literature. Sheba Blake Publishing. ISBN 9783986774691.
  2. ^ Michael Wachtel (25 January 2012). A Commentary to Pushkin's Lyric Poetry, 1826–1836. University of Wisconsin Pres. pp. 227–. ISBN 978-0-299-28543-2.
  3. ^ Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine. W. Blackwood. 1853. pp. 150–.
  4. ^ Olga Maiorova (17 August 2010). From the Shadow of Empire: Defining the Russian Nation through Cultural Mythology, 1855–1870. Univ of Wisconsin Press. pp. 201–. ISBN 978-0-299-23593-2.
  5. ^ Myroslav Shkandrij (9 October 2001). Russia and Ukraine: Literature and the Discourse of Empire from Napoleonic to Postcolonial Times. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. pp. 69–. ISBN 978-0-7735-2234-3.
  6. ^ Alyssa Dinega Gillespie (24 July 2012). Taboo Pushkin: Topics, Texts, Interpretations. University of Wisconsin Pres. pp. 288–. ISBN 978-0-299-28703-0.
  7. ^ Ewa M. Thompson (5 December 1991). The Search for Self-Definition in Russian Literature. John Benjamins Publishing Company. pp. 156–. ISBN 978-90-272-7759-6.
  8. ^ Joe Andrew (18 June 1980). Writers and Society During the Rise of Russian Realism. Palgrave Macmillan UK. pp. 30–. ISBN 978-1-349-04421-4.
  9. ^ Izabela Kalinowska (2004). Between East and West: Polish and Russian Nineteenth-century Travel to the Orient. University Rochester Press. pp. 172–. ISBN 978-1-58046-172-6.
  10. ^ "Гибридная Крымская война: как это делалось в XIX веке - Публицистика - История России - федеральный портал История.РФ". 2016-03-27. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
  11. ^ "Перед гробницею святой…". Православие.Ru. 2010-07-20. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
  12. ^ a b "Журнальный зал - Новый Мир, 1994 №6 - ОЛЬГА МУРАВЬЕВА - "Вражды бессмысленной позор..."". Novyy Mir. No. 6. 1994. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
  13. ^ Владимир Санников (16 February 2014). Краткий словарь русских острот. ЛитРес. pp. 272–. ISBN 978-5-457-54446-8.
  14. ^   Polish Wikisource has original text related to this article: Dziady/Do przyjaciół Moskali
  15. ^ Благой Д. Д. "Мицкевич и Пушкин." // Изв. АН СССР. Отд. литературы и языка. — 1956, июль-август. — Т. XV. — Вып. 4. — С. 314.
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