Preview

Voprosy literatury

Advanced search
Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Yury Dombrovsky: Myth versus ‘agonizing truth’

https://doi.org/10.31425/0042-8795-2019-2-234-277

Abstract

The article discusses the problem of the non-existent biography of Yury Dombrovsky, and sets out to disprove the myth created by the newspaper Novaya Gazeta about KGB’s persecuting and eventually murdering the writer in retaliation for his novel The Faculty of Useless Things [Fakultet nenuzhnykh veshchey]. Facts manipulation, replacement of the truth with personal beliefs and conjectures, and, ultimately, letting a work of imagination invade the reality – those are just a few examples of global mythologizing, or the post-truth reality, one of today’s biggest challenges. To a certain extent, an article is written in response to the last year’s scandal covered by Novaya Gazeta, which published the article A Brawl with Phantoms [Draka s prizrakami], only to follow up with a refutation co-written by the newspaper’s own reporter O. Khlebnikov and Dombrovsky’s widow K. Turumova-Dombrovskaya. The paper is based on the aforementioned controversial article, revised and expanded for the publication.

About the Author

I. Duardovich

Russian Federation
literary critic, journalist, independent researcher Voprosy Literatury literary journal


References

1. Balashova, L. (2014). The development of Russian metaphorical system: 11-21 centuries. Moscow: Rukopisnye pamyatniki Drevney Rusi: Znak. (In Russ.)

2. Berser, A. (2005). Fire keeper. In: Y. Dombrovsky, The messengers [Gontsy]. Moscow: MIK, pp. 274-297. (In Russ.)

3. Dombrovsky, Y. (1977). Rutlandbaconsouthhamptonshakespeare. Voprosy Literatury, 1, pp. 184-196. (In Russ.)

4. Dombrovsky, Y. (1991). Rutlandbaconsouthamptonshakespeare. In: Y. Dombrovsky, The keeper of antiquities. Novel. Short stories. Essays. Prefaced by V. Nepomnyashchy. Moscow: Izvestiya, pp. 216-223. (In Russ.)

5. Dombrovsky, Y. (1992). My agonizing truth. Poems. Paris: Rus. (In Russ.)

6. Dombrovsky, Y. (2008). The gleeful fascists and the mob. An unsent letter to the authorities. Prefaced by K. Turumova-Dombrovskaya. Novaya Gazeta, 22-25 May, p. 18. (In Russ.)

7. Duardovich, I. (2018a). First interview with K. F. Turumova-Dombrovskaya, dtd. 13 Mar. 2018. [interview] Personal archive of I. Duardovich. Moscow. (In Russ.)

8. Duardovich, I. (2018b). Second interview with K. F. Turumova-Dombrovskaya, dtd. 29 Mar. 2018. [interview] Personal archive of I. Duardovich. Moscow. (In Russ.)

9. Duardovich, I. (2018с). Fighting the ghosts. Who killed Dombrovsky: hoodlums, KGB or fear gained over the years in Stalin’s camps? Novaya Gazeta, 1 June, p. 22. (In Russ.)

10. Gureev, M. (2009). ‘Aſter darkness I hope for light…’ To honour Yury Dombrovsky’s birth centenary. Kultura, 19, p. 7. (In Russ.)

11. Kabanov, V. (2006). Fedot Suchkov’s phantasmagoria. Voprosy Literatury, 1, pp. 312-320. (In Russ.)

12. Kataeva-Venger, A. (1999). I love my girls so much! Available at: http:// amkob113.ru/akver/kvr-1.html [Accessed 15 Aug. 2018]. (In Russ.)

13. Khlebnikov, O. and Turumova-Dombrovskaya, K. (2008). Murdered for

14. the novel. Why was ‘The Faculty of Useless Things’ [‘Fakultet nenuzhnykh veshchey’] Dombrovsky’s last book? Novaya Gazeta, 22-25 May, p. 18. (In Russ.)

15. Khlebnikov, O. and Turumova-Dombrovskaya, K. (2018). ‘Derzhavin’ and the Void. How was Yury Dombrovsky’s death anniversary marked? Novaya Gazeta, 4 July, p. 20. (In Russ.)

16. Kobrinsky, A. (2009). An account of Dombrovsky’s death. In: A. Kobrinsky, Noble blend. Jerusalem, Moscow: E.RA., pp. 55-59; 305; 307. (In Russ.)

17. Korallov, M. (2005). Wreaths on the graves. Druzhba Narodov, 8, pp. 175-196. (In Russ.)

18. Koznova, O. (2000). Reminiscences of Y. Dombrovsky. Russkaya Mysl, 13 Jan., 20-26 Jan. pp. 12-13. (In Russ.)

19. Mitina, S. (1992). The rescue of the manuscript. In: K. Turumova-Dombrovskaya, ed., The collected works of Y. Dombrovsky (6 vols). Vol. 2. Moscow: Terra, pp. 456-457. (In Russ.)

20. Mitina, S. (2005). ‘A place with room for outraged feeling…’ In: Y. Dombrovsky, The messengers [Gontsy]. Moscow: MIK, pp. 250-260. (In Russ.)

21. Mikhailovskaya, K. (2005). He’ve got a Modigliani’s painting, but nobody knows. In: Y. Dombrovsky, The messengers [Gontsy]. Moscow: MIK, pp. 237-242. (In Russ.)

22. Nerler, P. (2015). ‘Once again scald…’ Yury Dombrovsky, the hoaxer. NG Exlibris, 22, p.4. (In Russ.)

23. Portnova, D. (2017). Reminiscences of Yury Dombrovsky. Noviy Mir, 7, pp. 88-132. (In Russ.)

24. Romanov, A. (2018). Post-truth as a challenge for literary criticism. Colta.ru, [online] 7 Aug. Available at: https://www.colta.ru/articles/literature/18768-postpravda-kak-problema-literaturnoy-kritiki [Accessed 5 Mar. 2019]. (In Russ.)

25. Savelieva, V. and Shubin, S., eds. (2009). Letters written together. Clara and Yury Dombrovsky’s addressee in Almaty. Almaty: Iskander. (In Russ.)

26. Svetov, F. (2005). Net product for a comrade [Chisty produkt dlya tovarishcha]. Short novel. In: Y. Dombrovsky, The messengers [Gontsy]. Moscow: MIK,

27. pp. 161-220. (In Russ.)

28. Tkhorzhevsky, S. (2002). A restless writer. In: S. Tkhorzhevsky, Open the window. Memoirs and marginalia. St. Petersburg: Aleteya, pp. 223-242. (In Russ.)

29. Ryurikova, M. (2001). ‘Thanks to the cat, we got an apartment.’ Novaya Gazeta, 7-14 June, p. 12. (In Russ.)

30. Varpakhovskaya, I. (1995). From the memoirs of Traviata from Kolyma. In: M. Korallov, ed., GULAG Theatre: Memoirs, essays. Moscow: Memorial, pp. 64-79. (In Russ.)

31. Volchek, D. (2009). Yury Dombrovsky’s birth centenary. Radio Svoboda, [online] 14 May. Available at: https://www.svoboda.org/a/1731693.html [Accessed 4 Aug. 2018]. (In Russ.)

32. Vulfovich, T. (1992). ‘…And there you got a man.’ Aprel, 6, pp. 222-241. (In Russ.) Vulfovich, T. (1997). Conversations with Yury Dombrovsky. Znamya, 6, pp. 123-147. (In Russ.)


Review

For citations:


Duardovich I. Yury Dombrovsky: Myth versus ‘agonizing truth’. Voprosy literatury. 2019;(2):234-277. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.31425/0042-8795-2019-2-234-277

Views: 951


ISSN 0042-8795 (Print)