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Baron G. Kusov, or sketches for a portrait. On yet another prototype in O. Mandelstam’s Egyptian Stamp [Egipetskaya marka]
https://doi.org/10.31425/0042-8795-2019-6-158-175
Abstract
An acquaintance of Mandelstam’s from the pre-revolutionary Koktebel
period, baron Kusov resurfaces in the poet’s life in the early 1920s. In their
detailed research of the baron’s biography, the authors mention his graduation
from the Page Corps, his brilliant career in the Chevalier Guard Regiment and
success in the highest noble circle, his knowledgeable appreciation of music and
ballet, his enthusiasm for theosophy, and a keen interest in Ancient Egypt. Based
on their detailed analysis of documented evidence and Mandelstam’s text, the
authors discover undeniable biographical and character-specifc similarities
between the baron and Parnok, the protagonist of The Egyptian Stamp
[Egipetskaya marka]. However, they still admit that Parnok is a complex character
combining the features found in a number of Mandelstam’s acquaintances.
About the Authors
Natalia Y. Kazakova
Hunter College, The City University of New York
United States
United States
Candidate of Philology
695 Park Av., New York, NY, 10065, USA
Irina S. Shilkina
Institute of Scientifc Information on Social Sciences of the RAS
Russian Federation
Candidate of Philosophy
Russian Federation
Candidate of Philosophy
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Review
For citations:
Kazakova N.Y., Shilkina I.S. Baron G. Kusov, or sketches for a portrait. On yet another prototype in O. Mandelstam’s Egyptian Stamp [Egipetskaya marka]. Voprosy literatury. 2019;(6):158-175. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.31425/0042-8795-2019-6-158-175
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