Why the finest of Russians did not condemn the anti-Jewish pogroms

The article considers the plight of the ‘Jewish tribe' in imperial Russia in the context of the historical events of 1881 and 1882 as perceived and acted on by Ivan Turgenev. Based on copious documentary evidence, this study offers an answer to the question of why one of the most compassionate and cultured of Russian intellectuals did not condemn the pogroms. The author analyses the political situation in the wake of the assassination of Tsar Alexander II and describes the persistent but fruitless efforts by Turgenev and his followers to convince the new regime of the importance of continuing with the reforms. Also presented are documents confirming Turgenev's interest in the Jewish problem of the years 1881-1882 and the reasons why, despite his sympathy for victims of the pogroms, Turgenev never denounced the mob violence. Lastly, the article examines Turgenev's routine of ‘small actions,' when the writer provided active and effective support to vast numbers of people, including those directly impacted by the events of 1881. The article debunks the myths about Turgenev's apolitical stance and his siding with the official ideology and policy on ethnic issues.

1. Alekseev, M., ed. (1961). The complete works of I. Turgenev (28 vols). Letters (16 vols). Letters: vol. 2. Moscow, Leningrad: Nauka. (In Russ.)

2. Alekseev, M., ed. (1965). The complete works of I. Turgenev (28 vols). Letters (16 vols). Letters: vol. 10. Moscow, Leningrad: Nauka. (In Russ.)

3. Alekseev, M., ed. (1966a). The complete works of I. Turgenev (28 vols). Letters (16 vols). Letters: vol. 11. Moscow, Leningrad: Nauka. (In Russ.)

4. Alekseev, M., ed. (1966b). The complete works of I. Turgenev (28 vols). Letters (16 vols). Letters: vol. 12 (1). Moscow, Leningrad: Nauka. (In Russ.)

5. Alekseev, M., ed. (1967). The complete works of I. Turgenev (28 vols). Letters (16 vols). Letters: vol. 12 (2). Moscow, Leningrad: Nauka. (In Russ.)

6. Alekseev, M., ed. (1968). The complete works of I. Turgenev (28 vols). Letters (16 vols). Letters: vol. 13 (1). Moscow, Leningrad: Nauka. (In Russ.)

7. Alekseev, M., ed. (1982). The complete works of I. Turgenev (28 vols). Works (12 vols). Vol. 10. Moscow, Leningrad: Nauka. (In Russ.)

8. Brochhaus, F. and Efron, I., eds. (1905). Encyclopedic dictionary. Additional volume IA. (The Hague Conference - Kochubey). Leipzig, St. Petersburg: Tip. Akts. Obshch. Brochhaus-Efron, Pracheshny per. 6. (In Russ.)

9. Chertkov, V., ed. (1934). The complete works of L. Tolstoy (90 vols). Vol. 63. Moscow, Leningrad: GIKhL. (In Russ.)

10. Dudakov, S. (2003). Etudes of love and hate: Essays. Moscow: RGGU. Available at: https://www.litmir.me/br/?b=97434&p=26 [Accessed 1 Mar. 2020]. (In Russ.)

11. Egorov, B., ed. (2005). Letters of P. Annenkov to I. Turgenev (2 books). Book 2. St. Petersburg: Nauka. (In Russ.)

12. Fomina, E. (2014). National characterology in I. Turgenev's prose. Dissertationes Philologiae Slavicae Universitatis Tartuensis, 31. PhD. University of Tartu. (In Russ.)

13. From workers, members of the Narodnaya Volya party. (1881). [leaflet] Prlib.ru. [online] Available at: https://www.prlib.ru/item/355506 [Accessed 1 Mar. 2020]. (In Russ.)

14. Gortchanina, O. (2014). L’identité culturelle d’Ivan Tourgueniev: entre la Russie et la France. Thèse en vue de l’obtention du grade de docteur. Discipline: Langue et Littérature françaises. Université Charles de Gaulle — Lille III. (In French).

15. Kaufman, A. (1913). From various years: Excerpts from the memoirs of an old journalist. Evreyskaya Starina, 3, pp. 333-350. (In Russ.)

16. Khin, R. (1901). A chapter from unpublished notes. In: A separate print from the collection ‘Under the Banner of Science’ in honour of N. I. Storozhenko. Moscow: Tipo-litografiya A. V. Vasilieva i K, Petrovka, dom Obidinoy, pp. 1-14. Available at: https://rusneb.ru/catalog/000199_000009_003701133/ [Accessed 1 Mar. 2020]. (In Russ.)

17. Kleman, M. (1934). Chronicle of I. S. Turgenev’s life and work: 1818-1883. Moscow: ACADEMIA. (In Russ.)

18. Krivenko, S. (1969). From ‘literary memoirs.' In: S. Petrova and V. Fridlyand, eds., I. S. Turgenev in the memoirs of his contemporaries (2 vols). Vol. 1. Moscow: Khudozhestvennaya literatura, pp. 445-468. (In Russ.)

19. Letters to I. S. Turgenev from various correspondents. (1909). In: Shchukin collection. Issue 8. Publication of the Department of the Imperial Russian Historical Museum named after Emperor Alexander III — P. I. Shchukin Museum. Moscow: Sinodalnaya Tip., pp. 196-218. (In Russ.)

20. Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University. (2021). Hygiene Department. [online] Available at: https://rsmu.ru/structure/edu-dept/pf/pf-departments/hygiene-dept/history/ [Accessed 1 Feb. 2021]. (In Russ.)

21. Pokrovsky, M., ed. (1923). К. P. Pobedonostsev and his correspondents. Letters and notes. Vol. 1: Part 1. Moscow: Gosizdat. (In Russ.)

22. Pokrovsky, M., ed. (1924). K. P. Pobedonostsev’s letters to Alexander III (2 vols). Vol. 1. Moscow: Novaya Moskva. (In Russ.)

23. Polonsky, Y. (1895). I. S. Turgenev at home during his last visit to his homeland. In: Y. Polonsky, Novellas and stories: Addition to complete works. Part 2. St. Petersburg: Tip. I. N. Skorokhodova, pp. 477-596. (In Russ.)

24. <Rabinovich, M.> (1982). <Commentary>. In: M. Alekseev, ed., The complete works of I. Turgenev (30 vols). Works in 12 vols. Vol. 10. Moscow: Nauka, pp. 551-554. (In Russ.)

25. Rebel, G. (2020). Turgenev's universal responsiveness. On the materials of the literary-epistolary anthology ‘In France with Turgenev' [‘S Turgenevym vo Frantsii']. Voprosy Literatury, 2, pp. 196-230. (In Russ.)

26. Shchedrin, M. (1973). Unfinished conversations (‘Meanwhile' [‘Mezhdu delom']). In: S. Makashin, ed., The collected works of M. Shchedrin (20 vols). Vol. 15. Book 2. Moscow: Khudozhestvennaya literatura, pp. 151-283. (In Russ.)

27. Slyozkin, Y. (2005). The era of Mercury: Jews in the modern world. Moscow: NLO. (In Russ.)

28. Solzhenitsyn, A. (2001). Two hundred years together (1875-1995). Part 1. Moscow: Russkiy put. (In Russ.)

29. Strana. 3 Mar. (1881a). [newspaper] National Digital Library. Available at: https://rusneb.ru/catalog/000200_000018_RU_NLR_DIGIT_NP_001364/viewer/?page=223 [Accessed 1 Mar. 2020]. (In Russ.)

30. Strana. 5 Mar. (1881b). [newspaper] National Digital Library. Available at: https://rusneb.ru/catalog/000200_000018_RU_NLR_DIGIT_NP_001364/ [Accessed 1 Mar. 2020]. (In Russ.)

31. Strana. 9 May. (1882a). [newspaper] National Digital Library. Available at: https://rusneb.ru/catalog/000200_000018_RU_NLR_DIGIT_NP_001372/viewer/?page=433 [Accessed 1 Mar. 2020]. (In Russ.)

32. Strana. 11 May. (1882b). [newspaper] National Digital Library. Available at: https://rusneb.ru/catalog/000200_000018_RU_NLR_DIGIT_NP_001372/viewer/?page=433 [Accessed 1 Mar. 2020]. (In Russ.)

33. Suvorin, A. (2015). Diary. Moscow: Knizhniy Klub Knigovek. (In Russ.) Teslya, A. (2019). ‘Truly Russian people.' History of Russian nationalism. Moscow: Gruppa Kompaniy ‘RIPOL klassik', Pangloss. (In Russ.)

34. Troyat, Henri. (2003). Alexander II. Translated by L. Seryozhkina. Moscow: Eksmo. (In Russ.)

35. Tyutcheva, A. (1990). At the court of two emperors (memoirs and fragments of the diaries of the lady-in-waiting at the court of Nicholas I and Alexander II). Moscow: Mysl. Available at: https://royallib.com/read/tyutcheva_anna/pri_dvore_dvuh_imperatorov_vospominaniya_i_fragmenti_dnevnikov_freylini_dvora_nikolaya_i_i_aleksandra_ii.html#81920 [Accessed 1 Mar. 2020]. (In Russ.)