G.R. Derzhavin’s personal library as a reflection of poet’s literary interests and artistic creativity

We study G.R. Derzhavin's personal library. The study is relevant due to the high historical and cultural significance of Gavriil Romanovich’s book collections. Reconstruction of his original collection – one of the most important areas of research of book culture of the late 18th century and, of course, the key story of the study of poet creativity sources. We analyze the thematic diversity of the preserved books, the history of the Derzhavin collection, its fate after the death of G.R. Derzhavin. Derzhavin’s library was transferred to D.V. Polenov – well-known diplomat and bibliophile of his time, and then entered the Naryshkin special library of Tambov. The study of the qualitative and quantitative composition of the transferred collections allowed to establish the safety of 293 volumes from his collection. The collection is distinguished by special brown leather bindings with flyleaf of decorative paper (presumably handmade), a lot of tray copies. Part of the journals convolutes from Derzhavin’s collection are bound in hard cardboard paper with a rectangular label-sticker of the early 19th century, reflecting the name of the journal, the year of publication and superexlibris “G. D.” (Gavriil Derzhavin). Analysis of Derzhavin's books from the library demonstrated a significant diversity of reading interests of G.R. Derzhavin. His library has preserved many rare lifetime copies of odes, letters, epigrams, messages of famous authors of the 18th century, a huge number of periodicals. The method of instance analysis of literature made it possible to identify and analyze the author’s marginalia on the poet’s books, their significance for the characteristics of the poet’s literary work.

1. Meshcheryakov Y.V. Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin. Tambovskiy period deyatel'nosti (1786–1788) [Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin. Tambov Period of Activity (1786–1788)]. Tambov, Yulis Publ., 2006, 443 p. (In Russian).

2. Chernov A.S. Svetoch, zazhzhyonnyy Derzhavinym. 225-letnyaya istoriya tipografii «Proletarskiy svetoch» [The Torch Lit by Derzhavin. 225-Year History of the Typography “Proletarian Torch”]. Tambov, 2012, 267 p. (In Russian).

3. Lidin V.G. Druz'ya moi – knigi! Rasskazy knigolyuba [My Friends – Books! The Stories of the Bibliophile]. Moscow, Sovremennik Publ., 1976, 381 p. (In Russian).

4. Sapogov A.I. Lichnye knigi G.R. Derzhavina [G.R. Derzhavin’s Personal books]. Tambovskaya zhizn' – Tambov Life, 1993, 14 Jul. (In Russian).

5. Derzhavin G.R. Rechi i slova torzhestvennykh sobraniy razlichnykh uchrezhdeniy [Speeches and Words of Solemn Meetings of Various Institutions]. s.l.n.d., 285 p. (In Russian).

6. Derzhavin G.R. Iroida, ili pis’mo Vivlidy k Kavnu [Iroid or Vivlida's letter to Kavnu]. Starina i novizna [Old Man and Novelty], 1773, pt 2, pp. 31-50.(In Russian).

7. Zapadov A.V. Poety XVIII veka (M.V. Lomonosov, G.R. Derzhavin) [Poets of the 18th Century (M.V. Lomonosov, G.R. Derzhavin)]. Moscow, Moscow State University Publ., 1979, 313 p. (In Russian).

8. Derzhavin G.R. Na otbytie ikh imperatorskikh vysochestv velikikh knyazey Nikolaya Pavlovicha i Mikhaila Pavlovicha [In memoriam of their Imperial Highnesses Grand Dukes Nikolay Pavlovich and Mikhail Pavlovich]. Syn Otechestva – Son of the Fatherland, 1814, bk 5, pp. 251-252. (In Russian).

9. Zakharyin P. Rech’ na otkrytii v Tambovskom narodnom uchilishche [Speech at the opening at the Tambov National School]. Zerkalo sveta [Mirror of Light], 1786, pt 3, pp. 248-249. (In Russian).

10. Derzhavin G.R. Sochineniya Derzhavina: s ob"yasnitel'nymi primechaniyami Y. Grota. T. 9. 1883 [Derzhavin's Writings: with Explanatory Notes by Y. Grot. Vol. 9. 1883]. St. Peterburg, Imperial Academy of Sciences Publ., 1864–1883, 806 p. (In Russian).

11. Butorov A. Russkiy byt v vospominaniyakh sovremennikov. XVIII vek [Russian Life in the Memoirs of Contemporaries. 18th Century]. Moscow, AST, Astrel Publ., 2012, 708 p. (In Russian).

12. Derzhavin G.R. Pamyat' drugu [Memory friend]. In: Derzhavin G.R. Stikhotvoreniya [Poems]. Moscow, Hudozhestvennay literatura Publ., 1958. (In Russian).

13. Lvov N.A. O pol'ze i upotreblenii russkogo zemlyanogo uglya [On Benefits and Use of Russian Earth Coal]. St. Petersburg, I.K. Shnor’s Typography, 1799, 80 p. (In Russian).

14. Yanin E.P. Nikolay Aleksandrovich L'vov (k 200-letiyu izdaniya knigi «O pol'ze i upotreblenii russkogo zemlyanogo uglya») [Nikolay Aleksandrovich Lvov (to the 200th anniversary of the book “On Benefits and Use of Russian Earth Coal”)]. Geologicheskiy vestnik tsentral'nyh rayonov Rossii – Geological Bulletin of the Central Regions of Russia, 2000, no. 1, pp. 37-43. (In Russian).

15. Lomonosov M.V. Polnoe sobranie sochineniy Mikhayla Vasil'evicha Lomonosova, s priobshcheniem zhizni sochinitelya i s pribavleniem mnogikh ego nigde eshche ne napechatannykh tvoreniy [Completed Works of Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov, with Introduction of the Life of Writer and Addition of Many of His Yet Nowhere Printed Works]. St. Petersburg, Means of Imperial Academy of Sciences, 1784–1787. (In Russian).