Baculard d'Arnaud's Varbeck in Pankratiy Sumarokov's literary legacy

The article discusses an 18th-century book - Baculard d'Arnaud's novel Varbeck as a literary artifact. The book was translated by P.P. Sumarokov during his Siberian exile and printed in 1793 in Tambov, in A.M. Nilov's free printing house. The author studied a Varbeck copy kept in the Book Museum of the Russian State Library as well as books and magazines from the collections of the Library of the Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg). For the first time, Varbeck is studied in the historical context of the Tobolsk-Tambov publishing contacts which appeared owing to Sumarokov's translation (Uchilishche lyubvi [The School of Love]) and editing (Irtysh, prevrashchayushchiysya v Ipokrenu [The Irtysh Becoming an Ippokrena], Biblioteka uchenaya, ekonomicheskaya, nravouchitel 'naya, istoricheskaya i uveselitel 'naya v pol 'zu i udovol 'stvie vsiakogo zvaniya chitateley [The Scientific, Economical, Moral, Historical and Entertaining Library for Use and Pleasure of Readers of any Social Status]) activities. Thus, the initial period of the Siberian book printing from Philotheus Leszczynski to the Kornilievs' printing house is highlighted in a new way. The author analyzes Varbeck in the context of Uchilishche lyubvi as well as Sumarokov's translation, editorial and publishing activities during his Siberian exile (1787-1801). She evaluates his contribution to the formation of the national tradition of readers' edification, combining instruction and pleasure, entertainment and education of emotions. The author shares the hypothesis of V.A. Pavlov, a famous historian of the Ural and Siberian book business, that explains the biographical aspect of the appearance of a Siberian book in Nilov's printing house. It is associated with the personality of Pavel Ivanovich Sumarokov, Sumarokov's cousin-uncle. At the same time, N.P. Dvortsova significantly supplements the biographical aspect with a comparative-typological analysis of Nilov's Tambov printing house and the Kornilievs' Tobolsk printing house. The author investigates the history of the printing houses associated with Catherine II's edicts of 1783 and 1796, the importance of the work of the poets G.R. Derzhavin and P.P. Sumarokov in this story, features of the repertoire of the printing houses, and the significance of periodical and translated publications. The story of Varbeck publication in Tambov and the nature of the distribution of the first Tobolsk magazines is seen as a manifestation of a new (after Peter the Great's Decree of 1703 to Philotheus Leszczynski, the Metropolitan of Siberia and Tobolsk) approach to the printed book in Siberia in the 18th century. It is understood as an essential part of the all-Russian publishing business, in which books circulated not only from the European part of Russia to Siberia, but also from Siberia to the European part of Russia. Franjois-Thomas-Marie de Baciulard d'Arnaud is treated as a writer who gained much popularity in Russia in the context of the so-called instructive reading, designed to combine the pleasant and the useful in one novel (story). The author establishes a connection between Sumarokov, the author and translator of Uchilishche lyubvi and Varbek, and the editor of the Uchenaia biblioteka, which published books and journals "for the use and pleasure of readers of all social statuses", and the concept of edifying reading. The research justifies that Sumarokov chose to translate d'Arnaud's Varbeck not only because of the French writer's popularity in Russia, that is, by external reasons, but also by internal reasons related to Sumarokov's experience as a translator of Uchilishche lyubvi. Analysis of the poetics of Uchilishche lyubvi and Varbek establishes their common system of motives (love, ambition, opposition of the city and nature, feelings and passions, paths, searches, tears, suffering, death, friendship, etc.) and their belongingness to the Russian tradition of enlightenment and education of emotions.

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