If we conduct a survey of the most educated and well-read people modern Russia on the topic “The most talented Russian memoirs”, then memoirs Tatiana Petrovna Passek“From Distant Years” will probably end up in the top ten, no matter how we shuffle the community of respondents (alas, it’s not very extensive).

What is the secret of the success of this book, first published in magazine version back in the 1880s? It contains all the components on which the best memoirs are built: the spirit of the era, the fame of the characters, the reliability of the presentation of facts, the amazing memory of the author, vivid language.

The central character of these memoirs, in addition to the author himself, is Alexander Ivanovich Herzen, and it was this fact that ensured the repeated reprinting of the weighty volumes. Of course: the founder of Russian socialism!

But Tatyana Passek’s memoirs are interesting not only for this, especially since Herzen himself took care of the autobiography, writing his famous memoirs - “The Past and Thoughts”. He began writing them at the age of 25 and continued virtually until his death. In terms of volume and content, this work is compared to War and Peace.

Far from it full list wonderful people, with whom Tatyana Passek was briefly acquainted and about whom she left memories: Aksakov, Bakunin, Veltman, Senkovsky, Ogarev, Herzen, Zagoskin, Alyabyev, Vitberg, Granovsky, Shevchenko, Dal, Pogodin, Lazhechnikov, Shcherbina, Mei, Tolstoy...

Two months after the birth of Sasha Herzen, Napoleon’s army entered Russia, and the child was taken to Korchevsky district of Tver province. On the Novoselye estate, between modern Konakov and Dubna, he waited out the “thunderstorm of the twelfth year,” not yet understanding the course of history, which he would later try to change. Here he first saw his “Korchev cousin” - little Tanechka Kuchina, with whom life would bring him close in adolescence. There is now neither the city of Korcheva, flooded by the Moscow Sea, nor the village of Novoselye, nor the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in it. But they were preserved in Tatyana Pasek’s memoirs “From Distant Years,” and with a certain imagination we can visualize them and experience many interesting events with the author of the memoirs.

Tatyana Petrovna Passek was born on August 6, 1810 and spent her childhood on the Korchev estate. Ivan Alekseevich Yakovlev, Sasha Herzen’s father, took his son good teachers and he himself paid special attention to his education. Tatyana moved to Moscow, entered a French boarding school, and rich uncle Ivan Alekseevich, noticing her thirst for knowledge and the girl’s good influence on the character and success of her son, asked Tatyana’s father to allow her to live with them.

A unique time of youthful aspirations and dreams spent together! Life subsequently separated Tatiana and Alexander greatly, but nothing cast a shadow on their memory of the wonderful time of growing up next to each other. Tatyana wrote in her memoirs “From Distant Years”: “As children and youths, we entered life holding hands. Magical images appeared before us in the morning fog of life; it reflected light inner world ours, modifying the forms of the external world. Together we entered adolescence, full of delight, sadness, joy, prayers and hopes.”

Teenagers comprehended life through history and literature, there they met people with whom they sympathized, whose life examples awakened the desire for beauty. Both of them turned out to be capable of new ideas and bold impulses that found outlets in their own literature reviews, historical articles and translations. In the linden grove of the village of Novoselye there was a picturesque place that Sasha named Ermenonville in memory of Jean-Jacques Rousseau; Tanya and Sasha often went there with books.

At the request of her father, Tatyana returned to Korcheva to help her stepmother, who took on several students to replenish the family budget. The girl began to teach with such ardor that she took on all these worries upon herself. Instead of the dry and official teaching characteristic of the school of that time, Tatyana vividly told the students about historical figures and events, read works of art. Inspired by the example of the Spartans, the students came up with such hardening measures that Passek later wondered how they managed to avoid colds. With the money she received for her upbringing, Tatyana bought flowers, treats and books for her classes. The students became sincerely attached to her and cried when it was time to say goodbye.
In 1832, Herzen introduced Tatyana to his friend, ethnographer Vadim Passek, who later became her husband. “Love is the path to heaven,” Tatiana wrote to her fiancé. “I would like to point it out to the whole world.” And in difficult times, when the family suffered extreme poverty, the peace was not broken by a single quarrel. “Ten years of boundless happiness were our lot,” wrote Tatyana. The happy Korchev youth and short years of marriage, as it turned out, were given to Tatyana as a reward for terrible trials in later life. The husband died ten years after marriage, in 1842. Their children died when they were young, and Tatyana Petrovna lived for decades in hopeless poverty, maintaining her nobility and dignity.

I am sure, dear reader, that after reading Tatyana Passek’s memoirs you will also include this book in the top ten best Russian memoirs, and maybe you will want to go near Konakovo and sit in the silence of a linden grove in former estate Housewarming party, as Sasha Herzen and Tanechka Kuchina used to sit there almost two centuries ago.

Vyacheslav Vorobyov,
Professor State Academy Slavic culture

Passek T.P. From early years, from a distant life. Memoirs of T.P. Passek. 1810-1842. // “Russian antiquity”. Monthly historical publication. 1872 Volume VI. St. Petersburg, 1872, pp. 607-648.

Passek T.P. From early years, from distant life.

The editors of “Russian Antiquity” precede the publication with the following parting words:

“...Tatyana Petrovna Passek, the widow of the once quite famous gifted writer Vadim Vasilyevich Passek (died 1842), from her infancy was placed among the richest ancient noble family, the senior representative of which was the father of her mother, Natalya Petrovna Kuchina, General Peter Alekseevich Yakovlev. This surname, in the male branch, has now died out. At one time, that is, at the end of the last and in the first decades of the current (XVIII-XIX centuries - adm.) century, she united several extremely typical personalities in her midst.

Feather of one of talented writers of our time has already reproduced several artistic household paintings, in which the members of this family are clearly highlighted. This does not, however, take away either the interest or significance in the memoirs of this writer’s close relative, co-educator and childhood friend. If Mrs. Passek, despite the commonality of some notes with this writer, is forced, in the first two or three chapters, to use some of the characteristics of her relatives, written by his masterful pen, nevertheless. In subsequent chapters, she has many of her own facts, noted subtly, purely with feminine observation.

Tatyana Petrovna’s memoirs cover quite a few chapters: they depict the life of Moscow society, the life of the Russian nobility in the provinces during the reign of Alexander I. Sketches of the life of the youth of Moscow University in the thirties, and so on. The author, compiling notes, not so much for publication, but for himself, did not yet recognize some chapters as possible to print - they are too family, private in nature, and therefore are left in the manuscript for now ... "

Passek, Tatyana Petrovna(née Kuchina) - writer; genus. July 25, 1810 in the village. Housewarming party in Tver province. Korchevsky district, died on March 24, 1889 in St. Petersburg. T.P. spent part of her childhood in the village. Karpovka and mountains. Korcheva, partly in Moscow with the relatives of his mother - Princess Khovanskaya and I. A. Yakovlev. At the age of nine, she entered the Moscow boarding school of Mrs. Donnwart, and then was transferred to the boarding house of Mrs. Vaucher. Upon leaving there in the 12th year, she spent seven years in the house of I. A. Yakovlev, where A. I. Herzen, her cousin, at that time a student at Moscow University, also lived. The environment that surrounded T.P. in Yakovlev’s house, consisting of scientists, writers and artists, developed in her a love of literature. In 1832, T.P. married Vadim Vasilyevich Passek (see). The first ones date back to this time. literary works, which were published in the “Essays on Russia” published by her husband. Then she worked at Plyuchard’s “Picturesque Review” and finally published the book “Reading for Youth,” which was a significant success at that time. But these jobs did not satisfy her. According to its extensive literary education and a great mind, she needed a wider field of activity. And so she, with the participation of well-known scientists and writers at that time, developed a program for a magazine for mothers, “Nature,” which was submitted for approval; however, permission to publish the magazine was not forthcoming. After that, T.P. began translating for various magazines and publications. In the eleventh year of marriage, she lost her husband and, left with two sons Alexander and Vladimir, continued literary studies. In 1859, she went abroad with her children, where she stayed for more than two years; here T.P. suffered a heavy loss: in Paris she lost her beloved eldest son.

Upon returning from Paris to St. Petersburg, P. in 1871 met M.I. Semevsky, editor-publisher of Russian Antiquity, who invited her to participate in his magazine and place on its pages the memoirs compiled by Tatyana Petrovna, “From Distant Years.” The proposal was accepted, and “Memoirs” began to be published in “Russian Antiquity” in 1872; in 1873 they were banned, but in 1876 they were again allowed to be published. In 1878-1879 "Memories" was released separate publication in two volumes. Then T.P. again decided to publish a magazine, this time for children. In 1880, on February 3, the 1st issue of her magazine “Toys” was published. This magazine enjoyed great and well-deserved fame. But in the midst of his success, T.P. suffered new grief. Her second son, who helped her with his literary works in the publication "Toy", he became seriously ill, and she had to give up everything and go abroad with him, where he soon died. Upon returning from abroad, torn by grief and very strapped for funds, T. P. continued her publication of “Toys” and brought it to 1887, when on October 1 she handed it over to her employee A. N. Tyufyaeva-Toliverova (Jacobi). In recent years, with the assistance of close people, Passek undertook the publication of the 3rd volume of “From Distant Years,” which she completed a week before her death. T.P. had a sound practical mind, but her realism was not harsh: it was softened by her kind-heartedness and rare responsiveness. She retained her interest in the idea of ​​humanity until the end of her life, until she was 80 years old; Her constant company was writers, who all loved and respected this “literary grandmother.”

"New Time" 1889, No. 4696; "Week" 1889, No. 14. Acquaintances. Album by M. I. Semevsky. St. Petersburg, 1888, pp. 69 and 132; "World Illustration" 1889, vol. XLI, pp. 265-267, art. N. Leskova; "Historical Bulletin" 1889, vol. XXXVI, May, p. 468; "From early years, from distant life." Memoirs of T. P. Passek. 1810-1842 - "Russian Antiquity" 1872, 1873 and 1876. Wahrheit und Dichtung. Article by D. Golokhvastov on the memoirs of T. P. Passek - "Russian Archive" 1874, No. 4, pp. 1053-1095; 1876, no. 6, pp. 231-236; Podlevsky. Reported by A. S. Lomachevsky - "Russian Antiquity" 1876, vol. XVII, No. 9, pp. 174-175. (About “Notes” by T. Passek).

Passek Tatyana Petrovna(July 25, 1810 - March 24, 1889) - writer, author of memoirs, wife of historian and geographer Vadim Vasilyevich Passek, cousin of Alexander Ivanovich Herzen.

Youth

Uncle T. P. Pasek - Ivan Alekseevich Yakovlev

Marriage

In 1832, Herzen introduced Tatyana to his friend Vadim Passek, who later became her husband. This is how she describes the meeting:

...behind the screens that separated the entrance from the hallway, the door quietly creaked, and a slender young man of average height, Vadim Passek, entered the hall. He bowed shyly, took a chair at the invitation and sat down at the table. At first, the conversation was incoherent, no matter how hard Sasha tried to enliven it... Vadim was somewhat timid and embarrassed... There was some kind of magnetism in Vadim’s dark brown intelligent eyes, half-closed by thick eyelashes... When the conversation little by little became livelier and turned intimate, Vadim gave himself up completely sincerity; his voice was extremely pleasant and quiet; speech is clear, simple, calm, with complete mastery of the subject being discussed.

T. P. Passek, “From Distant Years,” vol. 1, ch. 20.

Vadim’s “quiet, deep nature” attracted Tatyana; Vadim saw in her a girl with an enlightened mind and a pure heart, capable of sharing his feelings and aspirations. The liveliness, unstable storminess, the shade of which gave Tatiana's life the energetic character of her only friend, Herzen, marriage was replaced by calmness, full of inner content (vol. 1, ch. 20, 21). "Love is the way to heaven,- Tatyana wrote to her fiancé. - I would like to point it out to the whole world” (vol. 1, chapter 22). Even in difficult times, when the family suffered extreme poverty, the peace was not broken by a single quarrel. “Ten years of boundless happiness were our lot”, writes Tatyana; her husband died ten years after marriage, in 1842 (Vol. 1, Ch. 21).

Source

T. P. Passek. From distant years. / Under the general editorship of S. N. Golubov, V. V. Grigorenko and others, Goslitizdat, 1963, the same, see: Russian antiquity, 1872. - T.6. - No. 12. – P. 607-648., 1873. – T. 7. - No. 3. – P. 291-335.

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