IN THE SILENCE OF THE VILLAGE BARRACKS (M.YU. LERMONTOV IN THE GRODNO HUSSAR REGIMENT)

Abstract

The article examines the period of M.Yu. Lermontov’s stay in the Grodno Hussar Regiment in Novgorod Province, describes his activities during his service, relationships with fellow soldiers, as well as the history of the creation of the regiment and the current state of this cultural object. In the Grodno Hussar Regiment, the poet worked on “A Hero of Our Time,” wrote the main edition of “Demon,” and painted the paintings “Circassian” and “Memories of the Caucasus.” The Caucasus can be called the intellectual and spiritual cradle of Lermontov. The poet developed Pushkin’s Caucasian motif in his work, and this subsequently contributed to the creation of national cultures and literature of the majority of the peoples of the Caucasus. For Lermontov, the Caucasus is an organic part of his homeland, where he repeatedly visited his relatives as a child, traveled, was treated with mineral water, and served as an officer in the Russian army. Lermontov in the Caucasus was not interested in military romance, but in the deep culture of the Russian East. Lermontov’s poetry is often considered in its connections with the works of Russian and European writers. At the same time, the source of Lermontov’s poetry was the living reality: his own observations, folk tales, legends and songs, stories of experienced people – in general, the life around him in its development. Lermontov’s Caucasian works are imbued with a feeling of deep respect for the peoples of the Caucasus. And at the same time, the poet brilliantly grasps the tragic nature of this senseless war, which fell heavily on the shoulders of both the soldiers of the Russian army and the indigenous peoples of the Caucasus. Love for the Fatherland helped Lermontov to comprehend the virtues of other peoples inhabiting Russia. He had a keen interest in the language and poetry of the peoples of the Caucasus.