“Favourite and dear friend...”: Letters of N.Ya. Danilevsky to I.P. Köler

Abstract

The article precedes the publication of letters of Nikolai Yakovlevich Danilevsky (1822–1885) to the Estonian painter Johan Köler-Viljandi (1826–1899). The established scientific tradition of studying Danilevsky's work is analyzed. It is noted that Danilevsky, who considered himself a botanist and ichthyologist, is now known as a Slavophile philosopher. The letters of Danilevsky to Köhler published here cover the period from 1874 to 1882 and can be divided into three groups: pre-war (before 1877), written in the period of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), and post-war letters. Köhler first visited Danilevsky's Mshatka estate in the Crimea in 1872 and from then on came there almost annually. Danilevsky and Köhler had warm friendly relations, as evidenced by the published letters. The letters contain numerous everyday details that reveal the circumstances of the Danilevsky family's life in the Crimea. In the letters relating to the period of the Russo-Turkish War, the issues of liberation of Bulgaria are touched upon. As an illustration of Danilevsky's views on the outcome of the Russo-Turkish War, his reasoning from the article Woe to the victors! (1879) is reproduced (1879). Danilevsky believed that the results of the Berlin Congress exposed all the lies of the foreign policy pursued by Russia during the 19^th century, which led it to a diplomatic defeat, despite the victory in the war. Danilevsky stressed that the victory was to open everyone's eyes to the true attitude of Europe to Russia and to draw the attention of the Russian government and intellectuals to the need to protect national interests. The postwar letters reveal the circumstances of Danilevsky's active participation in the fight against phylloxera in the Crimea. The article reproduces a previously unknown photograph of Danilevsky and a portrait of the scholar painted by Köler.