The department "BORATYNSKY IN MURANOVO"
It is no accident that the new department of the museum was named "Boratynsky in Muranovo". Today the house in Muranovo is the only place where Boratynsky's heritage is still kept. Different materials connected with the poet are stored here, but the most important part of the exposition is the period when Boratynsky lived in Muranovo.
The first part of the exposition introduces the poet's ancestors, his childhood and the time when he was studying in the Corps of Pages.
Yevgeny was a member of an ancient noble family. One of his ancestors Dmitry Bozhedar, a military leader who also was the treasurer of the Polish Kingdom in the 14th cent, built a castle in Galicia that was named Boratyn. His son, who inherited the castle, acquired the name of Boratynsky. In the late 17th century the Boratynsky achieved Russian citizenship.
In a big portrait by an unknown artist Boratynsky's grandfather Andrey Vasilievitch is depicted. His four sons have made brilliant careers during the reign of Paul I. The younger one, Ilia, a counter-admiral, was the great grandfather of N. Obukhova (his miniature portrait can be seen). On the left wall there are portraits of two other poet's uncles, Bogdan and Petr. Both of them played an important role in the life of Boratynsky.
Paul I granted to the Boratynsky a huge estate Vyazhlya in the Tambov province. In Vyazhlya the first son of A.A. Boratynsky was born. He was named Yevgeny. A portrait of a small boy with thoughtful eyes is very expressive. It is probably the earliest of all the portraits of Boratynsky. In his childish face we can already see the features of a future poet and philosopher. Both the portrait of Boratynsky and the miniatures were brought to Muranovo in 1989 from California, according to the will of the poet's great grandson Nikolai Dmitrievitch (1915-1989).
In Mar, the central estate of the Boratynsky land near Tambov, passed the childhood of the poet. After the death of his father (1810) Boratynsky was assigned to the Corps of Pages. In autumn of 1812 he became "a pensioner on his own upkeep" (we can see the building of the Corps in a colored lithograph of the mid-19th century).
Having come to St. Petersburg a gentle and well-behaved boy, Boratynsky suffered the influence of the situation, and his behavior was becoming worse and worse. Finally the boy committed a misbehavior too heavy to be excused and on March 1, 1816 he was expelled.
The poet was feeling ill and sad. He thought his doom will follow him always. Yevgeny had to enter military service.
In autumn of 1818 Boratynsky moved to St. Petersburg. There he meets "several young poets" who inspire him with love for poetry. He makes his first efforts to "become an author" His poems are published in the first time.
One of Boratynsky's closest friends was Delvig, who introduced him to Pushkin.
The second part of the exhibition is about the years Boratynsky spent in Finland (1800-1825). He got there being a non-comissional officer who was transferred from the Guards. In Finland he wrote such poems as "Finland", "The Disappointment" and "Motherland".
Majestic Finnish nature quickened the development of Boratynsky's poetic talent. He said that his dream was that young poets would visit Finland in his memory.
A watercolor by an unknown artist depicts N.V. Putyata, whom Boratynsky met in 1824. He became the poet's best friend.
People, whose portraits are in the exposition played important roles in Boratynsky's life. These are general governor A. Zakrevsky, D.Davydov and especially V.A. Zhukovsky. A letter written to Zhukovsky in 1923 is exhibited too. Due to his friends' efforts Boratynsky was finally promoted into the rank of sergeant.
Having become an officer, Boratynsky gained the right to resign, which he immediately used.
When Boratynsky left Finland he already is a formed poet, sometimes even compared to Pushkin. In one of the showcases there is a publication of Boratynsky's first long poems: "Eda" and "The Feasts".
Since autumn of 1825 Boratynsky lived in Moscow. In June 1826 he married the daughter of L,N, Engelgardt. On the wall there is a copy from a portrait of Boratynsky made by Anastasia Lvovna, his wife. The portraits of the Boratynsky's father-in-law L.N. Engelgardt, his sister-in-law Natalia Lvovna and a portrait of his elder brother Petr (painted by Natalia Lvovna) remind us of the warm and friendly relations that Boratynsky had with his new family.
The exposition of the first room is completed by the subject "Boratynsky and the literary Moscow of the 1830s". Here are the portraits of Z. Volkonskaya, P. Vyazemsky, A. Mitskevich, P. Pletnev.
In the beginning of 1835 Boratynsky bought a two-storey house on the Bol. Spiridonievskaya Street.
Muranovo, the estate of Boratynsky's wife, became a sort of asylum for the poet. There he hoped to find peace and enjoy the family life. In Muranovo Boratynsky was occupied with the household problems. The main of them was the building the house.
In the second room of the department there are some watercolors of Muranovo landscapes by D.I. Tyutchev: "The Main House and the Meadow in the Time of Haymaking", "The Miller's house near the dam". There is also a watercolor depicting the old oak grove which probably was set by the poet himself. The oaks are called "the dark and mighty sons of the poetry of mysterious grieves.
In spring of 1842 Boratynsky's last poetic book, "The Twilight", is published. In autumn of the same year the family moves to the house. The building of the house was successfully completed much due to Boratynsky's efforts. As the poet said, "The house turned out to be good-looking and comfortable", "very warm".
It seemed that now Boratynsky should enjoy the result of his efforts. But everything went wrong.
In September of 1843 the whole family left Muranovo, and Boratynsky (as it proved to be) left it forever. Their way to Italy lied through Europe and they spent winter in Paris (In a colored lithography by an unknown artist the famous Tuilery palace is depicted).
In spring of1844 they set off to Marseilles through Italy. On the right wall there are some landscapes from Naples, which Boratynsky bought especially for Muranovo. Villa del Galdo, Pestum, the Vesuvium raised Boratynsky's spirit. Under the sunny sky of Italy the poet revived. Renewed and full of plans and hopes, the poet concentrated on the future. But there was no future. On June 29, 1844 Boratynsky died in Villa Reale.
On the table standing between the windows there is a gyps mask taken from Boratynsky's face. Later, in Russia a bust of the poet was created on the base of this mask.
The last showcase contains the photos of Y.A. Boratynsky's descendants: his sons Lev and Nicholas, daughters Julia, Alexandra and Zinaida (with her husband and children).