Victor Gribkov-Maisky

The mutual enrichment of the two national cultures - Russian and French - is enormous. And literature is far from the last place here, rather the opposite. In the history of French literature, we come across a noteworthy, but perhaps little known phenomenon, when a number of immigrants from Russia became famous French writers.

This story began a very long time ago - almost a century and a half ago, when in 1859 the book of the Countess was published in France de Segur "The Misadventures of Sonechka" (comtesse de Ségur "Les malheurs de Sophie" -hereinafter translated from the French by V.G. ). In 1860, another book by de Segur was published - "Notes of a Donkey" ("Mémoires d'un âne").

The French countess was actually a Russian countess and her name wasSofia Fedorovna Rostopchina. Her father wasRussian statesman Count F.V. Rastopchin, described by L. N. Tolstoy in the epic "War and Peace". Rastopchin was a minister under Paul I, and then the governor of Moscow under Alexander I. It is believed that it was Rostopchin who, in order to prevent Napoleon from occupying Moscow, gave the order to set fire to the city.

The Rastopchin family ended up in France in 1817, after its head fell out of favor with the tsar. Here Sophia marries the Comte de Segur. When it became clear that the marriage was unsuccessful, the Countess de Segur completely devoted herself to literature.

The Russian theme could not but be reflected in the work of Segur. In 1865, from under her pen, the story “General Durakin” (“Le général Dourakine”) appears, where the image of the then Russian customs and mores is given in a humorous way ...

* * *

Lev Tarasov - this name says almost nothing to anyone today. In 1911, in Moscow, a boy with that name was born into a wealthy Armenian family, and in 1917 (according to other sources - in 1918), this family emigrated to France.

France soon recognized and fell in love with the young writer, who in 1938 received one of the most prestigious literary prizes, the Goncourt Prize, for his novel The Spider (Araignée). And although this writer was called under the name Henri Troyat (Henri Troyat), actually it was our compatriot Lev Tarasov.

In France, Henri Troyat reached the highest literary heights, what every French writer dreams of - in 1959 he is elected a member of the French Academy, as they say in this country - becomes "immortal".

Troyat has not forgotten his roots - Russian themes and heroes are not uncommon in his works. He wrote monographs on Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Lermontov. About how the book about M.Yu. Lermontov, the author of these lines in 2004 was told in the south of France by Olga Martynova, the last of the Martynov family. It was her great-grandfather who shot the poet in a duel in 1841.

Troyat lived not just a long, but a very long life. He passed away on March 5, 2007 at the age of 95.

Troyat's most significant work is considered to be a novel written in 1965-67 in the genre of a family chronicle, "The Egletière Family" or "Les Eygletière"...

* * *

Elsa Triolet (Elsa Triolet) is a famous and very popular French writer. In fact, Triolet is the name of her first husband, the French officer Andre Triolet, her maiden name was Ella Kagan , and she was born not in France, but in Russia, in Moscow, back in 1896.

Among the numerous literary works of Triolet there is a book about the poet V.V. Mayakovsky. And this is no coincidence, because her sister Lilya, married Brik, was the "muse" of the famous poet.

Triolet also made a significant contribution to the promotion of Russian literature in France. She translated into French Gogol, Chekhov, Mayakovsky, compiled an anthology of Russian classical and Soviet poetry (1965).

She entered the history of French literature not only as a wonderful writer, whose peak of creativity was the novel “Roses on credit” (“Roses à credit”) that appeared in 1959, but also because her second husband was one of the French classics, writer Louis Aragon. For Aragon, she managed to become much more than a wife, she was rather, as the French say, "inspiratrice", that is, one that inspires ...

* * *

There is another name in French literature that we cannot help but remember - Nathalie Sarrot (Nathalie Sarraute). In fact, this famous French writer was once called Natalya Chernyak . According to some sources, she was born in 1900, and according to others in 1902 in Ivanovo-Voznesensk, but already in 1908 (and according to other sources in 1907) she ended up in France with her father.

Such an early arrival in France made her a real Frenchwoman, although family traditions could not help but influence the future writer of their influence.

Sarraute first tried her hand at literature in 1932, and her last novel appeared in 1983. During these half a century, Sarraute has become "one of the greatest French authors, the inventor of a new form of the novel, the only playwright whose works have been translated into more than thirty languages" , including, of course, Russian.

Like Troyat, Natalie Sarraute was distinguished by both creative and simple longevity. She died on October 21, 1999.

In this series, we cannot but mention Claude Aveline (Claude Aveline? 19901-1992), because his parents were from Russia, and their surname was once Ovtsyn, although Claude himself was born in Paris.

Claude Avlin had a good teacher and mentor in literary matters. None other than the classic of French literature, Anatole France. His main work is the trilogy "The Life of Philip Denny".

Our former compatriots, who later became famous French writers and writers, made their significant contribution to the enrichment of the French language with borrowings from Russian, the so-called. Russianisms.

Of course, this story began much earlier. The very first borrowings, and they most likely were the words "boyard" (boyar) and "cosaque" (Cossack), came to a foreign land as early as the 15-16 centuries.

But the 19th century turned out to be especially fruitful in this respect for the French language, when many French writers began to use borrowings from Russian.

So, in Madame de Stael we find: "pope", "moujik", "ukase (oukase)", "verste"; in the works of Alexandre Dumas the father there are such words as: "tsar", "tsarevitche", "tsarine", "samovar", "isba", "knout", "troïka", "rouble", "kopeck"; Prosper Merimee has "kourgane".

A great contribution to the "Russification" of the French language was made by our compatriots who became French writers and writers. One of the first names in this series is the name of the Countess de Segur, already known to us. In her works, she uses a large amount of Russianism: "dourak", "skatina", "skareï", "batiouchka", "caftane", "kwas", "kalatche", "ispravnik", "staroste", "dvarovoï", " smotritile", "kibitka", "teléga".

In modern French literature devoted to Russian subjects, borrowings from the Russian language are common. As an example, one can name the book "Russian Cabaret" by Konstantin Kazansky. This is an anthology of Russian restaurant performance art, where the chapters devoted to the history of Russian cabaret in France are undoubtedly of particular interest.

The author enriches the French language with such words as: "traktir", "gouliaki", "bortsch", "pirojki", "tcharotchka". Moreover, one of the stereotypes that the French have developed in relation to the Russians is associated with the last word. If you happen to raise a toast in France, then the host will definitely ask you not to break your glass after the wine has been drunk. Now it is difficult to explain with full certainty the origin of this stereotype. Konstantin Kazansky, apparently, uses this word as it is perceived in the French-speaking environment. Namely, "tcharotchka" (cup) - a toast to the visitor's health, when the latter must drink a cup in one gulp and then break it.

A number of words entered the French language during the Soviet period in Russian history. Among them: "soviet", "bolchevik", "koulak", "kolkhoze", "pogrom", "goulag"; and a little later: "sovkhozt", "datcha", "intelligentsia", "praesidium".

The era of global transformations that began in our country in the mid-80s was also reflected in the French language in the form of the words "glastnost" and "perestroïka".

It is impossible not to mention the so-called "law enforcement vocabulary", especially used in modern French detective literature: "Tchéka", "tchékist", "NKVD", "KGB". Here is just one such example - Gérard de Villiers "The Day of the CHECK" (Gérard de Villiers "Le jour de la Tchéka").

In addition to the above words, the dictionary of borrowings gives a number of Russianisms: "balalaïka", "barzoï", "beluga", "blini", "icône", "steppe", "taïga", "zakouski".

In modern French, a number of Russian words are also widely used, among which, in addition to profanity, the most commonly used is "kalachnikov".

But there is also a very special case when the word first came from Russian into French, and then, having already become French and having received a new meaning, returned to its historical homeland. This word is "bistro". And here is his story.

After the defeat of Napoleon, the Russian troops entered Paris. Among the Russian soldiers were those who did not know French. But, nevertheless, they got used to it very quickly, especially when it came to visiting drinking establishments. They entered small Parisian cafes, banged their fist on the counter and shouted: "Quickly!". Among the French of that time, there were even fewer who knew Russian, and therefore the locals decided that this was how the Russians called their cafes. The word was liked and stuck.

The Petit Robber Illustrated Dictionary of French explains the word "bistro" or "bistrot" as follows: "Retail sale of drinks, cafe, small restaurant for patrons." It was with this meaning that not so long ago this word returned again to its historical homeland.

In continuation of the Napoleonic theme, let's give another example. There is an expression in French that has become an integral part of the living French language, which is also associated with Napoleon, or rather, with the final defeat of his army on the Berezina River - “С`est la Bérésina” (“This is the Berezina”). It is not difficult to guess the meaning of this expression, even without translation. "C`est la Bérésina" can mean only one thing for a Frenchman - "global catastrophe"; "the end of everything."

For a long time, Paris was a favorite pastime of the Russian aristocracy, who brought Russian words to the life of the French capital. A.P. Pyatkovsky, in his memoirs of Herzen, cites an interesting episode: “In Paris at this time ( in 1869 - V.G.) there was a special restaurant in the Champs Elysees that treated its visitors to Russian dishes. His menu included: and bitki, and razstegai, and tschy, and cacha.

More than once in the centuries-old history of Russia and France, the fates of immigrants from these countries were intertwined in the most intimate way. In the twenties of the last century alone, for well-known reasons, more than 60,000 of our compatriots found themselves in Paris alone. In 1924, three daily and two weekly editions were published in Russian in the French capital. And today the newspaper in Russian “Russian Thought” (“Pеnsée russe”) is published here.

All this could not but lead to the enrichment of the French language with Russian words. This process continues and will continue, because according to various sources, more than half a million Russians live in France today.

Of course, not all words, even those recorded in the French encyclopedic dictionary, are equally known and used. Some of them are not even known to many native French speakers. But this in no way detracts from the influence that the great and mighty Russian language had on the amazingly beautiful and no less great French language.

Victor Gribkov-Maisky,

member of the Union of Journalists of Russia,

teacher-partner of the Academy of Montpellier, France

Bibliography

1 Brief literary encyclopedia. M.1971

2 Herzen in the memoirs of his contemporaries. Series "Literary Memoirs". M. 1956

3 Le petit Larousse. Paris, 1998.

4 "Larousse Dictionnaire des mots d` origine étrangère". Paris, 2001

5 "Les romanciers français du XIX ème". Paris, 1995.

6 "Petit Robert Illustré". Paris, 1994.

7 Dictionnaire de proverbes et dictions Robert. Paris, 1998.

8 Comtesse de Ségur "Le generalal Dourakine". Monte Carlo, 1954.

9 Elsa Triolet Roses a credit. M. 1976

10 Henri Troyat "Les Eygletiere". M. 1977

11 Konstantin Kasansky "Cabaret russe". Paris, 1978

12 Gérard de Villiers "Le jour de la Tchéka". Paris, 2004.

13 "French short story of the XX century 1900 - 1939", M. 1973.

Our country is rich not only in natural resources, but also in talented, outstanding people. Many immigrants from Russia are now glorifying other countries or have even become “people of the world”, but nevertheless they do not forget their roots

We have selected 10 outstanding figures of science and art who were born in Russia or in a Russian family. Who would you add to this list?

Helen Mirren

The popular performer of the roles of British queens, the legendary Cesonia - Helen Mirren herself comes from a family of Russian nobles. The grandfather of Elena Vasilievna Mironova, Pyotr Vasilyevich Mironov, was an employee of the Russian Government Committee in London, in charge of arms purchases for the Russian army. As an avid monarchist, he did not support the revolution, and all subsequent generations of his family were already British.

Photo: helenmirren.com 2

Natalie Wood

Natalia Zakharenko's father was from Vladivostok, her mother was from Barnaul. After several years of living in San Francisco and obtaining citizenship, they changed their last name to Gurdin. Natalie Wood spoke Russian and did not keep silent about her origin. Films with her participation were one of the cult ones in the 60s, and two years before her death, Natalie received the Golden Globe for the main role in From Here to Forever.

Photo: Getty Images

Anton Yelchin

When Russian figure skaters Viktor Yelchin and Elena Korina moved to the US, their son Anton was six months old. Behind him is not an established casting for Harry Potter, but nevertheless quite successful roles of Kyle from the Terminator and Pavel from Star Trek.

Photo: justjared.com 4

Irina Shayk

The daughter of a miner from Yemanzhelinsk gained fame as a supermodel and Cristiano Ronaldo's girlfriend. Irina participated in several shows, starred in one film and a television game. The beauty is actively involved in charity work, helping abandoned children in her hometown.

Photo: hdwallpapers.in 5

Michael Dudikoff

Michael's father was born into a Russian Orthodox family. With his wife from Canada, they settled in California and had five children. One of them - Michael - became the star of action movies, several major advertising campaigns, as well as a fashion show.

6

Peter Ustinov

Despite the obvious surname, the Russian famous actor and director can be considered more like a mother. A German journalist with Russian roots, Iona Platonovich Ustinov, came to Petrograd in 1920 in an attempt to find relatives, and eventually met and married the beautiful Nadezhda, the daughter of the famous Russian architect Leonty Benois. Peter won four Emmys and won two Oscars.

Photo: frockflicks.com 7

Yul Brynner

Julius Borisovich Brynner was born in 1920 in Vladivostok to a Swiss and Russian family. He lived in Harbin and Paris, and since 1941 - in the USA. Interest in the theater and the Stanislavsky system was instilled in him by his stepmother, Ekaterina Kornakova. One of Yul's best roles is considered his debut - "The King and I".

Photo: quotesgram.com 8

Marina Vlady

The famous French singer, actress and sculptor took her pseudonym from her patronymic. Muscovite Vladimir Polyakov-Baidarov left for France during the First World War. Mother was brought up at the Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens in St. Petersburg, fled to Paris after the revolution. “I am Russian with a French passport,” Marina says about herself. During her career, Vlady has received several prestigious awards in the field of cinematography.

Photo: nathalienicoloff.com 9

Sergey Brin

Not just actors - one of the founders and developers of Google was born in Moscow! His parents, talented mathematicians, emigrated when Sergei was 5 years old. Now we cannot imagine our life without the world-famous search engine, but only 20 years ago Sergey had to struggle to prove the adequacy and usefulness of his ideas.

Photo: bloomberg.com

Andrey Game

The great physicist, member of the Royal Society of London, Nobel Prize winner - Andrey Geim was born in Sochi. One of his main achievements is the development of new methods for obtaining graphene.

Photo: peoples.ru

"Russian trace" in France

Since the time of Queen Anne of Russia, France has more than once been related to Russia

In Soviet times, it was believed that the optimal period of stay of our brother-journalist abroad was three years. I worked as Pravda's own correspondent in France from September 1986 to December 1999. He traveled a lot, trying to get to know better what the legendary "average" Frenchman, "Monsieur Dupont" breathes, not from books and reference books, but, as they say, live. With pleasure I got to know this country and its people and always tried to find the "Russian trace" - that common thing that connects our two nations, two civilizations.

In France, as a rule, they do not like to talk about this, in every possible way emphasizing the belonging of the Gauls and Franks to the ancient Roman traditions and culture. This is true: ancient Gaul was indeed part of the Roman Empire. And not so: I often met purely Slavic names of cities, villages, streets: Dom, Vesely, Tur ... I began to study this phenomenon and found that back in the 19th century, Moscow historian Yuri Ivanovich Venelin argued that in the days of the ancient Slavs, the territory of present-day Finland , Baltic, Leningrad and Pskov regions was called Old Francia, and modern northern France was named New Francia. Venelin argued: the Franks and the Rus are one people, more precisely, one clan.

... The Russian trace in France is deep, like the French one in Russia.

In one of the fashionable quarters of Paris, in a small square near the boulevard Suchet, named after one of the Napoleonic marshals, there is a bust of Leo Tolstoy, gray from the rain and car burning. In the summer, neat old pensioners rest in the shade of chestnut trees, and black nannies from wealthy homes miss the sun in luxurious strollers with babies. In the evening it is better not to meddle here. Drug addicts and prostitutes gather near the square, more precisely, “men of easy virtue”.

Stone Tolstoy froze on his pedestal, lowering his head. Alien in an alien world. Rarely does anyone come here to bow to him as a writer, although Lev Nikolaevich in France, where he lived and worked for a long time, is recognized and revered. Unless one of our visiting tourists marvels: wow, Paris is a monument to Russian classics!

The amiable Parisian guides usually explain that in France the interest in Russian literature, in everything Russian, is traditional and great. And in support of this, they cite a monument in the square named after Leo Tolstoy, and the word “bistro”, which has entered the international dictionary thanks to our Cossacks since the time of their victorious bivouacs on the Champs Elysees and Montmartre.

Without fail, in the set of evidence of interest in everything Russian, the words “Rasputin”, “Bolshevik”, “Bolshoi Theater” will flash - just like that, without a soft sign, and then - “Gagarin”, “Gorbachev”, “matryoshka”, “borscht”, “ caviar”, “vodka”, “Kalinka”, “Katyusha” and “perestroika”.

Speaking about the interest of the French in Russia, it is necessary to single out the French intelligentsia as a special group, whose interest in Russian culture, primarily pre-revolutionary, is traditionally inherent. I will not be mistaken if I say that Chekhov is closest to her. On the French stage from season to season are "Three Sisters" and "The Cherry Orchard", "Uncle Vanya" and "Ivanov". The sensation of the early 1990s was the production of Phaedra by Marina Tsvetaeva.

Of course, among those who came to watch Phaedra, few people read the poems of the Russian poetess. In French, they sound inadequate. To understand Russian poetry, especially the poetry of the Silver Age, it is still necessary to know the Russian language. Perhaps that is why former President Jacques Chirac, while still a student, translated Pushkin's poems, which somehow does not fit in with the image of a professional and rather tough politician.

Strange things like this are quite common here. Just like with Russian roots in seemingly typical French families. Russia has made a serious contribution to the gene pool of the French nation. No, no, and traces of this gene will flash. “Surgeon Tatishchev” is written on a sign at the entrance of one of the houses in the Passy area, where Russian writers and poets settled after the revolution. Bunin, Kuprin, Merezhkovsky, Gippius, Ivanov, Shmelev, Tsvetaeva lived here...

“Madame Musina-Pushkin is talking to you,” they call me from the French Committee for Space Research. “Yes, I am Russian by origin,” says a distant relative of the Counts Orlovs, the famous French Sovietologist Helen Carer d'Encos, who was elected to the French Academy, founded by Cardinal Mazarin.

Since the time of Anna of Russia, wife of Henry I and later Queen of France, France has more than once been related to Russia. The war of 1812 and the occupation of France by Russian troops, where they stood for almost five years, contributed a lot to this. After 1917, Russian emigration to France took on a mass character, which the French authorities did not interfere with, given the difficult demographic situation that worsened in the country after the First World War.

The influx of fresh blood that poured into France with the first wave of post-October emigration was a godsend for the aging Gallic gene.

Russian women, heirs of ancient noble families and free Cossacks, St. Petersburg raznochintsy and Volga merchants strong in business, took the names of the ruined d'Artagnans and the wealthy heirs of the sans-culottes.

The stanitsa atamans married slender Parisian women, as the graves in the Russian cemeteries in Nice and Saint-Genevieve du Bois now remind of. Their children, as a rule, if they spoke Russian, then with an accent. The grandchildren were Russian only by blood, by their grandparents, and they no longer understood our language at all.

It happens, however, and so, as with Henri Troyat. This academician, a living classic of modern French literature, is Tarasov by origin. He came to France as a child and never wrote in Russian. But the Russian gene is apparently so strong that Troyat admits: “When I read translations of my novels into Russian, I understand that I am a Russian writer.”

The great Henri Matisse loved the Russian woman. The classic of French modern painting, Fernand Léger, was married to a Russian. Yes, you never know! In the house of a French billionaire, the hostess, an aged lady, unexpectedly told me in pure Russian: “I am Russian, and I still love to visit St. Petersburg.”

I asked her why the French were so willing to marry Russians.

This is not a rule, - she answered, thinking. - But most of all, perhaps, because Russian women know how to be faithful both in love and in friendship and will never leave their spouse in trouble.

Russian names are full of reference books "Who's Who in French Science". Russian roots - hundreds of French artists and musicians. The ballet of France is inconceivable without the Russian choreographers and dancers Diaghilev, Pavlova, Lifar, Nijinsky, Nureyev, Kshesinskaya, Preobrazhenskaya.

And yet, no matter how much we console our national vanity with our blood participation in French culture, this culture belongs to France and to those who, having begun to serve her, took the citizenship of the latter. They are already French, even without a questionnaire specification of “Russian origin”.

The set of ideas about Russians and Russia in the average Frenchman, as a rule, is not rich. Moreover, in the West, Russians and Russia in general are judged most often by a set of well-established stereotypes.

Not far from the Champs-Elysées, in a small lane, stand on the sidewalk two young men in cloaks and chrome boots, in embroidered silk blouses and with whips in their hands.

Either Cossacks, or robbers from the main road - only a knife in the teeth is not enough. Once upon a time, in the time of Pushkin and even Leo Tolstoy, this is how Chechens and Circassians from the North Caucasus were represented in Russia. After the October Revolution, this is how the West began to portray the Russians themselves. And this stereotype, it must be admitted, is well established. So in the evening they go out to work in their cloaks, either barkers, or doormen of the fashionable Russian cabaret Rasputin here.

I would not risk going there on my staff correspondent's salary, because here you can part with it in one evening, if you just have a modest dinner together. It is no coincidence that Prince Yusupov, who lived far from luxuriously in Paris, was joking that, although he managed to kill the real Rasputin, he could not defeat the Rasputin cabaret. And for my wealthy French friends, the Russian cuisine of Rasputin turned out to be beyond their means, and I was invited "to a performance and champagne", which was tantamount to the advice to have dinner at home beforehand. I heeded the advice, but accepted the invitation with gratitude, although I knew that in Rasputin, as in any other “Russian” institution, there is no “Russianness” and primordially Russian spirit, but only “ambiance”, a specific atmosphere “and - la rus.

What is it and what are the French looking for in such establishments, as well as the Germans, and the Arabs, and the British? I think that what they themselves are not given. Namely - a kind of legendary Russian spree until the morning, a feast with buckets of champagne, which they drink in a hussar style from ladies' shoes and glasses of vodka, with gypsies, with suffering under "Black Eyes" and choking fun under "Kalinka-Malinka" and " Kazachok.

A prudent Frenchman who knows the value of every centime could never understand how it is possible to squander a fortune with gypsies in one evening. .

And how this is done was known in France both from those who were in the service of the Russian tsars in St. Petersburg and Moscow, and from personal observations of visiting rich Russians in Paris and Nice, where there was a winter branch of the Romanov court, and from the history of the Côte d'Azur, where from Marseille to Monte Carlo all the Russian nobility walked along with millionaire merchants. The average Frenchman never understood and did not approve of this, but nevertheless came to the conclusion that there is still something in it, and at least once in a lifetime one should have a la russe, because this kind of psychological relaxation, apparently well worth the investment.

Red walls, carpets, red sham carved windows with platbands, from which the domes of Russian churches, painted against the background of the night sky, look out, more, however, reminiscent of minarets. The old Russian artist who worked here on the interior, apparently, himself understood that no one expected social realism from him, and therefore he tried more to create a kind of Russian-gypsy cover of mystery, mystery and sensuality, which, according to Western concepts, is the Russian soul. Well, so that there is no doubt, here and there in Rasputin, double-headed eagles are mounted.

Eh, - suddenly I hear Russian speech nearby. - For such a salary - and work hard every evening! (Mother-remake...)

Who is it? I ask my friends.

Yes, - they answer, obviously not wanting to go into details. - He throws knives. You'll see later.

The obscene roulade is interrupted by a balalaika-guitar overflow. The "Russian" orchestra is a whole international, they explain to me, from the French and Belgians to the Romanians and Poles - but all, as one, in blouses and knee-high boots, go from table to table. And the first violin in Odessa playfully chirps "seven forty". Everything was mixed up.

The old swearing old man throws his knives famously. A banknote is thrown from the table to him, and he picks it up on the fly, sticking it to the board with a spit. Then he takes the knife in his teeth and throws his head back. A sharp tilt of the head - the knife flies through the air, pins a cent to a wooden shield. This is from the "Russian folk fun" series.

Russian for a Western European should not only be mysterious, but also lead him into a state of quiet horror. Isn't that why the attraction that we call "roller coaster" here is like "Russian roller coaster"? And the game of death with a single bullet in a revolver drum, which is said to have been played by the Americans in Vietnam, is called "Russian roulette." So a Russian with a knife in his mouth in Rasputin is inevitable. These are the laws of the market.

Here the choir named after Pyatnitsky will not be understood. Eduard Khil sang a couple of evenings at Rasputin, but did not break the applause - he was refused a contract. Here we need Rubashkin, Rebrov - Russian with a foreign accent. In the West, and France is no exception, popular Russian dolls with elements of Soviet symbols are cultivated as soulless, but easily perceived kitsch with retro elements. The real Russia, neither pre-revolutionary, nor Soviet, nor post-Soviet, has nothing to do with this. And few people in France come to mind to start studying it, as they say, from the root.

Conversations with one of the "immortals" of the Academy of France

I go up to the top floor of the old rotunda house on the rue Renoir, where Hélène Carrère d'Encos (pictured) lives. Previously, not particularly interested in her biography, I believed that she was French. And only later did I learn that her name was directly connected with Russia, not only because of her studies in Sovietology.

Her books - "The Collapsing Empire", "Lenin, Revolution and Power", "De-Stalinization Begins", "Russian Misfortune", "Glory of the Nations", "Victorious Russia" brought her fame as the largest Sovietologist not only in France, but also far beyond it. outside. In November 1991, Helene Carrer d'Encos received the highest recognition for a French scientist and writer - she was elected to the French Academy. She took the chair in which Corneille had sat before her, and then Victor Hugo. In his welcoming speech, Academician Michel Druon said: “There are many Sovietologists. But you are distinguished from others by your personal attitude and love, combined with incredible pity for the people whom fate doomed to "Russian misfortune."

On the sword of the academician, which was specially created for her by the Frenchman of Georgian origin, master Gorji, there are such symbols: St. Andrew's flag, George the Victorious, striking the dragon, the Golden Fleece and the Gallic rooster.

These are the symbols of Russia, Georgia and France.

The line of mother Helen Carrer d'Ancos goes back to the Counts Panin - from Nikita Panin, the closest adviser to Catherine II, to Sophia Panina, the only woman in the Kerensky government, the Minister for Public Education. The golden fleece on her sword is a tribute to the memory of her father, a Georgian by origin. Among her ancestors - according to her own statement, which some of her well-born compatriots deny - Count Alexei Orlov and his brother Grigory, favorite of Catherine II and president of the Russian Academy.

Grandmother Helen Carrer d "Encos translated the novels of George Sand into Russian in Russia. Could she have thought that her granddaughter would become a full member of the French Academy, the very one where the academicians nicknamed "immortal" from the time of Cardinal Mazarin perform a great sacrament: once in An academic dictionary of the French language has been published for 60 years! And, of course, no one could have imagined before the revolution that this Russian aristocrat would be accepted as an academician by the secretary of the French Academy, Maurice Druon, the author of the famous series of historical novels "Damned Kings", also Russian by origin And the academician's sword will be handed to her by Henri Troyat, a recognized classic of French literature, born Lev Tarasov, and he will joke at the same time: "It seems that there are already too many of us here."

She has very lively eyes. The smile never leaves the corners of her mouth. She is all in business; expects the arrival of her grandson, and everyone will celebrate her birthday here, with her, the recognized head of the family. For all that, Elena Georgievna - as she allowed me to call herself - is dressed impeccably, in a canary-colored “tayer” jacket, almost mandatory for French women.

I ask her question after question, and she answers, without even listening to the end of the question, as if reading my thoughts:

- You are a lifelong member of the French Academy. What does this mean for you? Work? Position? Status symbol?

Every Thursday, unless I'm traveling, I work at the academy. One could, of course, simply come to the meeting of its members every Thursday, where they talk about how to revise the academic vocabulary of the French language. This, in general, is only an hour and a half of work per week. And you can work in commissions, where the main work on the dictionary is going on, all day long. I chose the second one because I love languages ​​and for me it's terribly interesting. And besides - it is extremely pleasant.

The French Academy has existed for three and a half centuries. In it invariably - 40 people. It's kind of a closed club. The criterion here is ingeniously simple - "immortal" should be people who are both talented and decent at the same time. Still, it's nice, you see, to remain until death in the campaign of decent people.

- Tell me, who do you feel more like - French, Russian? You also have Georgian blood. What became decisive - blood, citizenship, culture, way of life?

My parents raised me, although in Paris, but on Russian soil. My father was a patriot of Georgia. But he himself decided that I needed to convey Russian culture. That's why I have two cultures, two languages. Of course, both by citizenship and by life I am French. But I feel like I am in my element in Russia, in Russian culture. I have a more complicated relationship with Georgia. Because I don't speak Georgian.

- How did you first meet with the homeland of your ancestors?

This was in 1955. I was introduced to an employee of the French Foreign Ministry, who turned out to be Plekhanov's grandson. In France, no one knew who Plekhanov was at all. And I knew. One day Plekhanov's grandson suggested that I go to Russia as part of a scientific delegation. I was then a student. In those days, few people went to the Soviet Union, except, perhaps, the Communists. I was met in Russia, let's say, unkindly. It aroused suspicion, first of all, that I speak Russian fluently, and when they found out that I was from a family of emigrants, they were completely horrified. They took me, probably, for a spy. It was a shame.

- The names of your ancestors are closely connected with the history of Russia. Do you have nostalgia for "memorable places"?

I love Russia very much. And I didn't even know that before. The first time she scared me. There was too much of the Soviet Union and very little of Russia. But nostalgia was then, and is now, albeit peculiar. I love big cities. St. Petersburg, Moscow. In Moscow, I have a lot of all sorts of favorite nooks and crannies ... I do not strive to follow in the footsteps of my ancestors. Rather, my routes there are determined by Russian culture.

- Why did you study Sovietology?

I was not interested in ancient Rome, but in the world in which I live. Communism was on the rise at the time. And then everyone was arguing about whether the communist revolution would reach Western Europe. So I took up communism, because in my intellectual make-up I prefer to look to the future. And I wanted to understand the laws of its development, and thus the duration of its life.

- What do you consider the starting point in your writings about the Soviet Union?

XX Congress of the CPSU. It was like a shock. The veil opened, behind which I saw the prospect. I started to read avidly. Including Russian fiction.

- Soviet authors?

Living in the USSR. Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago and Solzhenitsyn's Matrenin Dvor shocked me. I suddenly felt that Russia is alive, not killed.

- After you wrote the book "A Collapsing Empire", you began to be called Nostradamus from Sovietology. Life, alas, confirmed your prediction. How was your book received then, in 1978?

It sold out in huge numbers. But she was attacked both from the right and from the left. The Le Figaro newspaper wrote that I work for the KGB because I am “disinforming” the Western world. On the other hand, the communists accused me of working for the CIA because I was “slandering” the USSR. Well, and, finally, some liberal critics said that I was just crazy, because in their opinion there was simply no national question in the USSR. And even when perestroika began, centrifugal tendencies began to emerge, people still asked me, well, where are your rebellious Muslims, small peoples? Now these questions are no longer asked.

Why did I come to this book? Since my first dissertation on Bukhara in the Russian Empire and the early years of the Soviet system, I have been concerned with the main question: what is Russia, where does it begin and where does it end? What is it all built on? Having started with the relationship between the Orthodox and Muslim peoples in Russia, I am now returning to this, trying to understand where the development of the seceded republics will go, how their relations with Russia will develop, what will become of itself.

- Are you looking for an answer to who we are - Europeans, Asians, Scythians, as Blok said, Eurasians?

I want to understand what is the historical interest of Russia. It cannot focus exclusively on the European continent. Most of it is located in Asia. And, therefore, most likely its future development will determine its bicontinentality. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. I met with Nazarbayev. He is smart. And we talked for a long time. It is important that he still wants to live with Russia, and not without it. And in this I see some kind of window into the future.

- You predicted the collapse of the USSR 13 years before it happened. Did you really think then that this was a close reality?

I didn't think it would be so fast, to be honest. It seemed to me that the USSR would exist until the end of the century. But I was not alone in thinking about the fragility of the Soviet Union. And Amalrik wrote a book called Will the USSR Survive to 1984? He was wrong by only 7 years.

There is no miracle in these predictions. There is an analysis. When I first started to study all these issues, I had few documents in my hands. But I turned to the history of the Second World War. There was already some point of collapse. But Hitler's policy and ferocity, the fact that the fascists behaved like savages in the occupied territories ... Perhaps this saved the Union then. Indeed, in Ukraine, many at first met them with bread and salt. Yes, and the relationship of other peoples with the Germans also made me think that the “unity of the Soviet people”, about which your press always wrote so confidently, is not at all an axiom.

Both Lenin and Stalin carried out all this division into national districts, regions and republics so arbitrary that it was clear to many from the very beginning - the time will come when people will begin to challenge this.

- Could, in your opinion, Gorbachev keep the Union from disintegration? And did he want to keep it? How do you feel about Gorbachev in general?

At first, I liked Gorbachev. It seemed to me that he was beginning a peaceful reorganization of the Union. Gorbachev did not want to liquidate him. I myself did not think that the USSR needed to be, shall we say, dissolved. And when it was necessary to move towards such a reorganization, Gorbachev began to skip moment by moment. Since about 1989, he, apparently, had already ceased to understand anything and believed that he just had to keep the Union, and as a result, he missed the moment when he could still be saved. Due to his stubbornness, to a large extent, nothing came of it.

In general, one fine day I realized that he was a finished man. And you have to look the other way. I cannot, speaking about him, operate with the categories “I love” or “I don’t love”. But I can prove that he is not the man that people in the West want him to be. Understand, I have no personal opposition to Gorbachev. I view him as a historian. And that is why I think that we all still have to reconsider a lot. Much is unclear to me, by the way, in the history of the putsch. Including the position of Yeltsin. After the coup, Gorbachev did not behave in the best way. He missed the moment when he had to behave like a great politician. And as an intelligent person. He held on to power when it was necessary to give it up with dignity. And if he had done just that, history would have left a completely different memory of him. In general, he had to either leave on time, or be a more subtle politician and pretend that he was leaving. He did neither. I sat like a fool and said - no, I will not leave. And then this... What the Turks call "bazaarlyk". These conversations about what kind of car, cottage they will leave him. This is inelegant. Yeltsin also behaved not in the best way here. In general, both of them were not up to par.

Someday the true history of Gorbachev will be written. Still early. It is necessary to look at archival documents, analyze everything anew. What is being published now is either sheer hunchback or hatred towards him. There is no objectivity.

- In your book “Glory to the Nations”, you came to a rather paradoxical conclusion when you wrote that only the collapse of the USSR, if it happens, will help its constituent republics to understand their historical commonality with Russia.

In this book, I wrote that Russia and other nations could no longer live together within the framework of the former Union, under conditions of rigid centralism. Change was inevitable. But I don't think, however, that Belovezhskaya Pushcha marked the end of the process. The story never ends this way. I will not say that the Union will be revived. But in the future, if not all of the former republics, but some of them will come to a new alliance. Here, of course, much will determine what role Ukraine will play. Where will Kazakhstan go? Especially Ukraine. There are forces in the West pushing it towards a final break with Russia. Ukraine is perceived as a European state. Russia continues to be perceived as an Asian state. And at the same time, the West does not understand that Ukraine's break with Russia would be a huge tragedy not only for Russia, but for the whole of Europe. I agree with Solzhenitsyn. Everything is possible for Russia, except for a break with Ukraine and Belarus. Russia without Ukraine is a historical tragedy.

- In one of your latest books, "Victorious Russia", you talk about the Russia of the future, about its revival as a great power. What feeds these your hopes? How do you see the future of Russia?

Russia is a historical state and a historical nation at the same time. There are nations which, having reached their limit, disintegrate into small countries. Russia, apparently, has a different fate. It has vast territories and wealth, although they still cannot be rationally used. Various peoples living in Russia are historically united. Their common fate connects them for many centuries. And, although the people were subjected to indoctrination for a long time, people in the homeland of my ancestors are normal. In the West, this is not always understood.

It is impossible to absolutize concepts and think in stereotypes. I believe in the future of Russia and its people, who alone can restore its greatness. For this, Russia has every opportunity. Without it, there will be no European continent.

At the end of the 19th century, Russia showed tremendous dynamism. Her development has been amazing. Nobody expected this. This showed what a gigantic potential the Russian people have. The country is great.

We later met and talked with Helene Carrer d'Ancos more than once. She turned out to be right in many respects, predicting almost all the main stages of Russia's development after 1991. They don't call her Nostradamus for nothing...

Vladimir Bolshakov.

He worked in the weekly "Abroad", the magazine "Smena", the newspaper "Komsomolskaya Pravda", was the own correspondent of the newspaper "Pravda" in Australia, New Zealand and Oceania, then - the staff correspondent of "Pravda" in France, the editor-in-chief of the magazine "Financial control" .

Currently, he is the editor-in-chief of the information agency "Financial Control - News".

In fact, of course, there are more - here, as in any country in Europe or in America, national minorities live, including many illegal immigrants.

The most interesting thing is that there are even more representatives of the second generation, that is, the descendants of immigrants born in France - 6.7 million. In other words, about 11% of the current population of France are descendants of foreigners. This is a very young part of the population - 40% of them are not yet 35 years old.

Until the 1970s, immigrants came to France to earn money, and mostly from Algeria, Morocco, Spain, Italy and Portugal. In the late 1970s, immigrants from Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam were filling up. Then more and more people began to come to settle in the country and start a family here.

On the map of French immigration appeared countries such as China, Turkey and others - in addition to Algeria and Morocco - African countries. Between 1975 and 2008, most of the immigrants from Spain, Italy and Portugal returned home. Since 1999, among the people who are issued the first residence permit, many came from Europe: the number of people from the UK, for example, has grown by 73,000.

Attitude towards foreigners, including Russians

There is an opinion that foreigners in France are unfriendly. However, communicating with many people both in Paris and beyond, you will never meet anything like this. On the contrary, precisely because you are a foreigner, the French will strive to show you their goodwill. How sincere this attitude is is another question, but everyone can have their own opinion.

Parisians can also be understood - the prices for apartments in their hometown have soared so that indigenous and wealthy citizens prefer to rent large apartments rather than buy - there are too many taxes on expensive real estate, and even with Parisian prices with a minimum of 10 thousand euros per square meter, you will not run away .

Rudeness is rare, but still present. From the stories of Russian tourists - When an elderly and quite prosperous rentier, who lives in the sixth arrondissement of Paris, said, having heard our friend and I speak: “Soon there will be nowhere to go from these Russians,” we felt uneasy. We thought that only ordinary people "do not like" foreigners.

Such words are severely punished in France - with imprisonment of up to three years or fines of several tens of thousands of euros (this law has existed since 1881). Many remember the case of John Galliano, who publicly insulted people of Jewish origin in Parisian cafe and then, condemned by the entire fashionable community, among which there are many people of the same origin, he was ignominiously expelled from the post of artistic director of Christian Dior.

Fashion, like art, is a very tolerant environment where it is customary to stand out from the crowd. Differences, whatever their order, are only welcome in it, and any attack on the right to be “different” is perceived as vulgarity.

Russians in France (French with Russian roots)

Russian emigration in France is usually divided into several stages. The most legendary is the “white emigration” in the late 1910s and early 1920s, when the Russian elite left for France. Everyone knows the stories about how the princes worked as taxi drivers, and their beautiful daughters as models and seamstresses.

Then there were several other waves when they fled from the Soviet Union: the period between the First and Second World Wars, from the 1960s, when dissidents rushed to France and tourists began to stay, and after the 1990s, everyone who wants to come here improve your financial situation.

Russian people at various times deeply influenced French culture. The great Rudolf Nureyev, who fled the USSR during a trip in 1961, led the ballet troupe Paris Opera Garnier from 1983 to 1989.

He expanded the theatre's repertoire, added restored works to it, began commissioning works from young composers, and discovered new stars. With his arrival, the theater became a prestigious venue, gained worldwide fame. What about Diaghilev's Russian Ballet? His ballet campaign "Russian Seasons", which his troupe brought to Paris, was and remains one of the most significant events in French culture.

Composer Igor Stravinsky, who was discovered by Diaghilev, lived in France from 1919 to 1940. Here are the premieres of several of his works (the opera "Moor", the dance cantata "The Wedding", the opera-oratorio "Oedipus Rex"), the neoclassical period begins in one hundred works. Many Russian artists lived in France: among them Zinaida Serebryakova, Konstantin Somov, Serge Polyakoff, Andrey Lanskoy.

But a certain Serge Ginzburg wanted to become an artist, but he still couldn’t get famous. Then, after 30 years, he began to sing and play - and became a cult singer of the 1960s and 1970s, a real symbol of freedom and sexual emancipation. This son of Russian immigrants became famous both with some unceremonious statements and provocative lyrics, and novels with famous beauties of his time (including Jane Birkin and Brigitte Bardot).

Visitors from developed countries (representatives of our civilization)

The story of a Russian immigrant

I once stood in line in the prefecture, waiting. In front of me is an elderly American couple. Came to apply for a residence permit. Surprisingly, Americans in France also have a hard time - in order to work in the country, they, like representatives of any nation that is not part of the European Union, need Work Visa .

But “we French are very fond of Americans,” the prefectural worker tells them. You are representatives of our civilization.” “But others don’t,” I sneered, unable to restrain myself. "Yeah, no," the clerk confirmed. Of course, he made a mistake - such things are not said publicly in a country like France. But I began to think, why is the European, and at the same time the North American civilization in the view of ordinary French people so different from others?

One of my acquaintances told how, when he received French citizenship, they explained to him the principles on which the French state is built. “We have a lot of different people,” the prefectural official patiently explained to the newly minted French who gathered in the meeting room. The poor, the rich, the good, the evil, the good and the bad. And everyone has a right to exist if they keep the law.”

To accept the right to exist of any “harmful and evil”, if he observes the law, is this, probably, the highest manifestation of tolerance?

As Alexey Lobanov, Chairman of the VKS, notes, “The time has come for the more than thirty million Russian community abroad to know and realize the place it now occupies in this world.Russian compatriots, who ended up abroad due to historical and political vicissitudes and the unpredictability of human destinies, did not dissolve and did not get lost, despite the great difficulties that fell to their lot to get used to the new conditions. Along with maintaining a close spiritual connection with the historical Motherland, they carry the high creative talents and qualities inherent in the Russian people from time immemorial. For many of them, active participation in the cultural life of their countries of residence serves as an expression of artistic talents that distinguish them from the crowd.

According to the chairman of the VKS, “Throughout the history of the Russian state, culture has educated and enriched, served as a source of spiritual experience for the nation, the basis for the consolidation of our multinational people. It was the domestic culture that largely ensured the authority and influence of Russia in the world, helped it become a great power. In this regard, we, compatriots, are faced with the task of raising international interest in the history of Russia, in traditions, in language, in cultural values.

Our first story is about Russian compatriots in France, a country that occupies a special place in the fate of the Russian diaspora.

The cultural and historical heritage of Russian compatriots in France is a unique phenomenon in terms of its richness and diversity, as well as its significance for national, French and world culture. Over the past three centuries, Russian-French relations have developed under the sign of great mutual interest and sincere sympathy of the French and Russians for each other, and, as a result, intensive cultural and humanitarian exchanges.

From the middle of the XVIII century. our compatriots came to France for work, study, recreation, treatment, acquisition of real estate, permanent residence. For many figures of culture and art from Russia, their stay in France served as a powerful source of inspiration. During the period of the XVIII - XIX centuries. outstanding representatives of the Russian intellectual elite visited here: poets and writers - V. Tredyakovsky, D. Fonvizin, S. Pleshcheev, V. Zhukovsky, N. Nekrasov, N. Gogol, A. Fet, F. Tyutchev, F. Dostoevsky, M. Saltykov-Shchedrin, I. Turgenev, L. Tolstoy, I. Goncharov, A. Chekhov; philosophers - M. Bakunin, V. Belinsky, V. Solovyov, A. Herzen; artists - I. Repin, V. Vereshchagin, V. Polenov; scientists - S. Kovalevskaya, A. Korotnev, S. Metalnikov, D. Ryabushinsky and others.

At the beginning of the XX century. the flourishing of science, culture and arts in France and Russia, as well as the special nature of bilateral relations (military-political alliance) contributed to an increase in the influx of Russian compatriots to French soil. By this time, Russia had finally entered the European cultural space, and the Russian intelligentsia enjoyed great respect in Europe. The names of prominent Russian representatives of the "Silver Age" are closely associated with France. Among them are writers and poets - N. Gumilyov, A. Akhmatova, M. Tsvetaeva, Z. Gippius, Teffi (Nadezhda Lokhvitskaya), O. Mandelstam, M. Voloshin, A. Kuprin, I. Ehrenburg, A. Tolstoy; composers - A. Skryabin, N. Rimsky-Korsakov, S. Rakhmaninov, A. Glazunov, I. Stravinsky; artists - V.Kandinsky, K.Malevich, M.Larionov, N.Goncharova, L.Bakst, A.Benoit, D.Burliuk, L.Popova, K.Korovin, M.Vrubel, M.Chagall, Z.Serebryakova.

The historical trials that befell Russia in the 20th century provoked several waves of mass emigration, each of which brought new generations of compatriots abroad, including to France.

The first wave of emigration refers to the period of revolutionary upheavals in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. Already after 1905, about 15 thousand people settled here, and in the subsequent period after the Civil War in Russia, over 400 thousand people moved to live in France.

This was the reason for the high concentration on French soil of representatives of famous Russian noble families, whose history is closely intertwined with the history of Russia, as well as prominent artists, writers, publicists, and musicians.

A Parisian taxi driver, a former guards officer of the Russian army, reads the emigrant newspaper "Vozrozhdeniye"

The second wave of emigration refers to the period after the end of World War II. At least 40 thousand Russians from among the deported, displaced persons and former prisoners of war remained to live in France.

The third wave took shape in the 1970s and 1980s. from citizens who left the Soviet Union - including representatives of the dissident movement. The fourth wave of emigration, which began in the 1990s, attracted Russians working under contract and economic migrants. The same period includes the appearance of two large categories of compatriots - Russian women who married French citizens, and children adopted by French adoptive parents.

Active integration into French society of immigrants from Russia did not prevent them and their descendants from maintaining a close spiritual and cultural connection with their historical homeland, finding successful use of their talents and skills in new conditions, leaving a noticeable mark not only in French, but also in world history and culture.

At present, there are many places in France that keep the memory of the Russian diaspora. Among them are the following: "Russian House" and "Russian Cemetery" in Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois. At the beginning of the 20th century, the English subject Dorothea Paget acquired an old mansion in the city of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois and, on the initiative of Princess V.K. Meshcherskaya (1876-1949), provided it for use by elderly Russian emigrants. The orphanage founded by Princess Meshcherskaya still exists today under the name "Russian House".

The inhabitants of this orphanage were buried in the municipal cemetery upon their death. Around these graves, the first of which appeared in 1927, the “Russian Cemetery” was formed, where many representatives of the Russian intelligentsia and clergy, statesmen and public figures who entered the history of Russian and world culture are buried. These are writers I.A. Bunin, B.K. Zaitsev, A.M. Remizov, artists K.A. Korovin, S.K. Makovsky, D.S. , philosophers Father Sergiy Bulgakov, N. N. Lossky, dancers V. A. Trefilova, S. M. Lifar, M. Kshesinskaya, O. Preobrazhenskaya and others. In the cemetery there are also the graves of famous cultural figures - immigrants from the Soviet Union: A.A. Tarkovsky, A.A. Galich, V.P. Nekrasov, R. Nureyev.

At the entrance to the cemetery in 1939, the Holy Assumption Church was erected according to the project of the architect Albert Benois (brother of the artist A.N. Benois).

The Russian House houses paintings and other works of art from the former tsarist embassy in Paris. There is a large archive, consisting both of the House's own materials from the moment it was founded, and of personal documents, diaries, photographs, historical and family relics of pensioners who lived within its walls.

Currently, a memorial and research center for Russian emigration is being created on the basis of the Russia House with a permanent exhibition, a room for specialists to work with archives, a reading room, where various events dedicated to Russian history and culture could also be held.

Turgenev Library in Paris. In 1875, at the initiative of the revolutionary G. Lopatin, who lived in France, and with the support of I. Turgenev, a Russian library was opened in Paris for students and political emigrants from Russia. Turgenev was personally engaged in collecting the book stocks of the library, handed over many books from his own library, received the latest publications from Russian publishers. In 1883 the library was named after Turgenev.

In the autumn of 1940, the library's funds were taken by the Nazis to an unknown destination and lost during the war. Only a few books bearing the seal of the library were subsequently found and transferred for storage to the Museum of I. Turgenev in the city of Orel. In 1959, the book collections of the library were restored and formed the basis of the new Turgenev Library, which has more than 35 thousand volumes.

Turgenev in the circle of French writers (Daude, Flaubert, Zola, Turgenev). Engraving from a drawing. IRLI (Pushkin House)

Museum in Bougival. Dacha of Ivan Turgenev. In 1874, I. Turgenev bought the Yaseni estate in the Parisian suburb of Bougival, where he built a small house in the Russian style opposite the Directory Villa, where the family of the famous French singer Pauline Viardot settled, with whom the writer was associated for many years of friendship. Turgenev would live here until his death on September 3, 1883.

In "Ash" Turgenev wrote his last novel "Nov" and "Poems in Prose". In 1876, the writer completed the Russian translation of The Temptation of St. Anthony by Gustave Flaubert, whom Turgenev considered his best friend among French writers who were members of the so-called famous "Group of Five" (Flaubert, Turgenev, Daudet, Zola, Goncourt). Turgenev hosted Guy de Maupassant and Henry James, Russian writers Sologub and Saltykov-Shchedrin, artist Vereshchagin and other prominent representatives of literature and art in Bougival. The famous composers Camille Saint-Saens and Gabriel Fauré visited the writer.

In 1983, a museum was opened in the writer's house, created by the Association "Friends of Ivan Turgenev, Pauline Viardot and Maria Malibran", headed by A.Ya. Zvigilsky.

On the first floor of the museum there is a permanent exhibition that tells about the life of the writer in Russia and France, as well as about his immediate environment - the Viardot family, composers, artists and writers. On the second floor, a study and a bedroom have been recreated.

Museum of the Life Guards of His Majesty's Cossack Regiment. The museum, founded in the Parisian suburb of Courbevoie by Major General I.N. 1917-1920”, collected in his funds the relics of the regiment, samples of uniforms and equipment, dishes, battalion paintings, officer household items, etc. On the basis of the museum, a unique military-patriotic material has been preserved that tells about the military history of Russia.

Created by Empress Catherine II in 1775 in St. Petersburg, the museum after the revolution of 1917 was evacuated to Turkey, then to Serbia, and in 1929 was moved to Paris.

Today the museum is a unique cultural and historical institution. None of the regiments of the Russian tsarist army managed to preserve such a complete, integral collection of objects and documents relating to its history. The museum has become a spiritual unifying center for the former officers of the Life Guards of the Cossack regiment and their descendants, who created the association of the same name, through the efforts of which the functioning of the museum is maintained.

Conservatory. S.Rakhmaninov. In 1923-1924. A group of émigré teachers from the Imperial Russian Conservatories created the Russian Conservatory in Paris. Among its founders and honorary members were F. Chaliapin, A. Glazunov, A. Grechaninov, S. Rakhmaninov. In 1932, the conservatory came under the tutelage of the newly created "Russian Musical Society".

In addition to music education, the conservatory organizes concerts, creative conferences, and other cultural events, still remaining an island of Russian culture in France. The head of the conservatory is the chairman of the Russian Musical Society, Count P.P. Sheremetev.

In brief information, only a small part of Russian compatriots who lived and worked in France, who contributed to French, Russian, as well as world culture, can be mentioned.

Countess Sophia de Segur, nee Rostopchina - the daughter of the Moscow mayor F. Rostopchin, moved to France in 1817 with her father. Here she became a famous children's writer, on whose books more than one generation of French children grew up.

Sergei Diaghilev - at the beginning of the 20th century. brought Russian culture and art to the world level. In 1906, he organized an exhibition of Russian artists in Paris, in 1907 - a music salon, in 1908 - an exhibition of decorative art, from 1910 - ballet "Russian Seasons". Thanks to S. Diaghilev, first in France, and then throughout the world, the names of Russian artists A. Benois, L. Bakst, M. Vrubel, D. Burliuk, M. Larionov, N. Goncharova, A. Yavlensky, composers N. Rimsky-Korsakov, S. Rakhmaninov, A. Glazunov, I. Stravinsky, singer F. Chaliapin, outstanding ballet dancers V. Nizhinsky, S. Lifar, A. Pavlova, T. Karsavina, I. Rubinshtein.

Matilda Kshessinskaya - an outstanding ballerina, in 1926. founded the school of Russian ballet in Paris and was its permanent leader for more than twenty years.

Igor Stravinsky is a composer who created his best works in Paris. One of the squares in Paris is named after him.

Fyodor Chaliapin is a world-famous Russian singer who performed at opera houses in Paris.

Konstantin Korovin is an artist, designer of costumes and scenery for dramatic productions, as well as opera and ballet performances. Participated in the design of the Russian pavilion at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900. He was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor.

Marc Chagall - an outstanding artist, painted the dome of the Opera Garnier in Paris.

Ivan Bunin is a classic of Russian literature, a Nobel Prize winner.

Wassily Kandinsky - one of the founders of the new avant-garde trend in painting, lived and worked in France from 1933 to 1944.

Rudolf Nureyev is a ballet soloist and director of the Opéra Garnier ballet troupe.

Andrei Tarkovsky is a world-famous film director, the author of many works included in the "golden fund" of cinematography.

Russian emigrants fought in the ranks of the French Resistance. Among them are Elizaveta Yuryevna Kuzmina-Karavaeva (mother Maria, executed by the Nazis), T.A. Volkonskaya, Princess Z. Shakhovskaya (she was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor for her activities during the war), S.B. organization "Union of Russian Patriots"), A. Scriabin (by her husband Sarah Knut, posthumously awarded the Military Cross and the Medal of Resistance) and many others. The Russians played a huge role in the anti-fascist movement in France, often acting as organizers of underground work, taking on the most complex and responsible tasks.

In their ranks was Princess Vera Obolenskaya, the daughter of the Baku vice-governor, State Councilor Apollon Makarov, who came to France at the age of nine in 1920 with her parents. In 1937 she married Prince Nikolai Alexandrovich Obolensky, son of the former mayor of Petrograd.

From the very beginning of the occupation of France by the Nazis, V. Obolenskaya became a member of the Resistance movement, was the secretary general of the French underground "Civil and Military Organization", the founder of the anti-Nazi organization "Union of Russian Patriots", helped Soviet and British prisoners of war in cooperation with the Free French partisans.

In December 1943, she was arrested by the Gestapo. She was subjected to numerous interrogations and torture for nine months. Without revealing any of the secrets of the underground and without betraying any of her associates, she was executed on August 4, 1944.

In 1958, V. Obolenskaya was posthumously awarded the French government with the Military Cross, the Order of the Legion of Honor, and the Medal of Resistance. In 1965, she was awarded the Soviet Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class.

In November 2000, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Russian cemetery at Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois near Paris. There he laid wreaths at the graves of the Russian heroine of the resistance movement to the Nazi invaders Vika Obolenskaya and the great Russian writer Ivan Bunin. The President stopped in front of the graves of those who were called White Guards, and then said: "We are the children of the same mother - Russia, and the time has come for us to unite."

In November 2000, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Russian cemetery at Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois near Paris.

Among the compatriots who left a noticeable mark on the history of France, the following can also be noted.

Zinovy ​​Peshkov - the elder brother of the Bolshevik Y. Sverdlov, the adopted son of M. Gorky (Peshkov), took part in the First World War in the ranks of the Foreign Legion of the French army. In 1915, he was seriously wounded and underwent an amputation of his right arm. In 1916 he returned to the ranks of the Legion. Participated in many military operations of the French, was awarded military orders. He rose to the rank of general, was the personal secretary of Charles de Gaulle during the Second World War, after the war - the ambassador of France.

Maurice Druon is a writer, member of the French Resistance movement, Minister of Culture of France, member of parliament, life secretary of the French Academy, holder of numerous French and foreign state awards, winner of prestigious literary awards. Maurice Druon - "the most Russian of French writers" - said that he is an example of Franco-Russian kinship and is happy with this, and cannot imagine himself without France and without Russia. Our compatriot Anna Marly created together with Maurice Druon the famous “Song of the Partisans”.

In 1884, at the initiative of the Russian zoologist Alexei Korotnev, the Franco-Russian Zoological Station was established in Villefranche-sur-Mer to study marine flora and fauna. Scientific cooperation in this area between the two countries continued until 1932, when the laboratory was transferred to the hands of the French state. Today the station is run by the Institut Pierre and Marie Curie in Paris. One of the courts of the National Center for Scientific Research bears the name of Korotnev.

Of the modern cultural figures living in France - immigrants from Russia or having Russian roots, the following should be noted: Oscar Rabin, Eric Bulatov, Oleg Tselkov, Mikhail Shemyakin - artists; Anatoly Gladilin, Andrey Makin - writers; Robert Hossein - actor, director, screenwriter, playwright. Hossein starred in dozens of films in France, the author of numerous theatrical productions, film scripts. Commander of the Order of the Legion of Honor.

Helene Carrer d "Encausse is a historian, life secretary of the French Academy, author of numerous books and publications on the history of Russia. She was awarded the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor, the national Order of Merit, and numerous foreign awards.

Prince Alexander Alexandrovich Trubetskoy was born on March 14, 1947 in Paris, into a family of Russian emigrants. Father - Prince Trubetskoy Alexander Evgenievich (1892-1968). Mother - Princess Golitsyna Alexandra Mikhailovna (1900-1991). Prince Alexander Trubetskoy always openly says that he is a patriot of Russia. And he does everything he can to help preserve its historical past, cultural and spiritual heritage.

On the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the liberation of Bulgaria during the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, it was planned to publish a book by V.A. Zolotarev, head of the Institute of Military History of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. To prepare this book, Prince A.A. Trubetskoy handed over unpublished material - the memoirs of an officer of the Life Guards of the Horse Grenadier Regiment, who participated in this war.

During the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the transition of A.V. Suvorov through the Alps, the prince led the members of the Russian youth organization "Vityazi", living in Paris, along the path of the great Russian commander. In addition, thanks to the sponsorship of A.A. Trubetskoy, the Military Historical Institute of Switzerland organized the Suvorov Congress to celebrate the 200th anniversary: ​​and in the fall of 2000, the book "Under the Russian St. Andrew's Flag" was published, dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the completion of the Mediterranean campaign of Ushakov's squadron. Prince A.A. Trubetskoy supported the team of the Russian yacht "Maxiclass", which participated in races in the Mediterranean Sea and around Europe. Alexander Trubetskoy helped organize the exhibition and publish the album of the artist Kadol. This military artist, a former officer in the Napoleonic army, created a series of wonderful watercolors of views of Moscow in 1820. Now the watercolors belong to the Institute of the History of the French Army and were brought to Moscow in 1999 for an exhibition in the museum of the city of Moscow.

A significant role in the preservation of Russian culture among emigrants was played by their careful attitude to their native language. With the growth in recent years of the number of our compatriots in France, including the number of mixed families and bilingual children, private schools of additional education (SDS) are being actively created, aiming to teach children the Russian language.

Schools, as a rule, operate on the basis of associations of compatriots. In the large cities of France, SDO took shape as independent structures, where classes with Russian-speaking children are the main activity, in smaller cities - these are clubs or creative workshops with cultural associations of a broader profile.

There are currently 50 SDOs and children's centers in France, with about 2,000 children regularly visiting. There are also two parochial schools in Paris with about 150 children.

According to the estimates of the Coordinating Council of Compatriots, SDOs cover about 30% of Russian-speaking children. As a rule, training begins at the age of 3. After 12-13 years of age, Russian language lessons are attended by the most motivated children. However, the trend of recent years is that the number of older students in schools is constantly growing. Classes are held on Wednesdays and Saturdays. As a rule, children come to classes for 3-4 hours one day a week.

In all schools, classes are taught exclusively by native speakers of the Russian language. In large schools, these are professionals with diplomas from Russian universities. However, in general, there is a shortage of graduates in early childhood education and primary school teachers. Most often among the candidates for the post of teacher there are philologists or teachers of English / French.

Koshko Dmitry Borisovich - member of the World Coordinating Council of Russian Compatriots Living Abroad, Chairman of the Coordinating Council of Russian Compatriots in France, President of the France-Urals Association. Philologist, journalist, teacher, public figure. In 1993 he organized the France-Ural society, one of the publishers in Paris of the newspaper Lettres d'Oural (1993-1998). He organized the collection of charitable assistance in favor of the hospitals of Kamensk-Uralsky and a number of Ural social institutions. Shoots documentary publicistic films. Co-founder of the Union of Russophones of France (2006). He was a member of the National Organization of Knights (NOV).

Dmitry Borisovich is the great-grandson of A.F. Koshko (born in 1867 in the Minsk province, died in 1928 in Paris) - a Russian criminologist, head of the Moscow detective police, later in charge of the entire criminal investigation of the Russian Empire, a memoir writer in exile. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Arkady Koshko was a legendary person. It was he who created the first in Russia, unique in accuracy, a file of criminals and developed a special personal identification system, which was then adopted by Scotland Yard.

Thank youDepartment for work with compatriots of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russiafor the materials provided