Exhibition of modern French publications

from the collections of the National Library of Russia

      The National Library of Russia has always paid much attention to the acquisition of historical papers from different periods. They include the French diplomatic documents /Documents diplomatiques français/ released by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France through the international Peter Lang Publishing Group. This series incorporates material from 1914 and has now reached 1964. This publication is an invaluable and indispensable resource for anyone who studies the history of France and international relations of the 20th century. The exhibition shows part of volumes held in our holdings.

    In the section devoted to the development of French culture, there are several directions, namely literature, art and music.
Among the books on French literature, it is worth mentioning the biographies of such writers and poets as Jean-Baptiste Moliere /Bloch O. Moliere. Paris, 2000/, Jean Racine /Jean Racine 1699-1999. Actes du colloque. P., 2003/, Victor Hugo /Kahn J-F. Victor Hugo P.2001/, Charles Baudlaire /Pichois C. Charles Baudlaire. P.1996/, Theophile Gautier /Senneville G. Theophile Gautier. P., 2004/, Jean Cocteau /Arnaud C. Jean Cocteau. P., 2003/, Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais /Lever M. Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais.T.1-3. P., 1999-2004/, Emile Zola /Mitterand H. Zola. T., 1-3. P., 1999-2002/, Paul Valery /Jarrety M. Paul Valery. P., 2008/, Stephane Mallarme /Steinmetz J-L. Mallarmé. L’absolu au jour le jour. P., 1998/.

   We would also draw attention to the books from the series "Bibliotheque de la Pleiade" ("Pleiade editions"), issuded by Éditions Gallimard, the famous French publishers. This series represents reference editions of classics of (mostly) French literature. The National Library of Russia has carefully amassed this collection during many years, and certain items from this collection are available in the exhibition.

  Notable among the publications on the French music are the important works issued by the Fayard publishing house, such as biographies of Jean-Baptiste Lully, Georges Bizet, Emmanuel Chabrier /La Gorce J. Jean-Baptist Lully. P., 2002, Lacombe H. Georges Bizet. P., 2000,   Delage R.  Emmanuel Chabrier. P., 1999/, as well as an generalized work on French music during the Third Republic, known as the «Belle Epoque» /Porcile F. La bell époque de la musique française. P., 1999/.

Linguistic themes represented in the exhibition by a series of books released by the Swiss Librairie Droz publishing house, and the French publishers "Armand Colin" and "Honore Champion". In particular, we would like to mention the collection Medieval Linguistics /Linguistique medievale P., 2000/ and the reference book by Marc Wilmet A Critical Grammar of the French Language /Wilmet M. Grammaire critique du français. P., 2003/.

    The display showcases some of the highlights of the books on the French art including the four-volume work by the noted art historian Andre Chastel, which traces the major stages of the evolution of art in France /Сhastel A. L’art francais.T.1-4. P., 2000/ , and richly illustrated publications such as Monet and Riviera /Eluère C. Monet et Riviera. P., 2006/, Painting in Paris during the Reign of Francis I /Leproux G-M. La peinture à Paris sous le régne de François Ier. P., 2001/, Allegorical Painting in the Great Age /Bar V. La peinture allégorique au Grand Siécle. Dijon, 2003/, The Cathedral of Our Lady in Poitiers. A Masterpiece of Romanesque Art. /Notre-Dame-la-Grand de Poitiers. L’œuvre romane.P., 2002/. A number of publications are devoted to the history and cultural monuments of Paris. One of the main symbols of the French capital is the Eiffel Tower, and the history of its creation and the life of its founder Gustave Eiffel are described in a book by Michel Carmona /Carmona M. Eiffel. Paris, 2003/.

   The publications on the history and culture of Russia take a special place in the exhibition. They include, first of all, the series of works by the famous French scholar Helene Carrere d'Encausse, a member of the French Academy of Science. About 20 books focusing on various aspects of Russian and Soviet history of the 18th-20th centuries, came from her pen. For an important contribution to the strengthening of Russian-French relations, she was awarded the Lomonosov Gold Medal and the Order of Honour. The exhibition features the biographies of Catherine II, Nicholas II, Lenin /Carrère d’Encausse H.  Catherine II. Un âge d’or pour la Russie.P., 2002.  Russie. La transition manquéе. Nicolas II, Léninе, Unité prolétarienne et diversité nationale. P., 2005/ and the integrating work The Eurasian Empire. History of the Russian Empire from 1552 to the Present Day /Carrère d’Encausse H.  L’Empire d’Eurasie. Une histoire de l’Empire russe de 1552 à nos jours. P., 2005/.
Another French historian Jean-Jacques Marie published a biography of Stalin and a monograph on the Kronstadt rebellion in 1921 /Marie J-J. Stalin. P., 2001,  Marie J-J. Cronstadt. P., 2005/. These books are also on view to visitors.

    Plenty of works on Russian music are shown in the exhobition. They comprise books devoted to the lives of the great Russian composers Alexander Scriabin, Piotr Tchaikovsky, Sergei Prokofiev /Kelkel M. Alexandre Scriabine. Un musician à la recherché de l’absolu. P., 1999, Lischke A. Piotr Ilyitch Tchaikovski. P.,1998. P., 1993,   Dorigné M. Serge Prokofiev. P., 1994/.  Book by Frans Lemaire Russian Fate, and Music. A Hundred Years of History from the Revolution to the Present Day /Lemaire F. Le destin russe et musique. Un siècle d’histoire de la Révolution à nos jours. P., 2005/ provides a survey of the twentieth century Russian music. The book of Gerard Abensour about Vsevolod Meyerhold gives an overview of the theatrical innovations of this well-known stage director /Abensour G. Vsévolod Meyerhold ou l’invention de la mise en scène. P., 1998/.

     The exhibition showcases material published abroad by the Russian Diaspora, available at the National Library, reflecting the history of the Russian emigration in France. Many of these books were printed by the most famous publishers "YMCA-Press" and "LEV". A large part of the exhibition features books on literature. In particular, we should mention Pushkin's letters to N. Goncharova, commemorating the Jubilee of 1837-1937, released by Modest Gofman and Serge Lifar in Paris in 1937 /Pis'mа Pushkinа k N.N. Gonchаrovoi. Yubilеinoе izd. (1837-1937). Paris, 1937/, book by Nikolai Gumilev Unpublished and Uncollected /Nеizdаnnoе i nеsobrаnnoе. Paris, 1986/, the monograph by Gleb Struve Russian Literature in Exile /Russkaya literatura v izgnanii. Paris, 1984/.
Publications on the White Movement and the civil war in Russia are well represented at the exhibition, they contains, for instance, memories by Anton Denikin and Savva Mamontov, works on the history of the Russian Orthodox church in the first half of the 20th century like Regelson's The Tragedy of the Russian Church (1917-1945 /Tragediya russkoi tserkvi 1917–1945. Paris, 1977)/, works by the famous Russian philosophers of the time of Nikolai Berdyaev, Paul Florenski, Nikolai Lossky, Lev Shestov and many others.

The show is organized by the National Library of Russia, the French Institute in St. Petersburg, the publishing house "Russian-Baltic Information Center BLITZ".

See alsoCatalogue of exhibits from the collection of foreign books
            Catalogue of exhibits from the collection "Russian Abroad"