About the Diaries of M. Matyushin and K. Somov
The essay discusses the diaries of Russian artists of the first third of the 20 th century as
a source for a study of their lives and opinions. The diaries of Mikhail Matyushin (1911–1934) and Konstantin Somov (1917–1927) were selected as examples. The author shows different techniques of keeping a diary. Matyushin’s diary is a creative laboratory of an artist and
mentor. Somov’s almost daily entries represent a chronicle of his life. His experience is also
related to his emigration to Paris. Both diaries were not to be published. Therefore, one can
interpret them in terms of a “sincere and frank reports.” Overall, these autobiographical writings allow understand their creative impulses and their idea of artistic creativity as such. They
also uncover the circles of their relationships, their preferences and dislikes.
Bogomolov N. A. Mikhail Kuzmin: Stat’i i materialy [Mikhail Kuzmin: Articles and
Materials]. Moscow, Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie Publ., 1995, 366 p. (in Russ.)
Goncharov I. A. Collected Works. In 8 vols. Prep. and comment. by E. A. Krasnoshchekova and V. A. Nedzvetsky. Moscow, Khudozhestvennaya literatura Publ., 1980,
vol. 8: Essays, Reviews, Notes. Letters, 559 p. (in Russ.)
Konstantin Andreevich Somov: Pis’ma. Dnevniki. Suzhdeniya sovremennikov
[Konstantin Andreevich Somov: Letters. Diaries. Opinions of the Contemporaries].
Comp., intr. and comment. by Yu. N. Podkopaeva and A. N. Sveshnikova. Moscow,
Iskusstvo Publ., 1979, 624 p. (in Russ.)
Matyushin M. V. Dnevniki [Diaries]. Publ., comment. and intr. by E. V. Basner. In:
Arkhiv N. I. Khardzhieva. Russkiy avangard: materialy i dokumenty iz sobraniya
RGALI [Nikolai Khardzhiev’s Archive. Russian Avant-garde: Materials and Documents from the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art]. Comp. by A. E. Parnis, ed.
by A. D. Sarabianov. Moscow, DEFI Publ., 2017, vol. 1, p. 278–427. (in Russ.)
Pis’ma N. O. Millioti k V. N. Buninoy (1927–1958) [Nikolai Millioti’s Letters to
Vera Bunina (1927–1958)]. Intr. by K. Tribbl; publ. by K. Tribbl and R. Devis. In:
I. A. Bunin: Novye materialy [Ivan Bunin: New Materials]. Comp. and ed. by O. Korostelev and R. Devis. Moscow, Russkiy put’ Publ., 2010, iss. 2, p. 398–462. (in Russ.)
Somov K. A. Dnevnik. 1917–1923 [Diaries, 1917‒1923]. Intr., prep. and comment.
by P. S. Golubev. Moscow, Dmitry Sechin Publ., 2017, 923 p. (in Russ.)
Somov K. A. Dnevnik. 1923–1925 [Diaries, 1923‒1925]. Intr., prep. and comment.
by P. S. Golubev. Moscow, Dmitry Sechin Publ., 2018, 714 p. (in Russ.)
Somov K. A. Dnevnik. 1926–1927 [Diaries, 1926‒1927]. Intr., prep. and comment.
by P. S. Golubev. Moscow, Dmitry Sechin Publ., 2019, 744 p. (in Russ.)
Toporov V. N. Mif o smerti yunoshi-syna (k tvorchestvu Eleny Guro) [The Myth of
the Death of Youth-Son]. In: Mikhail Kuzmin i russkaya kul’tura ХХ veka [Mikhail
Kuzmin and Russian Culture of the 20 th Century]. Abstracts and Materials. Leningrad,
Muzey Anny Ahmatovoy v Fontannom dome Publ., 1990, p. 75–85. (in Russ.)
About the Diaries of M. Matyushin and K. Somov // Сюжетология и сюжетография. 2020. № 2. Pp. 462–471. DOI: 10.25205/2410-7883-2020-2-462-471.