Meetings in the White Capital (Omsk, 1919)
The subject of this article arose in connection with the study of the cultural history of Siberia
during the Civil War (1918–1922). An appeal to archival documents and L. N. Martynov’s
memoirs made it possible to reveal many interesting facts from the life of the White capital
and recall one of its significant episodes – the meeting of the schoolboy Leonid Martynov
with the Petrograd poet Georgy Maslov in the summer of 1919.
They met at the book collection office creating hospital libraries in August 1919. The meeting
with the first real poet made a strong impression on Leonid. Young people met often, came to
each other’s homes. It is not difficult to imagine how fascinating and informatively rich were he stories of the participant in the Pushkin seminary and the university’s “Circle of Poets” for
the Omsk schoolboy. Maslov introduced the schoolboy and his friends N. Kalmykov and
V. Shebalin to all the “stray” writers.
Maslov wrote a lot and published poetry in local periodicals, and Martynov was probably one
of the first to read them. Maslov firmly adhered to the anti-Bolshevik position, and in poetry
on contemporary themes he expressed his high patriotic feelings, calling on his compatriots to
enlightenment. These moods influenced the young Omsk citizen. In line with the influence of
Maslov on the worldview of young Martynov – a positive attitude towards the personality
of A. V. Kolchak. In the spring in Soviet Omsk, Leonid left the gymnasium, which, under the
new government, has now become the United Labor School. This decision, formed, of course,
under the influence of Maslov, was an expression of protest and a demonstration of
Martynov’s attitude to the new government.
At the end of May 1920, fifteen-year-old Martynov went to Krasnoyarsk, where he met with
E. Ivanov, who told him about the long, painful retreat to the east, the death of Maslov,
showed him the poems he had written on the way.
Returning to Omsk, Martynov meets with Maslov’s friend Tanya Solovyova, with whom they
remember the poet and read his poems. At this time, Martynov conceived the idea of a poem
dedicated to the memory of a friend – “Harlequinade”.
In May 1922, Martynov is in Moscow, where he meets with the participants of the Omsk literary meetings and participates in an evening in memory of Maslov.
The short friendship between the “Pushkinist and the Futurist” was fruitful for the young
Martynov. It played a decisive role in his professional development, the forming of his literary tastes, social guidelines. The name of Georgy Maslov remained dear to Leonid Martynov
until the end of his life.
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Meetings in the White Capital (Omsk, 1919) // Сюжетология и сюжетография. 2020. № 2. Pp. 236–253. DOI: 10.25205/2410-7883-2020-2-236-253.