Yokoyama, Olga T.
Russian Peasant Letters

Texts and Contexts.

This edition of 91 letters by three Russian peasant men and two peasant women from a single family in southern Vyatka (now Udmurtia), written between June 1881 and January 1896, covers the reign of Alexander III and two years of Nicholas II. The letters represent a precious primary source for Russian dialectologists and other linguists, such as those interested in the acquisition of literacy. They also provide unadorned testimony concerning all aspects of everyday life. Written entirely in the peasants' own voices, addressing other family members, the letters track the development of events and of the authors themselves. The content includes economic and personal news, village and town gossip, parental admonition and prayers, requests for help, intrafamily troubles, and simply the authors’ pouring out their hearts. The texts (with commentaries) are reproduced in the original Russian, a normalized Russian version, and an English translation; essays on linguistic and content-related features are followed by indices, appendices, bibliographical references, and facsimiles and illustrations. Zwei Bände, zus. VIII,973 Seiten mit 72 Abb. auf 60 Tafeln und vier genealogische Tafeln auf zwei Falttafeln, gebunden (Slavistische Studienbücher. Neue Folge; Band 18/Harrassowitz Verlag 2008)