Аннотация: Igor Bogdanov and Oleg Sokolov. The cultural scenarios. An essay.
Igor Bogdanov and Oleg Sokolov. The cultural scenarios. An essay.
Consideration of the cases of Oleg Sokolov (of the most famous historian of post-Soviet Russia) is gradually coming to a finish.
The memory involuntarily returns to Igor Bogdanov (1949 - 2010).
We wrote a biographical sketch about Igor Bogdanov: '[XCIV.] Igor Bogdanov. Writer, a connoisseur of historical and archival researches, specialist in Heinrich Schliemann's life history. Biographical essay. " (September 10, 2016) (The collection "1519-2019. 500 years. From the past to the future. 16 essays about famous explorers, writers, scientists and inventors". The collection was composed on December 22, 2016.).
Unfortunately, there is no article about Igor Bogdanov in Wikipedia.
On some sites, biographical information about him is scattered. For instance:
If we take together the works of authorship and translation by Igor Bogdanov, the total number of works is about 100.
We take as a basis the list of works of authorship posted on the Livelib website:
1988 - "Gostiny Dvor"
1990, 1995 - "The Long Road to Troy"
1991 - "Hotel European"
2000 - "Three centuries of the St. Petersburg bath"
2001 - "Bolshoi Gostiny Dvor in St. Petersburg"
2001 - "The oldest hotels in St. Petersburg"
2002 - 'Petersburg surname. Latkiny "
2005 - "On the corner of all streets"
2005 - "Lakhta. Olgino. Lisiy Nos"
2007 - "Smoke of the Fatherland, or A Brief History of Tobacco Smoking"
2007 - "Unitas, or A Brief History of the Toilet"
2007 - "The Cure for Boredom, or the Story of Ice Cream"
2008 - Heinrich Schliemann. Triumph of Myth " ["Heinrich Schliemann. The victory of the myth"]
2008, 2013 - "Leningrad Lexicon"
2008 - Heinrich Schliemann. Russian adventure " ["Heinrich Schliemann. The risky gamble in Russia"]
2010 - "Leningrad blockade from A to Z"
Total 21. (https://www.livelib.ru/author/12938-igor-bogdanov) [Publications in Russian]
As we understood from Wikipedia, the first publication of Oleg Sokolov was the article: Sokolov O.V. Higher officers of the French army and the revolutionary government in 1792-1794. // From the Old Order to the Revolution / ed. prof. V.G. Revunenkova. - L., 1988. [Publication in Russian]
The starts of the most noticeable phases of literary activity of Igor Bogdanov and of Oleg Sokolov roughly coincides.
The peculiarities of Igor Bogdanov and Oleg Sokolov were that they were more or less self-sufficient figures in the cultural space, as much as possible in Russia.
Is it good to be independent and self-sufficient?
By about 1994, the themes of "Priam's Treasure" and of Heinrich Schliemann were becoming more and more prominent in Russia.
Potential heirs of Heinrich Schliemann are visiting Russia. The publications (books, articles) were being prepared. Television gave Schliemann and his treasures considerable attention.
Igor Bogdanov by this time was a journalist and translator. As a journalist and writer, he specialized in the topics of famous places in St. Petersburg.
And now - a new topic.
Russia is a peasant country. For a peasant, much depends on the weather. But a lot - and from the invested labor.
If you engage a lot and persistently with the "Schliemann theme", then you can become "the chief in Schliemann's theme" in Russia.
Igor Bogdanov is financed by one of the relatives (descendants) of Heinrich Schliemann.
His social status is changing dramatically. He does not walk on foot in St. Petersburg. He travels to various European countries and works in various European archives.
And he succeeds. (Neither the Russial state with its budgetary money, nor the Academy of Sciences with its institutes, academicians and corresponding members were needed). He publishes interesting books on Heinrich Schliemann. These are useful books. Heinrich Schliemann is a rare person for the Russian environment. A great energy. The ability to educate yourself. A self-sufficient person. A man of success. Not only an intellectual, but also a millionaire.
The more books in Russia and in the world about Heinrich Schliemann, the better. Is it bad if people are focused on self-education, self-discipline, on a success through trade, cultural and literary achievements?
But, plunging into the topic of Heinrich Schliemann activity, Igor Bogdanov himself begins to stand out from the Russial environment.
It is quite possible that someone does not like that Igor Bogdanov is gradually becoming "the main one in Russia in Schliemann's theme."
Alexander Konstantinovich Gavrilov (born 1941) lives in St. Petersburg. Alexander Gavrilov published several articles about Heinrich Schliemann until 2006, participated in international meetings dedicated to Heinrich Schliemann.
Let us compare this with the results of the activities of Igor Bogdanov.
"The long road to Troy" (1994) - 206 pages,
"Schliemann H. Diary of the year 1866. Journey along the Volga/The preparation for the publication by I. A. Bogdanov. SPb.: Edition of State Hermitage, 1998",
"Don't bring with yourself the verses of Homer..." Letters of Ekaterina Schliemann (Lyschin) to Heinrich Schliemann" (1998) - 226 pages,
"Heinrich Schliemann. The risky gamble in Russia" (2008) - 396 pages,
"Heinrich Schliemann. The victory of the myth" (2008) - 331 pages ...
[Publications in Russian]
Results are not comparable.
Alexander Gavrilov writes a book about Schliemann ("Petersburg in the destiny of Heinrich Schliemann" - 448 pages) and publishes it in 2006.
After reading the book by Alexander Gavrilov I got the following impression (maybe inaccurate?).
Alexander Gavrilov began writing his book in 1992 and wrote it until 2005. That is, more than 10 years. ("The work, which was spreading over many years"). Perhaps, at the final stage - judging by the gratitudes - to the work on Alexander Gavrilov's book a numerous assistants joined (we counted six names to whom thanks were expressed).
So 2006 comes. The book by Alexander Gavrilov.
In general, I like the book by Alexander Gavrilov. A good, a useful book.
Only the year of its release attracts attention.
Why shouldn't she come out before 1994, or after 2010?
Why 2006?
Somehow there is no particular desire in connection with a good book about Heinrich Schliemann to talk about the creation of quasi-doubles ...
So what does the audience see?
Next to Igor Bogdanov appears Alexander Gavrilov.
Half a step remained for Igor Bogdanov in order to become recognized in Russia as "the chief in Schliemann's theme". To influence the publication process (prefaces, afterwords, reviews, recommendations), to act as an expert, to comment on "Schliemann's theme" on television.
At some university he could become an honorary professor ...
But no. Alexander Gavrilov appears nearby. (Especially since the public does not go into details. May be, Alexander Gavrilov, will publish one or two books about Heinrich Schliemann every year?).
A suspicious people will think (purely conjectural - pure hypothesis): the "quasi-double" operation was a success.
Igor Bogdanov did not manage to become "the chief in Schliemann's theme".
"The Schliemann's treasures" were not returned by Russia to either the heirs or in favor of Germany (as a state).
Let's say if there was only one option.
He did not become the main one ('the chief'), but "Priam's treasures" were returned.
Or - the treasures were not returned, but Igor Bogdanov became "the chief in Schliemann's theme" (and continued working on the return of the treasures).
Then it would be a different matter. Financing and writing books about Heinrich Schliemann (by Igor Bogdanov), perhaps, would be continued.
And so - the both options.
It seems that the financing of Igor Bogdanov from foreign sources gradually ceased. He stopped both travels to European countries and his work in foreign archives, the writing books about Heinrich Schliemann. "There are many of them, Schliemann specialists ...".
This is a not good turn of events, of course. A good start was made and a good potential was accumulated ...
Gradually Igor Bogdanov switched to the topic of the blockade. He is a patriot.
But in the process of trying to publish his encyclopedia "The Leningrad blockade from A to Z", he (suddenly) died of a heart attack. This happened while he visited one of the publishing houses ...
'On March 21, 2010, at the age of 60, the famous historian and ethnographer Igor Alekseevich Bogdanov suddenly died. As the Writers' Union of St. Petersburg notes, we have lost "a thoughtful, interested researcher of St. Petersburg, a wonderful writer" (...)
Carried away by the biography of Heinrich Schliemann, Igor Alekseevich wrote about him a number of essays and books that illuminated the "Petersburg period" of Schliemann's life in a new way.
In the near future, the main book of Igor Bogdanov's whole life, "The Leningrad Blockade from A to Z", will be published. (http://mirpeterburga.ru/news/Bogdanov/)
Oleg Sokolov was in a different position. He was pushed aside after the successful celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino (and after the creation of a new association) from the leadership of the movement of military-historical reconstruction.
But he became close to persons close to the mayor Luzhkov. And besides - how to find a quasi-double with the same experience, connections in France, scientific ability and knowledge of the language?
Of course, you can keep and keep him in the rank of associate professor and of candidate, put him in bosses a such specialists who are not comparable with him in experience and scientific level.
But all the same ... He is a person relatively independent and self-sufficient (as far as possible in the modern Russia).
To wait for him to die (himself)? ...
Instead of the "quasi-double" operation, the topic of "controlled conflict" can be considered.
Hacker attacks, dissemination of compromising information on the Internet, insults, inscriptions in the entrance, rats thrown under the door ...
There was tension in relations between Oleg Sokolov and Anastasia Yeshchenko ...
Igor Bogdanov died at the age of 60.
Oleg Sokolov (born 1956) was 63 years old when 'On November 9, 2019, at about 5 am, O. V. Sokolov was taken out of the water near the Moika River embankment in St. Petersburg with a backpack containing two severed female hands and a traumatic pistol' (Wikipedia).
There are various forms of working with people of knowledge ...
[MXXII. The Story of the strange fate of studies on the Schliemann biography in the Russia. - August 27, 2019.
MLXXV. What is the difference between a writer and a writer? Culturological essay. - October 10, 2019.
MDCCXVII. Key elements of the biography of Oleg Sokolov, the leader of the Russial Napoleonic studies. Experimental essay - an attempt of a partial biographical reconstruction. - September 16, 2020.].