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Anna Karenina Illustrated Anna Karenina Illustrated: Russian and Soviet Illustrated Editions of the Novel, 1878-1982 By Timothy R. Ormond A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures University of Toronto © Copyright of Timothy R. Ormond 2013 ABSTRACT Anna Karenina Illustrated: Russian and Soviet Illustrated Editions of the Novel, 1878-1982 PhD 2013 Timothy Richard Ormond Graduate Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, University of Toronto This dissertation discusses illustrations of Anna Karenina created in Russia and the USSR in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It first considers Mikhail Vrubel’s illustration from 1878 and then examines four illustrated editions published in in 1914, 1933, 1953 and 1982. It accomplishes the following: it attends to the lack of attention illustration receives, generally in literary studies, but especially in Russian; it fills in a part of the history of publication practices in Russia and the USSR, as it pertained to illustration; it describes the intended audience for these works; and it offers close readings of the artists’ illustrations, thereby demonstrating the changing reception of Tolstoy’s novel over time. Vrubel’s illustration confronts the treatment of the heroine and marks the beginning of his life-long dislike for Tolstoy. The illustrations of Shcheglov, Korin and Moravov in the 1914 Sytin & Co. edition aided in reading comprehension, suggesting that the intended audience were readers who were new to Tolstoy. Since most of the illustrations were commissioned during the Soviet period, they reveal a great deal about how that regime intervened in the reception of Anna Karenina and its author. For example, Piskarev’s illustrations, aimed at American readers, show that even though Tolstoy was considered to be one of Russia’s great geniuses, there were important distinctions to be drawn between his ideas and those of the CPSU. Samokhvalov’s illustrations of 1953 also emphasize Tolstoy’s importance as a genius and try to formalize Anna Karenina’s pertinence to ii some of the main tenets of communism. Vereiskii’s illustrations reveal the readership’s turn away from the Marxist view of the epic dialectic of history and turn towards the intimate sphere of the family and the household. The broader implication of my dissertation is its hint at the rich tradition of illustration in Russia in the 20th century. It thereby takes a preliminary step into outlining the progression of this history and into describing its characteristics. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation had the generous support of the University of Toronto through its Graduate Student Fellowship, School of Graduate Studies Travel Research Grant and the H. Gordon Skilling Fellowship. The Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities also provided support through its Ontario Graduate Scholarship. The rarity of these illustrations and publications made collaborating with librarians and libraries essential: I wish to thank the Stanford Library, the University of Toronto Library, Kathryn Chirametli of the Toronto Public Library and especially Valentina Bastrykina of the Department of Book Collections (Otdel knizhnykh fondov) of the Tolstoy State Museum in Moscow (GMT). I would also like to thank Gregory Walker of the Bodleian Library for his assistance on my questions about where these books fit into Soviet publishing practices, especially during the Brezhnev period. I am grateful to Jeffrey Brooks of Johns Hopkins University for his invaluable suggestions during my Final Oral Examination. The final draft of my dissertation benefits a great deal from his input. I wish also to express my gratitude to the other members of my Examination Committee, Michael Denner, Kate Holland, Leonid Livak and Donna Orwin, my Adviser. Special mention must be made of Donna Orwin who tirelessly provided support and guidance through all stages of my doctoral degree. She is an inspiring mentor. Lastly, these acknowledgements would be incomplete without expressing gratitude to my wife, daughters, parents and in-laws for their moral support. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ii Acknowledgments iv Note on vi Illustrations List of Figures vii List of xiii Appendices Introduction 1 Chapter One Mikhail Vrubel’s Anna Karenina’s Reunion with Her Son— 26 1878 Chapter Two The Sytin & Co. Edition of Anna Karenina—Moscow, 1914 37 Chapter Three Nikolai Piskarev’s Woodcut Prints of Anna Karenina for the 62 Limited Editions Club of New York—Moscow, 1933 Chapter Four Aleksandr Samokhvalov’s Paintings for Anna Karenina for 93 Goslitizdat—Moscow, 1953 Chapter Five Orest Vereiskii’s Paintings for Anna Karenina, 143 Khudozhestvennaia Literatura—Moscow, 1982 Conclusion 170 Works Cited 237 v NOTE ON ILLUSTRATIONS I have provided a list of figures in the following section to help navigate through the large quantity of illustrations in the main body of the dissertation. I have also created an appendix for each of the four editions, wherein I outline the total quantity and specific placement of all the illustrations. The enumeration in the main body does not reflect that of the appendix. In order to clarify where an illustration is situated in the appendix, I offer a numeric code in brackets. The first Roman numeral refers to the number of the appendix and the second Arabic numeral to its location within said appendix: for example, the abbreviation for Fig. 3 is I.42 (i.e. Appendix One, item #42). These codes appear in the description of each figure. vi LIST OF FIGURES Introduction 1. Et in Arcadia Ego, Nicolas Poussin 1637-1638 8 2. In Mikhailov’s Studio, Mikhail Shcheglov 1914 9 3. In Mikhailov’s Studio, Aleksandr Samokhvalov 1953 9 4. In Mikhailov’s Studio, Orest Vereiskii 1982 9 Chapter One 26 5. Anna Karenina’s Reunion with her Son, Mikhail Vrubel 1878 Chapter Two1 42 6. Cover of Volume I of Sytin & Co. Anna Karenina 7. Cover of Volume II of Sytin & Co. Anna Karenina 42 8. Portrait of Mikhail Mikhailovich Shcheglov 43 9. Shcheglov’s unused illustration of Nikolai Levin 44 10. Levin at Confession, Part V. Sytin & Co. (A.M. Korin) 49 11. Levin telling Kitty of his unworthiness, Part V. Sytin & Co. (A.V. 49 Moravov) 12. Arrival of guests and Levin and Kitty’s wedding, Part V. Sytin & Co. 49 13. The Wedding Ceremony, Part V. Sytin & Co. 49 14. Mikhailov at work, Part V. Sytin & Co. (A.V. Moravov) 49 15. In Mikhailov’s studio, Part V. Sytin & Co. 49 16. Kitty staring at Levin, Part V. Sytin & Co. 50 17. Maria Nikolaevna’s letter arrives, Part V. Sytin & Co. 50 18. Nikolai’s death, Part V. Sytin & Co. (A.M. Korin) 50 19. Anna reunites with Serezha on his birthday, Part V. Sytin & Co. 50 20. The Shcherbatsky women and Agafia Mikhailovna at Pokrovskoe, Part 50 VI. Sytin & Co. (A.M. Korin) 21. Levin with Stiva and Veslovsky, Part VI. Sytin & Co. 50 1 All Sytin & Co illustrations by M.M. Shcheglov unless indicated otherwise.48 vii 22. Princess Maria Borisovna, Part VII. Sytin & Co. 51 23. Levin, Metrov and Katavasov, Part VII. Sytin & Co. 51 24. Billiards, Part VII. Sytin & Co. 51 25. Levin at the apothecary, Part VII. Sytin & Co. 51 26. Vronsky and the volunteers depart, Part VIII. Sytin & Co. 51 27. Levin and Ivan in the wagon, Part VIII. Sytin & Co. (A.M. Korin) 51 28. Levin turns around, Part VIII. Sytin & Co. (A.V. Moravov) 51 29. Tailpiece to Part VIII, Levin. Sytin & Co. 51 30. Anna and Dolly, Part I. Sytin & Co. 53 31. Anna at the ball, Part I. Sytin & Co. 53 32. Vronsky and Anna on the train platform, Part I. Sytin & Co. 53 33. Anna watches Karenin sleep, Part II. Sytin & Co. 54 34. Steeplechase one, Part II. Sytin & Co. 54 35. Steeplechase two, Part II. Sytin & Co. 54 36. Vronsky reads Karenin’s letter, Part III. Sytin & Co. 54 37. Anna at the theatre, Part V. Sytin & Co. 54 38. Kitty and Varenka, Part II. Sytin & Co. 57 39. Dolly and her children, Part III. Sytin & Co. 57 40. Kitty and Levin skating, Part I. Sytin & Co. 58 41. Detail of Figure 35 58 42. Portrait of N.I. Korin, A.M. Korin 60 43. Failed Again, A.M. Korin 60 44. In the Wife’s Absence, A.M. Korin 60 45. The Sick Artist, A.M. Korin 60 Chapter Two: Piskarev 46. Portrait of Nikolai Ivanovich Piskarev 64 47. Piskarev’s title page for Don Quixote Liberated, 1922 67 48. Favorsky’s Little House in Kolomna, 1922-9 68 49. Kravchenko’s Portrait, 1923 68 50. Kravchenko’s Cricket on the Heath, 1923 68 51. Goncharov’s Twelve, 1924 69 52. Piskarev’s Iron Flood, 1927 70 53. Piskarev’s dust jacket for Rousseau’s Confessions, 1935 70 viii 54. Front cover of Piskarev Anna Karenina 74 55. Examples of floral motifs, Piskarev 74 56. Tailpiece to Part VIII, Piskarev 75 57. Headpiece to Part IV, Piskarev 77 58. Headpiece to Part VI, Piskarev 77 59. Headpiece to Part I, Piskarev 79 60. “The Skating Ground,” Piskarev 81 61. “Levin at the Shcherbatzkys,” Piskarev 82 62. Nikolai’s death, Piskarev 83 63. “Anna’s Fall,” Piskarev 83 64. “At Anna’s Bed,” Piskarev 83 65. Headpiece to Part III, Piskarev 84 66. “Dolly on the way to Anna,” Piskarev 86 67. Frontispiece to Rousseau’s Confessions, 1935 87 68. Headpiece to Part II, Piskarev 88 69. “Two of Vronsky’s Hobbies,” Piskarev 89 Chapter Three: Samokhvalov 70. Frontispiece portrait of Tolstoy, Samokhvalov 95 71. External appearance of Samokhvalov Anna Karenina 96 72. Dolly with the peasant women, Samokhvalov 108 73. Peasants observing Anna and her entourage, Samokhvalov 108 74. Mowing scene, Samokhvalov 109 75. Levin visits the wealthy peasant, Samokhvalov 111 76.
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