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“Collection of Spiritual Poems” from Simbirsk: Sources of the Texts
https://doi.org/10.25281/2411-2305-2025-6-59-68
Abstract
The study of manuscript collections in regional scientific libraries is an urgent problem in modern bibliology. The Department of Rare Books at the V.I. Lenin Ulyanovsk Regional Scientific Library holds more than 300 manuscripts dating back to the 16th to 20th centuries. One of these manuscripts, the “Collection of Spiritual Poems”, is a document with an interesting history. The manuscript was created in the mid-19th century, and the texts included in the collection are related to Freemasonry and various religious movements (Orthodoxy, Old Belief, and sectarianism). Among the sources are poems by famous Russian poets A.P. Sumarokov, M.M. Kheraskov, M.M. Vysheslavtsev, and others. A comparison of the published poems with their handwritten version revealed a number of discrepancies that indicate a possible perception of these texts “by ear” (or during correspondence). In addition, the manuscripts contain probable handwritten and oral sources of the texts included in the collection. The uniqueness of the collection is due to the special inserts, which are written by one of the owners of the manuscript.
About the Author
Evgeny V. Safronov
V.I. Lenin Ulyanovsk Regional Scientific Library
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Ulyanovsk
References
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Review
For citations:
Safronov E.V. “Collection of Spiritual Poems” from Simbirsk: Sources of the Texts. Bibliography and Bibliology. 2025;(6):59-68. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.25281/2411-2305-2025-6-59-68
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