Alexander Palace Forum

Books and Films about the Romanovs and Imperial Russia => Books about the Romanovs and Imperial Russia => Topic started by: Alexandra on May 12, 2005, 01:25:02 PM

Title: Who was Martha (or Marfa) Mouchanow, anyway?
Post by: Alexandra on May 12, 2005, 01:25:02 PM

We all know that the book is a fake, but who compiled it? I have no wish to give celebrity, here or anywhere, to a purveyor of false history, but is any of the material contained in that book of any merit whatsoever? Occasionally, something of value can be included with what is otherwise a farrago of nonsense - however unintentionally - and I wonder what is known about the provenance of the book, and about what it contains.

Thanks!

Alexandra

Title: Re: Who was Martha (or Marfa) Mouchanow, anyway?
Post by: felix on May 12, 2005, 02:53:57 PM

A, I think it may have been Catherine Radziwell I think I spelt her last name wrong. I know I did.She wrote other books under various names.

Title: Re: Who was Martha (or Marfa) Mouchanow, anyway?
Post by: Alexandra on May 13, 2005, 06:06:30 PM

Radziwill - you were quite close! :) They are Lithuanian in origin but subsumed under the Commonwealth of Poland. As to worrying about spelling, one of their family members was so illiterate he had to be taught his ABCs in this way: he had a great passion for hunting and marksmanship, so they hung large tin letters up in trees as targets!
I don;t know how it works as a reliable form of pedagogy ... ;D

Title: Re: Who was Martha (or Marfa) Mouchanow, anyway?
Post by: Sarushka on October 28, 2005, 06:45:34 PM

I'd also been looking for the answer to this question, and finally tracked it down. Here's the cross-references I dug up:

http://hydrogen.pallasweb.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=friends;action=display;num=1107796164

http://hydrogen.pallasweb.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=Books;action=display;num=1076947124;start=53#53

Title: Re: Who was Martha (or Marfa) Mouchanow, anyway?
Post by: imperial angel on October 31, 2005, 11:08:16 AM

Yeah, and one Alexandra biograohy treats this as actual evidence :o

Title: Re: Who was Martha (or Marfa) Mouchanow, anyway?
Post by: Sarushka on October 31, 2005, 12:39:50 PM

Yes, the one by Carroly Ericson.

Title: Re: Who was Martha (or Marfa) Mouchanow, anyway?
Post by: imperial angel on October 31, 2005, 02:17:55 PM

Why did she use it????/

Title: Re: Who was Martha (or Marfa) Mouchanow, anyway?
Post by: LauraO on August 29, 2019, 04:23:33 AM

Hey, I know this hasn't been posted in for a while but I wonder if someone could help me, for research purposes does anyone know where or by who Mouchanow's fake memoir was published? Many Thanks!

Title: Re: Who was Martha (or Marfa) Mouchanow, anyway?
Post by: LauraO on August 29, 2019, 04:37:39 AM

Don't worry, found it- New York in case anyone else needs to know!