Some Alexei Romanov’s journal entries

[Lotusperfume]

Some Alexei Romanov’s journal entries:
 
January 1/ 1916
 
Got up late today. Tea at 10. Then went to see Mama. Mama doesn’t feel good and so she lied (down) all day. Stayed home with a cold. Had lunch with Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia. In the afternoon was at Kolya’s (Alexei‘s best friend) and played their. It was a lot of fun. Had dinner at 6, then played. With Mama at dinner at 8, In bed at ten.
 
July 27/ 1916
 
After a mud bath went to meet Mama and sisters. Had a family lunch in the train. After lunch went for a drive. Then played at war in the woods. Had dinner with the cadets. Went to the municipal gardens. The boys were playing, sisters there also. Saw Mama in the evening. Went to bed early.
 
July 28/ 1916
 
In the morning studied after a mud bath. Had lunch with Mama in the train. In the afternoon went sailing in the Dniepr and played at war. Had dinner with the cadets. Watched some games at the municipal gardens. Read. In the evening went to see Mama in the train. Went to bed early.
 
July 29/ 1916
 
Had a mud bath. Played in the garden. Studied. Had lunch alone with Mama in the train. Went sailing in the Dniepr. The boys were playing, Papa and I watched it all. Had dinner with the cadets. After dinner went to see Mama and got a mass of presents. Went to bed late.
 
July 30/ 1916
 
Went to church. had lunch with everyone. Received a whole pile of telegrams. Cadets gave me a pretzel. Went sailing in the Dniepr. I gave the cadets boots and balalaikas. Went to see Mama. Went to bed late.
 
July 31/ 1916
 
Went to church. Played in the gardens. Had lunch with everyone. Went sailing in the Dniepr. Went to the picture-house. Saw Mama in the evening. Went to bed quite late.
 
1 August/ 1916
 
Had a mud bath. Then signed 13 telegrams and wrote 3 letters. {yesterday 19 telegrams). Had lunch with everyone in the tent. A walk along the Dniepr with Mama and sisters. Had dinner with the cadets. Went to the Municipal gardens. In the evening was in the train. Went to bed late.
 
February 15/ 1917
 
Everything as usual. Papa left at 12. Saw him off.
 
January 4/ 1918
 
Today I got even more spots. Played chequers with Nagorni all morning. Maria also got ill. She is also covered with spots. All the solders were ordered to remove their epaulettes, but Papa and I didn’t.
 
January 6/ 1918
 
Got up at 7. Had tea with Papa, Tatiana and Anastasia. We played cards. Maria is dress and is walking around the rooms. At 6 o’clock we played hide and seek and shouted and made a terrible noise.
 
January 7/ 1918
 
The whole day was just like yesterday.
 
January 9/ 1918
 
The whole day was just like yesterday. In the afternoon Kolia and I ran and jumped in the snow we watered the mountain, fought and restled.
 
January 15/ 1918
 
Anastasia has the German Measles, she spent the whole day in bed. The whole day was just like yesterday Kolia had a cough and didn’t come.
 
January 18/ 1918
 
Everything is the same, Anastasia is up and dressed.
 
Boring!!!
 
January 24/ 1918
 
In the afternoon twirled a stick on my hand and watched Papa working up on the roof cleaning the snow off and how they bring wood in the house.
 
What a bore!!!
 
January 30/ 1918
 
Slept very badly at night. My leg hurt. Had breakfast with Mama. Stayed in bed all day.
 
February 19/ 1918
 
Spent the whole day like yesterday. In the afternoon played with Kolia and made a wooden dagger with my knife, Kolia too. Later we attacked each other. In the evening the solders destroyed the ice mountain, so we can’t slide.
 
March 11/ 1918
 
I hit my toe on my right and could not put on my boot. So I had to stay at home.
 
March 12/ 1918
 
Spent the whole day indoors. There were pancakes for lunch, ate nine.
 
March 16/ 1918
 
Everything is the same. Today at lunch I ate 16 pancakes. The were giving them for the last time. There was a service at 9 o’clock. The weather was cold and windy. Had a bath.
 
24 March/ 1918
 
Everything is the same A¼ to 12 a short service. The choir sang. 10 degrees in the sun, zero in the shade. Everything is melting. In the afternoon Papa sawed wood, sisters chopped logs and carried them into the shed. I thew snowballs.
 
April 11/ 1918
 
Everything has before. In the evening we shot at the target. It was a very interesting pastime. It’s getting warmer. During our mourning walk, the extraordinary commissar dropped in to look at our yard and garden. The red guards have been here already one week.
 
(the very last diary entrie one month before he and his sister were taken to Ekaterinburg).

[edubs31]

This goes from cute to sad quickly :-(

Interesting the amount of monotony from one day to the next...sadly broken up all too often by his bouts of illness after injury. Such a bizarre life for the Heir and far too short...

[Ausmanov]

A fantastic collection of entries, where did you find them lotusperfume? very enlgihtening

[Kalafrana]

What language was he writing in?

[Sarushka]

A fantastic collection of entries, where did you find them lotusperfume? very enlgihtening

Those excerpts are probably from A Lifelong Passion. Many of them are shortened and give a somewhat false impression of the monotony of captivity. For comparison, here are a couple full entries:

Thursday, 18/31 January
Everything is the same. Anastasia is up and dressed. It’s 26 below zero. Schwibs is better. Boredom!! In the evening we rehearsed our comedy.

Monday, 26 February/11 March
I banged the toe of my right foot and could not put on my boots, that's why I stayed inside. I had lunch and dinner in the study with Mama and Papa. In the afternoon I drew and Zhilik read to me.

Aleksei's complete 1916 diary is reproduced in Tsesarevich, and his 1918 diary in Le Tsarevitch. His 1917 diary is currently lost.

What language was he writing in?

He wrote in Russian.

[Kalafrana]

Hence the English version sounding a bit American to my British ear!

[Sarushka]

Hence the English version sounding a bit American to my British ear!

Interesting. I hadn't picked up on that aspect, but IMO the translations in Lifelong Passion are not the best. They sound stilted to me -- for example, they have Aleksei writing "The sisters went for a walk" rather than "My sisters went for a walk." It's just little things like that, but at times it makes the IF sound artificially quaint and silly.

[nena]

What language was he writing in?

He wrote in Russian.

Only? I am off to the 'Tsesarevich', but I am almost sure that some of the entries were written in French. In the days he was ill, he dictated to the sisters/Pierre Gilliard/Petrov what to write in it.

[Georgiy]

In Sisters of Mercy they often write in the style of "Sisters went for a walk" or "2 sisters were sitting with Mama" so maybe it is just the way they wrote, or the "my" is implied in Russian?

[Sarushka]

"My" is implied/understood in Russian.

[Sunny]

"My" is implied/understood in Russian.

I agree. I've noticed that in the diaries of the girls (i'm referring to RSoM) they used to imply a lot of things, thanks also, IMHO, to the fact that Russian grammar allows things like that. E.g. they don't repeat the pronoun "I" in the entry, even if in Russian should be used; TN often leaves out "and" or some other word which joints the sentences, just making a list of things done during the day.
Having Al 1918 diary in french from Le tsarevitch, i can't say about it, alas.

Only? I am off to the 'Tsesarevich', but I am almost sure that some of the entries were written in French. In the days he was ill, he dictated to the sisters/Pierre Gilliard/Petrov what to write in it.

This sounds interesting, I don't have that book, but i had read that Al's french was more fleunt than that of his sister, this could be possible.

[nena]

Also, in my language, I personally say, for example, ''Sister went outside'', instead of ''My sister went outside''. Of course that she is mine (and (our) brother's) sister, I consider it. :-D In Russian there is no need to put the accent on saying 'My/mine sister/brother', that is why the translations seem bit different in English. It is all the grammar-thing, and I think that translators should be careful when translating into English.

[Sunny]

Also, in my language, I personally say, for example, ''Sister went outside'', instead of ''My sister went outside''. Of course that she is mine (and (our) brother's) sister, I consider it. :-D In Russian there is no need to put the accent on saying 'My/mine sister/brother', that is why the translations seem bit different in English. It is all the grammar-thing, and I think that translators should be careful when translating into English.

I can add something curious. In my language we usually use the possessive pronoun to specify; but once, writing my novel, i tried and wrote down "The sisters" instead of "My sisters" (Mn was speaking) and even if it was grammatically strange (not incorrect but not used) i liked it, it conveyed a feeling of intimacy. "The sisters" seemed something deeper than "My sisters", and i liked it so much, that i adopted it.
I also noticed than Nikolaj used the same thing: he always wrote "The daughters"

[Rodney_G.]

Russian (Cyrillic) doesn't use either the definite or indefinite article: 'the' or 'a' or 'an'. Those words are supplied, that is, implied, by context. Alexei would simply have written 'sestryi' (sisters). "sisters' did such and such" sounds awkward to the anglophone ear, but when you think of it ANY article would seem like a clunker to a boy writing in his diary about his four sisters. "I had lunch at noon with my sisters ".  Well yeah, I'm sure he didn't need reminding of whose sisters they were. " I had lunch at noon with the sisters " . Would those be the sisters from the local convent?." I had lunch at noon with sisters ." Still doesn't sound right in English. All of the sisters? a few?.

Many European languages omit the possessive pronoun when referring to family or body parts. It's understood from context; but then you need a competent translator to put it in a different language. Literalness doesn't work too well here.

[sunbeam]

A fantastic collection of entries, where did you find them lotusperfume? very enlgihtening

Those excerpts are probably from A Lifelong Passion.
[...]
Aleksei's complete 1916 diary is reproduced in Tsesarevich, and his 1918 diary in Le Tsarevitch. His 1917 diary is currently lost.

It appears that the links to the bookstores are no longer valid or the books can no longer be found. Is there any way of finding full copies of Alexei's journals?