Fascinating details on the letters/diaries of GD Sergei in two interviews with the researcher/editor Irina Plotnikova:
http://novospasskiymon.ru/zhurnal/431-chitaya-dnevnikiReading the diaries:
... The archive has preserved almost all of his many letters and diaries . All this not only be collected , but also to work with the text correctly , with no errors , translated into modern Russian language with the old spelling (handwriting Sergei Alexandrovich was quite difficult) , it was necessary to translate the fragments in French, in English, on German. In order for it to be interesting and understandable to read, I had to comment, to plunge into the midst of those events. Otherwise it becomes a private correspondence, closed in meaning. It was necessary to explain all the names of the situation , the situation in Russia at the time.
Handwriting Sergei Alexandrovich and in Russian is hard to read . Now I do it quite fluently . But sometimes stumbling . But first, helped intuition : it is not possible to spell check - in general, the word is easier to read in full. The history of the French translation . I just copied the letters in calligraphy . Copier not immediately have to do.
In the first years allowed to read the scripts, I was holding these same diaries , commemorative books. I know how they look, how they smell , how they design . This is a general smell of the time : he was holding in his hands - and I can not read ! It is material to this touch and at the same time to feel something spiritual.
Now the whole fund Sergei Alexandrovich transferred to film. And researchers are fleeing to the top of the opening of the archive, to occupy the unit . A queue . Sometimes you have to sit and wait for the machine when it is released . Through the film is much more difficult to read and feel , the image is not in focus. But I'm glad that in the early years, I have managed to work with scripts ...
http://ganinayama.ru/istoricheskij-material/razdel-1/intervyu-s-plotnikovoj-iv.html- What language communicated Emperor and the Grand Duke ?
- In Russian . The French in the letters they passed , if discussed are not intended for someone else's eyes attitudes, emotions . But it's some rare inclusions , nothing more.
- It is said , and the handwriting of the person can be judged . As far as calligraphy , elegant, clear handwriting of the Grand Duke ?
- His calligraphy not elegant. It is open to people close to the handwriting human , emotional, do not hide anything . He writes fast enough, at the same time , respecting the person to whom the letter is drawn , and that is to make out the letter. When his brother Paul sent him a letter illegible , Sergey chides him : " I stopped you disassemble , bear respect! ". But we still difficult to read the letters : they are old spelling with yatyami , erami , special spellings of individual letters ... Although gradually get used to it . He is a very nice signed , " Sergei ." And his flying "C" in the signature - a work of art. I do not understand how the letters were read Elizabeth Feodorovna , it is mainly written in English . That's her handwriting , in my view , it is hard to disassemble .
Irina also says:
… Published 4 volumes of 3,000 copies , for the publication of the fifth - is still very much work…
Her work on the study of archival documents that are included in the publication, it takes more than ten years. Books issued in the light of the publishing house "Novospasskiy monastery." Four volumes are chronologically us life Grand Duke. The first volume describes the period 1857-1877, the second -1877-1880, the third - 1880-1884, the fourth - 1857-1905 Since volume 4 was up to 1905, I am curious what volume 5 will contain.
Joanna
