Ella and Sergei 2

[grandduchessella]

Svetabel supplied the ISBN if you'd like to try and get it.

[Eric_Lowe]

Can we get Russians books outside of Russia ? 

[Laura Mabee]

Can we get Russians books outside of Russia ? 

Of course you can! Lots of us have had the opportunity to snag some Russian books from random places.
If you're interested check out Gilbert's Royal Books, EuroHistory, or eBay!. There is also the used book search spots like Bookfinder and Addall.
I'm sure there are many others. But alas, not for this topic...

Anyway, back on topic...

[lori_c]

I am so happy to learn that ANY diaries of GD Sergei survived and are coming to light.  I hope someday that they will be translated into English. How important it would be to the perception of the GD.  It certainly would paint him in a little more sympathetic light, IMO.

I would be especially interested in the entries concerning Ella.

[Eric_Lowe]

me too !

Will try the bookfinders. 

[Svetabel]

I would be especially interested in the entries concerning Ella.

I guess such ones will be in Volume 2.

[Eric_Lowe]

that should be good. The engima of Serge may hopefully be solved...soon.  . Too bad Ella did not leave a diary...

[lori_c]

She probably destroyed it.  More than likely though, she had one, as her preponderance for writing letters has shown. 
Does anybody know if this GD Sergei book will ever be translated?

[Eric_Lowe]

Unfortunately I don't think anytime soon. Very few Russian books gets translated into English. The only ones I can think of are those by Evuard Radinsky...

[Svetabel]

Does anybody know if this GD Sergei book will ever be translated?

Unlikely. Such translations are very expensive.

[Svetabel]

that should be good. The engima of Serge may hopefully be solved...soon. 

Of course Sergei's diaries partly shed light on some sides of his character but if speaking about the recent publication (extracts) of his records we must have in mind that the book was issued by ...Novospasskiy Monastery (in Moscow) and with the patriarchial blessing of His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Alexiy II ! It means the publishers offer us only a part of Sergei's diaries, not complete version, and a version where we hardly find out something really "spicey" on Grand Duke. But anyway these extracts are great source of info on Sergei, his relatives and life of the IF.

I've just finished reading Grand Duke's diaries of 1873-1876 years and a journal of his tutor Dmitriy Arseniev.
Sergei had a platonic love in his youthful years , that was Countess Olga Perovskaya, a friend of GD's sister Maria Alexandrovna. Countess Olga, as portrayed by Dmitriy Arseniev, was a girl with the same virtues of  her character as...Empress Maria Alexandrovna, beloved Mama of GD Sergei! Very religiuos, serious, calm, strong in spirit - and remember Ella! Well, it's obvious Sergei liked women the same in character as his mother.
Countess Olga died of dyphteria in 1889 unmarried ( she worked in a orphanage in Tsarskoe Selo).
If we only can find a picture of Olga Perovskaya  , would be interesting to look at her.

[Eric_Lowe]

Indeed ! Thanks for sharing this info with us. Those who cannot read Russian. 

[brnbg aka: liljones1968]

[Svetabel]

Recently issued extracts from GD Sergei’s diaries of the 1891-1905 years give an interesting insight into his character and relations with his wife.

His diaries are not too much wordy but comparing with brief and emotionless notes of Nicholas II the Grand Duke's entries are more interesting.

My personal point of view, after reading those entries, is that Sergei really loved his wife in his egoistic but anyway tender way, he was proud of her beauty and femininity. They were really united and harmonious couple, probably due to Grand Duchess’ efforts to be as close as possible to her husband and Sergei’s over- protectiveness on her. They usually kept together, in official and unofficial life, and in rare moments of separating (when Grand Duchess took the waters at some spa resort or visited her sister Empress) Sergei deeply missed his wife and wrote freely about it in his diary. Every time they met after separating he made an entry in the diary: “Joy of our meeting”. They celebrated quietly every year the day of their engagement and wedding, presenting to each other some nice small pieces of jewellery or  paintings.

The publication doesn’t contain Grand Duchess’ letters to her husband (they burnt most of their correspondence) but only some telegrams – very tender and loving.

[Eric_Lowe]

Were they published in English ? I thought Sergei's diaries were published already in Russian.