On the Truth and Ethics of the Obituary: V.G. Korolenko and M.A. Protopopov in 1904

Abstract

The article deals with the relationship between V.G. Korolenko and M.A. Protopopov and their controversy over the heritage of N.K. Mikhailovsky. This controversy unfolded at a transitional moment in the history of “Russian Wealth,” when Korolenko became the main face of the magazine and had to establish himself as a leader. The article examines an early attempt to publish a revealing article by Protopopov about Mikhailovsky, proposed to A.S. Suvorin in 1898, in this context. The critic was refused, but later used it in an obituary about Mikhailovsky, in which, with all the objectivity, there was indifference to the memory of the deceased. Korolenko remembered how much Mikhailovsky did for the writer and objected to Protopopov from the point of view of everyday ethics. In his response, Protopopov claimed that he first criticized Mikhailovsky in 1878: this was the first critical article about Mikhailovsky from a friendly camp. He refuted accusations that for a quarter of a century he accumulated resentment against Mikhailovsky. After that, Korolenko did not continue the polemic. The article introduces into scientific circulation previously unpublished diary entries by Protopopov on the margins of his book “Literary Critical Characteristics” (1896), as well as his letter to Suvorin, revealing Protopopov’s identity.