To the Slanderers of Russia

To the Slanderers of Russia (Russian: Клеветникам России, romanized: Klevetnikam Rossii) is a patriotic poem by Alexander Pushkin, published in 1831.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

To the Slanderers of Russia

by Alexander Pushkin
Original title	Клеветникам России
Written	1831
First published in	1831
Country	Russia
Language	Russian
Genre(s)	Ode
Publication date	1831
Read online	"To the Slanderers of Russia" at Wikisource

Synopsis

The poem was written during the 1830–1831 Polish uprising. The immediate reason for writing it was that some members of the French parliament had called for French armed intervention on the side of Polish insurgents against the Russian army.[9][10][11] In the poem, Pushkin explains that from the Russian point of view the uprising is just a part of the ages old quarrel between relatives (Slavs).[11][12] He tells the French to leave Slavs alone because the eventual outcome of all quarrels between Slavs must be decided between Slavs themselves. He says that the French parliamentarians don't understand Slavs or Slavic languages, they seek a fight simply because they hate Russia for defeating Napoleon. He dares them to attack Russia in reality, not just in words, saying that in case of a military attack the whole Russian country will rise against the invaders.

The poem had mixed reception in Russian society: it was lauded by government and nationalists, but criticized by liberal intelligentsia.

Adam Mickiewicz published the reply poem Do przyjaciół Moskali ("To Friends Muscovites", included into the cycle Dziady[13]), where he accused Pushkin of betrayal of their formerly common ideals of freedom, as expressed by the Decembrists. Pushkin started writing a reply, He Lived Among Us, published only posthumously.[14]

References

1. Michael Wachtel (25 January 2012). A Commentary to Pushkin’s Lyric Poetry, 1826–1836. University of Wisconsin Pres. pp. 227–. ISBN 978-0-299-28543-2.
2. Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine. W. Blackwood. 1853. pp. 150–.
3. Olga Maiorova (17 August 2010). From the Shadow of Empire: Defining the Russian Nation through Cultural Mythology, 1855–1870. Univ of Wisconsin Press. pp. 201–. ISBN 978-0-299-23593-2.
4. Myroslav Shkandrij (9 October 2001). Russia and Ukraine: Literature and the Discourse of Empire from Napoleonic to Postcolonial Times. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. pp. 69–. ISBN 978-0-7735-2234-3.
5. Alyssa Dinega Gillespie (24 July 2012). Taboo Pushkin: Topics, Texts, Interpretations. University of Wisconsin Pres. pp. 288–. ISBN 978-0-299-28703-0.
6. Ewa M. Thompson (5 December 1991). The Search for Self-Definition in Russian Literature. John Benjamins Publishing Company. pp. 156–. ISBN 978-90-272-7759-6.
7. Joe Andrew (18 June 1980). Writers and Society During the Rise of Russian Realism. Palgrave Macmillan UK. pp. 30–. ISBN 978-1-349-04421-4.
8. Izabela Kalinowska (2004). Between East and West: Polish and Russian Nineteenth-century Travel to the Orient. University Rochester Press. pp. 172–. ISBN 978-1-58046-172-6.
9. "Гибридная Крымская война: как это делалось в XIX веке - Публицистика - История России - федеральный портал История.РФ". 2016-03-27. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
10. ""Перед гробницею святой…"". Православие.Ru. 2010-07-20. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
11. "Журнальный зал - Новый Мир, 1994 №6 - ОЛЬГА МУРАВЬЕВА - "Вражды бессмысленной позор..."". Novyy Mir. No. 6. 1994. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
12. Владимир Санников (16 February 2014). Краткий словарь русских острот. ЛитРес. pp. 272–. ISBN 978-5-457-54446-8.
13.  Polish Wikisource has original text related to this article: Dziady/Do przyjaciół Moskali
14. Благой Д. Д. "Мицкевич и Пушкин." // Изв. АН СССР. Отд. литературы и языка. — 1956, июль-август. — Т. XV. — Вып. 4. — С. 314.