Book
Historical Writing of Early Rus (c. 1000–c. 1400) in a Comparative Perspective
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Timofey V. Guimon
Language:
English
Published/Copyright:
2021
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About this book
This book deals with the Rus annals (letopisi) and with a variety of related texts concerning the historical past. A new typology of those texts is introduced, together with a comprehensive discussion of how the writing of history came into being in Rus between c.1000 and c.1050. The author focuses on the work of the annalists of Novgorod from c. 1045 to c. 1400, and discusses the functions of annalistic writing in the Rus society. Both the character and the role of the writing of history in Rus is highlighted by means of comparison with other political and cultural areas of medieval Europe, particularly with Anglo-Saxon England.
Author / Editor information
Timofey V. Guimon, Dr.Sc(Hist.) (2014), is a researcher at the Institute of World History of the Russian Academy of Sciences. His publications, including the Russian-language monograph Istoriopisanie rannesrednevekovoi Anglii i Drevnei Rusi. Sravnitel’noe issledovanie (Moscow: Universitet Dmitriia Pozharskogo, 2012), are dedicated to Rus and Anglo-Saxon historical writing as well as to early literacy and written culture; more broadly, he is also interested in the practice and function of writing in pre-modern societies.
Reviews
"Scholars of Rus' and of medieval Europe have three reasons to celebrate the publication of this volume. First, it presents a carefully researched argument about the origins and development of historical writing during the first centuries of the existence of Rus'. Second, it brings Rus'ian modes of historical writing in conversation with similar genres from medieval Western Europe. Third, it provides a much-needed review in English of discussions about Rus'ian materials, particularly about its letopisi, that have so far only been accessible in Russian." - Inés García de la Puente, Boston University, in: Canadian-American Slavic Studies 56 (2022), p. 395
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Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
June 17, 2021
eBook ISBN:
9789004335592
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
Main content:
480
eBook ISBN:
9789004335592
Keywords for this book
Anglosaxon England; Comparative studies; Annals; Chronicles; Historical Writings; History; Old Rus; Rus
Audience(s) for this book
All those interested in the history of Old Rus, early forms of historical writing, and the proliferation and functions of writing in archaic societies.
