"Past and Thoughts" is a literary work written by Alexander Ivanovich Herzen in the memoir genre. Individual chapters were written by the author in different years, and some of them have gaps of several years between them. It was published in 1868. The writing of the book was preceded by a difficult period in Herzen’s life: not only his revolutionary views were collapsing, but also his family.
Herzen dedicated the book to N. P. Ogaryov. The memoirs captivated the writer; even though his work coincided with the organization of the Free Russian Printing House, which constantly distracted him with both his time, strength, and interests, he persistently continued writing chapter after chapter. The remarkable success of the first excerpts from "Past and Thoughts" inspired the author. But before printing any given chapter in "The Polar Star," Herzen returned to his work on it again and again.
Structure of the work:
Part One "Childhood and the University" (1812—1834) — life in the father’s house,
Part Two "Prison and Exile" (1834—1838) — the case of an insult to his Majesty,
Part Three "Vladimir-on-Klyazma" (1838—1839) — the story of Herzen’s love and Natalya Aleksandrovna Zakharina,
Part Four "Moscow, Petersburg, and Novgorod" (1840—1847) — about Westernism and Slavophilism,
Part Five "Paris — Italy — Paris (1847—1852): Before the Revolution and After" — the first years Herzen spent in Europe,
Part Six "England (1852—1864)" — the period of the writer’s life in London after his wife’s death,
Part Seven "Russian Emigration" — essays about M. Bakunin and V. Pecherin,
Part Eight (1865—1868) — A. Herzen’s impressions from a trip across Europe,
Part Nine "Old Letters" — letters from Belinsky, Chaadaev, Granovsky, and others.