Pustozersk Prose

21 hrs. 31 min.

Romance & Prose

Language Russian

Narrator Ilya Prudovsky

Description

The collection «Pustozersk Prose» is the first book in the «Voices of Times» series, designed to gather fictionalized autobiographical narratives from different eras and peoples. The collection includes works by four prisoners—Avvakum, Epiphanius, Theodore, and Lazarus. Its central place is occupied by the famous autobiographical life stories of Avvakum and Epiphanius.

Probably everyone knows Vasily Surikov’s painting «The Sheen of Morozova, the Lady Morozova»; but do you know why and where it’s transported? In the 17th century, in Russia, there was a church schism connected with the reforms of Patriarch Nikon. These reforms were aimed at bringing church services in the territories of Russia in line with the Greek model. This caused serious disagreements among believers and led to the emergence of numerous offshoots of the Old Believers movement.
One of the representatives of these «schismatic» movements are the authors of the texts included in this edition: the archpriest Avvakum, the monk Epiphanius, the priest Lazarus, and the deacon Theodore. The main figure among them, of course, was Avvakum, who, returning to Lady Morozova, was her direct spiritual mentor. The book itself is, of course, an invaluable literary monument of those troubled years. Old Russian language, deep—sometimes even fanatical—faith in God by the authors—all this seems to transport us into another world, into that very distant olden time, when it was considered vital how many fingers one had to cross oneself with, and when they expelled devils from the possessed. Where people condemned for their faith had their tongues cut out, and the tongues grew back… Where they believed that the last days were coming!.. Terrifying and, in its own way, powerful historical literature.

Contents:

Foreword
1. Archpriest Avvakum. The Life of Avvakum
02_Avvakum’s address to those who honor and listen
03_From the Book of Conversations
04_About the first opponents of church transformations
05_On Icon Painting
06_On external wisdom
07_Excerpt from a conversation about Abraham
8. From the Book of Explanations. Interpretation of Psalm 44
09_Petition to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich_5
10_Petition to Tsar Fyodor Alekseyevich
11_Three letters to the family in Mezen
12_01_Letters to Lady Morozova and to her fellow prisoners Urusova and Danilova
12_02_Letters to Lady Morozova and to her fellow prisoners Urusova and Danilova
13_Simeon’s letter with an address to the three prisoners of the Borovsk prison
14_Two messages from Simeon from the Book of Interpretations
15_A message to Boris and other servants of the Most High God
16_Two messages from Avvakum to all who profess the old faith
17_A message to the flock of the faithful—or the ship of the Throne
18. Monk Epiphanius. The Life of Epiphanius
19. Priest Lazarus. Petition to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich
20_About the face-to-face confrontation
21_On simplicity of the heart
22_On the drunkenness of the wife, as your last pious reign, Great Russia
23_Deacon Theodore
24_Message from Pustozersk to Maxim, the son, and other relatives and brethren by faith
25_On knowing the Antichrist’s deceit
26_Appendices. Chronicle of the Life of Archpriest Avvakum