This rare edition of The Archive of the Decembrist S. Volkonsky, volume I Before Siberia, was issued in 1918 in Petrograd ‘with attention and under the editorship’ of Serge Volkonsky (1860-1937) and Boris Modzalevsky (1874-1928), a prominent expert of Russian history, famous Pushkinist, theorist of literature, bibliographer, director of the Pushkin House, publicist and commentator of Pushkin’s works.

The book was illustrated with a number of interesting portraits. Sergey Grigorievich Volknosky’s documents and letters from 1788 till 1865 were published in the edition. Sergey Volkonsky didn’t manage to finish working on his manuscript, as he died in 1865. Later on his grandson Serge Volkonsky continued working on the edition.

In his letters prince paid much attention to his family, description of everyday life, and the general description of life in Irkutsk. The issue is interesting not only as a historical artifact of the epoch, but also as a lively take on everyday life and the surroundings of a person.

Sergey Volkonsky came from a princely family, he got a great education. The prince participated in the Patriotic War in 1812. For his distinguished service he was promoted to the rank of Mayor General. However, in the course of time the prince got disappointed in the existing political system and joined the ranks of the Decembrists in 1819. The arrest for his anti-state activity followed in 1826. He was sentenced to penal servitude for twenty years in Siberia.

His wife Maria Volkonskaya (1804-1863) followed him in Siberia, where he shared burden and sorrows of the prisoner’s fortune. It’s interesting to say that Maria Volkonskaya was making notes from 1825 till 1855, the dreadful period in the married couple’s life. Afterwards a book titled The Notes of Princess Maria Nikolaevna Volkonskaya was printed. The book was very popular, as the readers could see and get to know an autobiographic story told by a strong woman.

An affair of these two people gave descendants evidences speaking of the life of the epoch in a colloquial language.

The archive of the Decembrist S. Volkonsky was finished thanks to the prince Serge Volkonsky, who revered the memory of his famous grandfather. The prince himself was one of the foremost figures of the artistic and cultural life at the turn of the 20th century. An intellectual and a sensible person, for the whole life he was fascinated with theatre art, held a position of a director of Imperial Theatres. His great influence expressed itself in the improvement of quality and technique of acting. To the memory of Sergey Grigorievich Volkonsky, in 1918 he organized an exhibition named Decembrists as the First Freedomm Fighters.