Olga Khetagurova-Kaitmazova was Kosta Levanovich’s sister. She was born in 1865, graduated from the Vladikavkaz Gymnasium, worked as a teacher in the village of Georgievsko-Osetinskoe, and conducted educational work among highland women. Olga later married Aslamurza Kaitmazov, a famous poet and collector of Ossetian folklore.
In 1903, Kosta Khetagurov became seriously ill. When his sister found out about this, she immediately came to see him in Vladikavkaz. She left a well-paying job in Saint Petersburg for Kosta, she moved her brother to his native village and lived with him, doing everything possible to cure him.
In fact, Khetagurova-Kaitmazova single-handidly took care of the poet for three years. Kosta was not the easiest patient, and required almost superhuman patience from his nurse. Olga Levanovna wrote to the poet’s friend, publicist and public figure Georgiy Baev: ‘Unfortunately, Kosta is now like an upset child, which can only be dear to his father, mother – close blood relatives… I don’t want anything more than for Kosta to live the rest of his days comfortably and in peace! ’
The Khetagurovs had little money, and they didn’t have enough for full-fledged treatment. Olga Levanovna wrote to Gigo Dzasokhov in December of 1905: ‘We have little cash, only enough for a few months, but there is a house, which we could sell for 1,200 rubles, or 1,500 rubles if we’re patient. Then we can publish ‘Iron faendyr’, we could have printed it long ago, but there is no one to do business. It would be good to release 5,000 books. With a portrait of Kosta, without a biography. It is absolutely necessary to print from the Kosta’s own manuscript, to strictly adhere to it. In the first edition, my brother found many mistakes and was dissatisfied. The copy corrected by Kost himself and and his manuscript with drawings, someone stole from me, sadly, but Tsalikov has the manuscript with his unpublished poems’.
Khetagurova-Kaitmazova collected all the necessary documents to obtain official custody over Kosta. This was the only way she could dispose of the poet’s property, sell a part of it, and spend the proceeds on treatment. However, she was denied custody - and Khetagurov was left without much-needed medical care.
Kosta Khetagurov died on April 1st, 1906. Olga Levanovna tragically died that same year.
In 1903, Kosta Khetagurov became seriously ill. When his sister found out about this, she immediately came to see him in Vladikavkaz. She left a well-paying job in Saint Petersburg for Kosta, she moved her brother to his native village and lived with him, doing everything possible to cure him.
In fact, Khetagurova-Kaitmazova single-handidly took care of the poet for three years. Kosta was not the easiest patient, and required almost superhuman patience from his nurse. Olga Levanovna wrote to the poet’s friend, publicist and public figure Georgiy Baev: ‘Unfortunately, Kosta is now like an upset child, which can only be dear to his father, mother – close blood relatives… I don’t want anything more than for Kosta to live the rest of his days comfortably and in peace! ’
The Khetagurovs had little money, and they didn’t have enough for full-fledged treatment. Olga Levanovna wrote to Gigo Dzasokhov in December of 1905: ‘We have little cash, only enough for a few months, but there is a house, which we could sell for 1,200 rubles, or 1,500 rubles if we’re patient. Then we can publish ‘Iron faendyr’, we could have printed it long ago, but there is no one to do business. It would be good to release 5,000 books. With a portrait of Kosta, without a biography. It is absolutely necessary to print from the Kosta’s own manuscript, to strictly adhere to it. In the first edition, my brother found many mistakes and was dissatisfied. The copy corrected by Kost himself and and his manuscript with drawings, someone stole from me, sadly, but Tsalikov has the manuscript with his unpublished poems’.
Khetagurova-Kaitmazova collected all the necessary documents to obtain official custody over Kosta. This was the only way she could dispose of the poet’s property, sell a part of it, and spend the proceeds on treatment. However, she was denied custody - and Khetagurov was left without much-needed medical care.
Kosta Khetagurov died on April 1st, 1906. Olga Levanovna tragically died that same year.
