The book ‘At the Court of Two Emperors’ was based on the diaries of Anna Tyutcheva (1829–1889), the poet’s eldest daughter from his first marriage, who was a maid of honor at the Russian court. Anna spent her childhood and adolescence in Munich, where her father served, and went to the Munich Royal Institute. She moved to Russia only in 1847, when she was already an 18-year-old young lady.
In 1845, Fyodor Tyutchev wrote to his daughter, ‘I cherish the hope that with God’s help, you will find more love in Russia than anywhere else. Until now, you knew the country to which you belong only from what the foreigners said about it. Later, you will understand why these words, especially nowadays, are not so trustworthy. And when you perceive all the greatness of this country and all the good in its people by yourself, you will be proud and happy that you were born a Russian’.
During her first years in Russia, Anna Tyutcheva lived at her father’s estate in the village of Ovstug, in the Oryol governorate, together with her stepmother Ernestina Tyutcheva. After becoming a maid of honor of the empress, she spent 13 years at the court. These years coincide with one of the most amazing periods in Russian history — Anna tutored two children of Emperor Alexander II and witnessed the process of preparing and carrying out the Emancipation Reform of 1861, which put an end to serfdom in Russia.
‘I was the daughter of a poet inspired by the historical destiny of Russia, ’ Anna noted in the book. Her diaries are intimate and engaging which makes them so valuable. She witnessed how the throne passed from one emperor to another, this being a turning point in Russian social and political life. The author of the book had a good understanding of her social environment and sometimes made quite sarcastic remarks.
Anna Tyutcheva made her own perfect evaluation of her diaries, ‘The entire past, as if it were alive, opens to me in all its vividness, and I think that these memories of ours will be interesting for those who will study the history of our country: in every line of these diaries, they will find life, as it was with all its naivety, and it is this sense of immediacy that I tried to maintain in my diary.’
In 1845, Fyodor Tyutchev wrote to his daughter, ‘I cherish the hope that with God’s help, you will find more love in Russia than anywhere else. Until now, you knew the country to which you belong only from what the foreigners said about it. Later, you will understand why these words, especially nowadays, are not so trustworthy. And when you perceive all the greatness of this country and all the good in its people by yourself, you will be proud and happy that you were born a Russian’.
During her first years in Russia, Anna Tyutcheva lived at her father’s estate in the village of Ovstug, in the Oryol governorate, together with her stepmother Ernestina Tyutcheva. After becoming a maid of honor of the empress, she spent 13 years at the court. These years coincide with one of the most amazing periods in Russian history — Anna tutored two children of Emperor Alexander II and witnessed the process of preparing and carrying out the Emancipation Reform of 1861, which put an end to serfdom in Russia.
‘I was the daughter of a poet inspired by the historical destiny of Russia, ’ Anna noted in the book. Her diaries are intimate and engaging which makes them so valuable. She witnessed how the throne passed from one emperor to another, this being a turning point in Russian social and political life. The author of the book had a good understanding of her social environment and sometimes made quite sarcastic remarks.
Anna Tyutcheva made her own perfect evaluation of her diaries, ‘The entire past, as if it were alive, opens to me in all its vividness, and I think that these memories of ours will be interesting for those who will study the history of our country: in every line of these diaries, they will find life, as it was with all its naivety, and it is this sense of immediacy that I tried to maintain in my diary.’
