ТThe tribute note was printed on DostoEvsky’s funeral day. It had the writer’s facsimile signature and birth and death dates in a black frame. The note was handed in remembrance of Dostoevsky to those who came to bow to his ashes and bid a last farewell to him. The tribute note was printed to the order of the writer’s wife Anna DostoEvskaya. She recalled, “The signature printed <…> at the request of some admirers of Dostoevsky”s talent was handed out to the public free of charge on the day of his burial”.
Writer and composer Ilya Tyumenev recollected the funeral of Fyodor Dostoevsky the following way, “Our group”s manager Dmitry Vasilyevich Averkiev brought a thick pack of notepapers with Fyodor Mikhailovich”s signature and began to hand them out. The idea was great. We felt as if the deceased writer himself thanked us for visiting and sent his signature as a souvenir. I am not good at pushing in at all. And by the time my turn came, all the copies had been handed out. But Fyodor Fyodorovich (Svetlov) handed his own copy to me [issued in the Nepriznanniy magazine ('Unacknowledged')]. Later the same day, Mikhail Andreevich handed me one more note which is attached. (He took this one for me exclusively)’.
The writer’s funeral turned into a grandiose ceremony of homage to his talent. Everyone was affected by the event. Never before, a writer had had an honorable burial like this. The coffin was followed by a 50,000-strong crowd of different ages and social classes. Mostly they were the youngsters.
Here is a quote from “Reminiscences” by Anna Dostoevskaya, “On Saturday, January 31, the body of FyOdor MikhAilovich was transferred from our apartment to the Alexander NEvsky LAvra <…> A long line of wreaths carried on poles, numerous choirs of youngsters singing funeral chants, a coffin carried high above the crowd and the enormous mass of people, dozens of thousands, who followed the procession. It all made a great impression. Most notably, this sad celebration in memory of Fyodor Mikhailovich was not prepared by anyone at all”.
Writer and composer Ilya Tyumenev recollected the funeral of Fyodor Dostoevsky the following way, “Our group”s manager Dmitry Vasilyevich Averkiev brought a thick pack of notepapers with Fyodor Mikhailovich”s signature and began to hand them out. The idea was great. We felt as if the deceased writer himself thanked us for visiting and sent his signature as a souvenir. I am not good at pushing in at all. And by the time my turn came, all the copies had been handed out. But Fyodor Fyodorovich (Svetlov) handed his own copy to me [issued in the Nepriznanniy magazine ('Unacknowledged')]. Later the same day, Mikhail Andreevich handed me one more note which is attached. (He took this one for me exclusively)’.
The writer’s funeral turned into a grandiose ceremony of homage to his talent. Everyone was affected by the event. Never before, a writer had had an honorable burial like this. The coffin was followed by a 50,000-strong crowd of different ages and social classes. Mostly they were the youngsters.
Here is a quote from “Reminiscences” by Anna Dostoevskaya, “On Saturday, January 31, the body of FyOdor MikhAilovich was transferred from our apartment to the Alexander NEvsky LAvra <…> A long line of wreaths carried on poles, numerous choirs of youngsters singing funeral chants, a coffin carried high above the crowd and the enormous mass of people, dozens of thousands, who followed the procession. It all made a great impression. Most notably, this sad celebration in memory of Fyodor Mikhailovich was not prepared by anyone at all”.
