The history behind the creation of the tragedy “Suosaldzhiya Tolbonnoh” by Ivan Alekseev (a textological aspect)

The study aims to reveal the history behind the creation of the text of the tragedy “Suosaldzhiya Tolbonnoh” by the Yakut writer I. G. Alekseev. Materials from the writer’s personal archive significant for understanding the creative history of the work are introduced into scholarly circulation, among which are manuscripts of the tragedy’s text, letters, author’s explanations, discussion protocols, etc. The author of the article identifies three stages in the creation of the tragedy’s text. Each stage ends with a significant event in the creative history of the work. The first one is the radio play broadcast (1966); the second one is the premiere of the stage production (1974); and the third one is the publication of the tragedy as a separate book (1978). This is the first study of Ivan Alekseev’s writings and “Suosaldzhiya Tolbonnoh” from the perspective of textology and editorial practice, constituting the novelty of the research. Through the examination of materials and comparative analysis of texts, manuscripts and the first printed text of 1978, significant differences reflecting the writer’s creative process were identified. The author concludes that the changes made to the text at different stages of work on the tragedy reflect, on the one hand, the influence of external factors (critics’ comments, audience feedback, etc.), and on the other hand, demonstrate the dynamic development of the playwright’s thought and skill.