Pages from Gappo Baev’s life abroad: new data

After many years of ideologically conditioned oblivion, interest in Gappo Baev’s cultural contribution (1869–1939) has noticeably increased in the post-Soviet period. Researchers have mainly focused on his activities during the Tsarist time, when he played a key role in the political, administrative, and cultural life of Ossetia. His emigrant life in Germany (1922–1939), on the other hand, has received much less scholarly attention and is therefore, less known. A crucial source for reconstructing this period of Gappo Baev’s biography is his extensive archive, housed in the Berlin State Library and other archives in the German capital. Despite their significance, these materials remain insufficiently studied, and, for various reasons, difficult for the public to access. As a result, there are significant gaps in the study of this remarkable figure. In this article, we offer a preliminary overview of Gappo Baev’s activities during his years in Germany, with special emphasis on two individuals who played an important role in his life: 1) his fellow citizen, printer, and book editor Yevgeny Gutnov (1888–not before 1968) and 2) writer and poet Woldemar von Uexküll (1860–1952). Both provided Gappo Baev with crucial support at a difficult moment, helping him to obtain a visa and permission to enter Germany. Presented here are both lesser-known printed texts and previously unpublished materials, including official acts and personal notes, much of which is written in German. These documents, accompanied by Russian translations and brief commentaries, offer a fresh perspective on the early stages of Gappo Baev’s emigrant life in Germany, shedding light on the historical circumstances of his arrival in his second homeland and other relevant events: for example, as follows from the published letter, Gappo Baev’s responsibility for the ‘Trade and Industry’ section at the “Spolokhi” magazine suddenly ended due to misunderstandings between him and his employer, Yevgeny Gutnov. They also allow us to better understand his efforts not only in publishing and translation activities, but also in teaching the Ossetian language at the Oriental Seminary.