Literary Dialogue and Polemics of A. F. Voeykov and J. Delille: from the Translation of the Poem “Les Jardins, en Quatre Chants” to Travelogues Dedicated to the Manors of the Moscow Region

The article analyzes a series of travelogues dedicated to the manors of the Moscow region written by A. F. Voeykov (“A Walk Through the Village of Kuskovo,” “Tsaritsyno,” and “Memory of the Village of Savinskoye and Its Virtuous Owner”) and published in the 1820s. They are considered in the context of their connection with the didactic poem of Jacques Delille’s “Les Jardins, en Quatre Chants,” which was translated by Voeykov in 1800–1810. Translation and travelogues, in which a literary dialogue unfolds and a polemic about Russian realities continues, possess artistic and meaningful continuity. Special attention is heeded to the 72-line fragment about the manors (Kolomenskoe, Gatchina, Taurida, Peterhof, Tsarskoe Selo, Arkhangelskoe, Kuskovo, Lyublino, Neskuchnoe, Savinskoe), which Voeykov included in the translation of “Les Jardins,” instead of 12 original lines devoted to Delille’s generalized description of Russian gardens, which Voeykov was dissatisfied with. The article demonstrates that these 72 lines were transformed into travelogues, where on one hand, Voeykov continues to polemize with Delille, emphasizing that the latter had limited knowledge of Russian nature and landscaping arts. On the other hand, since Voeykov was not limited by genre, volume of works, or subject, he was able to describe the manors and Russian gardens and parks in more detail, briefly retell the history of the manors and the biography of their owners, and describe the details of local topography and cultural memory.