The Reverse Side of the People’s War according to Nikolay Nekrasov: the Poem "Yes, Soldier! You in That War…" within Discourses on the War of 1812

This article analyzes Nikolai Nekrasov’s poem Yes, Soldier! You in That War… (Tak, služba! sam ty v toj vojne…, published in 1856), which addresses the War of 1812. The narrative centers on a peasant recounting his involvement in the brutal murder of a French captive family, bringing to the fore the theme of excessive peasant violence during the people’s war. The poem is examined in the context of various discourses surrounding the 1812 campaign – such as participants’ memoirs, Mikhail Zagoskin’s novel Roslavlev, and official accounts of the Napoleonic invasion. Against the backdrop of dominant portrayals of the 1812 war, Nekrasov’s poem reconsiders and problematizes widely held conceptions of the Russian people’s character. The article also offers a detailed discussion of the poem’s dating, sources, and Nekrasov’s own negative attitude toward the work.