Miroliubov (Iurii Petrovich) papers, 1928-1990

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Summary

Title:
Iurii Petrovich Miroliubov papers
Dates:
1928-1990
Creators:
Miroli͡ubov, I͡Uriĭ Petrovich, 1892-1970
Abstract:
Speeches and writings, correspondence, and printed matter, relating to Russian literature and to Russian émigré affairs.
Extent:
10 microfilm reels (1.5 Linear Feet)
Language:
Russian
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Iurii Petrovich Miroliubov Papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

Iurii Miroliubov was a chemist, journalist, poet and writer with an interest in ancient Russian folklore. He is best known for his attempts to synthesize a new history of pre-historic Russia in a series of books and articles, many of which were based on the forgery known as "Vlesova kniga," which he helped promulgate as editor of the journal Zhar-ptitsa. Materials relating to this forgery can be found among his writings as well as in the subject file. Other materials of interest are his reminiscences of the Russian colony in Belgium during the German occupation (1939-1945), numerous newspaper columns, many of which deal with émigré political and social life in post-World War II Belgium, and short stories, some of which were compiled and published under the titles Babushkin sunduk and Prabkino uchenie.

Detailed processing and preservation microfilming for these materials were made possible by a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and by matching funds from the Hoover Institution and Museum of Russian Culture. The grant also provides depositing a microfilm copy in the Hoover Institution Library & Archives. The original materials remain in the Museum of Russian Culture, San Francisco as its property. A transfer table indicating corresponding box and reel numbers is available at the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

The Hoover Institution assumes all responsibility for notifying users that they must comply with the copyright law of the United States (Title 17 United States Code) and Hoover Rules for the Use and Reproduction of Archival Materials.

Biographical / historical:
Date Event
1892 July 30 (O.S.)
Born, Bakhmut, Ekaterinoslavskaia guberniia, Russia
1915
Graduated, Kiev University
1921-1924
University student in Prague, Czechoslovakia
1925
Author, Dva svieta
1954
Emigrated to the United States
1970 November 6
Died aboard a ship en route to Europe
1974
Author, Babushkin sunduk (published posthumously)
1977
Author, Prabkino uchenie (published posthumously)
1990
Author, Skazy Zakharikhi (published posthumously)

IUrii Miroliubov was born on 30 July 1892 (O.S.) in the town of Bakhmut, Ekaterinoslavskaia guberniia. The First World War interrupted his studies at the University of St. Vladimir in Kiev, and as an officer he served in the White Army in South Russia, evacuating the country in 1920. He resumed his education in Prague and Belgium, where he settled and became a chemical engineer in charge of a glycerin-producing factory.

Miroliubov also wrote prose and poetry, primarily folkloric renderings of ancient Russian history, most of which was published by his widow posthumously in the 1970s-1990s, but which also appeared in contemporary newspapers and journals. In 1954, he acquired the San Francisco-based émigré periodical Zhar-ptitsa, and moved to San Francisco, California, to continue its publication. It is in this journal that the document known as the "Vles-Kniga" (aka "Kniga Velesa", "Vlesova Kniga") first made its appearance. Purporting to be a newly-discovered ancient manuscript describing the history of the Eastern Slavs in pre-Christian times, the existence and dissemination of this literary mystification is due in large measure to Miroliubov's efforts.

Following the closure of Zhar-ptitsa in the late 1950s Miroliubov decided to return to Belgium, but never made it, dying at sea on 6 November 1970.

Acquisition information:
Acquired.
Physical location:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding aid prepared by Hoover Institution Library and Archives Staff
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-12-01 15:00:09.486253

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.

Terms of access:

For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Iurii Petrovich Miroliubov Papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Location of this collection:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003, US
Contact:
(650) 723-3563
hooverarchives@stanford.edu
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