A Combat of honor

The history of the duel in Russia is in some important points derivative from the events of the ascent to power and 300 years of the rule of the Romanov house. Despite numerous edicts proscribing one-on-one battles, duels became very popular in the early 19th century among “the first generation of unflogged gentry”. In a way, they gave to the emancipated, predominantly uniformed high society youth a sense of their autonomy from despotic monarchial control. Pushkin’s pugnacious friend, the reckless duelist Tolstoi “the American” personified the principle of unlimited high-handedness. The book contains descriptions of numerous bloodless duels that Pushkin held before his last encounter with d’Anthes, the duels of Lermontov, quarrels between I. Turgenev and L. Tolstoi, A. Belyi and A. Blok, and the armed head on of the poets Voloshin and Gumilev, which ends the chronicle. Some chapters contain generous extracts from the correspondence of the people described. The book is profusely illustrated. Supplement includes a reprint of the 1902 brochure “A true account of the duel and honor”.