“Anthologist” Yuri Terapiano in Letters to Elena Rubisova

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.22455/Emigr.3034-3518-2025-3-480-507
  • УДК / UDC: 821.054.7.0
  • EDN:

    https://elibrary.ru/HAATDN
  • Publication Type: Research Article
  • For Citation:

    Nevzorova, I. “‘Anthologist’ Yuri Terapiano in Letters to Elena Rubisova.” Emigrantica. Issue 3, ed.-comp. E.R. Ponomarev, acad. ed. E.R. Ponomarev, ed. A.V. Protopopova, M.S. Shchavlinskii, D.V. Zaitsev. Moscow, IWL RAS Publ., 2025, pp. 480–507. (In Russian) https://doi.org/10.22455/Emigr.3034-3518-2025-3-480-507
  • Author 1: Irina M. Nevzorova
  • Information about the Author 1:

    Irina M. Nevzorova, Independent Researcher. Moscow, Russia.
    E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-1440-2894

     
  • Abstract: This article explores the epistolary legacy of Yuri Terapiano (1892– 1980) — a poet, critic, historian of religions, Freemason, and practitioner of yoga — and his correspondence with artist, writer, and fellow Freemason Elena Rubisova (1897–1988). The letters span from 1938 to 1978, a period when the Rubisov family resided in the U.S., lived in France, or traveled across Europe and Asia. The corpus is divided into two key periods: pre-war letters (August 1938 – June 1940) and post-war letters (December 1944 – June 1978). In these writings, Terapiano reflects on the “inner” causes of war, philosophies of spiritual awakening, the fate of post-war Russian émigré literature, and the imperative to preserve the memory of his fellow artists. The correspondence, rich in references to both prominent and lesser-known cultural figures, stands out for its depth, intellectual density, and sincerity, capturing a dialogue between two individuals united by shared spiritual quests. Special attention is given to fragments where Terapiano analyzes the crisis of the European spirit, the role of émigrés in the Resistance, and the synthesis of Eastern and Christian traditions in his work. The article also features previously unpublished poems and the author’s commentary, offering new insights into Terapiano as a thinker whose ideas remain relevant for studies of the 20th-century Russian diaspora.
  • Keywords: Iurii Terapiano, Elena Rubisova, World War II, Resistance, epistolary heritage, Russian emigration in France and the USA, living ethics, Roerich, Freemasons, Union of Russian Writers and Poets in Paris.
  • Страницы / Pages: 480–507

References

  1. Nevzorova, I.M. “‘Voinoi navek provedena cherta’: Sem'ia Knorring i Iurii Terapiano v Soprotivlenii” [“‘The Line is Forever Drawn by War’: The Knorring Family and Yuri Terapiano in the Resistance”]. Materialy XXI i XXII mezhdunarodnykh nauchnykh tsvetaevskikh konferentsii. Moskva, 22–23 sentiabria 2018 i 26–27 sentiabria 2020, Korolev, Moskva). Sbornik dokladov [Materials of the XXI and XXII International Scientific Tsvetaeva Conferences (Moscow, September 22–23, 2018, and September 26–27, 2020. Korolev-Moscow). Collection of Reports]. Moscow, Dom-muzei Mariny Tsvetaevoi Publ., 2021, pp. 261–288. (In Russian)
  2. Nevzorova, I.M. “‘I vzletaet miach Navzikai…’: o zemnom stranstvii Iuriia Terapiano” [“‘And Nausicaa’s Ball Takes Flight…’: On the Earthly Journey of Iurii Terapiano”]. Prostor, no. 4, 2009, pp. 92–123. URL: http://prostor.ucoz.ru/_ld/0/32_PAy.doc (accessed: 05.05.2025). (In Russian)
  3. Nevzorova, I.M. “Marina Tsvetaeva v kritike Iuriia Terapiano” [“Marina Tsvetaeva in the Criticism of Iurii Terapiano”]. Marina Tsvetaeva: preddver’e. Stat’i i esse [Marina Tsvetaeva: The Threshold. Articles and Essays]. Moscow, Vozvrashchenie Publ., 2019, pp. 235–246. (In Russian)
  4. Nevzorova, I.M. “Poet iz Kerchi Iurii Terapiano: materialy k tvorcheskoi biografii” [“The Poet from Kerch, Iurii Terapiano: Materials for a Creative Biography”]. “Serebrianyi vek” v Krymu: vzgliad iz XXI stoletiia: Materialy Piatykh Gertsykovskikh chtenii v Sudake. 11–15 iiunia 2007 g. [“The Silver Age” in Crimea: A View from the 21st Century. Proceedings of the Fifth Hertsyk Readings in Sudak. June 11–15, 2007]. Moscow, Simferopol, Sudak, Dom-muzei Mariny Tsvetaevoi Publ.; Krymskii tsentr gumanitarnykh issledovanii Publ., 2009, pp. 165–183. (In Russian)
  5. Nevzorova, I.M. “Iurii Terapiano v gody Vtoroi mirovoi voiny” [“Iurii Terapiano During the Second World War”]. Rossiiskaia emigratsiia v bor’be s fashizmom: Mezhdunarodnaia nauchnaia konferentsiia. Moskva. 14–15 maia 2015 g. K 70-letiiu Velikoi Pobedy [Russian Emigration in the Fight Against Fascism: International Scientific Conference. Moscow, May 14–15, 2015. Dedicated to the 70th Anniversary of the Great Victory], ed. by K.K. Semenov and M.Iu. Sorokina. Moscow: Russkii put’ Publ., Dom russkogo zarubezh’ia imeni Aleksandra Solzhenitsyna Publ., 2015, pp. 534–564. (In Russian)
  6. Nevzorova, I.M. “Iurii Terapiano: vozvrashchenie v Kerch” [“Iurii Terapiano: Return to Kerch”]. Materialy kruglogo stola, posviashchennogo tvorchestvu Iuriia Terapiano [Proceedings of the Round Table Dedicated to the Work of Iurii Terapiano]. Kerch, 2015. URL: http://slavcentr.kz/index.php/blogs-menu/blogs/a/8168-Nashi-publikatsii.html (accessed: 05.05.2025). (In Russian)
  7. Nevzorova, I.M. and A.D. Timirgazin. “Iu. Terapiano i G. Petnikov: dialog cherez dvoinoi zanaves” [“Iu. Terapiano and G. Petnikov: A Dialogue Through a Double Curtain”]. “Serebrianyi vek” v Krymu: vzgliad iz XXI stoletiia: Materialy Shestykh Gertsykovskikh chtenii v Sudake. 6–14 iiunia 2009 g. [“The Silver Age” in Crimea: A View from the 21st Century. Proceedings of the Sixth Hertsyk Readings in Sudak. June 6–14, 2009]. Moscow, Simferopol, Dom-muzei Mariny Tsvetaevoi Publ., 2011, pp. 241–259. (In Russian)
  • Received: October 12, 2024
  • Approved after Reviewing: January 25
  • Publication Date: December 29, 2025

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