The Return of Sumarokov

Abstract

[Rev. of: A. P. Sumarokov. Complete Works: in 8 volumes. Vol. 1: Solemn Odes, Eulogies, Inscriptions, and Other Panegyric Works. 1739–1776. Ed. by N. Yu. Alekseeva, N. D. Kochetkova, S. I. Nikolaev. Moscow; St. Petersburg, 2026]

The article substantiates the need for a new academic “Complete Works” of A. P. Su­marokov: to date, his oeuvre has never been presented in its entirety or in accord­ance with modern principles of textual scholarship. The only complete edition pub­lished in the eighteenth century, edited by N. I. Novikov, as well as the selective editions of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, left significant gaps, particular­ly in prose, drama, and correspondence. Digitalization made lifetime publications more accessible; however, online resources are often unreliable and lack a critical apparatus. The new project of the Institute of Russian Literature (Pushkin House) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, edited by N. Yu. Alekseeva, N. D. Kochetkova, and S. I. Nikolaev, is the first to offer a modern edition of all known works by Suma­rokov, including his prose and documentary materials. The first volume presents panegyric and occasional texts in a variety of genres. It may be regarded as an exemplary modern scholarly edition that restores historical justice to a key figure in eighteenth-century Russian literature.

DOI: 10.31168/2305-6754.2026.1.12