The mystery of the death of Elizabeth Dyakonova, or the destruction of stereotypes

MOSCOW. At Non-fiction No. 19, a presentation of the book by Pavel Basinsky about Elizabeth Dyakonova took place.

Work on a book about Elizabeth Dyakonova, according to Pavel Basinsky, completely turned his mind around, making him half a feminist. In Russia, this word, even in the best of times, is almost a curse. The stereotypical image of a masculine, constantly conflicting careerist firmly stuck in the minds of both sexes, causing a definite negative and rejection.

Attempts by sane citizens to refute myths, to talk about equality, the inadmissibility of discrimination most often fail. The result is fertilized for decades, and for centuries, the soil on which tolerance for domestic violence grows, its condemnation and decriminalization. For granted - differentiation of wages by gender, lack of sufficient state support for families with children. Reprimand for those who do not want to devote all their free time to the household at the expense of self-realization and development.

Basinsky’s book is not only about the sad fate of a particular girl, but also about total injustice in relation to the fair sex in general. They could only dream of a serious scientific or other serious career in Russia in the late XIX - early XX centuries. Any initiatives in this direction made their way with great difficulty. The number of courses allowing you to get a profession was limited: Lubyanka - for future teachers, Vladimirsky - the opportunity to listen to lectures on humanitarian and natural sciences, Bestuzhev, Higher women, obstetric. Courses in Kiev, Kazan, Tomsk. Their completion did not mean an absolute guarantee of getting an interesting and well-paid job.

Girls who dreamed not about the role of a housewife or the place of a disenfranchised governess in a wealthy family, but about a complete higher education, were forced to go abroad. Among them was Lisa Dyakonova, a student at the Bestuzhev courses, the author of The Diary of a Russian Woman, who dreamed of a career as a lawyer and an active struggle for women’s rights. Admission to the Sorbonne seemed a real chance to achieve this goal. Basinsky sincerely admires his heroine, her whole nature, eccentricity of thinking, the desire to break out of the framework predetermined by history and society. The names of some of her journalistic articles seem surprisingly relevant to this day: "Do you need government money to notice surrounding objects", "Women’s education", "On the education of love for his native country."

In July 1902, in the mountains of Tyrol, near the waterfall, her naked half-decomposed body was found. The book of Pavel Basinsky is an attempt to understand the premises, causes and circumstances of the tragedy. Find out if it was the result of a voluntary death or violent action by an unidentified person, shed light on many puzzles and inconsistencies. To help someone get rid of stereotypes, to rethink what was not in doubt before, to discover new perspectives.

Pavel Basinsky is the author of an uncensored biography of Maxim Gorky, a researcher of the life and work of Leo Tolstoy, winner of the Antibooker and the Big Book.

Elena Tanakova © Gallerix.ru