Authentic Intonation of Lermontov’s Poem “Journalist, Reader, and Writer” (1840) as a Key to Understanding Author’s Intent

This study examines the numerous punctuation variations introduced in the publication history of Mikhail Lermontov’s poem “The Journalist, the Reader, and the Writer,” from its first edition to contemporary scholarly collections. The paper addresses the issue of editorial interventions that have disrupted the author’s original punctuation system. The primary sources for this analysis include Lermontov’s final manuscript (clean copy), two lifetime publications of the poem (in the journal Otechestvennye Zapiski [Notes of the Fatherland] and the 1840 collection Stikhotvoreniia Lermontova [Poems by Lermontov]), as well as editions of Lermontov’s works edited by A. A. Kraevsky, P. A. Efremov, and D. I. Abramovich, alongside scholarly editions from the 20th and 21st centuries. We present the results of a comparative analysis of the manuscript against the first and subsequent printed editions. Particular attention is paid to identifying editorial alterations and distortions of the author’s punctuation, the elimination of which is crucial for any future publication of the poem. It is argued that existing editions have compromised the poem’s intonational structure. The study emphasizes the necessity of reconstructing a definitive text that aligns with the author’s intent. The authors contend that the final manuscript, which most accurately reflects the author’s will, should serve as the principal source for publishing “The Journalist, the Reader, and the Writer.” Our findings suggest that the placement of punctuation should be guided not only by formal rules but also by a contextual analysis of each case, treating Lermontov’s punctuation marks as an integrated intonational and semantic system.

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