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FYI France: Voltaire digital library, Paris & St. Pete.
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Jack Kessler)
Fri Apr 16 20:22:51 2004
Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2004 10:38:37 -0700
From: Jack Kessler <kessler@WELL.COM>
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FYI France: Voltaire digital library, Paris & St. Petersburg.
"Il y avait en Westphalie, dans le Château de Mr. le
Baron de Thunder-ten-tronckh, un jeune garçon à qui la
nature avait donné les moeurs les plus douces..."
It is an election year, again, here in the US, and in an election
year it is a useful thing to sit down and re-read Voltaire. His
descriptions, and ironies, seem more up-to-date and topical than
anything which I myself read, anyway, in the current US media:
"Monsieur le Baron était un des plus puissans Seigneurs
de la Westphalie, car son Château avait une porte & des
fenêtres..."
-- in a US election year it does get pretty tiring, hearing how
so very rich, or so very poor, or so very noble or not so, the
various candidates all are or claim to be or accuse each other of
being... And when they and their "political advisors" get to
plumping up personal claims and achievements, and then the
political hoo-rahs begin praising the infinite goodness and
wisdom of the US, and of its forever-benevolent policies, well,
"Le Précepteur Pangloss était l'oracle de la maison...
Pangloss enseignait la Métaphisic - théologo - cosmolo -
nigologie. Il prouvait admirablement qu'il n'y a point
d'effet sans cause, & que dans ce meilleur des Mondes
possibles, le Château de Monseigneur le Baron était le
plus beau des Châteaux, & Madame la meilleure des
Baronnes possibles..."
All of Voltaire's writings now may be read, in their original
French, and that in the elegant 18th c. editions which initially
presented it to the world, online at the Bibliothèque Nationale
de France's Gallica digital library:
http://gallica.bnf.fr/classique/
(liste des auteurs => XVIIIe => "V")
-- and there is a digital library exhibit there, too, showing
the fruits of a new France / Russia / pan-European effort --
La bibliothèque de Voltaire
http://gallica.bnf.fr/Voltaire/
"On the occasion of the celebration of the 300th
anniversary of the city of St. Petersburg, in 2003, the
Bibliothèque Nationale de France and the National Library
of Russia together have developed this site to recognize,
and to present to the international scientific community,
the Voltaire Library held at the National Library of Russia.
"This cooperation is in accord with the agreement of June
20 2002, between the Ministère des Affaires Etrangères of
the French Republic and the National Library of Russia,
as an initial step in the establishment of a European
Center for the Enlightenment, at St. Petersburg." [tr. JK]
This Website offers four files, each containing texts and other
materials in both French and Russian:
1) "Fonds Voltaire"
* "La bibliothèque de Voltaire à St.-Pétersbourg", by
Nikolaï Alexandrovitch Kopanev, Conservateur de la
Bibliothèque de Voltaire, Chef du Département des livres
rares de la Bibliothèque nationale de Russie.
* "Voltaire à la Bibliothèque nationale de France", by
Annie Angremy, Conservateur général à la Bibliothéque
nationale de France, Responsable de la section française
du département des Manuscrits
* "Voltaire dans Gallica": links to the wonderfully -
complete offering, by the BnF's Gallica digital library,
of digitized works by or about Voltaire -- including,
* Bibliographie (mode image)
* Oeuvres complètes (mode image)
* Oeuvres (mode image)
* Oeuvres (mode texte)
* Autour de Voltaire (mode image)
2) "Helvetius"
* "De l'Esprit d'Helvétius numérisé sur la Toile", by
Anton Olegovitch Diomine, candidat ès-sciences philologiques,
Institut de littérature russe (Maison Pouchkine)
* "Voltaire-Helvétius", by Gerhardt Stenger, Directeur
du département des lettres modernes Université de Nantes
* "De l'Esprit"
* "Helvétius dans Gallica"
3) "Rousseau"
* "La Lettre à Christophe de Beaumont", by Robert Thiéry,
Conservateur du patrimoine, Musée Jean-Jacques Rousseau,
and Martine-Drouet, Docteur ès Lettres
* "La Lettre à Christophe de Beaumont annotée par
Voltaire : la réception en Russie de la controverse
Rousseau-Voltaire et ses paradoxes", by Alla Avgoustovna
Zlatopolskaïa, candidat ès-sciences philosophiques,
chargée de recherches à la Bibliothèque de l'Académie des
Sciences de Russie
* "Lettre à M. de Beaumont"
* "Rousseau dans Gallica"
4) "Bibliothèque Voltaire (site)"
"The cultural heritage of Europe is well-represented in
the collections of the museums and libraries of Russia,
among these the French collections held at St. Petersburg.
"The Voltaire Library of the National Library of Russia
at St. Petersburg is unique. The importance of this
monument of the European culture of the 18th century is
difficult to overestimate. It contains nearly 7,000 books
most of which contain marginalia written by Voltaire,
manuscripts, notebooks, draft copies, works of Voltaire
published during his lifetime and containing remarks
written in his own hand. By virtue of its size and
scientific importance, both historical and cultural, the
Voltaire Library completes the principal center for the
study of the heritage of this celebrated French writer,
at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France.
"The National Library of Russia began the project to
create its Voltaire Library to provide for both
conservation and study, and for both researchers and the
general public. It will be a project composed of several
long-term phases: from the initial financial
establishment -- the creation of conditions for
conservation and study at the Voltaire Library -- through
to the organization of a Center for the Scientific and
Cultural Study of Voltaire.
"The Voltaire Center will become a museum project
familiarizing the public with the unique monuments of
18th century culture. Under development:
* the creation of an exposition, "The Voltaire Library"
* the creation of a Museum of the 17th-18th c. Encyclopedists
* the presentation of the project (publication of posters,
post cards, calenders, and other sorts of printed
information, in order to popularize the heritage of
Voltaire and the Encyclopedists)
* the presentation in the mass media of the different
phases of the project" (tr. JK)
And the story of how Voltaire's books got to Russia makes for
fascinating "provenance" reading: from "Fonds Voltaire" --
* "La bibliothèque de Voltaire à St.-Pétersbourg", by
Nikolaï Alexandrovitch Kopanev, Conservateur de la
Bibliothèque de Voltaire, Chef du Département des livres
rares de la Bibliothèque nationale de Russie
"The Voltaire Library was acquired by the Empress
Catherine II, a short time after the death of the French
philosopher on May 20, 1778.
"As soon as she received confirmation of the sad news,
from her literary and political agent Baron Grimm,
Catherine wrote to him on July 21: 'When I come to town
this autumn, I will assemble the letters which the great
man wrote to me, and I will send them to you. I have a
large number of them. If it is possible, arrange for the
purchase of his library and of all the rest of his
papers, including my letters. As for myself, I gladly
will pay his heirs handsomely -- who, I imagine, do not
know at all the value of these things... I will create a
salon in which these books will find a home.'
"Grimm told all Europe of the intentions of the Empress,
and the numerous responses in the press to this news
resulted not just in the aquisition of the library and
correspondance of the philosopher but in the construction
at St. Petersburg of a 'monument' or 'mausoleum' to
Voltaire -- the creation of a 'temple' in his honor, and
a 'museum' dedicated to his memory.
"Even in their wildest dreams, however, the enlightened
Europeans of the era could not have foreseen the true
intentions of Catherine II: to build in the park of
Tsarskoïe Selo an exact replica of the château de Ferney
where Voltaire had spent his final twenty years, the most
peaceful of his life. It was in the midst of such décor
that the Russian empress intended to install the
treasures of Voltaire's Library.
"'Let me have the design of the facade of the chateau of
Ferney and, if possible, the interior plans showing the
distribution of the rooms', she subsequently wrote to
Grimm, 'for the park of Tsarskoïe Selo exists for the
chateau of Voltaire to come and find its place there. So,
too, I must know which rooms face north, and which south,
and which to the rising and the setting sun; it also is
essential to know whether one may see the Lake of Geneva
from the windows of the chateau, and on which side are to
be found the Jura mountains'...
"In 1779, on the orders of Catherine II, detailed plans
of the château de Ferney and its parks were prepared, and
a precise wooden model of the buildings was assembled.
J-L Wagniere, Voltaire's secretary, was charged with
procuring the paintings and upholsteries used for the
furnishings of the chateau. The 'Ferney russe' of
Tsarskoïe Selo would become a reproach to the French
absolutism which had treated Voltaire with such disdain.
"The project for the construction in Russia of a replica
Ferney, however, never took place. One might speculate
that Catherine lost interest when she found that her own
letters to Voltaire, held in the library of the
philosophe, had been obtained from there by the publisher
Charles-Joseph Panckoucke with the help of Beaumarchais.
"Researchers advance other explanations as well: the
revolt of Pugachev which had emptied the treasury of the
State and not permitted the undertaking of the project,
or equally the intervening evolution in relations between
Russia and France -- Catherine II having reconciled with
Louis XVI and the Emperor of Austria in order to gain
allies in the conquest of the Crimea.
"Whatever the causes, of all the projects assembled for
the perpetuation of the memory of Voltaire, the only one
actually realized was the acquisition of his library. At
the conclusion of brief negotiations with Mme. Denis,
Voltaire's niece, Grimm and Ivan Chuvalov swung the deal:
the official legatee of Voltaire made a gift of the
collections of her illustrious uncle to the Empress of
Russia, and received from her in return the sum of 30,000
rubles (35,396 livres, 4 sols, 6 deniers), an honorary
title, a jewel box decorated with her portrait, some
diamonds and some furs.
"The library and the manuscripts of Voltaire quickly were
packed into twelve imposing crates which were transferred
to the château des Délices, near Geneva, a property of
François Tronchin the old friend of Voltaire, where they
remained until April 1779, the Spring opening of
navigation on the Baltic then making possible their
transport to St. Petersburg. The library reached
Frankfurt-am-Main on May 16, then Lübeck where it was
loaded aboard a vessel sent expressly for the purpose.
"Nevertheless, it wasn't until August 1779 that the books
and manuscripts of Voltaire arrived in the capital of the
Russian Empire, escorted by Wagniere, secretary and
librarian to the philosopher, who installed himself in
the Winter Palace and, the following year, handed over
the keys of the cabinets to Alexandre Loujkov, private
librarian to the Empress.
...
"By its very composition, the library of Voltaire offers
us a model for the collection of a savant / encyclopédiste
of the 18th century. If the works of philosophy and of
law, which Voltaire used successfully in his battle with
the Catholic Church, figure in large number, the
philosopher accorded no less attention to the history of
France and to universal history.
"One also finds, among his books, the works of Isaac
Newton, who Voltaire popularized in France, and the works
of the celebrated Dutch doctor Hermannus Boerhaave, the
best periodicals of his time, accounts of voyages,
atlases. The Voltaire Library is particularly rich in
poetic and dramatic works -- as well as in editions of
his own works, abundantly annotated by him. A good number
of these undertakings, for example the Dictionnaire
Philosophique, are present in several editions, each one
bearing the corrections and clarifications of its author
-- thus offering us today the possibility of access to
the "laboratory" of the philosopher, enabling us to trace
the evolution of his ideas and to see his initial
intentions become enriched by later additions which
corroborate the original." (tr. JK)
--oOo--
Note:
As I said here initially, I myself can think of no better remedy
for the headaches, heartaches, and stomach aches of a US
presidential year than a thorough re-reading of Voltaire.
It's all part of what John Saul, who has read too much of
Voltaire perhaps, refers to as "the dotage of the Age of Reason":
in a book which Saul entitled _Voltaire's Bastards_ (1992), a
thoughtful and eloquent study of, inter alia, why modern politics
has erected Reason as a surrogate for Religion. "Must I be
re-crucified for every generation?", wails G.B. Shaw's Saint
Joan: the reply to her being, it seems, "Well yes, you must..."
And it is a wonderful thing to be able to read Voltaire online in
the original, courtesy of the BnF's Gallica: just now I am
reading through the 1759 edition of "Candide" --
Auteur(s): Voltaire
Titre(s) : Candide, ou l'Optimisme [Document électronique]
Description matérielle : 299 p.
Note(s) : Reproduction : Num. BNF de l'éd. de [S.l.] : [s.n.],
1759. in-12
-- easily found, read, and marvelled over, online at the BnF --
http://visualiseur.bnf.fr/Visualiseur?Destination=Gallica&O=NUMM-70445
Various new tricks, from the BnF and from Adobe, make it possible
to view not only the fulltext of the original edition, in fine
reproduction, but also very convenient pagination, a fullscreen
version for just reading through the work, downloading for free,
and even document delivery for a fee.
The "Lettres Anglaises" was written near the beginning of a long
and productive literary life, and "Candide, ou l'Optimisme" was
written near its end -- and, in between these two, there is much
else that is very worth reading -- particularly the voluminous
"Correspondance", which has much to teach the Soundbyte Era and
The Age of Internet about the roles of simplicity and felicity of
phrasing, and of thoughtful prose, in communication.
In a brief introduction to the "Lettres Anglaises" which praises
Voltaire's open-mindedness, his ability to focus upon the
important as vs. the frivolous although enraging issues of life,
and his talent for seeing, "that which is positive in religions
which he himself does not share", Fernand Massé observes,
"...c'est un signe fâcheux pour la santé intellectuelle
d'une société qu'il faille périodiquement défendre la
mémoire de Voltaire et combattre le répertoire non
renouvelé de ses calomniateurs.
"Il est vrai que lui-même a montré maintes fois que
lentement, qu'elle n'est jamais un donné, mais toujours
une conquête sans cesse menacée par toutes les formes de
la superstition, de l'ignorance, de la bêtise aux
inépuisables aspects."
-- "Voltaire lettres anglaises" (Holland : Jean-Jacques
Pauvert éd., 1964) p. 6-7.
One recipe for much that ails modern society, then, in this US
election year, might be a reading by any or all of us of the
entire corpus of Voltaire's writing. If, as John Saul and others
have suggested, the Modern Era not only is descended from
Voltaire's but represents the ultimate corruption of "The
Enlightenment" -- if, at least, the values of Rationality
developed by Voltaire and his fellow Lumières now are in need of
a thorough dusting-off and re-examination, following a century of
disastrous global warfare, and during a century in which the
killing continues albeit "unofficially" now -- and if modern
information technology has taken a soundbyte turn leading, for
many of us, to less communication rather than to more -- then
Voltaire has much to teach us all, again.
At least, this time, a reader need only "point and click": at the
immense and accessible Voltaire digital library, presented now so
ably online by the BnF and the National Library of Russia -- in
editions giving any book-lover or history buff the authentic
flavor of Voltaire's own very promising and in fact optimistic
18th c. era. No longer necessary to trek to "the library", then,
or to be a member of an educated and wealthy elite, to gain
access to these texts: for increasing numbers of us, anyway...
--oOo--
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