Bashkirtseff
Orig | CZ

Grand-papa (Marie's Maternal Grandfather)

Comprehensive Aktualizováno: 2025-12-07

Research Status: Comprehensive Last Updated: 2025-12-07 Diary Coverage: Up to 1884-05-02

Identity

Marie's maternal grandfather, head of the Babanine family. He was a cultured Russian nobleman, poet, military officer, and intellectual who served in the Caucasus and was a contemporary of the great Russian Romantic poets Lermontov and Pushkin.

Background and Character

Byronic Intellectual

According to Marie's 1884 preface: "Grand-papa était le contemporain de Lermontoff, Pouchkine etc. Il a été byronien, poète, militaire lettré" (Grandfather was a contemporary of Lermontov, Pushkin, etc. He was a Byronic figure, poet, educated military man).

This places him in the milieu of Russian Romanticism in the 1820s-1830s, when Byron's influence was at its height among Russian intellectuals.

Military Service

"Il a été au Caucase" (He served in the Caucasus) - Like many Russian officers of his generation, he saw service in the Caucasus campaigns, where Russia was expanding its empire and battling mountain tribes. Service in the Caucasus was romanticized by poets like Lermontov and Pushkin, and held an exotic, adventurous reputation.

Family Pride and Tyranny

Marie describes him as proud of his Tatar ancestry: "Grand-papa s'est toujours vanté d'être d'origine tartare de la première invasion" (Grandfather always boasted of being of Tatar origin from the first invasion).

However, he was also a domestic tyrant: "un joli despote et qui s'en vantait" (a pretty despot who boasted of it). His wife Julie was "absolument sacrifiée, écrasée par la supériorité de son mari" (absolutely sacrificed, crushed by her husband's superiority).

Marriage and Family

Grand-papa married very young to Mlle Julie Cornélius, aged 15, who was "très douce et jolie" (very sweet and pretty) but who became "énorme et criarde en vieillissant" (enormous and shrill in aging), completely overshadowed by her husband's dominance.

They had nine children together ("Ils ont eu neuf enfants, excusez du peu"):

1. Georges (N° 1) - The eldest, described as abominable and alcoholic, who caused the family endless trouble 2. Four other sons (who joined Georges in various scandalous escapades at Poltava) 3. Several daughters including Maria Stepanovna (Marie's mother)

The Georges Crisis

Grand-papa's governance of his family and the Georges crisis dominated family life. When Georges' scandals escalated:

  • He fought with successive governors of Poltava: "Grand-papa a trouvé cela impertinent et s'est mis à fronder contre tous les gouverneurs de Poltava successivement" (Grandfather found this impertinent and began to defy all the governors of Poltava successively)
  • The family broke with all society: "On a rompu avec toute la société"
  • All family resources were directed to saving Georges: "toutes les forces et toutes les intelligences de toute la famille n'ont plus eu pour but que de sauver Georges"

Historical Context

Russian Romanticism (1820s-1830s)

Grand-papa belonged to the generation of Russian nobles who came of age during the height of Romanticism. This movement was characterized by:

  • Admiration for Lord Byron and his rebellious, melancholic heroes
  • Interest in exotic locations like the Caucasus
  • Poetry and literary culture among military officers
  • A certain aristocratic defiance of authority

Poltava Society

As a landowning noble in the Poltava region of Ukraine, Grand-papa was part of the provincial nobility that played a significant role in Russian culture. The Poltava region was home to many cultured noble families with estates.

Marie's Harsh Assessment (Book 00, 1884-05-01-04)

In a later passage of her preface, Marie offers a devastating critique of Grand-papa's character:

"En somme il s'en souciait peu, très égoïste et vivant un peu à la pose." (In sum he cared little about it, very selfish and living a bit for show.)

His Eccentric Appearance

Grand-papa affected a distinctive style at the country estate that mixed French peasant dress with aristocratic pretension:

  • Dressed like a French peasant ("habillé comme un paysan français")
  • Gray linen smock ("blouse de toile grise")
  • Velvet trousers ("pantalon de velours")
  • Panama hat on his head
  • Enormous diamond on his index finger ("un énorme diamant à l'index")
  • Pronounced the words "blouse" and "panama" in Russian with affected French gallicism

The diamond ring while dressed as a peasant perfectly captures what Marie saw as his posing and pretension.

Failed Potential

"Nature marquée, terrible et nul. Ayant pu être quelqu'un et n'étant rien." (Striking nature, terrible and worthless. Could have been someone and being nothing.)

Marie saw Grand-papa as someone who wasted his considerable gifts:

  • Wrote verses but didn't even publish them ("écrivant des vers qu'il ne publiait même pas")
  • Engaged in liberalism without substance ("faisant du libéralisme")
  • Could have been someone important but was nothing

Family Authority - Limited and Defied

Sons' Marriages: "Presque tous ses fils se sont mariés sans le lui dire" (Almost all his sons married without telling him). When #Alexandre married #Nadine_Martinoff, Grand-papa was furious, but this defiance was a pattern.

Absent from Schemes: When the family gathered at #Akhtyrka to entrap #Romanoff, Grand-papa was notably absent ("tout le monde s'installe, sauf grand-papa"). This suggests either disapproval of such machinations or deliberate exclusion.

Vassilissa's Honor: He maintained respect for his sister #Vassilissa_Babanine. When she visited, "on endimanchait la maison" (they dressed up the house as for Sunday) and her presence brought "un air de fête" (an air of celebration). After Grand-papa's departure, Alexandre and Nadine relegated Vassilissa to a miserable room where she died.

Legacy

His character - cultured yet tyrannical, Byronic yet posing, proud yet destructive - shaped the family dynamics that Marie observed. His obsession with defending Georges, regardless of Georges' behavior, created the family crisis that overshadowed Marie's mother's youth.

Marie's mature assessment reveals her contempt for wasted potential and empty affectation. The image of Grand-papa in peasant dress with an enormous diamond on his finger became her symbol for his essential phoniness.

European Journey (1870)

When the family left Tcherniakovka for Europe in June 1870, Grand-papa was part of the traveling party. Marie notes: "Grand-papa était avec nous, il allait lui aussi goûter de cette Europe qu'il connaissait par les livres" (Grandfather was with us, he was also going to taste this Europe which he knew from books).

This poignant detail reveals:

  • Literary Knowledge: He knew Europe through books but had never traveled there
  • Age and Timing: Despite his military career and cultured background, he had never left Russia
  • Final Journey: At an advanced age, he was finally experiencing the Europe of his beloved Romantic poets

Journey to Baden-Baden (June 1870)

The traveling party that arrived in Baden-Baden consisted of:

  • Grand-papa
  • Maman (his daughter Maria Stepanovna)
  • M. et Mme Romanoff (his daughter Sophie and her new husband)
  • Dina (granddaughter)
  • Paul (grandson)
  • Marie (granddaughter)
  • Dr. Lucien Walitsky (family physician)

Marie describes Baden-Baden as "en plein Paris" - at the height of its Parisian glamour and sophistication, exactly the kind of cultured European society Grand-papa had read about in his youth.

Journey to Vienna (Earlier in 1870)

Before Baden-Baden, the family stayed in Vienna for a month: "A Vienne, on resta un mois, se grisant de nouveautés, de beaux magasins, de théâtres" (In Vienna, they stayed a month, intoxicated by novelties, beautiful shops, theaters).

For the Byronic intellectual who had spent his life in the Caucasus and Ukrainian estates, this European cultural immersion must have been a profound experience.

Diary References

1874

  • March 11: The "grand-papa" dance performed at social gatherings (unrelated - this is a dance, not the person)

1884

  • May 2 (Preface): Marie describes her grandfather's character, intellectual background, military service, and role in the family's troubles
  • May 5 (Preface): Mentions Grand-papa as part of the 1870 European journey, finally experiencing the Europe he knew only from books

Related Entries

%%2025-12-07T14:35:00 RSR: Completely rewrote entry based on 1884 preface. Previous entry incorrectly identified "grand-papa" as a dance (which does exist in the 1874 entries, but is unrelated to this person). This entry is about Marie's maternal grandfather, a Byronic intellectual and family patriarch.%%