The Life of the Archpriest Avvakum by Himself

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front cover of "The Life of the Archpriest Avvakum by Himself"

Source: Bruce Peel Library

The Life of the Archpriest Avvakum by Himself

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A seventeenth-century Russian autobiography written in part for propaganda purposes. The preface contains the following advice for reading: 'A word of advice to the reader. Avvakum has this in common with Marcel Proust: that the most difficult thing with him is to get over the first few pages. In this pages he exposes his reasons, based on quotations from Dionysius Areopagita ['] why he thinks the treble Alleluia an abomination. Those readers who are not interested in these reasons may skip the first ten pages and begin straight away with 'I was born' and so forth.' (30)