National Archives of Karelia : Archival Mosaic of Karelian Culture

Linevsky Alexander Michailovich (1902-1985)

was a Russian poet, scientist-archaeologist, ethnographer, historian, State prize winner of Karelia, an honourable citizen ofPetrozavodsk.

When a student he began taking part in ethnographical expeditions in Karelia and in 1926 he found a rock “Devil's Tracks” with 300 petroglyphs carved on it about 4-5 thousand years ago.

After graduating from the University A.M.Linevsky moved to Petrozavodsk linking his scientific and literary work with Karelia forever. Here he published the majority of his scientific works on archaeology, history, ethnography and folklore of Karelia.

A.M.Linevsky's scientific work is many-sided. In 1929-1931 he worked in the Karelian Museum of Regional Studies, then - in theKarelian Central Archive Office and did a great job on collecting and acquiring documents (dated the first years of Soviet government) forthe Archives. In 1934-1954 he was working in the scientific-research Institute of the language, literature and history of the Karelianbranch of Academy of Science of the USSR.

Since 1925 A.M.Linevsky's first fiction works were published in Moscow and Leningrad youth magazines. In 1930 the first version of thenovel “Pages of the Stone Book” appeared in the magazine “World Pathfinder”, in 1952 - the final version was written. The book had 16editions, was translated into Finnish, English, Lithuanian and Lettish. Its total edition exceeded 800 thousand copies. Besidearchaeological and ethnographical materials the author used his interpretations of rock carvings of the White Sea and the Onega Lakeshores.

In 1937 a novel “Doctor Podobin” appeared, then the novels: “How it was”, “On Lake Ladoga at that time” as well as the collection ofstories “The Courage” and “It was this way”.

From 1951 till 1964 A.M.Linevsky created his greatest book-epopee about the White Sea (“Seaboard”, “The Ice Has Begun to Break”,“The White Sea Rages”, “Trials”). Its edition was 700 thousand copies. Tetralogy reflects the life near the seaboard during apre-Revolutionary period and the first years of the Soviet government.

1109 files dd.1881-1982 are kept in A.M.Linevsky's personal fund:

- biographical information: autobiography, photographs and other A.M.Linevsky's personal documents;

- A.M.Linevsky's manuscripts of novels, stories, essays, articles;

- materials on the history of Karelia, Finnish generations, partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War; materials about cloistersand religions in Karelia in the 17th century;

- articles, reports, notes, scientific works on ethnography; materials about the runes of “Kalevala”;

- materials about archaeological excavations;

- A.M.Linevsky's correspondence with the Karelian state publishing house, editorial office of the magazine “The Star”, the Institute ofethnography of Academy of Science of the USSR, the board of directors of the Institute of History, Language and Literature of theKarelian branch of Academy of Science of the USSR; front letters, reviewers' and different authors' letters to A.M.Linevsky.

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• Article (by National Archives)
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• Linevsky A.M.
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National Archives of Karelia : Archival Mosaic of Karelian Culture