983:
308:
sexual encounter. However the exact reason for the attack was never proven. Nevertheless, news of the incident quickly spread around France — "From this time on to the end of his life
Custine would figure, in the cruel gossip of the day, primarily as France's most distinguished and notorious homosexual." Even though the literary salons, as opposed to the society salons, remained open to Custine, many people who were friendly with him sneered at him behind his back. His diplomatic career was also cut short by this incident. A few years later, in 1826, several family friends would die, as well as Custine's young son Enguerrand (born 1822), by his late wife, and his mother.
346:
settles it all, a charming bearing and countenance." The capricious
Gurowski was not an easy guest, running up debts and seducing both men and women, but appears to have amused the couple. The detailed register of homosexuals, then maintained by the Paris police prefecture, and which termed Custine's inclinations 'frantic', wrote of Gurowski with a comical note of possible despair: "It is hereditary in his family: his father and grandfather were of the same religion." In 1841 Gurowski married a Spanish infanta,
315:
465:, first published in full in 1843, went through six printings and was widely read in England, France, and Germany but banned in Russia, where it was not published in an unabridged version until 1996. Nonetheless, several Russian authors published works critical of it. Tsarist authorities also sponsored a more scholarly investigation of Russia by a foreigner,
36:
430:. Custine said that Russia's aristocracy had "just enough of the gloss of European civilization to be 'spoiled as savages' but not enough to become cultivated men. They were like 'trained bears who made you long for the wild ones.'" Custine criticized Tsar Nicholas for the constant spying he ordered and for repressing Poland (see
169:
345:
In 1835, an extremely attractive Polish count, the 23-year-old
Ignatius Gurowski (1812–1887), moved into Custine and Saint-Barbe's home in the rue de La Rochefoucauld to form a ménage à trois. Wrote Custine: "He has an excellent heart, an original mind, is graciously ignorant of everything, and what
497:
continue to be admired for their insight, prescience and sheer entertainment value, but are also disliked by others for reasons that can include the belief they are inaccurate, pretentious, racist, and that the idea of national stereotypes is an absurdity. It has been suggested that he is one of the
303:
and live openly with a male lover, was nevertheless genuinely fond of his wife. They had a son, Enguerrand. During the marriage
Custine met and established a romantic relationship with an Englishman, Edward Saint-Barbe, who moved into the house with the couple, and remained his life companion. In
307:
On 28 October 1824, Custine's life was irrevocably changed. That night, he was found unconscious in the mud outside of Paris, stripped to the waist, having been beaten and robbed. The attack had been carried out by a group of soldiers; with one of whom
Custine allegedly had attempted to have a
282:
Custine was given an excellent education and seemed to be headed towards a life in society. An income of 60,000 francs a year enabled him to live as he pleased. He owned an estate outside Paris, at Saint-Gratien, where on occasions he was visited by
473:. This work can be interpreted as an attempt to provide an objective research of Russia's traditional social institutions, which the Tsar's advisors believed would effectively counter Custine's work. The Tsar also commissioned the French writer
407:, but he was appalled by autocracy as practiced in Russia and equally by the Russian people's apparent collaboration in their own oppression. He attributed this state of affairs to what he saw as the backwardness of the
450:. In the mid-20th century, many commentators drew parallels between Custine's description of Russia and contemporary Soviet Union as well as noticing many similarities between his character outline of Nicholas I and
442:
has no more of mercy in his heart than he reveals in his policies, then I pity Russia; if, on the other hand, his true sentiments are really superior to his acts, then I pity the
Emperor" (Kennan 76).
477:
to pen an extensive refutation. However, as the scandal of
Custine's work had subsided by then, the Tsar decided it was best not to remind the public of the book, and the project was abandoned.
241:
Under the direction of his strong-willed mother, Custine was raised in an chaotic yet stimulating social environment. This brought him into frequent contact with noted intellectuals, among them
384:. Inspired by Tocqueville's work, Custine decided that Russia would be the subject of his next writing effort. Custine was later dubbed by some historians as "the de Tocqueville of Russia".
501:
However, as one critic has written, what is indisputable is that "Above all, the
Marquis valued freedom; freedom from fear, hypocrisy and the shackles that restrain the human spirit."
518:. His conversations with the time-travelling narrator are intended to reflect Russia's continued struggle to search for its own identity and define its relations vis-à-vis Europe.
948:
446:
According to Kennan, Custine saw Russia as a horrible domain of obsequious flattery of the Tsar and spying. Custine said the air felt freer the moment one crossed into
334:. Custine wrote one play and purchased a theater to produce it, but the play closed after three performances. None of his literary works received much attention.
299:, but refused the match. In 1821 Custine married Léontine de Saint-Simon de Courtomer, following the wishes of his mother. The Marquis, who would later admit his
637:
156:. This work documents not only Custine's travels through the Russian Empire, but also the social fabric, economy and way of life during the reign of
366:
Custine eventually discovered that his knack was for travel writing. He wrote a decently received account of a trip to Spain and was encouraged by
269:
in
October 1803; Chateaubriand noted his visits there between 1804 and 1806 in which he discussed with both the marchioness and Custine in
1102:
1047:
1107:
266:
1072:
537:
841:
246:
1092:
580:
755:
1112:
692:
211:
1097:
1057:
853:
370:
to write accounts of other "half-European" parts of Europe, like southern Italy and Russia. In the late 1830s,
347:
1087:
1052:
563:
238:) allowed her to recover part of the family fortune. Custine and his mother resettled in Lorraine in 1795.
271:
1042:
606:
See Note 99 on p.289 of the
Penguin Classics (UK) edition of 'Letters from Russia' by Astolphe de Custine
222:. Custine's mother was imprisoned and barely escaped the same fate. In the aftermath of the overthrow of
823:
1082:
1077:
1067:
412:
1014:
438:
and concluded it was possible that the Tsar behaved as he did only because he felt he had to. "If the
404:
720:
304:
1823, during the early stages of a second pregnancy, Léontine fell ill and died, aged only twenty.
771:
Studien über die Zustände, das Volksleben, und insbesondere die ländlichen Einrichtungen Russlands
623:, "A Taste For Freedom: The Life of Astolphe de Custine", Helen Marx Books, 1999, pp184-186, p261
408:
1062:
223:
872:
Das Russlandbild des Marquis de Custine. Von der Zivilisationskritik zur Russlandfeindlichkeit
745:
399:. A political reactionary in his own country, fearful that democracy would inevitably lead to
585:
466:
371:
91:
296:
1037:
1032:
427:
380:
appeared, whose last chapter contained the prophecy that the future belonged to Russia and
376:
284:
157:
242:
8:
638:"Word for Word/The Marquis de Custine; A Long-Ago Look at Russia: (So What Else Is New?)"
200:
172:
143:
131:
367:
541:
288:
184:
292:
978:
849:
751:
645:
557:
431:
361:
339:
291:, and even accepted a military commission. Custine was at one time expected to marry
254:
215:
152:
195:
since the early 18th century. The paternal branch of the family also owned a famous
987:
423:
388:
231:
474:
416:
227:
204:
188:
974:
961:
884:
620:
509:
335:
147:
95:
693:
https://www.cairn.info/revue-histoire-des-sciences-humaines-2007-2-page-47.htm
1026:
649:
451:
381:
300:
846:
Turizm: The Russian and East European Tourist Under Capitalism and Socialism
716:
87:
879:
The Scar of Revolution, Custine, Tocqueville, and the Romantic Imagination
773:, the first two volumes published in 1847, with a third published in 1852.
1008:
1004:
1000:
996:
786:
ed. Jeffery A. Auerbach & Peter H. Hoffenberg. Ashgate, 2008: p. 124.
681:
514:
323:
250:
180:
63:
235:
219:
168:
538:"Reviews: The Marquis de Custine and the question of Russian history"
396:
400:
262:
784:
Britain, the Empire, and the World at the Great Exhibition of 1851
314:
447:
439:
258:
196:
192:
392:
327:
311:
In the years after these tragedies, Custine became very pious.
485:
Custine died of a stroke in the evening of 25 September 1857.
287:. Custine spent time in the diplomatic service, attending the
387:
Custine visited Russia in 1839, spending most of his time in
331:
949:'The Marquis de Custine and the Question of Russian History'
907:
Journey For Our Time: The Journals of the Marquis de Custine
900:
Journey For Our Time: The Journals of the Marquis de Custine
512:
stars as a character representing Custine in the 2002 film
435:
257:. The marchioness purchased the château of Fervaques, near
35:
782:
Fisher, David C. "Russia and the Crystal Palace 1851" in
744:Čubar·Jan, Aleksandr O.; Čubarʹjan, Aleksandr O. (2006).
581:"A French Marquis' Adventures: Dandy Stuff for Biography"
276:
123:
Armand Renaud-Louis-Philippe-Francois, Marquis de Custine
799:, Australian Journal of French Studies, Vol 11, Issue 3
142:(18 March 1790 – 25 September 1857) was a French
234:(who would eventually become Minister of Police under
942:
Le Marquis de Custine ou les Malheurs de l'exactitude
914:
Empire of the Czar. A Journey Through Ethernal Russia
668:
Ruvigny et Raineval, Melville Henry Massue marquis de
498:
originators of a putative West European Russophobia.
207:
and was noted for her intelligence and great beauty.
889:
A Taste For Freedom: The Life of Astolphe de Custine
810:
A Taste For Freedom: The Life of Astolphe de Custine
797:
A Saint-Simonian writer: Hippolyte Auger (1797–1881)
544:. 2002. Archived from the original on 6 January 2009
150:, in particular his account of his visit to Russia,
434:). Custine had more than one conversation with the
743:
403:, he went to Russia looking for arguments against
1024:
1019:, edited by Anka Muhlstein (NYRB Classics, 2002)
691:, Revue d'Histoire des Sciences Humaines, 2007;
953:Astolphe de Custine: The Last French Aristocrat
893:Astolphe de Custine: The Last French Aristocrat
422:Most of Custine's mockery was reserved for the
833:
575:
573:
411:, combined with the disastrous effects of the
326:movement and spent the next few years writing
921:The Marquis de Custine and His Russia in 1839
672:, Genealogical Publishing Company, 1994, p87
616:
614:
612:
902:. Ed. Phyllis Penn Kohler, Washington 1987.
570:
457:
935:Astolphe de Custine voyageur et philosophe
631:
629:
34:
704:Almanacco della Real Corte di Lucca, 1847
609:
532:
530:
279:, in Vaud, Switzerland, on 13 July 1826.
230:, the friendship of the marchioness with
140:Astolphe-Louis-Léonor, Marquis de Custine
57:Astolphe-Louis-Léonor, Marquis de Custine
848:, Cornell University Press, p. 51,
821:
815:
635:
313:
167:
16:French aristocrat and writer (1790–1857)
909:. Ed. Phyllis Penn Kohler, London 1951.
626:
521:
201:Delphine de Sabran, Marquise de Custine
1025:
839:
789:
689:Sexologie et théories savantes du sexe
527:
709:
504:
146:and writer who is best known for his
984:Works by or about Marquis de Custine
353:
107:Léontine de Saint-Simon de Courtomer
706:, Tipgrafia Giusti, Luca 1847, p104
685:La tante, le policier et l'écrivain
13:
864:
715:
413:Mongol invasion of medieval Russia
210:Custine's father and grandfather,
14:
1124:
968:
822:Starobin, Paul (28 August 2014),
721:"Czarist Origins of Communism, I"
471:Studies on the Interior of Russia
1103:19th-century French male writers
1048:People from Moselle (department)
933:Francine-Dominique Liechtenhan,
824:"The Eternal Collapse of Russia"
179:Astolphe de Custine was born in
1108:French male non-fiction writers
802:
776:
764:
737:
636:Erlanger, Steven (1996-06-16).
212:Adam Philippe, Comte de Custine
926:Albert Marie Pierre de Luppé,
697:
675:
662:
600:
348:Isabella Ferdinanda de Bourbon
322:Custine gravitated toward the
247:François-René de Chateaubriand
1:
1073:19th-century French novelists
844:, in Gorsuch, Anne E. (ed.),
187:. His family belonged to the
951:, review of Anka Muhlstein,
249:, considered the founder of
214:, both sympathized with the
163:
7:
975:Works by Marquis de Custine
342:" (a half-man of letters).
75:25 September 1857 (Aged 67)
10:
1129:
842:"Russian Military Tourism"
670:The Blood Royal of Britain
493:Custine's observations in
359:
1093:19th-century French poets
955:and Astolphe de Custine,
562:: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
488:
405:representative government
127:
119:
111:
103:
86:Chapelle d'Auquainville,
81:
71:
52:
42:
33:
28:
21:
891:, 1999. Republished as:
877:Irena Grudzinska Gross,
480:
458:Publication and reaction
338:called Custine "un demi-
191:and possessed the title
409:Russian Orthodox Church
1113:Anti-Russian sentiment
940:Julien Frédéric Tarn,
840:Layton, Susan (2006),
415:, and the policies of
319:
272:Mémoires d'Outre-Tombe
176:
1098:French male novelists
1058:French LGBT novelists
1011:, (Gutenberg Project)
912:Astolphe de Custine,
905:Astolphe de Custine,
898:Astolphe de Custine,
828:The National Interest
586:The New York Observer
467:August von Haxthausen
372:Alexis de Tocqueville
360:Further information:
317:
199:factory. His mother,
171:
115:Enguerrand de Custine
47:Astolphe-Louis-Léonor
1088:LGBT Roman Catholics
1053:Writers about Russia
750:. ОЛМА Медиа Групп.
747:Российский европеизм
522:Notes and references
391:, but also visiting
377:Democracy in America
1016:Letters from Russia
957:Letters from Russia
928:Astolphe de Custine
870:Christian Sigrist,
725:Museum of Communism
469:, who authored the
275:. Delphine died at
226:and the end of the
173:Delphine de Custine
23:Astolphe de Custine
1043:French gay writers
919:George F. Kennan,
642:The New York Times
542:The Oxonian Review
505:In popular culture
320:
289:Congress of Vienna
177:
132:Delphine de Sabran
29:Marquis de Custine
1083:French marquesses
1078:French male poets
1068:French LGBT poets
993:La Russie en 1839
979:Project Gutenberg
874:, Frankfurt 1990.
808:Muhlstein, Anka,
495:La Russie en 1839
463:La Russie en 1839
432:November Uprising
362:La Russie en 1839
355:La Russie en 1839
340:homme des lettres
293:Madame de Staël's
255:French literature
243:Germaine de Staël
216:French Revolution
153:La Russie en 1839
137:
136:
1120:
988:Internet Archive
881:, Berkeley 1991.
859:
858:
837:
831:
830:
819:
813:
806:
800:
793:
787:
780:
774:
768:
762:
761:
741:
735:
734:
732:
731:
713:
707:
701:
695:
679:
673:
666:
660:
659:
657:
656:
633:
624:
618:
607:
604:
598:
597:
595:
594:
577:
568:
567:
561:
553:
551:
549:
534:
424:Russian nobility
368:Honoré de Balzac
203:, came from the
99:
67:
58:
38:
19:
18:
1128:
1127:
1123:
1122:
1121:
1119:
1118:
1117:
1023:
1022:
971:
916:, Auklend 1989.
867:
865:Further reading
862:
856:
838:
834:
820:
816:
807:
803:
794:
790:
781:
777:
769:
765:
758:
742:
738:
729:
727:
714:
710:
702:
698:
680:
676:
667:
663:
654:
652:
634:
627:
619:
610:
605:
601:
592:
590:
579:
578:
571:
555:
554:
547:
545:
536:
535:
528:
524:
507:
491:
483:
475:Hippolyte Auger
460:
417:Peter the Great
364:
358:
318:Ignacy Gurowski
285:Frédéric Chopin
228:Reign of Terror
205:House of Sabran
189:French nobility
166:
85:
76:
62:
61:
59:
56:
48:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
1126:
1116:
1115:
1110:
1105:
1100:
1095:
1090:
1085:
1080:
1075:
1070:
1065:
1060:
1055:
1050:
1045:
1040:
1035:
1021:
1020:
1012:
990:
981:
970:
969:External links
967:
966:
965:
962:Oxonian Review
945:
944:, Paris, 1985.
938:
931:
930:, Monaco 1957.
924:
923:, London 1972.
917:
910:
903:
896:
895:, London 2001.
885:Anka Muhlstein
882:
875:
866:
863:
861:
860:
854:
832:
814:
801:
795:Tolley, Bruce
788:
775:
763:
756:
736:
708:
696:
674:
661:
625:
621:Anka Muhlstein
608:
599:
569:
525:
523:
520:
510:Sergey Dreyden
506:
503:
490:
487:
482:
479:
459:
456:
389:St. Petersburg
357:
352:
336:Heinrich Heine
218:but were both
165:
162:
148:travel writing
135:
134:
129:
125:
124:
121:
117:
116:
113:
109:
108:
105:
101:
100:
96:Lower Normandy
83:
79:
78:
73:
69:
68:
54:
50:
49:
46:
44:
40:
39:
31:
30:
26:
25:
22:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1125:
1114:
1111:
1109:
1106:
1104:
1101:
1099:
1096:
1094:
1091:
1089:
1086:
1084:
1081:
1079:
1076:
1074:
1071:
1069:
1066:
1064:
1063:LGBT nobility
1061:
1059:
1056:
1054:
1051:
1049:
1046:
1044:
1041:
1039:
1036:
1034:
1031:
1030:
1028:
1018:
1017:
1013:
1010:
1006:
1002:
998:
994:
991:
989:
985:
982:
980:
976:
973:
972:
964:
963:
958:
954:
950:
947:Leonard Epp,
946:
943:
939:
937:, Paris 1990.
936:
932:
929:
925:
922:
918:
915:
911:
908:
904:
901:
897:
894:
890:
886:
883:
880:
876:
873:
869:
868:
857:
851:
847:
843:
836:
829:
825:
818:
811:
805:
798:
792:
785:
779:
772:
767:
759:
757:9785224053698
753:
749:
748:
740:
726:
722:
718:
717:Caplan, Bryan
712:
705:
700:
694:
690:
686:
683:
678:
671:
665:
651:
647:
643:
639:
632:
630:
622:
617:
615:
613:
603:
588:
587:
582:
576:
574:
565:
559:
543:
539:
533:
531:
526:
519:
517:
516:
511:
502:
499:
496:
486:
478:
476:
472:
468:
464:
455:
453:
452:Joseph Stalin
449:
444:
441:
437:
433:
429:
425:
420:
418:
414:
410:
406:
402:
398:
394:
390:
385:
383:
379:
378:
373:
369:
363:
356:
351:
349:
343:
341:
337:
333:
329:
325:
316:
312:
309:
305:
302:
301:homosexuality
298:
294:
290:
286:
280:
278:
274:
273:
268:
264:
260:
256:
252:
248:
244:
239:
237:
233:
232:Joseph Fouché
229:
225:
221:
217:
213:
208:
206:
202:
198:
194:
190:
186:
182:
175:, his mother.
174:
170:
161:
159:
155:
154:
149:
145:
141:
133:
130:
126:
122:
118:
114:
110:
106:
102:
97:
93:
89:
84:
80:
77:Paris, France
74:
70:
65:
60:18 March 1790
55:
51:
45:
41:
37:
32:
27:
20:
1015:
992:
960:
956:
952:
941:
934:
927:
920:
913:
906:
899:
892:
888:
878:
871:
845:
835:
827:
817:
812:, 1999, p378
809:
804:
796:
791:
783:
778:
770:
766:
746:
739:
728:. Retrieved
724:
711:
703:
699:
688:
684:
682:Murat, Laure
677:
669:
664:
653:. Retrieved
641:
602:
591:. Retrieved
589:. 1999-11-22
584:
546:. Retrieved
513:
508:
500:
494:
492:
484:
470:
462:
461:
445:
421:
386:
375:
365:
354:
344:
321:
310:
306:
281:
270:
267:Duc de Laval
240:
209:
178:
151:
139:
138:
88:Auquainville
1038:1857 deaths
1033:1790 births
515:Russian Ark
265:, from the
251:Romanticism
224:Robespierre
220:guillotined
181:Niderviller
64:Niderviller
1027:Categories
1005:Volume III
855:0801473284
730:2006-06-10
655:2016-08-19
593:2016-08-19
548:5 February
428:Nicholas I
295:daughter,
158:Nicholas I
144:aristocrat
1009:Volume IV
1001:Volume II
650:0362-4331
397:Yaroslavl
297:Albertine
164:Biography
104:Spouse(s)
43:Full name
997:Volume I
558:cite web
401:mob rule
324:Romantic
263:Normandy
236:Napoleon
185:Lorraine
98:, France
92:Calvados
66:, France
986:at the
959:in the
448:Prussia
440:Emperor
382:America
259:Lisieux
197:faience
193:marquis
852:
754:
648:
489:Legacy
393:Moscow
332:novels
328:poetry
128:Mother
120:Father
82:Buried
481:Death
261:, in
112:Issue
850:ISBN
752:ISBN
646:ISSN
564:link
550:2009
436:Tsar
426:and
395:and
330:and
245:and
72:Died
53:Born
977:at
687:in
419:.
374:'s
277:Bex
253:in
1029::
1007:,
1003:,
999:,
995::
887:,
826:,
723:.
719:.
644:.
640:.
628:^
611:^
583:.
572:^
560:}}
556:{{
540:.
529:^
454:.
350:.
183:,
160:.
94:,
90:,
760:.
733:.
658:.
596:.
566:)
552:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
