Title: A life under Russian serfdom : memoirs of Savva Dmitrievich Purlevskii, 1800-1868 /
Authors: Purlevskii, Savva Dmitrievich, 1800-1868.; Gorshkov, Boris B.
Publisher: Central European University Press,
Year: 2005
Subjects: Purlevskii, Savva Dmitrievich,; Serfs Russia Biography.; Serfdom Russia History; Russia Rural conditions; Russia (Federation) Rural conditions.
Abstract: "This memoir provides readers with a glimpse of the life of a Russian serf, Savva Dmitrievich Purlevskii. He was born in 1800 in Velikoe, in a serf village in Yaroslavl' province of central Russia. At the age of thirty, he escaped from serfdom by fleeing to the south. He wrote his memoirs shortly before his death in 1868." "Savva Purlevskii recollects his life in Russian serfdom and the life of his grandparents, parents, and fellow villagers. He describes family and communal life and the serfs' daily interaction with landlords and authorities."
Contents: Our village, its inhabitants and owners -- My grandfather -- Myself, my childhood, and my family -- And my adult life began -- My marriage, my landlord, my trade, and other things -- Life outside the village observed -- The bitterness of serfdom realized -- My activities in estate life -- My future fate resolved -- Epilogue.