The Pearl: A True Tale of Forbidden Love in Catherine the Great’s Russia

360 Pages·2008·1.385 MB·English

by  Douglas Smith

The Pearl
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The Pearl
(cid:1)
A True Tale of Forbidden Love in
Catherine the Great’s Russia
Douglas Smith
Yale University Press New Haven & London
Copyright © 2008 by Douglas Smith.
All rights reserved.
This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in
part, including illustrations, in any form (beyond that
copying permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S.
Copyright Law and except by reviewers for the public
press), without written permission from the publishers.
Set in Caslon type by Tseng Information Systems, Inc.
Printed in the United States of America.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Smith, Douglas, 1962–
The Pearl : a true tale of forbidden love in Catherine
the Great’s Russia / Douglas Smith.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-300-12041-7 (alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-300-12041-9 (alk. paper)
1. Kovaleva-Zhemchugova, P. I. (Praskovia Ivanovna)
2. Singers—Russia—Biography. 3. Opera—Russia—
18th century. 4. Sheremetev family. I. Title.
ML420.K875S65 2008
782.1092—dc22
[B]
2007045563
A catalogue record for this book is available from the
British Library.
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for
permanence and durability of the Committee on
Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the
Council on Library Resources.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To Stephanie
Remember that what you are told is really threefold:
shaped by the teller, reshaped by the listener, concealed from
both by the dead man of the tale.
—VLADIMIR NABOKOV, The Real Life of Sebastian Knight
Contents
Acknowledgments x
Note on Style xiv
Family Trees xv
Prelude 1
I KUSKOVO
ONE An Aristocratic Boyhood 13
TWO The Blacksmith’s Daughter 21
THREE Grand Tour 29
FOUR The Big House 37
FIVE First Meeting 42
SIX Praskovia’s Debut 48
SEVEN Early Success 53
EIGHT Serf Diva, Serf Mistress 61
NINE Entertaining Catherine 75
vii
Contents
TEN The Sheremetevs and Their Serfs 85
ELEVEN The Old Count’s Death 91
Interlude: Serf Theater 97
II OSTANKINO
TWELVE “I intend to build . . .” 113
THIRTEEN Farewell to Kuskovo 121
FOURTEEN Ostankino’s Premier 130
FIFTEEN Training the Troupe 138
SIXTEEN Life in the Troupe 146
SEVENTEEN To St. Petersburg 154
EIGHTEEN Tsar Paul 160
Interlude: Serf Actress Stories 171
III THE FOUNTAIN HOUSE
NINETEEN Freedom 181
TWENTY The Curtain Falls 188
TWENTY-ONE The Specter of Death 195
TWENTY-TWO Coronation 200
TWENTY-THREE Wedding 206
TWENTY-FOUR Newlyweds 217
TWENTY-FIVE Dmitry’s Birth 225
TWENTY-SIX Secrets Revealed 232
TWENTY-SEVEN Death 239
TWENTY-EIGHT Scandal 247
TWENTY-NINE Saint Praskovia 252
THIRTY Putrid Bones 261
viii
Contents
THIRTY-ONE Fatherly Advice 266
THIRTY-TWO Separate Fates 271
Coda 281
Notes 285
Bibliography 301
Index 321
ix
Acknowledgments
It is a pleasure to acknowledge the individuals and institutions without
whose help this book could not have been written. Members of the
Sheremetev family greeted me warmly when I told them of my plans to
write a book on their ancestors. Kyra Cheremeteff, a direct descendant of
Nicholas and Praskovia, responded with generosity to my inquiries. Her
parents, Nikita and Maïko Cheremeteff, took me in on a cold December
night and shared with me family lore, books, and a wonderful meal. I
am both touched by their gracious hospitality and grateful for their help.
Other family members have kindly responded to my requests for infor-
mation: Catherine Davison, Xenia Cheremeteff Sfiri, Yevdokia Shereme-
teva and her husband, Stepan. Varvara Pavlina and her brother Nikolai
allowed me to visit them in Moscow on several occasions and spent hours
answering my many questions.
I am grateful to Emma Parry for all her enthusiasm, advice, and hard
work and to everyone else at Fletcher and Parry, especially Kate Scherler
and Melissa Chinchillo. Steven Hanson, Glennys Young, Dan Waugh,
Michael Biggins, Simon Werrett, and Ben Schmidt at the University of
Washington have welcomed me and my research and offered consider-
able support. I wish to express my gratitude to the staffs of the Library of
Congress, the University of Washington’s Suzzallo and Allen Libraries,
the New York Public Library, the Charles E. Young Research Library at
UCLA, and the University of Kansas Libraries.
x