The former and the thoughts

The book of memoirs “Past and Duma” is rightfully considered not only the top of Herzen’s work, but also a wonderful phenomenon of Russian history and culture. “The former and the thoughts” is not a historical monograph, but a reflection of history in a person who accidentally hit her road, ”the author himself gave such a definition. In fact, the biographical narrative grew into an unusually wide panorama of the Russian and European life of the mid -19th century. “Past and Duma” is a chronicle of an unprecedented public upsurge, which ended with the pan -European revolution of 1848 and deceived expectations, but it is also a touching romantic story of love and the author’s family drama. Sincerity, observation, literary skill and civil courage of Herzen delighted his contemporaries. The talent of the portraitist allowed him to capture the features of the appearance and character of Chaadaev, Belinsky, Granovsky, Bakunin, Garibaldi, Owen and many of his other interlocutors - figures of Russian and world history