Axiology of Life Experience: 20th-21st Centuries in the Prism of the Fate of a Titled Russian Nobleman

Abstract

The biography genre was initially focused on the life stories of great people, kings and generals who decided the fate of countries and peoples. However, as the culture of memory became more democratized and numerous archives, documents, diaries, etc. appeared, we now have the opportunity to view lives of representatives of a diverse social strata through a biographical lens . The hero of the book under review is Prince Nikita Dmitrievich Lobanov-Rostovsky. His ancestors are representatives of a titled noble family dating back to the Rurikovichs, and he himself remarkably combines four professions:  geologist, banker, financial consultant and art collector. The extensive historical and bibliographic material of the book is divided into 22 chapters that follow the chronological canon. At the same time, the author managed to move away from the clichés inherent in the biography genre and avoid romanticizing the glorious noble ancestors. As for the life of Nikita Lobanov-Rostovsky himself, he was born during the period when his family lived in exile in Bulgaria. However, after the end of World War II, the communists came to power there too. Then the family decided to flee from Bulgaria to Greece through the mountains, but was detained by border guards. After living for some time in Paris, the young prince began studying Geology at Oxford. At that time, he began to take an interest in art and meets his future first wife Nina, the daughter of the French ambassador to the UN. In order to support his family, he works as a geologist in the oil fields and provides highly paid consultations to the management of oil producing companies. Together with his wife, they collect a unique collection of art objects. Meetings with art collectors fostered meaningful connections with influential members of the intellectual and artistic elite and their influential representatives both nationally and internationally. However, as befits a representative of a special genre of political and diplomatic work in the sphere of culture, Prince Nikita Dmitrievich very sparingly shares his secrets and achievements in this area in correspondence and public statements. The creation of a permanent exhibition of theatrical graphics in the country based on the collection of the prince and his first wife Nina may be of interest for readers interested in the peculiarities of cultural processes in the USSR during the late perestroika, and in the evidence of bureaucratic suppression of initiatives aimed at popularizing the theatrical culture of the Silver Age in the USSR. Prince Nikita Dmitrievich Lobanov-Rostovsky entered the tenth decade of his complex, meaningful and creative life with a clear mind, a voluminous memory and constantly expanding life experience. It is worth expressing gratitude to the author of the book, which helps the reader look at the turbulent events of almost an entire century with a lively, accessible and at the same time critical view, reflecting on the fate of the Motherland from the position of a steadfast, cheerful and deeply patriotic view of a complex Russian person.