The Imperiia Project: a spatial history of the Russian EmpireMain MenuProjectsDashboardsData CatalogMapStoriesGalleriesGamesWho said history was boring?Teach Our ContentCiting the ProjectKelly O'Neilldc20b45f1d74122ba0d654d19961d826c5a557f5The Imperiia Project // Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University
12018-03-30T01:17:32-04:00Alexander Herzen1plain7059002018-04-04T04:46:28-04:00Alexander Herzen was a highly influential Russian writer and political thinker in the 19th century. He is known for originating the theory of “agrarian populism”, which helped establish the Russian path to socialism. Herzen’s memoir entitled My Past and Thoughts is his most famous writing. In the first volume of his memoir, Alexander Herzen describes his imprisonment and exile due to reading “forbidden books” and discussing “dangerous ideas” (Garnett, xvii). After being sent to exile in Vyatka, he is finally freed and transferred to the ancient city of Vladimir. While Alexander does not describe Vladimir in detail in his memoirs, an old diary entry of his was found describing the various sights of the city. The following is the translated account of Alexander’s experience viewing the historic city of Vladimir as well as his thoughts and various reflections after spending time in prison and exile.
