“THE DAY OF BORODINO” AND THE MENAION

Natasha was P. A. Katenin's first work to be published, famous for its lyricism which made it the author's greatest success with both critics and readers. Traditionally Natasha was classified as a ballad, with G. A. Burger's Lenora named as its source. We claim to have discovered a more obvious source of this text ? The Martyrdom of Sts. Adrian and Natalia in St. Dimitry of Rostov's version of the Menaion. It was included in the Menaion entry for August 26 ? the day of the Battle of Borodino. This hagiographic source sheds light on numerous episodes in Katenin's lyrical tale ? a text which started the “Natalia text” tradition in Russian literature. The symbol of birth (the name Natalia is derived from the Latin word for birth) is thus linked to death (via the day of one of the bloodiest battles of the 19th century). Katenin introduces the idea of death as a chance for a happy future, as his protagonist dies to keep on living with her beloved. Katenin's tale opens the new type of poetic expression of patriotic consciousness. Natasha was the first war text in Russian literature to glorify peaceful life of common people, rather than war.