Professional News

Sixième Symposium International Dostoïevski

Discours d'ouverture

Michel Cadot, Président de l'IDS

Mes chers collègues, mesdames, messieurs,

C'est un plaisir et un honneur pour moi d'ouvrir ce Vlème Symposium international Dostoïevski, organisé à Nottingham par notre collègue Malcolm Jones et son équipe. Je remercie madame le professeur Fell, prorecteur de l'Université, d'avoir bien voulu accueillir le Symposium: sa spécialité, l'étude des Vikings, n'est pas aussi éloignée qu'il le semble de notre champ habituel de réflexion, car on prétend que les Varègues, cousins des Vikings, furent appelés autrefois par les Slaves pour mettre de l'ordre dans leurs affaires. Je saisis l'occasion pour rappeler que j'eus l'honneur, il y a quatre ans, d'assister à un autre colloque, consacré à Herzen, et organisé en cette même Université par madame le professeur Monica Partridge, ce nui atteste le succès des études slaves à Nottingham.

Ce Vlème Symposium Dostoïevski marque le quinzième anniversaire de notre Société. Remarquable longévité pour une entreprise animée par la seule bonne volonté de ses membres, qui lui permettent de vivre par leurs cotisations et leur attachement désintéressé à l'oeuvre de F. M. Dostoïevski, un auteur qui n'était pas bien riche lui non plus. Les organisateurs de nos rencontres triennales savent qu'ils ne peuvent compter que sur leur habileté à obtenir des subventions de leurs universités, des autorités régionales, nationales ou internationales comme l'UNESCO dont l'aide est particulièrement précieuse.

Je salue ici les efforts de Nadine Natov et de Rudolf Neuhäuser, organisateurs du premier symposium à Bad Ems (1971), à mes yeux véritable mythe fondateur puisque en ces temps reculés je n'étais pas encore né en Dostoïevski, ceux du Dr. Dox, hélas disparu depuis, à St. Wolfgang (1974), ceux de Carl Stief à Rungstedgaard (1977), de Nina Kautchichvili à Bergame (1980), les miens à Cerisy-la-Salle (1983): il est en effet agréable de se décerner à soi-même des éloges, et last but not least, ceux de Malcolm Jones à Nottingham.

Plusieurs collègues éminents sont disparus depuis 1971, et je voudrais rappeler ici les noms de Dmitri Čiževskij, de Gleb Struve, de Jan Meijer, de Sigurd Fasting. D'autres n'ont pu venir à Nottingham pour des raisons variées, et nous regrettons profondément l'absence cette année de notre président d'honneur René Wellek dont nous avions fêté le 80ème anniversaire à Cerisy (mais heureusement Georgii Mikhailovitch Fridlender, également président d'honneur, est parmi nous cette fois!); parmi les absents de marque, citons encore Mme Dominique Arban, Åke Nilsson, Carl Stief, Jan Van der Eng, Nina

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Kautchichvili, Reinhard Lauth, Konrad Onasch.

Au cours des trois années écoulées depuis le précédent Symposium, deux difficultés majeures ont dû être résolues par le Bureau exécutif de cette Société. La première fut la coincidence des dates retenues pour le Symposium de Nottingham et la rencontre des professeurs de russe dans le cadre du MAPRJAL à Budapest. Devant l'impossibilité de trouver un autre lieu et/ou une autre date pour le Symposium de l'I.D.S., j'ai dû, après bien des hésitations, maintenir notre réunion à Nottingham en 1986. Un autre problème, plus grave encore, a été le sauvetage in extremis de notre revue Dostoevsky Studies, que l'éditeur associé renonça brusquement à publier à l'Université de Tennessee. Grâce à la diligence de l'éditeur, Rudolf Neuhäuser, et aux efforts de Nadine Natov, la publication des numéros 5 et 6 put être assurée par les Universités de Klagenfurt et de Ljubljana. Des précisions sur la situation financière de la revue seront données à l'Assemblée générale.

La dernière question que je voudrais aborder avec vous ce soir est celle du prochain Symposium. Il aura lieu en 1989. Je ne puis vous dire encore où il se tiendra, car trois propositions ont déjà été avancées, l'une au sud-est de l'Europe, l'autre au nord et la troisième à l'est. Je retiendrai seulement comme un signe de vitalité encourageant pour notre Société que plusieurs propositions se trouvent en concurrence! En attendant que ce petit mystère soit éclairci, je remercie encore une fois Malcolm Jones et Richard Peace pour l'accueil chaleureux que nous recevons à Nottingham, et je suis sûr que ce Vlème Symposium consacré à F. M. Dostoïevski sera un grand succès!

Michel Cadot
 

Professor Christine Fell, Pro Vice-chancellor of the University of Nottingham, welcomed the Symposium on behalf of the University. Professor Malcolm Jones also welcomed the Symposium on behalf of the Organising Committee, the Department of Slavonic Studies at Nottingham and as President of the British Universities Association of Slavists. He recalled previous symposia and said what a pleasure and honour it was to be able to welcome participants to the VI Symposium at Nottingham.

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Report

Rudolf Neuhäuser, Editor

The time between the last Symposium at Cerisy (1983) and the present meeting in Nottingham has been particulary dramatic because of Prof. Martin Rice's departure. In January 1984, after the decision had been taken concerning the contents of nos. 4 and 5 of "Dostoevsky Studies" Prof. Rice assured Prof. Natov that no. 4 would be printed early in April 1984. I kept writing to Prof. Rice, sending material and correspondence (requests by bookstores and libraries) to him. After not having received an answer I asked Prof. Natov to contact Prof. Rice. In early summer 1984 (May-June) it became obvious that there were problems and that Prof. Rice may not be able to complete no. 4. In a letter dated Sept. 9, 1984, Prof. Rice finally informed me that almost 90% of the final version of no. 4 had been erased on the computer due to a mistake. He made every effort to catch up spending $ 300 out of his own pocket for a typist (the Dept. paid $ 150 to a secretary for typing papers), but the work on the computer was done poorly: "There still remains two or three weeks of editing and printing of the final product in order to get the 1983 issue to the printer. It will be absolutely impossible for me to take this much time before January (1984) when I return to the University."

During Sept. and October 1984 I spent seven weeks on a lecture tour in Canada and could talk to Prof. Rice and his colleague Fiene trying to get Prof. Rice to complete, at least, no. 4. After my return, in a letter of Dec. 2, Prof. Rice informed me that he had resigned from university (effective March 1985) and was leaving the profession. As of this date (letter of Dec. 2, 1984) he forwarded all his material to me.

At the beginning of the new year (1985) it was clear that either we would have to discontinue the journal or find a new way of publishing it. The printing establishment used by the Slavic Dept. in Ljubljana offered reasonable prices, and I could persuade my university to pay for the mailing costs. Our departmental secretary would type some papers in German and English. The only problem were papers in Russian and French. Assistence was offered eventually by Professors Kaucisvili, Natov, Zohrab and Terras. With their help and the help of our secretary and two additional typists who had to be paid by IDS all the papers were typed by early March 1985. In April 1985 issues 4 and 5 were in print and were sent to subscribers. Problems arose when I charged the old price ($ 10,—) and Prof. Natov charged $ 12,— for no. 5 in line with a decision by NADS raising membership

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fees in December 1984 to $ 12,—. This was applied to all IDS members and subscribers, - the editor was informed only late in April. After more problems which were all solved eventually, no. 6 was produced the same way and was mailed to subscribers in spring 1986.

A considerable problem was caused by the falling course of the dollar. Between 1984 and 1986 the dollar lost about a quarter of its exchange value. This may eventually force us to raise the subscription rate to $ 15.—. We have presently in Europe about 40 institutional subscribers and about 45 individual subscribers (members). Outside Europe we have a comparable member of subscribers. Altogether we need at least 150 paying subscribers to break even. I would like to appeal to you to see to it that your institution subscribes to "Dostoevsky Studies". I also appeal to all colleagues in countries where there is no currency problem to pay their annual fee. In particular, I wish to express my gratitude to Professor Donald Fiene of the University of Tennessee who has regularly supported the printing of the journal with a grant of $ 300 to 400 per issue!

An exact account of funds received and spent has been given to the Executive and has been checked by Prof. V. Terras. Altogether the printing of issues 4, 5 and 6 cost approximately $ 4,000.—, typing and mailing amounted to another $ 1,200.—

In the future, "Dostoevsky Studies" will be printed and bound in Ljubljana with the assistance of Prof. A. Skaza as technical editor. The journal will also be mailed out from Ljubljana. Fees should, however, be paid to the Secretary General, Professor Nadine Natov.

A special vote of gratitude is due to our collaborators in the bibliography section, Ms. Roberta W. Goldblatt, Molly Molloy and June Pachuta Farris. In place of Prof. Rice it will be Prof. J. Pachuta Farris who will be in charge of the Bibliography Section of "Dostoevsky Studies" in the future. Please address all bibliographical information to her at the Joseph Regenstein Library, The University of Chicago, 110O East 57th Street, Chicago, 1ll. 60637, U.S.A.

I would like to conclude this brief survey with an expression of my gratitude to all colleagues who have assisted in the editorial work. Your advice, and, above all, the products of your scholarly endeavours in the field of Dostoevsky studies, will always be welcome.

Nadine Natov: Report of the Secretary General
See p.215

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At the end of the Symposium, Professor Malcolm Jones expressed his appreciation for the thanks which he had received and in his turn thanked Professor Richard Peace, Bristol, and Dr Cynthia Marsh, Dr James Muckle and Miss Joanne Davies, Nottingham, for their invaluable help. He also wished to express his gratitude to Dr Tony Briggs, Bristol, and Mr Bill Leatherbarrow, Sheffield, who had helped with the initial correspondence and Mr Ian Mair and his staff at Nightingale Hall for accommodation and meals. He said that when he had attended the first Symposium in Bad Ems, he had greatly valued the opportunity of meeting distinguished specialists from all over the world, and was even more glad to be able to welcome so many of them to his own University of Nottingham. Finally, he expressed his good wishes to Professor Aleksander Skaza and his colleagues at the University of Ljubljana for the organisation of the Seventh Symposium in Slovenia in 1989.

Редакция желает обратить внимание читателей на ниже воспроизведенную статью в "Литературной газете" от 12-го ноября 1986 г. на стр.2 и выражает надежду, что сотрудничество с учеными СССР и дальше будет развиваться благоуспешно.