This collection is located on-site.
Tal'́s handwritten memoirs, recorded in 88 notebooks, recount his life experiences and explore in detail the following subjects: the life of the Imperial family and the role of Rasputin; high society and cultural life in St. Petersburg at the turn of the century; social life and customs in the Russian provinces during the 19th century; the Aleksandrovskiĭ Lycʹee; military education and the Hussar Regiment; the February and October Revolutions; and the Russian emigration, first in Yugoslavia and, after World War II, in France. The narrative, although predominantly second-hand, is frequently interspersed with personal reminiscences and the recollections of family members, friends and colleagues. Georgiĭ Tal ́stresses the eyewitness aspect of these accounts, stating that he recorded much of the information the time it occurred. However, his repeated use of verbatim dialogue gives the memoirs a tone of historical fiction.
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This collection is located on-site.
Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.
Memoirs: Method of acquisition--Purchase; Date of acquisition--1956.
Memoirs: Method of acquisition--Purchase; Date of acquisition--1964.
Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Memoirs Accessioned 1956.
Memoirs Accessioned 1964.
Memoirs Processed 11/--/81.
2020-05-12 PDF removed. jg
Tal ́(von Thal) was a member of the Russian aristocracy and a career military officer. Georgii A. Tal was born in St. Petersburg in 1884. He was the son of Aleksandr Iakovlevich Tal, a high ranking military officer and Sofiia Nikolaevna, nee Sinel'nikova, the daughter of a wealthy landowner.During his childhood, Georgii Tal spent much time on the family estate in Chernigov province. At the age of thirteen he enrolled in the Aleksandrovskii Lycee and in 1905, after completing his schooling, he joined the Hussar Regiment (Leib Gvardii Gusarskii Polk), where he remained for ten years, fighting in its ranks during World War I. Sometime in 1915 he was called to serve as personal aide to the commander in charge of the imperial guards, General Voeikov. In that position he witnessed first-hand the events of 1917-1918. After the fall of the tsar, he was employed in the military supply headquarters, and, following the defeat of the White forces, he emigrated to Yugoslavia. There he entered the Yugoslav army and fought with it in World War II. In 1943, Georgii Tal1 was sent by the Germans on a mission to Odessa, Nikolaev and Kherson. After the war he emigrated first to Austria and then, in 1947, to France.
The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.
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| Genre/Form | ||
|---|---|---|
| Memoirs | CLIO Catalog | ArchiveGRID |
| Name | ||
| Rasputin, Grigoriĭ Efimovich, 1869-1916 | CLIO Catalog | ArchiveGRID |
| Subject | ||
| Social life and customs -- Soviet Union -- 1533-1917 | CLIO Catalog | ArchiveGRID |