Below, Pushkin reaches out to fellow poet F. N. Glinka, regarding the latter’s failure to take part in a “poetic memorial feast” for Anton Delvig, a close friend of Pushkin’s and publisher of the journal Northern Flowers. Glinka had reason to me mad: in Pushkin’s “Assembly of Insects”, in which he various men of letters were characterized by different insects, Glinka was compared to the ladybug—meek, pious, retiring. Pushkin’s letter did, in fact, win Glinka over, and Glinka submitted poems to the next Northern Flowers.
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TO FEDOR NICKOLAEVICH GLINKA
November 21, 1831, St. Petersburg
Dear Sir, Fedor Nikolaevich, we here have undertaken in memory of our Delvig the publishing of the last Northern Flowers. Of all his friends we have noted that only you and Baratynksy were lacking at the poetic memorial feast: the two very poets with whom, after his Lyceum friends, he was most closely connected. I have been told that you are angry with me. That is no argument: anger is one thing, but friendship is another. And fine fellows they are who embroil us against each other, with God knows what gossip. As for me, with my sincere, profound esteem for you and your fine talent, I am completely guiltless toward you.
I still rely on your good will and on your verses. Perhaps I shall see you soon; at least it is pleasant to end my letter with this wish.
All yours, without ceremony,
A. Pushkin.
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