Birtalan Ágnes: Kalmyk Folklore and Folk Culture in the Mid-19th Century: Philological Studies on the Basis of Gábor Bálint of Szentkatolna’s Kalmyk Texts.

INTRODUCTION

He wrote in his short report (of 2

n

d September 1871) to the Academy that after completing his fieldwork in Kazan

6 among the Christianised Tatars

7 he was intending to continue his research among the Kalmyks from the end of September 1871: "... at the end of September I depart to Astrakhan, if I receive - as is promised [by the Academy] - the second half of [my] yearly support".

8 The exact date of his arrival in Astrakhan, however, does not emerge either from his correspondence and reports, or from his diary; supposedly he started his studies in Astrakhan in late September. Concerning his departure from the Kalmyks there are more exact references at our disposal. He left the Kalmyks on 12

t

h May 1872, as indicated in his letter written in Saint Petersburg on 17 June 1872. "I departed form Astrakhan on 12

,

h May and arrived luckily after a six-day journey by train in Saint Petersburg ,.."

9 Though in his late memoirs, his fragmentary diary, another date also appears: "At the end of the month of April 1872, when the fairly rough winter gave way to the summery warmth in Astrakhan, I boarded a steam boat to Tsaritsin and then a train to Saint Petersburg. ... On 30

l

h April in the afternoon 1 took a sleeping compartment on the train that went to Saint Petersburg."

1

0 Probably the previous date (12

t

h May), recorded directly after his arrival in Saint Petersburg, is more accurate than the one in his later memoirs which were written in his declining years.

1

1 RECORDING THE KALMYK MATERIAL Bálint was commissioned by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences - upon János Fogarasi's recommendation - to record materials of the spoken idioms of Altaic (called Turanic by Bálint) and Finnio-Ugric languages. The request of the Academy coincided with his endeavour to try to find possible Jelentése ). Bálint's notes, statements in his fragmentary diary - kept in the University Library of Szeged University - was systematised and published by Jenő Zágoni who first introduced this valuable source: Szentkatolnai Bálint Gábor önéletrajzi naplótöredéke. In: Szentkatolnai Bálint Gábor. Válogatott írások. Ed. and published by Zágoni, Jenő. Budapest 2005. [Gábor Bálint of Szentkatolna's fragmentary diary. In: Gábor Bálint of Szentkatolna, selected works] pp. 19-57 (further: Zágoni ). The diary notes constitute fragmentary facts on Bálint's first thirty years only (1844-1874), but the Kalmyk and the Mongol field work took place in this period. On the one hand the newly emerged facts complete the sources (letters, reports) known earlier but on the other hand they offer new data as well. ''On the role of the multicultural Kazan in the spiritual and educational life of the Kalmyks and Buryats, cf. Schorkowitz, Dittmar: Staat und Nationalitäten in Russland. Der Integrationsprozess der Burjaten und Kalmücken. 1822-1925. (Quellen und Studien zur Geschichte des östlichen Europa 61.) Stuttgart, Franz Steiner 2001 pp 248-273. 7 Detailed references, cf. Grammar pp XI-XII *"... September hó végével indulok Astrachanba, föltéve, hogy az évi összeg második felét az igéret szerint megkapom." [Bálint, Gábor]: Jelentés az Akadémiához p 245, cf. also Kara: Bálint Gábor keleti levelei. I follow Bálint's spelling of Hungarian, without adjusting it to the present-day spelling norms. 9"Astrakánból [sic!] május 12-én indultam el s csaknem 6 napi utazás után vasúttal szerencsésen megérkeztem Sz. Pétervárra, ..." [Bálint Gábor levele Fogarasi Jánoshoz 1872. június 17.] In: Akadémiai Értesítő VI. (1872) pp. 208-210, on p. 208. [Gábor Bálint's letter to János Fogarasi 17 June 1

872. In: Proceedings of the Academy] cf. also Kara: Bálint Gábor keleti levelei, p. 208 Concerning Bálint's journey, an inaccuracy is repeated in many studies. Bálint clearly described that he first visited Kazan in order to master Mongolian dialects. He has not gone to Saint Petersburg first, as it is indicated in many bibliographical sketches about his life. In fact he travelled to Saint Petersburg only after his stay in Astrakhan. "'"1872 April hó végén, amikor Asztrakhiánban [sic!] a meglehetős zord telet nyárias meleg váltotta fel, gőzhajóra szálltam Czáricinban menendő, s onnan vasúttal Szent-Pétervárra. ... 1872 April hó 30-adikán délután szálltam be a Szent-Pétervárra vivő vonat hálókupéjába." Zágoni. pp. 39-40. " Currently there is no further data at my disposal on Bálint's diary-writing. Cf. Zágoni. p. 19 9