Forbidden Love in Catherine the Great's Russia

October 15, 2008

The Pearl: A True Tale of Forbidden Love in Catherine the Great's Russia. By Douglas Smith. Yale University Press. 328 pp.

This is a quirky little book about an "illicit" love affair between Russia's richest aristocrat, Count Nicholas Sheremetev (1751-1803), and Praskovia Kovalyova, his serf and the greatest opera diva of her time--quite a contradiction there, or so it seems until learning what Smith asserts about the tradition of serf theaters. Many aristocrats like Sheremetev maintained elaborate theaters, with their serfs as actors, musicians, scene painters, etc. Praskovia joined his theater as a little girl and their affair began when she was barely in her teens. Soon renowned for her talent and beauty (and intelligence it seems) as "The Pearl," she sounds like an amazing woman. Many years later Sheremetev freed her and eventually married her. Sadly, she died shortly thereafter giving birth to their son Dimitry. The book is full of information about life among the Russian aristocracy, but often Smith seems to be stretching what little is known about The Pearl and about the relationship between her and Sheremetev. If you're interested in anything and everything Russian, and have read widely in the field, this book has its charms; otherwise, go for a bigger picture.