Green Lamp, Literary and Political Society

Categories / Literature. Book Publishing/Salons, Circles, Creative Associations and Unions
GREEN LAMP, literary and political society (1819-20). D. N. Barkov, N. V. Vsevolozhsky, F. N. Glinka, N. I. Gnedich, A. A. Delwig, P. P. Kaverin, Y. N. Tolstoy, S. P. Trubetskoy, A. D. Ulybyshev (all in all about 20 people) were among its participants. The purpose of the society was "reading literary compositions", yet its activity had a political shade without any doubt. The Green Lamp was a free society of the early Decembrist organization - the Union of Welfare. The society was named after the lamp with a green abat-jour which hung on the hall where participants gathered round the table. Poems were read at the meetings, including poems Against the Tsar and Government, reviews of theatre life of St. Petersburg were made, and historical and publicistic articles by members of the society were read. The motto of the society was Light and Hope. Participants had rings with an image of a lamp. There are several poetic epistles by A. S.Pushkin adressed to members of the Green Lamp. Political views of members of the society were most brightly expressed in the poems by Glinka Charade and in the social Utopia by Ulybyshev the Dream. Meetings of the Green Lamp were held in the flat of N. V. Vsevolozhsky on 8 Teatralnaya Square (memorial plaque).

References: Модзалевский Б. Л. К истории "Зеленой лампы" // Декабристы и их время. М., 1928. Т. 1. С. 11-61; Сашонко В. Н. Под зеленым абажуром // Белые ночи: О тех, кто прославил город на Неве. Л., 1971. [Вып. 1]. С. 139-166; Литературный Петербург пушкинской эпохи: Адрес. указ. / Сост. В. Ф. Шубин // Дома у Пушкина: [Сб. ст.]. СПб., 1994. С. 100-111. (Арс; № 1).

D. N. Akhapkin. Barkov Dmitry Nikolaevich
Delwig Anton Antonovich
Glinka Fedor Nikolaevich
Gnedich Nikolay Ivanovich
Kaverin Peter Pavlovich
Pushkin Alexander Sergeevich
Tolstoi Yakov Nikolaevich
Trubetskoy Sergey Petrovich, Duke
Ulybyshev Alexander Dmitrievich
Vsevolozhsky Nikita Vsevolodovich
Teatralnaya Square/Saint Petersburg, city, house 8
Модзалевский Б. Л. К истории "Зеленой лампы" // Декабристы и их время. М., 1928
Сашонко В. Н. Под зеленым абажуром // Белые ночи: О тех, кто прославил город на Неве. Л., 1971
Литературный Петербург пушкинской эпохи: Адрес. указ. / Сост. В. Ф. Шубин // Дома у Пушкина: [Сб. ст.]. СПб., 1994