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It is published in " The Science in Siberia ", 1997, ¹ 11

Karmaluk's fate

Readers have the right to frown at a kind of this heading. Certainly, it is poor - any superficial play of words, pleonastic clanking of casually concurrent accords … But temptation to stop on this superficial pun amplifies in process of acquaintance to life of Ustim Karmaluk, the born 210 years back, March, 10 1787.

The thunderous stroke of bad luck threatened by payment for all acts, happened for any landowner of Podolsk province occurrence of Karmaluk with a band. The legendary avenger, Ukrainian Robin Gud, sworn to not shed blood and not ruined any soul, restored validity expropriation of landowner, and distribution of goods to poor men.

The epithet "legendary" should be understood in literal sense. Even at life about Karmaluk composed legends and songs, and the volume of works of art about him in tens times is surpassed with volume of documentary sources is in spite of the fact that his insurgent activity last twenty with superfluous years, has captured except for Podolsk province part Kiev area and Bessarabia, that in movement has taken part about 20 thousand person, that the government was compelled in 1833 to create special Galuzinec commission for coordination of retaliatory measures - so, documents was fairly. Large products about Karmaluk were left by the best representatives of the Ukrainian literature – Marko Vovchok*, Mikhaylo Staritskiy, Stepan Vasil'chenko, Vasil Kucher. Kharkov composer Valentine Kostenko posesses opera "Karmaluk " (the surname was written both through "a", and through "e"). Folklore products about the national hero collected Mykola Kostomarov and Taras Shevchenko. The national rumour attributes to this noble robber authorship of some songs (in some cases it, probably, really so though most known, " For Ñèáiðîì сонце to descend(go) ", is composed, contrary to a rumour, nevertheless not him).

In result image Кармалюка as historic figure cannot be separated from legends and legends. Besides many authors would not like to embellish this image on the лад. So, the biographer of well-known rebel Vladimir Kanivets in the book which has left in 1965 in series " Life of remarkable people ", tried, being confused in the facts to shift desertion of the character with 1813 for spring 1812 (when the landowner has only just handed over the rebellious serf in soldiers). Motives of the writer known for the adherence to a political conjuncture are clear: the national hero when there is a Domestic war cannot desert. But that's just the point, that for the Ukrainian peasants this war was not domestic. The Polish landowners (and in Podolia the majority of landowners was Poles), deprived statehood, were guided by Napoleon who has created the Warsaw duchy - puppet, but nevertheless any similarity of the power. And for serfs that the Polish sir, that Russian authority were equally hostile. (the Similar situation was and in the second world war when soldier the Ukrainian insurgent army, incorrectly named banderavets - Stepan Bandera at this time sat in Zaksenkhauzen and to supervise over them could not in any way, - battled and against Hitlerisms, and - later - against Bolsheviks. But the Soviet historiography ignored their participation in antifascist struggle.)

Continuing traditions of zaporozhets and haydamaks, Karmaluk asserted, according to ethnographer S.Maksimova, " with energy, a sequence and nobleness Cossacks will and a share from панского an arbitrariness ". Peasants came to him with complaints to the landowner - and he left " on a call ". Him repeatedly arrested, but every time he ran - that from under an escort, with the help of the colleague disguised as the general (it is possible, a legend) from a unapproachable prison tower of the Kamenets-Podolsk fortress worth on breakage, it is direct above the rough river Smotrichem (a historic fact). Four times him banished on misery to Siberia. Probably, the legend about his desperate runaway from Nerchinsk's mines does not meet to the validity: when in 1818 it have banished in Transbaikalia, it ran from a stage, in Vjatskoj province, and the subsequent references were to Tobolsk. So legendary the message seems also, that during one of runaways he, for the lack of a boat, was forwarded through the river Ural on a gate. But these legends widely occured, them with admiration repeated in all Siberian jails. It mentions, in particular, petrashevets Ashrumov.

In 1825, after a stage continued more of year, Karmaluk from the Tobolsk unbearable prison has got to Yalutorovsk: on local a distillary the expert and where such experts to search as not among ukrainian was required.

Soon ran, was seized and placed in much worse conditions, already on copper factory. Runaway from here (one of the most well-known) is documentary. An autumn, during a night storm, Karmaluk has broken out a lattice, has collected shirts of all prisoners and has connected them in a long panel. To the end has adhered a stone and has deserted for palings of prison. On this suspension bridge, it is direct from a window for a fencing one behind one all prisoners have got over - in the morning the chamber was empty. In some months landowners again shivered in the manors. In 1828 - again capture, again Siberia (Borovllyanskiy glass factory in the Tobolsk province), again runaway. … Any person, executing will of fate, itself from fate is not free. Karmaluk, the same as also many others as his "colleague", legendary opryshka Oleksa Dovbush, and the destiny has overtaken at a meeting with the woman. One write, that she was his mistress, others - that in her hut secret meeting Karmaluk with someone from comrades should be held. Whether there was this female insidiousness, or the mistress was bribed, or simply intimidated - opinions too miss. Karmaluk has stepped for a threshold and was on the spot shot: in outer entrance hall there was gentry an ambush.

Shot, speaks the legend, not a bullet, and a button - only so it is possible to kill a sorcerer. The sorcerer whom counted the ataman. There is also a legend as if from a fate murderers who have ostensibly banished to Siberia have not left also: nobody charged to them to kill Karmaluk . On the business they were awarded with Nikolay I. Such fate.

* In her "fairy tale" "Karmaluk " the motive of destiny is especially felt. Actually, anything fantastic in this product is not present, unless general stylistics, but any magic. But breath of any powerful force which forces the young man to throw a facilities (an economy) from rather prosperous family, the young wife, the child is very clearly felt and to begin struggle for validity - not for the sake of itself, for the sake of others oppressed and wretched …

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