Meletij Smotryc'kyj by David A. FrickReview by: S. M. PughThe Slavonic and East European Review, Vol. 75, No. 1 (Jan., 1997), pp. 161-162Published by: the Modern Humanities Research Association and University College London, School ofSlavonic and East European StudiesStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4212336 .

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REVIEWS I6I

Calvinism in Royal Prussia, however, the book provides not only an incomplete, but a distorted picture of Prussian cultural and intellectual life.

Finally, one section (Chapter 3.I.2.2.) is disgraceful. In his polemical diatribe against Poland-Lithuania, its nobles and its Catholic church, Heinz Neumeyer shows more emotional involvement than is healthy for a scholar to be taken seriously. Snippets from Paul Simson and Edward Carstenn, two famous representatives of Nazi-Ostforschung, and other literature from the first half of the century, form the basis of his research on 'The Protestant Churches in Royal Prussia'. Apart from many inaccuracies and factual mistakes (for example, contrary to Neumeyer's assertion, the cities of Royal Prussia rejected diplomatic advances from Lutheran Sweden in the two Polish-Swedish wars, p. I63), the language of national prejudice and anachronistic references to 'German Volkstum' do nothing but disservice to the project of Polish-German historical co-operation. Thus, although this book tries to fill an important void - the last comprehensive history on both parts of Prussia is a pre-war work by Bruno Schumacher (Geschichte Ost- und Westpreufiens, I937) - it represents a missed opportunity. Due to the inconsistency in the quality of its contributions and'the historiographical one-sidedness of some chapters, the whole project does not live up to the intentions expressed by its well-meaning editor.

School of Slavonic and East European Studies KARIN FRIEDRICH University of London

Frick, David A. Meletd Smotyc'kyj. Harvard Series in Ukrainian Studies. Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, Cambridge, MA, I.995 xvii + 395 pp. Notes. Illustrations. Appendices. Bibliography. Index. $29.50; $I7.00.

MELETIJ SMOTRYC'KYJ is an outstanding work by a gifted and articulate scholar. It is physically exquisite, from the flyleaf to the illustrations placed alongside chapter headings throughout; the illustrations play an important role, as they complement the title of the book: although there is no subtitle, the reproductions of Smotryc'kyj's portrait (or pieces thereof) in fact constitute a graphic subtitle, which might read 'who was he realty', or 'the two faces of . .'. The importance of this imagery immediately becomes clear to the reader, who is faced at every turn with another question in the text: 'who was Smotryc'kyj?'; 'when was he born?'; 'why?'; and the like. Far from being a simplistic or tedious device, however, this is a device that engages the reader, excites our curiosity, and makes us continue turning the pages until we find the answers (or the author's best guesses).

If one is told that Smotryc'kyj was an Orthodox theologian, a grammarian, later a convert to the Uniate (Orthodox Catholic) church, and lived in the Ruthenian lands (now Ukraine and Belarus) c. 1577/78-I633, one might quite rightly expect the book to be an exposition of an historical-cultural- philosophical-philological nature: in other words, dry, wordy, and a worthy addition to the stacks of the library. Not so, however: the book is extremely clearly written, Frick's style is very readable and enjoyable; he draws you into

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I62 THE SLAVONIC REVIEW

Smotryc'kyj's world as easily as Le Carre draws us into the world of spies. In fact, Smotryc'kyj's life is - in many respects - shrouded in mystery (why did he convert? what influenced him?), and Frick makes much of his book read like a mystery novel. Thus, for example:

'Meanwhile, Smotryc'kyj was secretly continuing his dealings with the Uniate side.' (p. 125).

'Smotryc'kyj died, and his monks washed his face and hands ("as is the custom of the Order") and dressed him in the "vestments he had commanded them to make ready while he was alive". So far, so good. But,. . .' (p. I58).

'As night fell on the 13th of August (23rd of August), Smotryc'kyj gradually became aware of the danger of his situation." (p. 128).

This is not to say, of course, that the entire book reads in this way: it is a scholarly, investigative, hard-nosed examination of its subject, with insightful analysis and argumentation. The fact that it is beautifully written, dramatic, with an engaging manner that keeps the reader's interest and attention, is a wonderful bonus for all who decide to delve into it. This book ought to be read by all historians (be they academics or students, budding academics) interested in the history of the non-Russian East Slavonic lands, as Smotryc'kyj was a major contributor in the religious polemics of his day, and widely known throughout the Ruthenian and Polish religious hierarchies. His work in the linguistic field left its mark for literally centuries in various countries: his Church Slavonic grammar (i 618-I9) was reprinted in Moscow (i 648), used in the Balkans, and influenced the great Russian grammarian and poet Lomonosov in the middle of the eighteenth century.

Smotryc'kyj is fascinating because he is at the centre of the search for Ruthenian identity, be it religious or linguistic; in the linguistic arena, he wrote both in his native Ruthenian and in Polish (what kind of Polish? See Chapter I I). An understanding of the 'otherness' of Rus (the Ruthenian lands) is central to an understanding of the man and the country (p. 241): Rus was under Polish rule, but was not Poland; it was East Slavonic, but it was not Russian; it was Orthodox, not Catholic... But here is where 'otherness' changed its face, as Smotryc'kyj in the end became a champion of the Uniate cause, and argued for the unity of the Church - one could say that he argued now against 'otherness'. This change in Smotryc'kyj, and the intrigues surrounding it, make compelling reading as one struggles to understand 'why'.

The cover of Frick's book consists of a dual reproduction of Smotryc'kyj's portrait, in the form of a photographic positive and negative: this was a man of two sides (at least), one struggling with the other. Frick does an admirable job of investigating both sides, and is to be congratulated.

Department of Russian S. M. PUGH University of StAndrews

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