Кто ты, Иона Курносый?

Abstract

The article deals with the reconstruction of the biography of an Iona Kurnosy, an old-bellever publicist and historian of the second half of the 18th century. Resting on the comparative analysis of the documents and literary works including those by Kurnosy himself and by other old-bellevers of the time, such as A. P. Melnlkov-Pechersky, a famous Russian script-writer of the 19th century, the author comes to a conclusion about the Identity of Iona Kurnosy with an Ivan Filippov, a run-away serf, who had first acted under the name of an old-bellever monk Issaky at the Urals metallurgical works, in Moscow and its surroundings and after his arrest and trial became a run-away convict and changed his monastic name for Iona (he adopted schema). Having settled at last In a secluded monastery In the Volga region, Iona achieved a wide popularity under a nickname of Kurnosy (the Snub-nosed) because of his cut — "torn" nostrils. The author argues that it was I. Kurnosy and not I. G. Pososhkov famous for his "Book of Poverty and Wealth" first published as late as 1842, who appeared to be one of the real ideologists of the young Russian bourgeoisie.