The “Investigation of the Origin of the Old Norse or Icelandic Language” by Rasmus Kristian Rask, which is now considered one of the founding works of Indo-European linguistics, was completed in 1814. Its publication in the beginning of 1818 brought its author a grant from the King, which enabled Rask to embark on his great voyage to South Asia with an extended stopover in St. Petersburg. The year in St. Petersburg appears to have been one of the happiest in his difficult career. His advice and friendship were sought by scholars who were developing a program for a historical and linguistic study of the Russian Empire. Rask produced a decisive and lasting impact on several branches of historical and comparative linguistics and ethnography in Russia. His letters from Russia and entries from his diary include descriptions of scholarly life in St. Petersburg, narrative portraits of scholars and writers, as well as a unique picture of the minutiae of everyday life in the time of Alexander I.
Dr Chekin’s lecture will incorporate unpublished materials from the Royal Library in Copenhagen and the Russian State Library in Moscow. Support for this project has been granted by the Statens Kunstfond.