Christian values in the series of Caucasian travel essays of Yakov Polonsky

The series of Caucasian travel essays written by Yakov Polonsky is studied from the point of view of it reflecting the national traditions of the Caucasian peoples and the value aspects of Christianity. The research is based on modern literary ethnopoetics and uses anthropological and axiological analysis, as well as the comparative study of literary texts with biblical pretexts. The analysis of ethnographic essays of Polonsky (“A Brief Historical Review of Caucasian Cities”, “A Journey to the German Elizabettal Colony”, “Some Observations on a Holiday in the Village of Martkopi and Georgian Holidays in General”, “The Night View of a Holiday in the Village of Martkopi”) revealed the motifs of spiritual unity and mutual intercession of peoples. The study emphasizes the interrelation of folk customs of the Caucasian peoples with Christian traditions, the spiritual brotherhood of peoples, and the value of historical memory for them, as well as the unity of people in their desire to get closer to God by living the Gospel commandments. The analysis of Polonsky’s literary essays (“Two Strangers - the Living One and the Dead One”, “Sayat-Nova”) reveals the motifs of self-sacrifice and spiritual growth of talent, which he ascribes to the Gospel text. He considers Christian virtues and spiritual feats to be the key ones for a true poet and sees the true purpose in serving the people.