Plevako

Overview

Fyodor Nikiforovich Plevako (1842–1909), the celebrated Moscow trial lawyer, born in Troitsk in the Orenburg province, a barrister of the Moscow Chamber of Appeals from 1870 and famous as an orator (Russian Presidential Library, prlib.ru «Fyodor Plevako (1842–1909)»; en.wikipedia «Fyodor Plevako»). He was the Bashkirtseff-Babanine family's lawyer in their lawsuit in Russia, in 1875–76.

Relevance to Marie

• August 1875, Paris. Marie's aunt is summoned to Paris by «l'avocat Plevasko» (039.0266, 26 August 1875, spelt Plevasko in Mon Journal t.5, where the index has «Plevasko (M.), avocat, 262–263, 273–274» and «Plevasko (Mme), 274–275»). Marie, who leaves Schlangenbad with her cousin Stiopa to meet him, finds that he stays with them almost until dinner («ce célébré avocat me paraît aussi honnête qu'on peut l'être dans son état», 040.0144, 29 August) and drives with his wife, «grasse et fraîche personne», to the Bois (040.0163). See PLEVASKO for these variant spellings.
• May 1876. «Jusqu'à présent nous n'avions même pas d'avocat en Russie ... A présent on a pris Plevako, celui que j'ai vu à Paris après Schlangenbad» (059.0654), which identifies the man of 1875 with the Plevako of 1876.
• August 1876. She is in St Petersburg; the family has sent for him and he has been in Paris «depuis deux semaines déjà» (064.0539), and she regrets not meeting him, though «personnellement» he leaves her indifferent (064.0543). Mon Journal t.7 p.327 and t.8 p.364 index «Plevako (avocat)».

The lawsuit itself is the family property dispute; the diary does not describe it in these pages.

References in Diary

• 1875-08-26 (039.0266); 1875-08-27/28 (040.0005); 1875-08-29 (040.0144); 1875-08-30 (040.0161, 040.0163); 1876-05-01 (059.0654); 1876-08-12 (064.0539, 064.0543)

Sources

prlib.ru (https://www.prlib.ru/en/collection_Plevako); en.wikipedia «Fyodor Plevako»; Mon Journal t.5, t.7, t.8 indexes.

«Plevasko» (1875)

In August 1875 Marie spells him «Plevasko» (merged entry PLEVASKO; Mon Journal t.5 index «Plevasko (M.), avocat», «Plevasko (Mme)»): her aunt is called to Paris because «l'avocat Plevasko l'attend» (039.0266, 040.0005); «ce célèbre avocat me paraît aussi honnête qu'on peut l'être dans son état» (040.0144); he stays until half past three (040.0161), and he and «sa femme, grasse et fraîche personne» are taken to the Bois (040.0163). In May 1876 the family has engaged «Plevako, celui que j'ai vu à Paris après Schlangenbad» (059.0654).