Diary of a Russian Woman

In 1904, the journal «Universal Messenger» published the diary of a certain Elizabeth Diakonova — a Russian student of the Sorbonne. Presented for publication by the author’s brother, Alexander Diakonov, «Diary of a Russian Woman» caught the attention of the reading public. «Diakonova is true to reality and real to the last stroke,» — wrote Vasily Rozanov, who highly appreciated this sincere documentary text.
And although practically no one from the contemporaries of the first publication knew anything about the life of the author of the «Diary», the details of her tragic death, mysterious and horrifying, soon became known to the widest audience.
Elizabeth Diakonova (1874–1902), like many progressive-minded girls of her time, graduated from the Higher Women's Courses in St. Petersburg, then studied at the Sorbonne, took her first steps in literature, led an independent life, and traveled around Europe without companions. In 1902, while taking a solitary walk in the Tyrolean mountains, Elizabeth tragically perished under unclear circumstances. In her travel trunk, a manuscript of the «Diary of a Russian Woman» was discovered, which, although it did not reveal the mystery of her demise, became a true discovery for readers at the beginning of the 20th century.