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Abstract:

Early 20^th century women’s magazines are a scantily explored source. There are a lot of unaccounted texts in them that complement researchers’ view on the Russian literature history. Translator, journalist, theatre critic Bronislava Matveevna Runt (1885–1983) wrote a column Stage and Bandstand in the Women’s Business magazine (1910–1918), where she published her reviews on Moscow theatre productions. We have discovered a previously unknown Runt’s review on A.N. Tolstoy’s comedy The Rapists (1913). The play was staged at the Maly Theatre and caused extremely mixed responses from both public and reviewers. Runt criticized the storyline twists, found some flaws in the plot. But in general, she appreciated the play positively, welcomed the arrival of a talented, original playwright. As a critic, Runt always paid attention to ‘new heroines’ in plays who challenged the existing social order. Perhaps Runt was interested in this production due to the image of the insurance agent Nina, who was a type of independent, self-earning woman.