The Multan affair was a high-profile late 19th century case about a ritual murder in the Russian Empire allegedly committed by a group of Udmurt peasants in the village of Old Multan.[1]

The affair is called by the name of the village where the initial event happened, "Vuzh Multan" (Old Multan) in Udmurt.[2] It has been subsequently renamed to Korolenko village, in Vladimir Korolenko's honour and memory.[3]

The case is considered a model of fruitful cooperation between lawyers, investigative journalists, and government officials. Korolenko and Anatoly Koni are played significant roles in bringing the Multan case to attention.[4]

In culture

edit

In addition to a considerable[2] amount of journalistic and historical research, the case has been fictionalized numerous times. It includes The Old Multan (1954), magnum opus of Udmurt writer Mikhail Petrov [ru; udm] (1905—1955), and Pelagia and the White Bulldog (2006), novel from Sister Pelagia mystery series of Boris Akunin. The Multan affair is also mentioned in Alexandra Brushtein's novel At Dawn Hour (1958) and Vasily Yan's book Notes of a Pedestrian (1901).

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Geraci, Robert (2000). "Ethnic Minorities, Anthropology, and Russian National Identity on Trial: The Multan Case, 1892-96". The Russian Review. pp. 530–554. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b Shkliaev, Aleksandr; Toulouze, Eva (March 2001). "The Mass Media and the National Question in Udmurtia in the 1990s". Nationalities Papers. pp. 97–108. doi:10.1080/00905990120050811. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  3. ^ Tyunkin, K. Commentaries. The Works by V.G. Korolenko in 6 volumes. Vol 6. Pp. 396-419
  4. ^ "Traditions of Investigative Journalism in Russia: The Multan Sacrifice" (PDF). Retrieved 14 February 2024.