Text b a. F. Koni

1. Anatoly Fedorovich Koni, an outstanding lawyer and statesman, was born on February 9, 1844 in St. Petersburg into the family of a writer and an actress. His father was a man of universal abilities, ready to support and advise a lot of people. He was capable of working hard at different fields of his activity. His mother played on the Imperator’s scenes in the Alexandrinsky theatre in Moscow and Petersburg and often took part in the guest-performances*. She was a talented actress and enjoyed respect from her audience. Mother's life was not easy, of course, because she had to keep the house in addition to her work. She read and retold Walter Skott’s novels to her son, and was a good story-teller. All his parents’ friends loved little Tolja. They always got together to discuss political news, literary publications, theatre plays. His parents meant a lot to Anatoly. He was not the only child in his family, his younger brother Evgeny didn’t look like him very much.

2. Little Anatoly learnt many subjects and had music lessons with hired teachers* at home. In his childhood he surprised everybody with his good memory and rational mind. He attended German school, displayed outstanding abilities in history, foreign languages and literature, tried to write poetry. By the age of 14 he had mastered French and German perfectly. While studing at school Anatoly wanted to acquire independence. Turgenev’s novels influenced Koni’s mind, character and philosophy of his life* at that time.

3. In 1862 he decided to enter the judicial faculty of the Moscow University because his father had studied there and had told a lot about it. In 1865 he received a degree of "Candidate of Law". Then the young lawyer moved to St.Petersburg and worked there as an assistant to the Judicial Division Secretary* and as a Public Prosecutor of the District Court*. While serving at the court he was Honorary Justice of the Peace and became known all over Russia as a court orator. From 1877 he headed the Ministry of Justice; at the same time, in 1877-1881, he was Chief Justice of the St. Petersburg District Court*. Then he was appointed Chief Procurator of the Senate’s Criminal Investigations and Appeals Department*.

4. A. F. Koni always advocated jury trials, the independence of judges, and the necessity to observe moral principles in criminal procedures. He handled the investigation of very serious financial cases. Besides A. F. Koni lectured at the School of Jurisprudence and at the Alexander Lyceum. At that time he published articles, memories and literary portraits in periodicals. He taught at the Institute for Speech Technique*, the Petrograd Clinical Institute, and regularly delivered public lectures. A. F. Koni took part in the work of the Old Petersburg Society and then he left his library and archives to it.

5. As to his personal life, he had no time to get married. On September 17, 1927, the most brilliant prosecutor and judge A. F. Koni died at the age of 83, and was buried at the Tikhvinskoe Cemetery at the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

Notes:

to take part in the guest-performances	– гастролировать
hired teachers	– учителя, обучающие детей дома
philosophy of his life	– его мировоззрение
an assistant to the Judicial Division Secretary	– помощник секретаря судебной палаты
a Public Prosecutor of the District Court	– товарищ прокурора окружного суда
Chief Justice of the District Court	– председатель окружного суда
Chief Procurator of the Senate’s Criminal Investigations and Appeals Department	– обер-прокурор уголовного кассации онного департамента Правительствующего Сената
Institute for Speech Technique	– институт словесности

Task 3. Find a suitable place in Text B for the passages below.

1. After receiving a degree in law, A. F. Koni was appointed assistant secretary of the St. Petersburg-Court. Koni moved slowly but surely up the ladder of the judicial system, being appointed to the courts of Kharkov, Samara and Kazan.

2. In the senior grades Anatoly specialized in mathematics. Then he went on to the Mathematics Department of St. Petersburg University, and when the university was closed, Koni got a transfer to Moscow University’s Law School. There he attended lectures delivered by the country’s top legal experts.

3. After the February Revolution, A. F. Koni was appointed to an important post in the Provisional Government. But when the Bolsheviks came to power some ten months later, Koni lost all his posts.

Task 4. Point out the items described in the text.

1. The difficult childhood of A. Koni. 2. The relationship between Koni’s parents. 3. The occupations of Koni’s parents. 4. The professional career of his mother. 5. Some facts from his brother’s biography. 6. The universal abilities of A. Koni as a schoolboy. 7. Koni’s higher education. 8. Koni’s work at the District Court. 9. Koni’s private life. 10. Koni’s teaching activity as a lawyer. 11. Rewards and honours of the outstanding lawyer.

Task 5. Ask and answer questions according to the model to get information on A.F. Koni’s biography.

Model: When ... Koni (to graduate from)? – When did Koni graduate from the Moscow University? He graduated from the Moscow University in 1865.

1. What kind of family ... Koni (to come from)? 2. What kind of person ... his father (to be)? 3. What ... his mother (to be)? 4. What school ... Koni (to attend)? 5. What abilities ... Koni (to have)? 6. Who ... (to influence) his mind? 7. What Institute ... Koni (to enter)? 8. Where ... Koni (to return) after graduating from the University? 9. What posts ... Koni (to occupy) at the District Court? 10. What problems ... Koni (to advocate)? 11. Where ... Koni (to lecture)? 12. When ... Koni (to die)?

Task 6. Complete the sentences using the information from the text.

1. A. F.Koni was born ... .

2. He came from the family of ... .

3. His family lived in ... .

4. Koni’s father was ... .

5. His mother worked as ... in ... .

6. From early childhood Anatoly displayed ... .

7. At school he possessed a remarkable talent for ... .

8. ... influenced Koni’s mind, character and world outlook at that time.

9. He entered the Moscow University because ... .

10. In St. Petersburg he firstly worked in ... as ... .

11. In 1877 he headed ... and soon he was ... .

12. Occupping different judicial posts he handled the problems of ... .

13. He published ... .

14. A. F. Koni taught at ... and took part in ... .

15. The famous lawyer died in ... at the age of ... .

Ex. 50. Look through Text C and do the tasks below.