PASTERNAK, BORIS LEONIDOVICH
- PASTERNAK, BORIS LEONIDOVICH
- PASTERNAK, BORIS LEONIDOVICH (1890–1960), Soviet Russian poet
and novelist. A son of the painter leonid pasternak , the younger
Pasternak ultimately became one of the very few Soviet writers whose
work is essentially Christian in spirit. Born and educated in Moscow, he
also studied at the University of Marburg, Germany. He is chiefly
remembered as one of the truly great Russian poets of all time, his
exquisitely polished verse being highly intellectual, erudite, and
occasionally obscure. His prose, too, is essentially poetic in nature,
emphasizing language, structure, and style. Among Pasternak's favorite
subjects are the wholesomeness of nature, the artificiality of man-made
ideas, and the futility of ideologies. A recurrent theme is the
irrelevance of politics to human happiness, and the inability of truly
sensitive and intelligent men to choose sides at times of political
upheaval because unquestioning allegiance to any political grouping
requires renunciation of one's intellectual and ethical independence and
a willingness to condone violence perpetrated in the name of a noble
cause. Pasternak's verse collections include Poverkhbaryerov
("Over the Barriers," 1917, 19312), Sestra moya –
zhizn ("My Sister–Life," 1922), Devyatsot pyaty
god ("The Year 1905," 1927), and Vtoroye rozhdeniye
("Second Birth," 1932). After World War II he published a
number of outstanding translations of world classics, mainly drama.
Pasternak's abhorrence of violence and consequent flight from political
realities in search of individual happiness forms the leitmotif of his
most famous work, the novel Doctor Zhivago, which was
smuggled out of the U.S.S.R. and first published in Italy in 1957 (Eng.
tr., 1958). The event became a major political, as well as literary,
sensation. In 1958 Pasternak was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature,
but the political storm in the U.S.S.R., during which it was suggested
that he be expelled from the country, forced him to decline the award.
After his death, he was halfheartedly reinstated into the pantheon of
Soviet poetry, and some of his verse was reprinted. Doctor
Zhivago, however, continued to be banned. The novel reveals
Pasternak's total estrangement from Judaism and his faith in the
superiority of Christianity. The best Soviet appreciation of Pasternak
was written by Andrei Sinyavsky (see yuli daniel ).
-BIBLIOGRAPHY:
P.S.R. Payne, The Three Worlds of Boris Pasternak (1962),
incl. bibl.; G. Ruge, Pasternak: a Pictorial Biography
(1959); G.R.A. Conquest, The Pasternak Affair; Courage of a Genius;
a Documentary Report (1962); J. Stora, in: Cahiers du Monde
Russe et Soviétique (July–Dec., 1968), 353–64.
(Maurice Friedberg)
Encyclopedia Judaica.
1971.
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Pasternak,Boris Leonidovich — Pas·ter·nak (păsʹtər năk , pə styĭr näkʹ), Boris Leonidovich. 1890 1960. Russian writer whose Doctor Zhivago (1957), a novel of disillusionment with the Russian Revolution, was banned by Soviet authorities. He was forced to refuse the 1958 Nobel… … Universalium
Pasternak, Boris Leonidovich — ▪ Russian author born Feb. 10 [Jan. 29, Old Style], 1890, Moscow, Russia died May 30, 1960, Peredelkino, near Moscow Russian poet whose novel Doctor Zhivago helped win him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1958 but aroused so much opposition in… … Universalium
Pasternak, Boris Leonidovich — (1890–1960) Soviet poet and novelist and Nobel laureate, 1958. Pasternak was the son of the painter Leonid Pasternak and the pianist Rosa Kaufmann. He grew up in Moscow, where his father was a well known portraitist and a close friend of… … Who’s Who in Jewish History after the period of the Old Testament
Pasternak, Boris (Leonidovich) — born Feb. 10, 1890, Moscow, Russia died May 30, 1960, Peredelkino, near Moscow Russian poet and prose writer. He studied music and philosophy and after the Russian Revolution of 1917 worked in the library of the Soviet commissariat of education.… … Universalium
Pasternak, Borís (Leonídovich) — (10 feb. 1890, Moscú, Rusia–30 may. 1960, Perediélkino, cerca de Moscú). Poeta y prosista ruso. Estudió música y filosofía. Después de la Revolución rusa de 1917, trabajó en la biblioteca del comisariado soviético de educación. Su poesía temprana … Enciclopedia Universal
Boris Leonidovich Pasternak — Boris Leonidowitsch Pasternak Boris Leonidowitsch Pasternak (russisch Борис Леонидович Пастернак, wiss. Transliteration Boris Leonidovič Pasternak; * 29. Januarjul./ 10. Februar 1890greg. in … Deutsch Wikipedia
Boris Leonidovich Pasternak — Boris Pasternak Pour les articles homonymes, voir Pasternak. Boris Pasternak Activité(s) Poète, romancier … Wikipédia en Français
Boris Leonidovich Pasternak — noun Russian writer whose best known novel was banned by Soviet authorities but translated and published abroad (1890 1960) • Syn: ↑Pasternak, ↑Boris Pasternak • Instance Hypernyms: ↑writer, ↑author … Useful english dictionary
Boris Pasternak — Infobox Writer name = Boris Pasternak awards = awd|Nobel Prize in Literature|1958 imagesize = 150px birthdate = OldStyleDate|February 10|1890|January 29 birthplace = Moscow, Russian Empire deathdate = death date and age|1960|5|30|1890|2|10… … Wikipedia
Boris Pasternak — noun Russian writer whose best known novel was banned by Soviet authorities but translated and published abroad (1890 1960) • Syn: ↑Pasternak, ↑Boris Leonidovich Pasternak • Instance Hypernyms: ↑writer, ↑author … Useful english dictionary