Boris Leonidovich
Pasternak
1890-1960
Boris Leonidovich Pasternak was a Russian Soviet poet, writer and translator, one of the greatest Russian poets of the XX century. Famous artists of that time came to his family’s apartment, small concerts were organized, guests included Leo Tolstoy, Sergei Rachmaninov, Isaac Levitan. Pasternak joined the Lyrica poetry group in order to enter the Moscow literary circles. In 1922, the poetry collection My Sister—Life was published, which made the poet famous. At the same time, he met Vladimir Mayakovsky. In 1920-1927, Pasternak was a member of the literary association “LEF” (Mayakovsky, Aseev, O. Brik, etc. were among its members). In 1931, Pasternak left for Georgia. The poems inspired by the Caucasus are included in the cycle Waves. During his stay in Georgia, the writer worked on translations from Georgian. He also translated poems by William Shakespeare, Goethe, Friedrich Schiller, etc. Translating became a regular activity in 1934 and continued until the poet’s death. The novel Doctor Zhivago is the peak of Pasternak’s creativity as a prosaic writer. He worked on it for 10 years and finished it in 1955. The novel was published abroad in 1958, for which Pasternak received the Nobel Prize. At home, the novel was the subject of criticism from both the authorities and literary circles. Pasternak was expelled from the Union of Writers and had to give up the prize. In 1952, Pasternak suffered a heart attack, but he continued to work and develop. Boris began a new cycle of his poems—When He Gets Wild (1956-1959) This was the last book of the writer. He died in Peredelkino.
Address: Moscow, 2nd Tverskaya-Yamskaya str., 2
