Boris Pasternak

Boris Leonidovich Pasternak (????? ?????????? ?????????) (February 10, 1890 – May 30, 1960) was a Russian poet and writer best known in the West for his monumental tragic novel on Soviet Russia, Doctor Zhivago (1957). It is as a poet, however, that he is most celebrated in Russia. My Sister Life, written by Pasternak in 1917, is arguably the most influential collection of poetry published in Russian in the 20th century.

Early life

Pasternak was born in Moscow on February 10 (Gregorian), 1890 (Julian January 29). His parents were a prominent Jewish painter Leonid Pasternak, professor at the Moscow School of Painting, who converted to Orthodox Christianity, and Rosa Kaufman, a popular concert pianist. Pasternak was brought up in a cosmopolitan atmosphere, his father's home being visited by Sergei Rachmaninoff, Rainer Maria Rilke, and Leo Tolstoy. His father's conversion would naturally impact his future, and many of his later poems have overtly Christian themes.

Related Topics:
Moscow - February 10 - 1890 - Jew - Leonid Pasternak - Moscow School of Painting - Orthodox Christianity - Pianist - Sergei Rachmaninoff - Rainer Maria Rilke - Leo Tolstoy

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Inspired by his neighbour Alexander Scriabin, Pasternak resolved to become a composer and entered the Moscow Conservatory. In 1910, he abruptly left the conservatory for the University of Marburg, where he studied under Neo-Kantian philosophers Hermann Cohen and Nicolai Hartmann. Although invited to become a scholar, he decided against philosophy as a profession and returned to Moscow in 1914. His first collection of poetry, influenced by Alexander Blok and the Futurists, was published later that year.

Related Topics:
Alexander Scriabin - Moscow Conservatory - 1910 - University of Marburg - Neo-Kantian - Hermann Cohen - Nicolai Hartmann - 1914 - Alexander Blok - Futurists

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Pasternak's early verse cleverly dissimulates his preoccupation with Kant's ideas. Its fabric includes striking alliterations, wild rhythmic combinations, day-to-day vocabulary, and hidden allusions to his favourite poets - Lermontov and German Romantics.

Related Topics:
Kant - Lermontov

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During World War I he taught and worked at a chemical factory in the Urals; this undoubtedly provided him with material for Dr. Zhivago many years later. Unlike his relatives and many of his friends, Pasternak didn't leave Russia after the revolution. He was fascinated with the new ideas and possibilities the revolution had brought to life.

Related Topics:
World War I - Urals

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