Calendar Items in Brief

A decade ago, on New Year’s Eve, all Russian and Soviet bills issued between 1961 and 1992 and from 1-10 rubles in denomination were taken out of circulation. 

Artist Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin 

was born 125 years ago on November 5 (October 24, old style). His early works — “Elegy” (1906) and “Dream” (1910) — are symbolic and were influenced by Mikhail Vrubel and Viktor Borisov-Musatov. His later works (“Bathing a Red Horse” (1912), “Boys Playing” (1911), and others) were attempts to synthesize Eastern and Western painting traditions. In the late 1910s, Petrov-Vodkin developed a new theory of the “spherical perspective,” concerning a new way to depict space, whereby his compositions were to be viewed by a moving spectator from different points (“Midday. Summer” (1917), “Sleeping Child” (1924) and others). This was the artist’s mature style, but of course it did not correspond with the nascent ideology of Socialist Realism. After his death in 1939, Petrov-Vodkin was quickly “forgotten” for the rest of the Soviet era, to be happily rediscovered in the last two decades. 

Writer Ivan Turgenev 

was born 185 years ago, on November 9, 1818. Known for his detailed descriptions of everyday life in Russia, Turgenev is one of the major figures of 19th century Russian literature. He was born in Oryol, in the Ukraine (then part of the Russian Empire), into a wealthy family. In 1841, he started a career in the civil service and worked for the Ministry of Interior for a few years, but soon devoted himself entirely to literature. From 1853-62, he wrote some of his finest stories and novellas, as well as the first four of his six novels: Rudin (1856), Dvoryanskoe gnezdo (1859), On the Eve (1860), and Fathers and Sons (1862). After hostile criticism of Fathers and Sons, he emigrated to Germany, later moving to London, where Fathers and Sons was very well received. Turgenev finally settled in Paris, where he lived until his death in 1883. He was elected a Corresponding Member of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in 1860 and Doctor of Civil Law at Oxford University (1879). After his death, his remains were brought to Russia and buried in St. Petersburg’s Volkov Cemetery.

1903

November 23

Gaito Gazdanov, a talented Russian émigré writer, was born on this day. He left Russia for France in 1923 and earned his living there driving a taxi. His novels, The Story of One Journey (1935), The Flight (1939), Evelina and Her Friends (1971), and others, are notable for their engaging plots and their philosophical depth.

November 26

Georgy Znamensky, a famous medium and long-distance runner, was born on this day. His younger brother Serafim was also a runner and set 20 All-Union records. The Znamensky brothers were legendary Soviet sportsmen. Since 1958, Russia has held an annual international track and field competition named for them.

December 4

Writer Lazar Lagin was born on this day. His children’s fairy tale, Starik Khottabych (Old Man Khottabych) has been popular for many decades. It is the story of an ancient genie’s adventures, after he is released from his bottle by a young pioneer into Soviet reality.

1933

November 16

Full diplomatic relations between the US and Soviet Union were established.

December 10

Writer and poet Ivan Bunin was awarded the Nobel Prize on this day “for the strict artistry with which he has carried on the classical Russian traditions in prose writing.” Bunin, the author of wonderful realistic short stories and a novel, was the first Russian to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

December 19

Theater director Galina Volchek turns 70 today. Volchek has led the celebrated “Sovremennik” theaterfor 30 years, staging more than 30 plays. In 1978, she was the first Soviet director invited to the US. In 1996 and 1997 she led “Sovremennik” on a successful American tour, which included performances on Broadway.

1938

December 10

Conductor Yuri Temirkanov was born on this day, in the town of Nalchik. He received his musical education in St. Petersburg. Today, Temirkanov is Principal Conductor of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra and Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. He is one of Russia’s greatest conductors and has appeared with all of the leading European orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Dresden Staatskapelle, and l’Orchestre de Paris. 

1963

November 11

Vladimir Mashkov, one of Russia’s top film actors, turns 40 today. In Russia he is well known for his roles in the films The Thief, The Captain’s Daughter and Limita. He has also appeared in many English-language films, including Behind Enemy Lines. 

December 4

Well-known Ukranian pole vaulter Sergei Bubka marks his 40th birthday today. He was the first man to clear 20 feet both indoors and outdoors (1991). In 2002 he became the holder of indoor and outdoor world records. Bubka is six-time world champion and an Olympic gold medalist (1988).