Anatolii Naumovich Rybakov
Anatolii Naumovich Rybakov was a Russian writer born in January 1911 in Chernigov, now part of Ukraine. He grew up in Moscow, where his father's career as a prominent engineer placed the family in a culturally rich environment on the Arbat, a center for artistic and literary activity. Rybakov's educational journey was tumultuous; he was expelled from the Moscow Transportation Economic Institute over alleged counterrevolutionary activities and subsequently exiled to Siberia for three years. Despite hardships, he continued to write, producing works that reflected his experiences and the socio-political landscape of Russia.
Rybakov gained recognition for his novel "Voditeli," which won the Stalin Prize, and is most celebrated for "Deti Arbata," a seminal work that unveiled the brutal realities of the Stalin era. Although it faced censorship delaying its publication until 1987, Rybakov insisted on its release in Russia to ensure its impact on his homeland. He spent the last two years of his life in New York City, passing away in December 1998. Rybakov's literary legacy continues to resonate, particularly in his portrayals of human nature and the complexities of Russian history, as explored in his posthumously published memoir.
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Anatolii Naumovich Rybakov
Author
- Born: January 1, 1911
- Birthplace: Chernigov, Russia (now in Ukraine)
- Died: December 23, 1998
- Place of death: New York, New York
Biography
Anatolii Naumovich Rybakov was born in January, 1911, in Chernigov, Russia (now in Ukraine). He was one of two children born to Naum Borisovich Aronov, a manager of distilleries, and Dina Avraamova Aronov. Rybakov later described his father as a stern disciplinarian and his mother as an affectionate parent. In 1919, the family moved to Moscow, where Rybakov’s father became an important Soviet engineer. The family lived in an apartment in building fifty-one on the Arbat, a street that was the center of a bohemian and literary district. Rybakov would later write his most important fiction based on the stories of people he knew on that street.
In the fall of 1930, Rybakov enrolled at the Moscow Transportation Economic Institute, but was expelled three years later for supposed counterrevolutionary activities, probably for publishing antiworker poems in the school newspaper. He was exiled to Siberia for three years. On his release, he traveled from town to town and supported himself with jobs such as driving trucks and teaching ballroom dancing. While in exile he wrote stories about the French Revolution and reminiscences of his childhood on the Arbat and his school years, but he never published these stories.
In 1940, Rybakov married Anastasia (Asia) Alekseevna Tysiachnikova in Riazan. Their son, Aleksandr, was born soon afterward. The following year his family was evacuated as the German army reached Moscow. He served in the army and, as a result, his criminal record was expunged. After World War II, he separated from his wife and later married Tat’iana Markovna.
In 1950, Rybakov published his novel Voditeli featuring a charming, intelligent, and energetic hero, Mikhail Poliakov, the grown-up protagonist from Rybakov’s earlier children’s book, Kortik (1948; The Dirk, 1954). Voditeli received the Stalin Prize.
Rybakov then wrote several additional children’s books. He is, however, best known for his novel Deti Arbata (1987; Children of the Arbat, 1988), the first of a trilogy and a book that revealed to Russians the brutality and horrors of the Stalin regime. The book was to have been published in 1966, but was delayed until 1987 due to censorship. Rybakov repeatedly refused offers to publish the book outside of Russia because he believed it crucial that the book be read in his country.
Rybakov lived in New York City for the last two years of his life and died there on December 23, 1998. He is buried in Moscow, and a memorial plaque hangs on the facade of his former home on the Arbat. In his memoir Roman-vospominanie, published posthumously in 1997, Rybakov wrote about his life, his literary strategies, Russian history, human nature, and the psychology and philosophy of the craft of writing.