Boris Pasternak Is Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature
Boris Pasternak was a notable Russian poet and author, best known for his acclaimed novel "Doctor Zhivago," which explores themes of love and resilience against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution. Born in 1890 in Moscow, Pasternak was deeply influenced by his artistic family and initially pursued music before shifting to philosophy. His literary journey faced significant challenges due to the strict cultural policies of the Soviet regime, particularly during the rise of "socialist realism."
In 1958, Pasternak was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, a recognition that sparked considerable controversy in the Soviet Union. Faced with government opposition and accusations of treachery from communist circles, he ultimately declined the award, citing the implications of such recognition within his society. Despite the challenges he faced, including a temporary withdrawal from literature due to criticism, Pasternak's work gained international acclaim when "Doctor Zhivago" was published abroad in 1957. He continued to live in Russia until his death in 1960, and his literary legacy was later reinstated in the Soviet Union, with "Doctor Zhivago" officially published there in 1988.
Boris Pasternak Is Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature
Boris Pasternak Is Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature
Boris Leonidovich Pasternak, the Russian poet who wrote the novel Doctor Zhivago, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature on October 23, 1958. Pasternak declined the award in light of his government's opposition to it. The novel was made into a popular film starring Omar Sharif in 1965.
Pasternak was born on February 10, 1890, in Moscow, Russia. His family was well versed in the arts, as his father was an art professor and his mother was a concert pianist. As a youth, Pasternak studied music but after six years abandoned it and began studying philosophy, first at Moscow University and then at the University of Marburg in Germany. During World War I, Pasternak, who was classified as physically unfit for military service, worked in a chemical factory. At the conclusion of the war, he began to work at the library of the Soviet Commissariat of Education. Pasternak's first collections of poems, The Twin in the Clouds, was published in 1913 or 1914. Other collections followed, such as Over the Barriers (1917; translated 1923), My Sister, Life (1922), and Second Birth (1932). These works brought him success in Russia, and Pasternak also published his autobiography Safe Conduct in 1931.
The Russian Revolution in 1917 and the civil war that followed it created some severe changes in Russian culture. Some writers left the new Soviet Union, which superseded the old Russian state, to escape strict control of the cultural works of the country. Talented writers who supported the ideals of the revolution to some extent emerged in their place. During the 1930s the Soviet government began to require that officially approved writing, which was the only kind that was permitted to be published, adhere to the dictates of the Communist Party. This style of writing was known as “socialist realism,” the only official method of the arts in the Soviet Union for the next 50 years.
From 1933 to 1943, Pasternak's translations of the works of Shakespeare, Goethe, and others enabled him to earn a living. His poetry, while considered to be of high quality, nevertheless came under fire from Communist critics who felt that Pasternak did not follow approved Soviet patterns. Because of this, the poet chose to temporarily abandon literature. Pasternak feared for his safety during Stalin's purges in the late 1930s but was not harmed, quite possibly because he had translated poetry from Stalin's native land of Georgia.
At the end of World War II, Pasternak began work on his one novel, Doctor Zhivago. The story, set during the Russian Revolution, tells the adventures of a man and his mistress trying to live their lives apart from the violence and other influences of the revolution and the ensuing civil war. The protagonist, Dr. Yury Zhivago, is supportive of the revolution but not of the violence that the Communist Party uses to achieve its goals. Pasternak submitted the completed novel to a Soviet magazine in 1956, but it was rejected because it was seen as too anti-Marxist and critical of the revolution. The manuscript was smuggled to Rome, Italy, and published without Pasternak's consent in 1957. By 1958 it had been translated into 18 languages including English and was an international best seller.
When Pasternak was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature on October 23, 1958, it caused a storm of controversy. He was denounced as a traitor in some communist circles and driven out of the translator's union, which deprived him of his livelihood. Some people encouraged Pasternak to accept the prize and leave the Soviet Union forever, but he was unwilling to go into exile. After initially accepting the award, Pasternak sent a telegram on October 29, 1958, that stated, “Considering the meaning this award has been given in the society to which I belong, I must reject this undeserved prize which has been presented to me. Please do not receive my voluntary rejection with displeasure.”
Ill with cancer and heart trouble, Pasternak continued to live in his home at Peredelkino, near Moscow. He died there on May 30, 1960. In 1987 the Union of Soviet Writers restored him posthumously, legitimizing his work in the Soviet Union for the first time in nearly 20 years. Doctor Zhivago was published in the Soviet Union for the first time in 1988.