Boris Zaïtzeff

Boris Konstantinovich Zaitsev is a Russian writer and translator, one of the last major figures of the Silver Age. His father is Konstantin Nikolaevich Zaitsev, from the nobility of the Simbirsk province, is the director of the Moscow metal plant Gujon. He spent his childhood in the village of Usty in the Zhizdrinsky district of the Kaluga province (now the Duminichsky district of the Kaluga region). He received his primary education under the guidance of governesses. In Kaluga he studied at the classical gymnasium (1892-1894; did not graduate, in 1902 he passed an exam in ancient languages ​​at the 6th Moscow gymnasium as an external student). He graduated from the Kaluga Real School (1894-1897, additional class - 1898). He studied at the chemical department of the Moscow Technical School (1898-1899, expelled for participating in student riots), at the Mining Institute in St. Petersburg (1899-1901; did not graduate), at the law faculty of Moscow University (1902-1906; did not graduate).

He began to write at the age of 17. In the fall of 1900, in Yalta, he met A.P. Chekhov. At the beginning of 1901 he sent the manuscript of the story "Uninteresting Story" to Chekhov and V. G. Korolenko. In the same year he met L. N. Andreev, who helped him at the beginning of his literary career, introduced him to the literary circle "Wednesday", led by N. Teleshov. In July 1901 he made his debut with the story "On the Road" in "Courier". In 1902 or 1903 he met I. A. Bunin, with whom he maintained friendly relations for many years.

He lived in Moscow, often visiting St. Petersburg. Member of the Moscow Literary and Artistic Circle (1902), participated in the publication of the Zori magazine (1906), which had existed for several months, since 1907 he has been a full member of the Society of Russian Literature Lovers, also a member of the Society of Periodicals and Literature Workers.

In 1904 he visited Italy, lived there several times in 1907-1911. During the First World War, he lived in Pritykin with his wife and daughter Natalia. In December 1916 he entered the Alexander Military School, in March 1917 he was promoted to officer. In the brochure "Conversation about the War" (Moscow, 1917) he wrote about the aggressiveness of Germany, pursued the idea of ​​war to a victorious end. In August 1917, he fell ill with pneumonia and went on vacation to Pritykino, where he lived until 1921, occasionally visiting Moscow. In 1922 he was elected chairman of the Moscow branch of the All-Russian Union of Writers. He worked in the Writers' Cooperative Shop. After falling ill with typhoid fever in 1922, he received permission to travel with his family abroad for treatment.

In June 1922, Zaitsev moved with his family to Berlin. He worked actively in the magazines "Sovremennye zapiski" and "Link". In September 1923, Zaitsev and his family moved to Italy, in December they left for Paris, here he subsequently lived for about half a century. In October 1925 he became the editor of the Riga magazine "Chimes", in 1927 he published his works in the Parisian newspaper "Vozrozhdenie".

The spring of 1927 was marked by a trip to Mount Athos, which resulted in the appearance of travel sketches under the same name "Athos".

From 1925 to 1929 the newspaper Vozrozhdenie and Dni published the first part of the diary entries The Wanderer. These records are dedicated to life in France.

In addition, Zaitsev was engaged in the selection of materials for the literary biography of I. S. Turgenev, A. P. Chekhov, V. A. Zhukovsky, which were subsequently published.

Zaitsev traveled a lot in France, these travels were reflected in essays about such French cities as Grasse, Nice, Avignon.

In the early years of World War II, Zaitsev again turned to publishing his diary entries. A series of new diary entries "Days" was published in the newspaper "Vozrozhdenie". After France was occupied by Germany in 1940, there were no publications by Zaitsev in Russian publications. During these years, Zaitsev in every possible way refused to draw his own conclusions about political troubles. But he continues to work, so in 1945 the story "King David" was published.

In 1947 Zaitsev worked for the Parisian newspaper Russkaya Mysl, in the same year he was elected chairman of the Union of Russian Writers in France. This position remains until the end of his life.

In 1959 he began to cooperate with the almanac "Bridges" in Munich, corresponded with BL Pasternak.

1957 - a difficult year in Zaitsev's personal life, the writer's wife suffers a stroke, Zaitsev spends all days near his wife's bed, continuing to work on the genre of everyday diary entries.

In 1964 he gave an interview about the events of 1917.

The years of emigration were fruitful years of Zaitsev's work, more than 30 books in Russian were published, about 800 texts in periodicals.

Abroad he collaborated in emigrant publications ("Modern Notes", "Renaissance", "Russian Thought", "New Journal" and others). For many years he was the chairman of the Union of Russian Writers and Journalists. One of the founders and member of the "Icon" society in Paris (1927). In the 1950s, he was a member of the Commission for the Russian translation of the New Testament in Paris.