Alexey Eisner
Encyclopedia
Alexey Eisner(5 October 1905, St. Petersburg – 30 November 1984, Moscow
), was a Russia
n poet
, translator and writer
.
of 1917, his stepfather brought the young Eisner to the Princes' Islands
. Thus began a life in exile. Eisner graduated from the Grand Duke Constantine Constantinovich Russian Cadets Corps in Sarajevo
.
He remained in Europe where he made a living washing windows and working at construction sites. He started writing poetry and met with many famous Russian émigrés
such as Georgy Adamovich
, Marina Tsvetaeva
and her husband Sergei Efron.
His poem "Looming Autumn, Yellow Bushes ..." was published in 1932 and became a textbook and was very popular in literary émigré circles. The line "Man begins with grief ..." from this poem is often cited.
Eisner joined the literary association of Russian émigrés in Prague
. In the late 1920s, he sought to return to the Soviet Union
and in 1934 he joined the "Homecoming Union".
In 1936, he joined the XII International Brigade
which fought on the side of the Republicans
during the Spanish Civil War
. He was an adjutant to Máté Zalka, the Hungarian writer who served as a general under the name of Lukács Tábornok (General Lukács). At the end of the Civil War, he reportedly ran into Ernest Hemingway
who wrote him a blank cheque that Hemingway ensured him he could draw upon should he find himself in financial difficulty.
Eisner returned to the Soviet Union in January 1940 without cashing the cheque. Four months later, his was searched by the secret police
, who found the blank cheque signed by Ernest Hemingway. He was arrested and sentenced under Article 58 of the Criminal Code of the USSR to 8 years of hard labour in the Vorkuta
camp. After completion of this period he was sent for "perpetual reference" to the Karaganda region
in Kazakhstan
.
In 1956 he was rehabilitated and was permitted to return to Moscow where he was active as a translator and journalist. He wrote several books and published memoirs on General Lukács, Haji Mamsurov (who fought in Spain under the name of Colonel Xanthi), Ilya Ehrenburg
and Ernest Hemingway.
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
), was a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, translator and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
.
Biography
After the October RevolutionOctober Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
of 1917, his stepfather brought the young Eisner to the Princes' Islands
Princes' Islands
The Princes' Islands , are a chain of nine islands off the coast of Istanbul, Turkey, in the Sea of Marmara. The islands also constitute the Adalar district of Istanbul Province...
. Thus began a life in exile. Eisner graduated from the Grand Duke Constantine Constantinovich Russian Cadets Corps in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
.
He remained in Europe where he made a living washing windows and working at construction sites. He started writing poetry and met with many famous Russian émigrés
White Emigre
A white émigré was a Russian who emigrated from Russia in the wake of the Russian Revolution and Russian Civil War, and who was in opposition to the contemporary Russian political climate....
such as Georgy Adamovich
Georgy Adamovich
Georgy Viktorovich Adamovich was a Russian poet of the acmeist school, a literary critic, translator and memoirist.- Biography :Georgy Adamovich was born in the family of senior military officer Viktor Adamovich, an ethnic Pole, who in the rank of major general served as a head of Moscow military...
, Marina Tsvetaeva
Marina Tsvetaeva
Marina Ivanovna Tsvetaeva was a Russian and Soviet poet. Her work is considered among some of the greatest in twentieth century Russian literature. She lived through and wrote of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the Moscow famine that followed it. In an attempt to save her daughter Irina from...
and her husband Sergei Efron.
His poem "Looming Autumn, Yellow Bushes ..." was published in 1932 and became a textbook and was very popular in literary émigré circles. The line "Man begins with grief ..." from this poem is often cited.
Eisner joined the literary association of Russian émigrés in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. In the late 1920s, he sought to return to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and in 1934 he joined the "Homecoming Union".
In 1936, he joined the XII International Brigade
XII International Brigade
The XII International Brigade was mustered on 7 November 1936 at Albacete, Spain. It was formally named the Garibaldi Brigade, after the most famous and inspiring leader in the Italian Independence Wars, General Giuseppe Garibaldi. Its first commanding officer was a soviet advisor of Hungarian...
which fought on the side of the Republicans
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
during the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
. He was an adjutant to Máté Zalka, the Hungarian writer who served as a general under the name of Lukács Tábornok (General Lukács). At the end of the Civil War, he reportedly ran into Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
who wrote him a blank cheque that Hemingway ensured him he could draw upon should he find himself in financial difficulty.
Eisner returned to the Soviet Union in January 1940 without cashing the cheque. Four months later, his was searched by the secret police
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
, who found the blank cheque signed by Ernest Hemingway. He was arrested and sentenced under Article 58 of the Criminal Code of the USSR to 8 years of hard labour in the Vorkuta
Vorkuta
Vorkuta is a coal-mining town in the Komi Republic, Russia, situated just north of the Arctic Circle in the Pechora coal basin at the Usa River. Population: - Labor camp origins :...
camp. After completion of this period he was sent for "perpetual reference" to the Karaganda region
Karaganda
Karagandy , more commonly known by its Russian name Karaganda, , is the capital of Karagandy Province in Kazakhstan. It is the fourth most populous city in Kazakhstan, behind Almaty , Astana and Shymkent, with a population of 471,800 . In the 1940s up to 70% of the city's inhabitants were ethnic...
in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
.
In 1956 he was rehabilitated and was permitted to return to Moscow where he was active as a translator and journalist. He wrote several books and published memoirs on General Lukács, Haji Mamsurov (who fought in Spain under the name of Colonel Xanthi), Ilya Ehrenburg
Ilya Ehrenburg
Ilya Grigoryevich Ehrenburg was a Soviet writer, journalist, translator, and cultural figure.Ehrenburg is among the most prolific and notable authors of the Soviet Union; he published around one hundred titles. He became known first and foremost as a novelist and a journalist - in particular, as a...
and Ernest Hemingway.
Poems
- A person begins with sorrow: poems in different years / Comp. and Afterword. E. Witkowski. – M.: Aquarius Publishers, 2005. – 72. (Little Silver Age.)
- Idem. 2 nd ed., Corr. – M.: Aquarius Publishers, 2005.
- In Sat: "Skeet." Prague 1922–1940: An Anthology. Biography. Documents / join. Art., gen. Ed. LN Beloshevskii; status., Biographies LN Beloshevskii, VP Nechaev. – Moscow: Russian Way, 2006. – 768.
- In Sat: Poets of Prague "Skete. Poetical works / Comp., Jg. Art., comments. OM Malevich. – SPb, OOO "Publishing" Rostock "," 2005. – 544. (Unknown XX century.)
Collections
- My Sister Bulgaria. Essays. – Moscow: Soviet Writer, 1963. – 215.
- A person with three names. The story of Mate Zalka. – M.: Politizdat, 1986. – 335. (Ardent revolutionaries)
- The Twelfth International. Stories. – Moscow: Soviet Writer, 1990. – 640.