Yuri Nagibin
Encyclopedia
Yuri Markovich Nagibin was a Soviet writer, screenwriter and novelist.
He is best known for his screenplay
s, but he also has written several novels and novellas, and many short stories. He is known for his novel The Red Tent that he later adapted for the screenplay for the film of the same name
. The novel was based on the history of Umberto Nobile
's expedition to the North Pole.
The themes he explores range from war to ritual, history and music.
Nagibin's mother was pregnant with him when his father was executed as a counter-revolutionary before he was born. He was raised by a Jewish stepfather from infancy, and was unaware of that he had a different father, so he always assumed he was Jewish himself. Mark Leventhal, his stepfather was arrested himself and exiled to Northern Russia in 1927. Nagibin found out late in life that he was not in fact Jewish, but he consciously retained ethnic Jewish identity, having suffered many anti-Semitic incidents in the course of his life.
In October 1993, he signed the Letter of Forty-Two
.
He was born, and died, in Moscow
, and was buried in Novodevichy Cemetery
.
He is best known for his screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
s, but he also has written several novels and novellas, and many short stories. He is known for his novel The Red Tent that he later adapted for the screenplay for the film of the same name
The Red Tent (film)
The Red Tent is a joint Soviet/Italian 1969 film directed by Mikhail Kalatozov.The film is based on the story of the mission to rescue Umberto Nobile and the other survivors of the crash of the Airship Italia. It features Sean Connery as Roald Amundsen and Peter Finch as Nobile. The script was...
. The novel was based on the history of Umberto Nobile
Umberto Nobile
Umberto Nobile was an Italian aeronautical engineer and Arctic explorer. Nobile was a developer and promoter of semi-rigid airships during the Golden Age of Aviation between the two World Wars...
's expedition to the North Pole.
The themes he explores range from war to ritual, history and music.
Nagibin's mother was pregnant with him when his father was executed as a counter-revolutionary before he was born. He was raised by a Jewish stepfather from infancy, and was unaware of that he had a different father, so he always assumed he was Jewish himself. Mark Leventhal, his stepfather was arrested himself and exiled to Northern Russia in 1927. Nagibin found out late in life that he was not in fact Jewish, but he consciously retained ethnic Jewish identity, having suffered many anti-Semitic incidents in the course of his life.
In October 1993, he signed the Letter of Forty-Two
Letter of Forty-Two
The Letter of Forty-Two was an open letter signed by forty-two well-known Russian literati, aimed at Russian society, the president and government, in reaction to the events of September – October 1993...
.
He was born, and died, in Moscow
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...
, and was buried in Novodevichy Cemetery
Novodevichy Cemetery
Novodevichy Cemetery is the most famous cemetery in Moscow, Russia. It is next to the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the city's third most popular tourist site. It should not be confused with the Novodevichy Cemetery in Saint Petersburg....
.
English translations
- Newlywed, from Such a Simple Thing and Other Stories, FLPH, Moscow, 1959. from Archive.org
- Island of Love, Progress Publishers, 1977.
- The Peak of Success and Other Stories, Ardis, 1986.
- Arise and Walk, Faber and Faber, 1991.