Zara Mints
Encyclopedia
Zara Grigoryevna Mints was a Slavic literary scientist active in the University of Tartu
. She was the wife of Juri Lotman.
Zara Mints was born in Pskov
, but the family soon moved to Leningrad
. Her mother Frida Abramovna Sinderikhina (1889?–1939) was a stomatologist, father Girsh Yefremovich Mints was an administrator of Volgograd
Sanitary Inspection facility.
She went to high school 1935–1941 in Leningrad, was evacuated to Yaroslavl Oblast
and later to Chelyabinsk
during the World War II
. She entered Leningrad University in 1944.
Already during her student years, she began to specialize in Aleksandr Blok's works. Although she graduated cum laude, she couldn't start the postgraduate studies due to the anti-semitic campaign of the late 1940s and the beginning of the 1950s. Initially working as a Russian teacher, she went to Tartu
with her husband Yuri Lotman
(they had married 1951), where she could start her career as a university lecturer. From 1955, she worked at Tartu University (department of Russian literature
, from 1979 professor).
On November 21, 1972 she defended her Doctor's thesis (Aleksandr Blok i russkaja realisticheskaja literatura XIX veka – Aleksandr Blok and Russian Realist Literature of the 19th Century), but the All-Union Higher Assessment Commission did not give her the degree until five years later. Mints' courses chiefly covered the Russian literature of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century (Dostoyevsky, Chekhov, Blok, e.g. connections between Blok's works and the general cultorological questions).
Mints took actively part in collecting Blok's literary heritage and publishing the Aleksandr Blok: Novye materialy i issledovanija – A.B.: New Materials and studies, 5 Volumes, Moscow 1980–1987. She died in Bergamo
, Italy.
University of Tartu
The University of Tartu is a classical university in the city of Tartu, Estonia. University of Tartu is the national university of Estonia; it is the biggest and highest-ranked university in Estonia...
. She was the wife of Juri Lotman.
Zara Mints was born in Pskov
Pskov
Pskov is an ancient city and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located in the northwest of Russia about east from the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population: -Early history:...
, but the family soon moved to Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
. Her mother Frida Abramovna Sinderikhina (1889?–1939) was a stomatologist, father Girsh Yefremovich Mints was an administrator of Volgograd
Volgograd
Volgograd , formerly called Tsaritsyn and Stalingrad is an important industrial city and the administrative center of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. It is long, north to south, situated on the western bank of the Volga River...
Sanitary Inspection facility.
She went to high school 1935–1941 in Leningrad, was evacuated to Yaroslavl Oblast
Yaroslavl Oblast
Yaroslavl Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , which is located in the Central Federal District, surrounded by Tver, Moscow, Ivanovo, Vladimir, Kostroma, and Vologda Oblasts. This geographic location affords the oblast the advantages of proximity to Moscow and St. Petersburg...
and later to Chelyabinsk
Chelyabinsk
Chelyabinsk is a city and the administrative center of Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, located in the northwestern side of the oblast, south of Yekaterinburg, just to the east of the Ural Mountains, on the Miass River. Population: -History:...
during the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She entered Leningrad University in 1944.
Already during her student years, she began to specialize in Aleksandr Blok's works. Although she graduated cum laude, she couldn't start the postgraduate studies due to the anti-semitic campaign of the late 1940s and the beginning of the 1950s. Initially working as a Russian teacher, she went to Tartu
Tartu
Tartu is the second largest city of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university. Situated 186 km southeast of Tallinn, the...
with her husband Yuri Lotman
Yuri Lotman
Yuri Mikhailovich Lotman – a prominent Soviet literary scholar, semiotician, and cultural historian. Member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences...
(they had married 1951), where she could start her career as a university lecturer. From 1955, she worked at Tartu University (department of Russian literature
Russian literature
Russian literature refers to the literature of Russia or its émigrés, and to the Russian-language literature of several independent nations once a part of what was historically Russia or the Soviet Union...
, from 1979 professor).
On November 21, 1972 she defended her Doctor's thesis (Aleksandr Blok i russkaja realisticheskaja literatura XIX veka – Aleksandr Blok and Russian Realist Literature of the 19th Century), but the All-Union Higher Assessment Commission did not give her the degree until five years later. Mints' courses chiefly covered the Russian literature of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century (Dostoyevsky, Chekhov, Blok, e.g. connections between Blok's works and the general cultorological questions).
Mints took actively part in collecting Blok's literary heritage and publishing the Aleksandr Blok: Novye materialy i issledovanija – A.B.: New Materials and studies, 5 Volumes, Moscow 1980–1987. She died in Bergamo
Bergamo
Bergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
, Italy.
About Zara Mints
- Лавров А. В. Александр Блок в трудах и днях З. Г. Минц // Минц З. Г. Блок и русский символизм: избранные труды: в трех книгах. [Т. 2], Александр Блок и русские писатели. Санкт-Петербург, 2000. С. 7–20.