Boris Yefimovich Yefimov (russian: Бори́с Ефи́мович Ефи́мов; ,The birth record of Boris Fridlyand (Boris Yefimov) in the metric book of the Kiev rabbinate for 1900 ( ЦГИАК Украины. Ф. 1164. Оп. 1. Д. 454. Л. 435об—436.) (rus) Kyiv – October 1, 2008,

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

) was a Soviet, Russian and Ukrainian

political Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that stud ...

cartoonist best known for his critical political caricatures of

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

and other Nazis produced before and during

the Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, and was the chief illustrator of the newspaper ''

Izvestia ''Izvestia'' ( rus, Известия, p=ɪzˈvʲesʲtʲɪjə, "The News") is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Russia. Founded in 1917, it was a newspaper of record in the Soviet Union until the Soviet Union's dissolution in 1991, and describes i ...

''. During his 90-year career he produced more than 70,000 drawings.

Early life

Yefimov was born in

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Kyi ...

as Boris Fridlyand, the second son of a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

shoemaker. His father was Khaim Movshevich (Yefim Moiseyevich) Fridlyand (1860–1945); his mother was Rokhlya Shevakhovna (Rakhil Savelyevna) (1880–1969). Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Białystok, where he grew up alongside his older brother Mikhail (who became the famous journalist

Mikhail Koltsov Mikhail Efimovich Koltsov (russian: Михаи́л Ефи́мович Кольцо́в) (The record of the birth of Moisey Fridlyand in the metric book of the Kiev rabbinate for 1898 ( ЦГИАК Украины. Ф. 1164. Оп. 1. Д. 442. Л. 13 ...

, arrested during the

Great Purge The Great Purge or the Great Terror (russian: Большой террор), also known as the Year of '37 (russian: 37-й год, translit=Tridtsat sedmoi god, label=none) and the Yezhovshchina ('period of Yezhov'), was Soviet General Secret ...

and executed in 1940). During the First World War, his family fled the advancing German armies and returned to Kyiv, where he pursued legal studies. He began to express his emotions through caricatures of politicians, the first of which were published in 1919 and circulated in the Kievan Red Army.

Career

From 1920 to 1921, Yefimov designed posters and brochures for the communist organization

Agitprop Agitprop (; from rus, агитпроп, r=agitpróp, portmanteau of ''agitatsiya'', "agitation" and ''propaganda'', " propaganda") refers to an intentional, vigorous promulgation of ideas. The term originated in Soviet Russia where it referred ...

, finally moving to Moscow in 1922 after his brother, who worked as an editor for ''

Pravda ''Pravda'' ( rus, Правда, p=ˈpravdə, a=Ru-правда.ogg, "Truth") is a Russian broadsheet newspaper, and was the official newspaper of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, when it was one of the most influential papers in the ...

'', offered him a job drawing political cartoons. His artistic talent, directed mainly against

the West West is a cardinal direction or compass point. West or The West may also refer to: Geography and locations Global context * The Western world * Western culture and Western civilization in general * The Western Bloc, countries allied with NATO ...

, gained him prominence, and his work started appearing in such titles as ''

'', ''

Krokodil ''Krokodil'' ( rus, Крокодил, p=krəkɐˈdʲil, a= Ru-крокодил.ogg, ) was a satirical magazine published in the Soviet Union. It was founded in 1922 as the satirical supplement to the '' Workers' Gazette'' (called simply «При� ...

'' and '' Ogoniok'', a magazine founded by his brother Mikhail Koltsov (1898–1940). The year 1924 saw the publication of his first book, ''Political Cartoons'' (russian: Политические карикатуры, ''Politicheskiye Karikatury''), which included a foreword by

Leon Trotsky Lev Davidovich Bronstein. ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky; uk, link= no, Лев Давидович Троцький; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trotskij'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky''. (), was a Russian ...

. In 1937 Boris Yefimov covered the Show Trials and drew cartoons against people like Nikolai Bukharin and Leon Trotsky. During this period Yefimov drew political cartoons against those he had previously admired within the Soviet leadership. Following the war, Yefimov traveled to the

Nuremberg trials The Nuremberg trials were held by the Allies against representatives of the defeated Nazi Germany, for plotting and carrying out invasions of other countries, and other crimes, in World War II. Between 1939 and 1945, Nazi Germany invaded m ...

with the task of caricaturing the Nazi defendants. He was then ordered to poke fun at the Western powers in what was transforming into the Cold War. He went on to become the chief editor of

, and cooperated with ''

'' until the 1980s. He published an autobiography, ''Moy Vek'' (''My Century''), for his centennial, and resided in

. Yefimov received the Stalin Prizes in 1950 and 1951 and was named People's Painter of the USSR in 1967. In 2002 he became chief of the Political Propaganda Department of the Russian Academy of Arts. In a 2005 interview with Russian TV, Yefimov recalled his experiences in Petrograd during the Russian Revolution, admitting that he had changed his real name in order to conceal his Jewish origins. On September 28, 2007, his 107th birthday, he was appointed to the post of the chief artist of the ''

'' newspaper. In 2008, Yefimov was still working, primarily writing

memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobiog ...

s and drawing friendly cartoons. Also, he was active in public life: he attended memorials and anniversary meetings,

soiree A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature ...

s and other functions up until his death in Moscow on October 1, 2008, only three days after what was initially reported as his 108th birthday; his age was subsequently reported as 109 based on information from his family. However, records back up that he was born in 1900. Boris Yefimov is buried in Novodevichy Cemetery.

Family

Yefimov was married twice. His first wife was Rosaliya Borisovna Koretskaya (1900–1969). After his death he left one son, Yefimov Mikhail Borisovitch (born in 1929), a grandson, and two great grandchildren. Yefimov was a cousin of the famous Soviet photographer and journalist Semyon Fridlyand.

Bibliography

Books in English

* ''Hitler and his Gang''. Cartoons by Boris Efimov with a foreword by David Low. Alliance Press, 1944.

References

External links

1998 Interview for Red Files, a PBS Documentary
* ttp://www.peoples.ru/art/painter/efimov_b/efimov_200802141110061_middle.jpg Picture at 107br>At his 107th birthday (video 1)At his 107th birthday (video 2)
* Метрическая книга Киевского раввината за 1900 год, рождение // ЦГИАК Украины. Ф. 1164. Оп. 1. Д. 454. Л. 435об—436. Запись 721. (rus) {{DEFAULTSORT:Yefimov, Boris 1900 births 2008 deaths Artists from Kyiv Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery People from Kiev Governorate Full Members of the Russian Academy of Arts Full Members of the USSR Academy of Arts Heroes of Socialist Labour People's Artists of the USSR (visual arts) Stalin Prize winners Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia) Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Recipients of the USSR State Prize Men centenarians Jewish caricaturists Jewish socialists Russian caricaturists Russian cartoonists Russian centenarians Russian editorial cartoonists Russian illustrators Russian Jews Soviet artists Soviet caricaturists Soviet illustrators Soviet Jews Ukrainian caricaturists Ukrainian cartoonists Ukrainian centenarians Ukrainian editorial cartoonists Ukrainian illustrators Ukrainian Jews