Harlow Loomis Robinson (born 20 September 1950) is a Matthews Distinguished University Professor of History at Northeastern University who specializes in Soviet and Russian cultural history, with writings on Soviet film and performing arts.

Background

Robinson was born in

Bristol, Connecticut Bristol is a suburban city located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, southwest-west of Hartford. The city is also 120 miles southwest from Boston, and approximately 100 miles northeast of New York City. As of the 2020 census, th ...

. During high school, inspired by the film adaption of ''

Dr. Zhivago ''Doctor Zhivago'' is the title of a novel by Boris Pasternak and its various adaptations. Description The story, in all of its forms, describes the life of the fictional Russian physician and poet Yuri Zhivago Yuri Andreievich Zhivago is the ...

'', he started studying Russian on a program to

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

. He also studied Russian music and literature. In 1972, he received a BA in Russian from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

and graduated

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

, Magna cum laude. He took a "world tour" that included crossing Asia by the

Trans-Siberian Railway The Trans-Siberian Railway (TSR; , , ) connects European Russia to the Russian Far East. Spanning a length of over , it is the longest railway line in the world. It runs from the city of Moscow in the west to the city of Vladivostok in the ea ...

. In 1975, he received an MA in Slavic languages and literature, followed in 1980 a doctorate also in Slavic languages and literatures, both at the

University of California at Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant uni ...

. His doctoral thesis was on "The Operas of Sergei Prokofiev and Their Russian Literary Sources," for which he spent an academic year in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

Career

Before studying for his doctorate, Robinson worked as a journalist for his hometown Bristol newspaper as well as the '' Hartford Courant''. During his "world tour," he also taught English in Japan (1972–1973). Robinson began his academic career as assistant professor in the Slavic department of the

State University of New York at Albany The State University of New York at Albany, commonly referred to as the University at Albany, UAlbany or SUNY Albany, is a public research university with campuses in Albany, Rensselaer, and Guilderland, New York. Founded in 1844, it is one ...

(SUNY Albany) (1980-1994), where he chaired the departments of Slavic languages and literature (1992-1994) and Germanic and Slavic languages and literature (1994-1995). In 1996, Robinson moved to Northeastern University in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, where he has taught courses on Russian cultural history, history of Soviet cinema, the image of Russia in American culture, and Prague, Vienna, Budapest 1867-1918. At Northeastern, he has also served as chair of Modern Languages (1996–99), Cinema Studies (Acting Director, 1998–99), International Affairs Program (2000-2001 advisor), and Department of History (2013–14). He served as vice president of the American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages. Robinson has delivered public lectures at the Boston Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Music Center Opera, Guggenheim Museum, San Francisco Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Aspen Music Festival and Bard Festival. He has worked as a consultant for performing arts organizations and has served as writer and commentator for PBS, NPR and the Canadian Broadcasting System.

Fellowships, honors, awards

* 2010: Academy Film Scholar the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motio ...

* 2010: Institutional Grants Committee from the

for research on Oscar-winning director

Lewis Milestone Lewis Milestone (born Leib Milstein (Russian: Лейб Мильштейн); September 30, 1895 – September 25, 1980) was a Moldovan-American film director. He is known for directing '' Two Arabian Knights'' (1927) and ''All Quiet on the Weste ...

* Fellowship/grant, American Council of Learned Societies * Fellowship/grant, Fulbright * Fellowship/grant, Whiting Foundation

Works

Major publications include: * ''The legend of the invisible city of Kitezh and the maiden Fevronia: An opera in four acts'', libretto by Vladimir Ivanovich Belsky, English version by Harlow Robinson (Melville, NY: Belwin-Mills, 1984) * ''Sergei Prokofiev: A Biography'' (New York: Viking Press, 1987) (1988) (2002) * ''The Last Impresario: The Life, Times and Legacy of Sol Hurok'' (New York: Viking Press, 1994) (1995) * ''Selected Letters of Sergei Prokofiev'', translated, edited and introduced by Harlow Robinson (Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1998) * ''Vasilisa the fair'', based on ''The frog princess and other Russian folk tales'' by Sophia Prokofieva and Irina Tokmakova, music by Alla Lander, translated by Sabina Modzhalevskaya and Harlow Robinson, adapted by Adrian Mitchell (New York: Samuel French, 2003) * ''Russians in Hollywood, Hollywood's Russians'' (Lebanon, NH: University Press of New England, 2007) * Lewis Milestone:Life and films (Lexington, KY: University of Kentucky Press: 2019) He has also contributed essays, articles, and reviews to the: ''New York Times'', ''Los Angeles Times'', ''The Nation'', ''Opera News'', ''Opera Quarterly'', ''Dance'', ''Playbill'', ''Symphony'' and other publications.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Harlow 1952 births 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male writers Cornell University alumni Historians of communism American male non-fiction writers Living people Historians of Russia Stalinism-era scholars and writers

Background

Career

Fellowships, honors, awards

Works

See also

References