Konstantin Aleksandrovich Fedin ( rus, Константи́н Алекса́ндрович Фе́дин, p=kənstɐnʲˈtʲin ɐlʲɪkˈsandrəvʲɪtɕ ˈfʲedʲɪn, a=Konstantin Alyeksandrovich Fyedin.ru.vorb.oga; – 15 July 1977) was a Soviet and Russian novelist and literary functionary.

Biography

Born in

Saratov Saratov (, ; rus, Сара́тов, a=Ru-Saratov.ogg, p=sɐˈratəf) is the largest city and administrative center of Saratov Oblast, Russia, and a major port on the Volga River upstream (north) of Volgograd. Saratov had a population of 901,36 ...

of humble origins, Fedin studied in

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 million ...

and Germany and was interned there during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. After his release, he worked as an interpreter in the first Soviet embassy in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. On returning to Russia, he joined the

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

s and served in the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

. After leaving the Party in 1921, he joined the literary group called the

Serapion Brothers The Serapion Brothers (or Serapion Fraternity, russian: Серапионовы Братья) was a group of writers formed in Petrograd, Russian SFSR in 1921. The group was named after a literary group, ''Die Serapionsbrüder'' ( The Serapion Bret ...

, who supported the

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

, but wanted freedom for literature and the arts. His first story, "The Orchard," was published in 1922, as was his play ''Bakunin v Drezdene'' (Bakunin in Dresden). His first two novels are his most important; ''Goroda i gody'' (1924; tr. as ''Cities and Years'', 1962, "one of the first major novels in Soviet literature") and ''Bratya'' (Brothers, 1928) both deal with the problems of intellectuals at the time of the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

, and include "impressions of the German bourgeois world" based on his wartime imprisonment. His later novels include ''Pokhishchenie Evropy'' (The rape of Europe, 1935), ''Sanatorii Arktur'' (The Arktur sanatorium, 1939), and the historical trilogy, ''Pervye radosti'' (First joys, 1945), ''Neobyknovennoe leto'' (An unusual summer, 1948), and ''Kostyor'' (The Fire, 1961–67). He also wrote a memoir ''Gorky sredi nas'' (Gorky among us, 1943). Edward J. Brown sums him up as follows: "Fedin, while he is probably not a great writer, did possess in a high degree the talent for communicating the atmosphere of a particular time and place. His best writing is reminiscent re-creation of his own experiences, and his memory is able to select and retain sensuous elements of long-past scenes which render their telling a rich experience."Brown, ''Russian Literature Since the Revolution'', p. 100. From 1959 until his death in 1977, he served as chair of the

Union of Soviet Writers The Union of Soviet Writers, USSR Union of Writers, or Soviet Union of Writers (russian: Союз писателей СССР, translit=Soyuz Sovetstikh Pisatelei) was a creative union of professional writers in the Soviet Union. It was founded ...

Awards

Hero of Socialist Labour The Hero of Socialist Labour (russian: links=no, Герой Социалистического Труда, Geroy Sotsialisticheskogo Truda) was an honorific title in the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries from 1938 to 1991. It repre ...

(1967) * Four

Orders of Lenin The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration b ...

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour (russian: Орден Трудового Красного Знамени, translit=Orden Trudovogo Krasnogo Znameni) was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to th ...

, twice *

Order of the October Revolution The Order of the October Revolution (russian: Орден Октябрьской Революции, ''Orden Oktyabr'skoy Revolyutsii'') was instituted on October 31, 1967, in time for the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. It was conferr ...

Stalin Prize Stalin Prize may refer to: * The State Stalin Prize in science and engineering and in arts, awarded 1941 to 1954, later known as the USSR State Prize The USSR State Prize (russian: links=no, Государственная премия СССР, ...

, 1st class (1949) - for the novel "First Joy" (1945) and "No Ordinary Summer" (1947-1948) * Order of the GDR, twice

English Translations

*''No Ordinary Summer'', 2 vols, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Moscow, 1950. *''Sanatorium Arktur'', Foreign Languages Publishing House, Moscow, 1957. *''Early Joys'', Vintage, 1960. *''The Conflagration'', Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1968. *''Cities and Years'', Northwestern University Press, 1993.

References

Sources

''Encyclopædia Britannica''
* A.K. Thorlby (ed.), ''The Penguin Companion to Literature: European'' (Penguin, 1969).

External links

* http://www.spartacus-educational.com/RUSfedin.htm * http://www.sovlit.net/bios/fedin.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Fedin, Konstantin Aleksandrovich 1892 births 1977 deaths 20th-century Russian male writers Bolsheviks Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery Eighth convocation members of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union Full Members of the USSR Academy of Sciences Heroes of Socialist Labour Ninth convocation members of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union Writers from Saratov Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Recipients of the Patriotic Order of Merit in gold Russian male novelists Russian male poets Russian male short story writers Seventh convocation members of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union Sixth convocation members of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union Soviet male writers Soviet novelists Soviet poets Soviet short story writers Stalin Prize winners