Mark Aldanov (russian: Марк Алда́нов; Mordkhai-Markus Israelevich Landau, Mark Alexandrovich Landau, russian: Мордхай-Маркус Израилевич Ландау, Марк Алекса́ндрович Ланда́у; – February 25, 1957) was a Russian Empire and later French writer and critic, known for his

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

s. Aldanov's first book about

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 19 ...

, translated into several languages, immediately gained him popularity. Then followed a trilogy of novels attempting to trace the roots of the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...

. He also wrote a tetralogy of novels about

Napoleonic wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

. All in all, he published 16 larger literary works and a great number of articles and essays. He was nominated for the

Nobel Prize in Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...

thirteen times.

Biography

Mordkhai-Markus Landau (Aldanov) was born in

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

in the family of a rich

Jew 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""Th ...

ish industrialist. He graduated the physical-mathematical and law departments of

Kiev University Kyiv University or Shevchenko University or officially the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv ( uk, Київський національний університет імені Тараса Шевченка), colloquially known as KNU ...

. He published serious research papers in chemistry. In 1919 he emigrated to France. During 1922-1924 he lived 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 ...

and during 1941-1946, in the United States.

Ivan Bunin Ivan Alekseyevich Bunin ( or ; rus, Ива́н Алексе́евич Бу́нин, p=ɪˈvan ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ ˈbunʲɪn, a=Ivan Alyeksyeyevich Bunin.ru.vorb.oga; – 8 November 1953) was the first Russian writer awarded the ...

, the first Russian writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, nominated Aldanov for Nobel Prize a total of six times - in 1938, 1939, 1947, 1948, 1949, and 1950. Mark Aldanov died in

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

, France. His extensive correspondence with

Vladimir Nabokov Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov (russian: link=no, Владимир Владимирович Набоков ; 2 July 1977), also known by the pen name Vladimir Sirin (), was a Russian-American novelist, poet, translator, and entomologist. Bo ...

Alexander Kerensky Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky, ; Reforms of Russian orthography, original spelling: ( – 11 June 1970) was a Russian lawyer and revolutionary who led the Russian Provisional Government and the short-lived Russian Republic for three months ...

and other emigre celebrities was published posthumously.

''Novy Zhurnal''

In 1942, while in New York, Aldanov cofounded ''Novy Zhurnal'' (

The New Review ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

; Russian: ''Новый журнал'') together with his colleague and friend

Mikhail Tsetlin Mikhail Osipovich Tsetlin (russian: Михаи́л О́сипович Це́тлин, July 10, 1882, Moscow, Russian Empire, — November 10, 1945, New York City, United States) was a Russian poet, dramatist, novelist, memoirist, revolutionary and ...

. Until November 1945 they both served as Editors-in-Chief of this publication, which is considered the oldest Russian language literary periodical in print published outside of Russia. Literaturnaya premiya imeni Marka Aldanova // ru.wikipedia.org. Retrieved February 5, 2014. Among the review's contributors were

Joseph Brodsky Iosif Aleksandrovich Brodsky (; russian: link=no, Иосиф Александрович Бродский ; 24 May 1940 – 28 January 1996) was a Russian and American poet and essayist. Born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg), USSR in 1940, ...

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn. (11 December 1918 – 3 August 2008) was a Russian novelist. One of the most famous Soviet dissidents, Solzhenitsyn was an outspoken critic of communism and helped to raise global awareness of political repress ...

, and other notable Russian emigre writers.Novy Zhurnal - Official Website
Retrieved February 5, 2014.

The Aldanov Literary Prize

Since 2007 ''Novy Zhurnal'' has been awarding The Aldanov Literary Prize conferred for the best novella or novellete authored by a Russian-language writer living outside or Russia.

Bibliography

The Thinker, a tetralogy

*''The Ninth Thermidor'' *''The Devil's Bridge'' *''The Conspiracy'' *''St. Helena: Little Island''

Novels

*''Punch Vodka'' *''The Ninth Thermidor'' *''The Devil's Bridge'' *''Conspiracy'' *''The Tenth Symphony'' *''Saint Helena, Little Island'' *''For Thee the Best'' *''A Story About Death'' *''Before the Deluge'' *''Suicide'' *''The Key'' *''Escape'' *''The Cave'' *''The Fifth Seal - Тhe Beginning of the End'' *''Live As You Please'' *''Nightmare and Dawn'' *''Moltke the Younger'' *''Querétaro and Emperor Maximilian''

References

1886 births 1957 deaths Writers from Kyiv People from Kievsky Uyezd White Russian emigrants to France Popular Socialists (Russia) Novelists from the Russian Empire Biographers from the Russian Empire Male biographers Essayists from the Russian Empire Literary critics from the Russian Empire 20th-century novelists 20th-century essayists Jews from the Russian Empire 20th-century Russian male writers Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv alumni 20th-century pseudonymous writers {{russia-writer-stub