Nina Nikolayevna Berberova (russian: Ни́на Никола́евна Бербе́рова) (

St Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, 26 July 1901 –

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, 26 September 1993) was a Russian writer who chronicled the lives of anti-communist Russian refugees in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

in her short stories and novels. She visited post-Soviet Russia. Her 1965-revision of the

Constance Garnett Constance Clara Garnett (; 19 December 1861 – 17 December 1946) was an English translator of nineteenth-century Russian literature. She was the first English translator to render numerous volumes of Anton Chekhov's work into English and the ...

translation of

Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...

's ''

Anna Karenina ''Anna Karenina'' ( rus, «Анна Каренина», p=ˈanːə kɐˈrʲenʲɪnə) is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in book form in 1878. Widely considered to be one of the greatest works of literature ever writte ...

'' with Leonard J. Kent is considered the best translation so far by the academic Zoja Pavlovskis-Petit.

Life

Born in 1901 to an

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

father and a Russian mother, Nina Berberova was brought up in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

. She emigrated from

Soviet Russia The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...

to the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is al ...

in 1922 with the poet

Vladislav Khodasevich Vladislav Felitsianovich Khodasevich (russian: Владисла́в Фелициа́нович Ходасе́вич; 16 May 1886 – 14 June 1939) was an influential Russian poet and literary critic who presided over the Berlin circle of Russian e ...

(who died in 1939). The couple 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 ...

until 1924 and then settled in

. There, Berberova became a permanent contributor to the

White émigré White Russian émigrés were Russians who emigrated from the territory of the former Russian Empire in the wake of the Russian Revolution (1917) and Russian Civil War (1917–1923), and who were in opposition to the revolutionary Bolshevik commun ...

publication '' Posledniye Novosti'' ("The Latest News"), where she published short stories, poems, film reviews and chronicles of

Soviet literature Russian literature refers to the literature of Russia and its émigrés and to Russian-language literature. The roots of Russian literature can be traced to the Middle Ages, when epics and chronicles in Old East Slavic were composed. By the Ag ...

. She also wrote for many other Russian émigré publications based in Paris, Berlin and

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

. The stories collected in ''Oblegchenie Uchasti'' ("The Easing of Fate") and ''Biiankurskie Prazdniki'' ("Billancourt Fiestas") were written during this period. She also wrote the first book-length biography of composer

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

in 1936, which was deeply controversial at the time for its openness about the composer's

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...

. In Paris, she was part of a circle of poor but distinguished literary Russian refugees that included

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 ...

Boris Pasternak Boris Leonidovich Pasternak (; rus, Бори́с Леони́дович Пастерна́к, p=bɐˈrʲis lʲɪɐˈnʲidəvʲɪtɕ pəstɛrˈnak; 30 May 1960) was a Russian poet, novelist, composer and literary translator. Composed in 1917, Pa ...

Marina Tsvetaeva Marina Ivanovna Tsvetaeva (russian: Марина Ивановна Цветаева, p=mɐˈrʲinə ɪˈvanəvnə tsvʲɪˈtaɪvə; 31 August 1941) was a Russian poet. Her work is considered among some of the greatest in twentieth century Russia ...

and

Vladimir Mayakovsky Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky (, ; rus, Влади́мир Влади́мирович Маяко́вский, , vlɐˈdʲimʲɪr vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ məjɪˈkofskʲɪj, Ru-Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky.ogg, links=y; – 14 Apr ...

. From its inception in 1940, she became a permanent contributor to the weekly ''Russkaia Mysl’'' ("Russian Thought"). After living in Paris for 25 years, Berberova emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1950 and became an

American citizen Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constituti ...

in 1959. In 1954, she married George Kochevitsky, Russian pianist and teacher.Россия и российская эмиграция в воспоминаниях и дневниках. А.Г. Тартаковский, Т Эммонс, О.В. Будницкий. Москва. РОССПЭН. 2003
/ref> She began her academic career in 1958 when she was hired to teach Russian at

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

. She continued to write while she was teaching and published several ''povesti'' (long short stories),

literary critic Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. Th ...

ism and some poetry. She left Yale in 1963 for

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...

, where she taught until her retirement in 1971. Berberova moved from

Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...

, to

in 1991. Berberova's autobiography, which details her early life and years in France, was written in Russian but published first in English as ''The Italics are Mine'' (Harcourt, Brace & World, 1969). The Russian edition, ''Kursiv Moi'', was not published until 1983.

English translations

*''

'', with Leonard J. Kent

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

1965, republished by

Modern Library The Modern Library is an American book publishing imprint and formerly the parent company of Random House. Founded in 1917 by Albert Boni and Horace Liveright as an imprint of their publishing company Boni & Liveright, Modern Library became an ...

2000 *'' The Italics are Mine'', Vintage, 1993. *''Aleksandr Blok: A Life'', George Braziller, 1996. *''Cape of Storms'', New Directions 1999. *''The Ladies from St. Petersburg'', New Directions, 2000. *''The Tattered Cloak and Other Stories'', Knoff 1991, reprinted New Directions 2001. *''The Book of Happiness'', New Directions, 2002. *''The Accompanist'', New Directions, 2003. *''Moura: The Dangerous Life of the Baroness Budberg'', NYRB Classics, 2005. *''Billancourt Tales'', New Directions, 2009.

Bibliography

*''Alexandre Blok et son temps'' (

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...

) *''Biiankurskie Prazdniki'' (stories published in the 1920s in ''Poslednie novosti'') *''Poslednie i pervyi'' (

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...

) *''Povelitel'nitsa'' (

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

) *''Chaikovskii : istoriia odinokoi zhizni'' (

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

) *''Bez zakata'' (

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

) *''Oblegchenie uchasti'' (stories published in the 1930s in ''Sovremennyi zapiski'' were collected in

) *''The Italics are Mine'' (English version of ''Kursiv Moi'',

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

) *''Zheleznaia Zhenshchina'' (

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

) *''Lyudi i lozhi'' (

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

)

References

Sources

*Barker, Murl G. 1994. In Memoriam: Nina Nikolaevna Berberova 1901–1993. ''The Slavic and East European Journal 38(3):553-556. * Kasack, Wolfgang. 1988. ''Dictionary of Russian literature since 1917''. New York: Columbia University Press. *Buck, Joan Juliet 1993
"Postscript: Nina Berberova."
''The New Yorker,'' 25 October 1993.

External links

Boris I. Nicolaevsky Collection at Stanford University
much of Berberova's early literary archive (1922–1950)
Nina Berberova Papers
later literary archive (after 1950)
Nina Berberova Collection
Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. * (in Russian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Berberova, Nina Nikolayevna 1901 births 1993 deaths Short story writers from the Russian Empire Novelists from the Russian Empire Armenian people from the Russian Empire American writers of Russian descent French people of Russian descent Soviet emigrants to France Russian women novelists American women short story writers American short story writers Yale University people 20th-century American women writers 20th-century novelists Russian people of Armenian descent 20th-century short story writers