Pavel Pavlovich Muratov (russian: Па́вел Па́влович Мура́тов), also known as Paul Muratov or Paul Muratoff ( – February 5, 1950), was a Russian essayist, novelist, art historian, critic and playwright.
Born in Bobrov in the Voronezh Oblast into the family of a military doctor, Muratov attended a Cadet Corps and graduated from the
Petersburg State Transport University
Emperor Alexander I St. Petersburg State Transport University (PGUPS) (russian: Петербургский государственный университет путей сообщения Императора Александра I, abbreviat ...
in 1903. He traveled abroad in 1905-06, after which he moved to Moscow and worked at the Rumyantsev Museum until 1914. He became friends with the writers Boris Zaytsev, Vladislav Khodasevich, and Nina Berberova (who called him "one of the most remarkable men I ever met"), as well as the artist
Nikolai Ulyanov
''Nikolai Ulyanov can also refer to Vladimir Lenin''
Nikolai Pavlovich Ulyanov (russian: Николай Павлович Улья́нов, – 5 May 1949) was a Russian painter, scenic designer, and graphic artist.
Gallery
1975 CPA 4490.jpg, ' ...
. From 1906 he began to publish in journals like ''
Vesy
''Vesy'' (russian: Весы́; en, The Balance or The Scales) was a Russian symbolist magazine published in Moscow from 1904 to 1909, with the financial backing of philanthropist S. A. Polyakov. It was edited by the major symbolist writer Valery ...
'', ''Zolotoe Runo'', and ''Apollon''. He collaborated with Igor Grabar on the latter's ''History of Russian Art'', and in 1913-14 he helped publish the journal ''Sofia'', dedicated to early Russian art.
He was a volunteer with the Field Artillery in the Russo-Japanese War. In the First World War he rejoined the artillery, and in 1914-15 was second in command of a field battery. Later he was on air defence and staff work with the Black Sea Fleet HQ at Sevastopol.
In 1921 he was arrested in connection with his work for Pomgol; the next year he left Russia never to return. At first he lived in Germany, but in 1923 he moved to Rome, where almost all the local Russian intelligentsia visited his Tuesday salons. In 1927 he moved to Paris, where he contributed to emigre journals and became an art expert for the gallery A la vieille Russie. In 1939 he emigrated to England, from 1940 living in London; in 1946 he moved to Whitechurch House, his friend WED Allen's estate in Ireland.
On October 5, 1950, he died of a heart attack at Whitechurch House and was buried at the local cemetery.
Clive James
Clive James (born Vivian Leopold James; 7 October 1939 – 24 November 2019) was an Australian critic, journalist, broadcaster, writer and lyricist who lived and worked in the United Kingdom from 1962 until his death in 2019.Goethe, Gregorovius, Burckhardt and
Arthur Symons
Arthur William Symons (28 February 186522 January 1945) was a British poet, critic and magazine editor.
Life
Born in Milford Haven, Wales, to Cornish parents, Symons was educated privately, spending much of his time in France and Italy. In 1884 ...
, but it is better than any of them."Clive James, ''Cultural Amnesia'', p. 524.
Military works (as Paul Muratoff, with
W. E. D. Allen
William Edward David Allen (6 January 1901 – 18 September 1973) was a British scholar, Foreign Service officer, politician and businessman, best known as a historian of the South Caucasus—notably Georgia. He was closely involved in the pol ...
)
*''The Russian Campaigns of 1941–1943'' (1944, Penguin)
*''The Russian Campaigns of 1944–45'' (1946, Penguin)
*''Caucasian Battlefields'' (1953)