Yuri Sergeyevich Rytkheu ( rus, Ю́рий Серге́евич Рытхэ́у, , ˈjʉrʲɪj sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ rɨtˈxɛʊ; ckt, Ю́рий Серге́евич Рытгэ́в; 8 March 1930 – 14 May 2008) was a Chukchi writer, who wrote in both his native Chukchi and in Russian. He is considered to be the father of Chukchi literature.
Early life
Yuri Rytkheu was born 8 March 1930 to a family of trappers and hunters. His birthplace, the village of
Uelen
Uelen (russian: Уэлéн; Chukchi: , ''Uvèlèn''; Siberian Yupik: Улыӄ, ''Ulyḳ''; Naukan Yupik: Олыӄ, ''Oleq''; also known as Whalen in older English-language sources and Ugelen on USCGS charts) is a rural locality (a '' selo'') ...
RSFSR
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
, USSR; it is now part of the
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Chukotka (russian: Чуко́тка), officially the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug,, ''Čukotkakèn avtonomnykèn okrug'', is the easternmost federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia. It is an autonomous okrug situated in the Russian ...
. His grandfather was a
shaman
Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritu ...
.
At birth, he was given the name "Rytgėv", which means "forgotten" in the
Chukchi language
Chukchi , also known as Chukot, is a Chukotko-Kamchatkan languages, Chukotko–Kamchatkan language spoken by the Chukchi people in the easternmost extremity of Siberia, mainly in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. The language is closely related to Koryak ...
(from the Chukchi word ''"рытгэватъё" (rytgėvatʺjo'') – "unremembered" or "forgotten"). Since Soviet institutions did not recognize Chukchi names and the Chukchi do not commonly use surnames, in order to obtain his passport he used his first name as his surname and assumed the first name and
patronymic
A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor.
Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, alt ...
of a Russian geologist he knew.
He graduated from the Soviet 7-year school in Uelen. He wanted to continue his education at the
Institute of the Peoples of the North
The Institute of the Peoples of the North (russian: Институт Народов Севера) is a research and later educationary institute based in Saint Petersburg. Its objective is to examine topics related to the northern minorities in th ...
, but was not selected to study there, because of his young age. Consequently, he decided to go to
Leningrad
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 ...
on his own, to continue his study. This travel was delayed for several years. In order to earn money for this journey, the future writer took odd jobs; for instance, he worked on the seas and on geological expeditions and trapped animals,
stevedore
A stevedore (), also called a longshoreman, a docker or a dockworker, is a waterfront manual laborer who is involved in loading and unloading ships, trucks, trains or airplanes.
After the shipping container revolution of the 1960s, the number o ...
d at a
hydrography
Hydrography is the branch of applied sciences which deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers, as well as with the prediction of their change over time, for the primary p ...
base. He moved to
Anadyr Anadyr may refer to:
*Anadyr (town), a town and the administrative center of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia
*Anadyr District
*Anadyr Estuary
*Anadyr (river), a river in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia
*Anadyr Highlands
*Anadyr Lowlands
*Operati ...
and enrolled in a
vocational school
A vocational school is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocational education or technical skills required to complete the tasks ...
. In 1947 he started writing articles for the Anadyr district-based magazine ''Soviet Chukotka'' (Советская Чукотка), which published his first stories and poems. In Anadyr, he met the Leningrad-based scholar , who was leading a linguistic expedition in the area and who was responsible for helping the young writer move to Leningrad.Biography at kolyma.ru
Career: Soviet years
From 1949 until 1954 he studied literature at
Leningrad State University
Saint Petersburg State University (SPBU; russian: Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the G ...
. He was only slightly older than 20 when his works started appearing in ''Young Leningrad'' (Молодой Ленинград), and then later on in other periodicals such as ''
Ogonyok
''Ogoniok'' ( rus, Огонёк, t=Spark, p=ɐɡɐˈnʲɵk, a=Ru-огонёк.ogg; pre-reform orthography: ''Огонекъ'') was one of the oldest weekly illustrated magazines in Russia.
History and profile
''Ogoniok'' has issued since . I ...
'', ''
Young World
''Young World'' is a Pakistani children's magazine, published by ''Dawn''. It has drawings, poems, and stories with illustrations that are contributed by children. It has reviews of ''books'', ''movies'', ''songs'' and ''websites''. It also has ' ...
'' (Молодой мир), ''
The Far East
The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.
The ter ...
'' (Дальний Восток) and ' (Смена). In 1953, the publishing company Molodaya Gvardiya (Young Guard) published his first collection of stories ''The People of Our Coast'' (Люди нашего берега), in Russian. This book was later translated into Chukchi by A. Smolyana (А. Смоляна). While still a student, Rytkheu also translated the works of
Pushkin
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
,
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 ...
, Gorky and into Chukchi. In 1954, he was accepted into the
USSR Union of 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 unions in the Soviet Union, creative union of professional writers ...
.
Upon graduating from Leningrad University, he spent a few years living in
Magadan
Magadan ( rus, Магадан, p=məɡɐˈdan) is a port town and the administrative center of Magadan Oblast, Russia, located on the Sea of Okhotsk in Nagayev Bay (within Taui Bay) and serving as a gateway to the Kolyma region.
History
Maga ...
, working as a correspondent for the newspaper '' Magadanskaya Pravda''. After two years in Magadan, a collection short stories ''Chukotkan Saga'' (Чукотская сага) was published, and brought the writer recognition from both Soviet and foreign readers.
After Magadan, he moved to Leningrad, where he spent the rest of his life. In 1967, he joined the
Communist Party
A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...
.
Post-Soviet career
After the
collapse of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...
, his works were no longer published in the new post-Soviet states. Finding himself in a difficult position, he even said that he would emigrate to the United States. However, through
Chinghiz Aitmatov
Chinghiz Torekulovich Aitmatov (as transliterated from Russian; ky, Чыңгыз Төрөкулович Айтматов, translit=Chynggyz Törökulovich Aytmatov; 12 December 1928 – 10 June 2008) was a Kyrgyz author who wrote mainly in Russia ...
, he met with Lucien Leitess, founder of the Swiss publishing company, , who signed a contract to publish Rytkheu's works in German, and who would go on to become his literary agent. Rytkheu's works were introduced to readers in France, Finland, the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, Italy, Germany, Spain, Japan, and other countries. The German editions of his books have sold more than 250,000 copies. The situation in Russia, however, was quite the opposite since the time his book ''Путешествие в молодости'' (Youthful Travels) was published in 1991. Beginning in 2000, the Governor of Chukotka,
Roman Abramovich
Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich (, ; he, רומן ארקדיביץ' אברמוביץ'; born 24 October 1966) is a Russian Russian oligarchs, oligarch and politician. He is the former owner of Chelsea F.C., Chelsea, a Premier League football club ...
, sponsored the distribution of a small run of Rytkeu's works in Russia, approximately one a year, all of which were issued only in Chukotka. The first of these books was a new work called ''In the Mirror of Oblivion'' (В зеркале забвения).
His works have been translated into numerous languages, including several national languages of the former USSR. In addition, the composer
Eduard Artemyev
Eduard Nikolayevich Artemyev ( rus, Эдуа́рд Никола́евич Арте́мьев, p=ɨdʊˈart ɐrˈtʲemʲjɪf; born 30 November 1937) is a Soviet and Russian composer of electronic music and film scores. Outside of Russia, he is ...
set his poems to music in a 1985 vocal-instrumental suite ''The Warmth of the Earth'' (Тепло Земли). Only a few of his works have been translated into English, including ''A Dream in Polar Fog'' (russian: link=no, Сон в начале тумана), originally published in 1970, which was published by
Archipelago Books
Archipelago Books is an American not-for-profit publisher dedicated to promoting cross-cultural exchange through international literature in translation." Located in Brooklyn, New York, it publishes small to mid-size runs of international fiction ...
in 2005. It was also adapted as a film in 1994; directed by .
Other activities and death
He travelled extensively around the world on creative trips and with cultural and goodwill visits. As he spoke fluent English, he was invited to give lectures at American universities. He also worked with
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
for a time.
He died 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 ...
on 14 May 2008, after a long battle with
myeloma
Multiple myeloma (MM), also known as plasma cell myeloma and simply myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that normally produces antibodies. Often, no symptoms are noticed initially. As it progresses, bone pain, anemi ...
. He is buried in near the grave of his wife.
Evolution and reception
Colin Thubron
Colin Gerald Dryden Thubron, FRAS (born 14 June 1939) is a British travel writer and novelist. In 2008, ''The Times'' ranked him among the 50 greatest postwar British writers. He is a contributor to ''The New York Review of Books'',derevenshchiki'', the "village writers" who turned for their values to the unspoiled countryside, he began to extol precisely the Chukchi oral culture that he had once repudiated.Colin Thubron, The Last Shaman (review of Yuri Rytkheu, ''The Chukchi Bible'', Archipelago Books, 2009), ''The New York Review of Books'', 18 Aug. 2011, p. 56
Works in translation
All of Rytkheu's works are related in some way to the lives of the Chukchi:
Catalan
Transliteration
Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one writing system, script to another that involves swapping Letter (alphabet), letters (thus ''wikt:trans-#Prefix, trans-'' + ''wikt:littera#Latin, liter-'') in predictable ways, such as ...
of author's name into Catalan: ''Iuri S. Ritkheu''.
* ''El darrer xaman txuktxi'', (Pagès editors, 2007).
English
* ''Reborn to a Full Life'', (Moscow : Novosti Press Agency Pub. House, 1977).
* ''From Nomad Tent to University'', (Moscow : Novosti Press Agency, 1980).
* ''Old Memyl Laughs Last: Short Stories'', (Moscow: Foreign Languages Pub. House, no date).
* ''A Dream in Polar Fog'', trans. by Ilona Yazhbin Chavasse (New York: Archipelago Books, 2006).
* ''The Chukchi Bible'', trans. by Ilona Yazhbin Chavasse (New York: Archipelago Books, 2009).
* ''When the Whales Leave'', trans. by Ilona Yazhbin Chavasse (Minneapolis: Milkweed Editions, 2019).
French
Transliteration
Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one writing system, script to another that involves swapping Letter (alphabet), letters (thus ''wikt:trans-#Prefix, trans-'' + ''wikt:littera#Latin, liter-'') in predictable ways, such as ...
of author's name into French: ''Youri Rytkhèou''.
* ''L'Étrangère aux yeux bleus'', (Babel Series, Actes Sud, 2002). Original title in Russian: ''Anna Odintzowa'' (Zurich: Unionsverlag, 1998).
German
In German, the author's name is
transliterated
Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus '' trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → , Cyrillic → , Greek → the digraph , Armenian → or ...
as ''Juri Rytchëu''.
* Der Mondhund
*Unna
*Der letzte Schamane (''The Chukchi Bible'')
*Die Reise der Anna Odinzova
*''Traum im Polarnebel'' (1993) (''A Dream in Polar Fog'')
*Die Suche nach der letzten Zahl
*Wenn die Wale fortziehen (''When the Whales Leave'')
*Unter dem Sternbild der Trauer
*Im Spiegel des Vergessens (In the Mirror of Oblivion)
Russian
*"В зеркале забвения" (In the Mirror of Oblivion)
Honours
* Maxim Gorky RSFSR State Prize (1977), for the novel, ''"The end of the Permafrost"'' (Конец вечной мерзлоты).
*Orders:
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 ...
,
Order of Friendship of Peoples
The Order of Friendship of Peoples (russian: oрден Дружбы народов, translit=orden Druzhby narodov) was an order of the Soviet Union, and was awarded to persons (including non-citizens), organizations, enterprises, military unit ...
,
Order of the Badge of Honor
The Order of the Badge of Honour (russian: орден «Знак Почёта», orden "Znak Pochyota") was a civilian award of the Soviet Union.
It was established on 25 November 1935, and was conferred on citizens of the USSR for outstanding ...