Alexander Werth
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Alexander Werth (4 February 1901, St Petersburg – 5 March 1969,
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 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), ma ...
) was a
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
n-born, naturalized
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
writer, journalist, and war correspondent.


Biography

Werth fled with his father and grandfather to the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
in the wake of the Russian Revolution. He attended classes at the
University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...
from 1919 to 1922, taking classes in English, French, History, Russian, Philosophy and Comparative Literature. He became a naturalised British citizen on 7 July 1930. Werth wrote about
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
in the prewar period and he also wrote about Russia in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, especially the Battle of Stalingrad and the Siege of Leningrad. He was one of the first outsiders to be allowed into Stalingrad after the battle. He spoke and wrote both
Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
and
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
fluently. Werth spent most of World War II in Russia as a
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
correspondent, and had unrivalled access due to the combination of his BBC press credentials and his ability to function as a native Russian speaker. In January 1944, he was part of the delegation of Western correspondents who visited the graves in
Katyn forest Katyn (russian: Кáтынь; pl, Katyń ) is a rural locality (a '' selo'') in Smolensky District of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located approximately to the west of Smolensk, the administrative center of the oblast. The village had a population o ...
at the invitation of the Soviets. He believed the Soviet version that the Germans were the perpetrators. He was the
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 millio ...
correspondent for the Guardian newspaper from 1946 to 1949. His best-known work is ''Russia at War, 1941 to 1945'', (London, 1964) a behind-the-scenes look at life in the wartime Soviet Union. Other works include: ''France 1940-1955: the
de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Governm ...
Revolution''; ''Moscow 41''; ''The Last Days of Paris: a Journalist's Diary''; ''Leningrad''; ''The Year of Stalingrad''; and ''Musical Uproar in Moscow.'' In 1948, Werth left Russia, and did not return until 1961; he travelled much of Russia until he published ''Russia at War, 1941-1945'' in 1964, and spent a few months in Russia each year thereafter until 1968. Werth ended his own life in March 1969, at the age of 68. His son
Nicolas Werth Nicolas Werth (born 1950 in Paris) is a French historian. Biography Werth is a scholar of communist studies. He is the son of Alexander Werth, a Russian born British journalist and writer who lived in the USSR during World War II. Work Nico ...
is a French historian (''Directeur de recherche au CNRS'') who specializes in the history of the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
.


Majdanek concentration camp

Werth was among a group of journalists who visited Majdanek concentration and extermination camp after it had been discovered by the advancing
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, afte ...
. He filed a report on the atrocities that had been committed there, but the BBC initially refused to broadcast it, believing that it was too incredible to be true and suspecting a Soviet propaganda stunt.''Photographing the Holocaust: interpretations of the evidence'', by Janina Struk (Google books)
/ref>


Works

* ''The Countess Tolstoy's Later Diary 1891-1897.'' (authorised translation) London: Victor Gollancz, 1929 * ''France in Ferment.'' London: Jerrolds, 1934. * ''The Destiny of France.'' London: Hamish Hamilton, 1937. Published in USA as ''Which Way France''. * ''France And Munich Before And After The Surrender.'' London: Hamish Hamilton, 1939. * ''The Last Days of Paris: A Journalist's Diary.'' London: Hamish Hamilton, 1940. * ''Moscow '41.'' London: Hamish Hamilton, 1942. Published in USA as ''Moscow War Diary.'' * ''The Twilight of France, 1933 - 1940: A Journalist's Chronicle.'' London: Hamish Hamilton, 1942. * ''Leningrad.'' London: Hamish Hamilton, 1944. * ''The Year of Stalingrad: An Historical Record and a Study of Russian Mentality, Methods and Policies.'' London: Hamish Hamilton, 1946. * ''Musical Uproar in Moscow.'' London: Turnstile Press, 1949. * ''France, 1940-1955.'' London: Robert Hale, 1956. * ''The Strange History of
Pierre Mendès France Pierre Isaac Isidore Mendès France (; 11 January 190718 October 1982) was a French politician who served as prime minister of France for eight months from 1954 to 1955. As a member of the Radical Party, he headed a government supported by a co ...
and the Great Conflict over French North Africa.'' London: Barrie Books, 1957. Published in USA as ''Lost Statesman: The Strange Story of Pierre Mendes-France.'' * ''America in Doubt.'' London: Robert Hale, 1959. * ''The De Gaulle Revolution.'' London: Robert Hale, 1960. * ''The Khrushchev Phase: The Soviet Union Enters the "Decisive" Sixties.'' London: Robert Hale, 1961. Published in USA as ''Russia Under Khrushchev.'' * ''
Russia at War, 1941-1945 Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
.'' London: Barrie & Rockliff, 1964. (German edition: Russland im Krieg 1941-1945. München: Droemer Knaur 1965) * ''De Gaulle: A Political Biography.'' London:
Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest pu ...
, 1965. * ''Russia: Hopes and Fears.'' London: Barrie & Rockliff, 1969. * ''Russia: The Post-War Years.'' London: Robert Hale, 1971.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Werth, Alexander 1901 births 1969 suicides British male journalists Journalists from Saint Petersburg Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United Kingdom People who emigrated to escape Bolshevism Emigrants from the Russian Empire to France