William Vasilyevich Pokhlyobkin (August 20, 1923 – April 15 (burial date), 2000) (russian: Ви́льям Васи́льевич Похлёбкин, Viliyam Vasilievich Pokhlyobkin) was a Soviet and Russian historian specializing in Scandinavian studies, heraldry, the

diplomacy Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. ...

and

international relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such a ...

of Russia. He was also known as a geographer, journalist, expert on the history of Russian cuisine and the author of numerous culinary books. His '' A History of Vodka'' has been translated into a number of languages, including English.

Biography

William Pokhlyobkin was born to Russian revolutionary

Vasili Mikhailov Vasili, Vasily, Vasilii or Vasiliy (Russian: Василий) is a Russian masculine given name of Greek origin and corresponds to ''Basil''. It may refer to: *Vasili I of Moscow Grand Prince from 1389–1425 * Vasili II of Moscow Grand Prince fr ...

(Михайлов Василий Михайлович). "Pokhlyobkin" was Mikhailov's

underground Underground most commonly refers to: * Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth Underground may also refer to: Places * The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston * The Underground ...

nickname, derived from the word "" which is a Russian type of vegetable soup. Vasili named his son after

Vladimir Ilyich 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 ...

(VIL is an acronym which turned into William). He took part in the Soviet-Finnish War and

German-Soviet War The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers against the Soviet Union (USSR), Poland and other Allies, which encompassed Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Northeast Europe (Baltics), and Sout ...

as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

. After his discharge from service, he studied at the

Moscow State Institute of International Relations Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) (russian: Московский государственный институт международных отношений (МГИМО), also known as MGIMO University) is an institute of ...

from 1945–1949, and later did

postgraduate Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and ...

courses in the Institute of History of the

USSR Academy of Sciences The Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union was the highest scientific institution of the Soviet Union from 1925 to 1991, uniting the country's leading scientists, subordinated directly to the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (until 1946 ...

. He became a

Kandidat Candidate of Sciences (russian: кандидат наук, translit=kandidat nauk) is the first of two doctoral level scientific degrees in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. It is formally classified as UNESCO's ISCED level 8, "d ...

of Historical Sciences and a research member in the Institute of History in 1953. He founded the journal ''

Skandinavskii sbornik ''Skandinavskii sbornik'' (Scandinavian Review), also ''Скандинавский сборник'', ''Skandinaavia kogumik'', and ''Skrifter om Skandinavien'', was an annual serial publication of the history and wider humanities in Scandinavia a ...

'' ("Скандинавский сборник") and was its chief editor from 1955-1961. He was later a member of the editorial collegium of the journal '' Scandinavica''. In 1968 he was labeled a

dissident A dissident is a person who actively challenges an established political or religious system, doctrine, belief, policy, or institution. In a religious context, the word has been used since the 18th century, and in the political sense since the 20th ...

because his book on tea was popular in dissident circles. He was barred from publication, thus was unable to finish his doctoral dissertation, and had to concentrate on his culinary hobby. His book on Vodka has been criticized by Lev Usyskin for containing errors, and a trademark dispute between the Soviet Union and Poland over usage of the word "vodka" that Pokhlyobkin supposedly provided research for did not occur. He was the author of over 50 books and a large number of articles. For a long time his books remained unpublished, and most of them were printed after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Printed simultaneously in large numbers they gave rise to speculation that "Pokhlyobkin" was a pen name of a whole ''

artel An artel (russian: арте́ль) was any of several types of cooperative associations and (later) corporate enterprises in the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, and the Soviet Union. They began centuries ago but were especially prevalent ...

'' of writers. In 1993 he was awarded

Langhe Ceretto Prize The Langhe Ceretto Prize ( it, Premio Langhe Ceretto, after Langhe region and Ceretto family of wine-makers) is a literary award, introduced in 1991 and bestowed by a jury of international experts to books dealing with food and viticulture Viti ...

, an international award for outstanding culinary writing, awarded by Ceretto Brothers

winery A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, ...

on the basis of recommendations of an international committee. Pokhlyobkin was found murdered in his apartment, in

Podolsk Podolsk ( rus, Подольск, p=pɐˈdolʲsk) is an industrial city, center of Podolsk Urban Okrug, Moscow Oblast, Russia, located on the Pakhra River (a tributary of the Moskva River). History The first mentions of the village of Podol, ...

somewhere between March 27 and 31, 2000. He was stabbed eleven times with a screwdriver and alcohol was found in his system despite being a teetotaler. His dead body was uncovered by the chief editor of the Polyfakt publishing house, who was worried about the delay of the book ''Cuisine of the Century'' and came from Moscow to Podolsk to see Pokhlyobkin. A large number of his books on Scandinavian topics remain unpublished.

Bibliography

Culinary

* ''Tea: Types, Properties, and Use.'' Food Industry, Moscow, 1968. * ''Everything about Spices.'' Food Industry, Moscow, 1973. * ''The Ethnic Cuisines of our Peoples.'' Light and Food Industry, Moscow, 1978. * ''Secrets of Good Cooking.'' Molodaya Gvardiya, Moscow, 1979. * ''Cooking for Fun.'' Light and Food Industry, Moscow, 1983. * ''On Culinary from A to Z. A Reference Book.'' Polymya, Minsk, 1988. * ''A History of Vodka.'' Inter-Verso, Moscow, 1991. ** ''A History of Vodka.'' Verso-Books, Moscow, 1992. * ''The Dinner is Served! Repertoire of Food and Beverages in the Russian Classical Dramas from the End of the 18th Century to the Beginning of the 20th Century.'' Artist, Director and Theater, Moscow, 1993. * ''Tea and Vodka in the History of Russia.'' Kransoyarsk, 1995. * ''Culinary Dictionary.'' Tsentrpoligraf, Moscow, 1996. * ''From the History of Russian Culinary Culture.'' Tsentrpoligraf, Moscow, 1997. * ''History of Essential Foodstuff.'' Tsentrpoligraf, Moscow, 1997. * ''Culinary Arts and Cooking Accessories.'' Tsentrpoligraf, Moscow, 1999. * ''My Cuisine and My Menu.'' Tsentrpoligraf, Moscow, 1999. * ''Culinary arts.'' Tsentrpoligraf, Moscow, 1999. * ''Cuisine of the Century.'' Polifakt, Moscow, 2000. * ''Great Encyclopedia of Culinary Arts.'' Tsentrpoligraf, Moscow, 2003.

History and Politics

* ''Denmark.'' Geografgiz, Moscow, 1955. * ''Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland.'' Geografgiz, Moscow, 1956. * ''Norway.'' Geografgiz, Moscow, 1957. * ''Scandinavian Countries and USSR.'' Znaniye, Moscow, 1958. * ''Finland and the Soviet Union.'' Znaniye, Moscow, 1961. * ''The Baltic and the Fight for Peace.'' Znaniye, Moscow, 1966. * ''State System of Iceland.'' Yuridicheskaya Literatura, Moscow, 1967. * ''USSR - Finland. 260 Years of Relations (1713—1973).'' International Relations, Moscow, 1975. * ''Urho Kaleva Kekkonen. Political Biography.'' International Relations, Moscow, 1985. ** ''Urho Kaleva Kekkonen.'' Eesti Raamat, Tallinn, 1988. * ''Dictionary of International Symbols and Emblems.'' International Relations, Moscow, 1989. * ''Tatars and Rus. 360 Years of Relations between Rus and Tatar States in 13-16 Centuries, 1238-1598 (from the Battle on the River Sit' to the Conquering of Siberia).'' International Relations, Moscow, 2000. * ''Foreign Policy of Rus, Russia, USSR for 1000 Years, in Names, Dates and Facts. A Reference Book.'' International Relations, Moscow, 1992. * ''The Great Pseudonym (about

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

's name).'' Yudit, Moscow, 1996. * ''The Great War and the Peace that Never Happened 1941 - 1945 - 1994. A Military and Foreign-Policy Reference Book on the History of the Great Patriotic War and its International Legal Aftereffects from June 22nd 1941 to August 31st 1994.'' Art-Business Center, Moscow, 1997.

References

External links

Pokhlebkin murdered

Interview
by ''

Radio Liberty Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...