Andrei Sinyavsky facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Andrei Donatovich Sinyavsky
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Sinyavsky in Amsterdam, 29 November 1975
|
|
| Native name |
Андрей Донатович Синявский
|
| Born | October 8, 1925 Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Died | February 25, 1997 (aged 71) Fontenay-aux-Roses, France |
| Pen name | Abram Tertz |
| Occupation | Writer, publisher, literary critic |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Alma mater | Moscow State University |
| Spouse | Maria Rozanova |
| Children | Iegor Gran |
| Signature | |
 |
|
Andrei Donatovich Sinyavsky (Russian: Андре́й Дона́тович Синя́вский; born October 8, 1925 – died February 25, 1997) was a Russian writer. He was also known as a Soviet dissident, meaning he openly disagreed with the Soviet government. He became famous for being a defendant in the Sinyavsky–Daniel trial in 1965.
Sinyavsky worked as a literary critic for a magazine called Novy Mir. He also wrote stories and books that were critical of life in the Soviet Union. To avoid censorship (where the government stops people from publishing what they want), he used the pseudonym (a secret writing name) Abram Tertz. He published these works in countries outside the Soviet Union. Sinyavsky and his friend Yuli Daniel were found guilty in a show trial. This was a public trial meant to make an example of them. They were the first Soviet writers to be convicted just for their fictional works. Sinyavsky spent six years in a Gulag, which was a harsh labor camp. In 1973, he moved to France. There, he became a professor of Russian literature and wrote many books about his own life and experiences.
Early Life and Education
Andrei Donatovich Sinyavsky was born in Moscow, Russia, on October 8, 1925. His father, Donat Evgenievich Sinyavsky, came from a noble Russian family. His mother came from a Russian peasant background. Andrei's father was arrested many times by the Bolsheviks because the government thought he was against them. Sinyavsky wrote about his father's experiences in his book Goodnight!.
In 1941, during World War II, Sinyavsky's family moved to Syzran. He finished school there in 1943. After graduating, Sinyavsky joined the Red Army and worked as a radio engineer. In 1945, he started studying philology (the study of language and literature) at Moscow State University. He became a full-time student after leaving the army the next year. He studied the works of the famous poet Vladimir Mayakovsky. Sinyavsky graduated in 1949 and continued his studies, earning a higher degree in 1952. He worked at the Gorky Institute of World Literature in Moscow. He also taught at Moscow State University and the Moscow Art Theatre School. By the end of 1960, he became a member of the Union of Soviet Writers.
Sinyavsky became a leading literary critic for the magazine Novy Mir. This magazine was known for being more open-minded in the Soviet Union. Sinyavsky started to lean towards disagreeing with the government. In 1962, Novy Mir became famous for publishing One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. This story was about a prisoner in the Gulag. Sinyavsky, who was mentored by the famous writer Boris Pasternak, wrote short stories that showed the real, often difficult, parts of Soviet life. He published these stories in other countries using the name Abram Tertz. The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) would not allow his critical works to be published inside the Soviet Union because of strict censorship.
The Sinyavsky–Daniel Trial
On September 4, 1965, Sinyavsky was arrested with his friend and fellow writer Yuli Daniel. They faced the first Soviet show trial where writers were openly convicted just for their literary works. Sinyavsky and Daniel were arrested because their writings, which were critical of Soviet life, were published abroad. They were charged under a law that said they were creating materials that encouraged "Anti-Soviet agitation" (meaning they were trying to stir up trouble against the Soviet government). This was the first time these laws were used against fictional stories.
Many Soviet writers and thinkers supported Sinyavsky and Daniel. On December 5, 1965, they held the Glasnost meeting in Moscow. This was the first public political demonstration in the Soviet Union after World War II. The Sinyavsky–Daniel trial was heavily covered by Soviet media, which used it for propaganda. This trial showed that the period of greater freedom, known as the Khrushchev Thaw, was ending.
On February 14, 1966, Sinyavsky was sentenced to seven years in a labor camp. He was charged with "anti-Soviet activity" because of the opinions expressed by characters in his fictional stories. After the trial, 63 people signed a petition asking for their release. However, members of the Union of Soviet Writers spoke out against Sinyavsky and Daniel. Historian Fred Coleman wrote that the trial marked the beginning of the modern Soviet dissident movement. This movement eventually helped to end Communist rule.
Sinyavsky was forced to work as a stevedore (someone who loads and unloads ships) at the Dubravlag. This was a labor camp (katorga) that was part of the Gulag system. It was located near Yavas, in the Mordovian ASSR. Sinyavsky was released early in 1971. This happened because of an initiative by Yuri Andropov, who was the head of the KGB (the Soviet secret police) and later became the leader of the Soviet Union.
Later Years and Death
In 1973, Sinyavsky was allowed to move to France. He was invited by Claude Frioux, a professor at the University of Paris 8. Sinyavsky became a professor of Russian literature at Sorbonne University. He also started a Russian-language magazine called Sintaksis with his wife, Maria Rozanova. He also wrote for Radio Liberty. Sinyavsky and Rozanova's son, Iegor Gran, became a novelist.
On October 17, 1991, Sinyavsky was mentioned in a report by the newspaper Izvestia. The report discussed reviewing the convictions of several important Soviet individuals because there wasn't enough evidence against them. Sinyavsky, Yuli Daniel, and others were considered for "rehabilitation" (meaning their convictions would be officially cleared). This happened just two months before the dissolution of the Soviet Union (when the Soviet Union broke apart).
In early 1996, Sinyavsky had a heart attack. Later that year, he was diagnosed with lung cancer that had spread to his brain. He had operations and radiotherapy at the Curie Institute, but they were not successful. Sinyavsky died in 1997 in Fontenay-aux-Roses, near Paris. He was buried there by a Russian Orthodox priest. The famous poet Andrei Voznesensky was present at the burial.
Sinyavsky's story also inspired the formation of a Russian-English translation team: Larissa Volokhonsky and Richard Pevear. They have translated many works by famous Russian writers like Mikhail Bulgakov, Anton Chekhov, Fyodor Dostoyevski, Nikolai Gogol, and Leo Tolstoy. Larissa Volokhonsky, who grew up in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), first visited the United States in the early 1970s. She found an article by Pevear about Sinyavsky. At the time, Pevear thought Sinyavsky was still in a Russian prison. But Volokhonsky had just helped him move to Paris. Pevear was surprised and happy to learn this.
Images for kids
-
Andrei Sinyavsky's grave (Cimetière communal de Fontenay-aux-Roses, Rue des Pierrelais 18)
