Boris Dubin facts for kids
Boris Vladimirovich Dubin (Russian: Борис Владимирович Дубин; born 1946, died 2014) was a Russian expert who studied how people live in groups, called a sociologist. He was also a talented translator of books and poems from many languages, including English, French, and Spanish.
Dubin was a leader at the Levada Center, which is a well-known research group in Russia. He helped publish a magazine about public opinion. He also taught students about the sociology of culture, which looks at how culture shapes society, at universities in Moscow.
Early Life and Career
Boris Dubin grew up in a family of doctors. When he was young, he was involved with a group of poets called SMOG. Their poems were often printed secretly, which was known as Samizdat. In the late 1960s, he learned from famous poets and translators like Arseny Tarkovsky.
In 1970, Dubin finished his studies at the Lomonosov Moscow State University. He specialized in Russian and French languages and literature. He started publishing his writings in public newspapers that same year.
For many years, Dubin worked in libraries and research centers. From 1970 to 1985, he worked at the Russian State Library. Later, he joined the Russian Public Opinion Research Center, called VCIOM. In 2004, he and many colleagues left VCIOM to help create the Levada Center. This new center focused on studying public opinion and society.
His Work as a Translator
Boris Dubin started working with publishing houses in 1970. His first published translation was a collection of poems by Théophile Gautier in 1972. He became very well-known for translating old Spanish songs and poems from the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Some of the Spanish writers he translated include John of the Cross and Pedro Calderón de la Barca.
He also translated works by many other famous writers from around the world. These included poets like Guillaume Apollinaire from France and Jorge Luis Borges from Argentina. He also translated essays, which are short pieces of writing about a topic, by thinkers like Susan Sontag and Isaiah Berlin. Dubin also brought the works of several Polish authors to Russian readers.
Besides translating, Dubin wrote articles about new books from other countries and modern Russian poetry. He even put together a special book called "Space in other words," which featured French poets writing about art.
Awards and Recognition
Boris Dubin received many awards for his excellent essays and translations. Some of his most important awards include:
- The "Window" award in 1995.
- The A. Leroy-Beaulieu and M. Vaksmaher awards for his French translations.
- The prestigious Andrei Bely Prize for his research in 2005.
- The International Efim Etkind award in 2006.
In 2008, France honored him by making him a Knight of the National Order of Merit. This is a special award given by the French government. He also won prizes from several magazines, including "Foreign Literature" and "Znamya."
See also
In Spanish: Borís Dubin para niños
